E-R Models - 70102 - Caboose, Bay Window - Union Pacific - 404

Model Information: This model of caboose was made for Atlas by Rivarossi and made its debut in the 1969 Atlas catalog. Unlike the "End Cupola" caboose, this model was never retooled for Chinese production and only 7 different versions were ever made by Atlas. Rivarossi continued to sell it under its own brand from 1977, retaining 4 of the Atlas road names and adding a new one. Moreover, in the mid-1990s, E-R Models did contract Rivarossi to re-introduce the model under the E-R name and 20 more versions were later produced. It is similar to Bay-Window cabooses made by Walthers, Micro-Trains and others. It can be distinguished from the other manufacturer's versions in that it has three windows in each body side, and 4 windows on each bay.

Prototype History: In a bay window caboose, the crew monitoring the train sits in the middle of the car in a section of wall that projects from the side of the caboose. The windows set into these extended walls resemble architectural bay windows, so the caboose type is called a bay window caboose. This type afforded a better view of the side of the train and eliminated the falling hazard of the cupola. The bay window gained favor with many railroads because it eliminated the need for additional clearances in tunnels and overpasses. On the west coast, the Milwaukee Road and the Northern Pacifc Railway used these cars, converting over 900 roof top cabooses to bay window cabooses in the late 1930's. Milwaukee Road rib-side window cabooses are preserved at New Libson, Wisconsin, the Illinois Railway Museum, the Mt. Rainer Scenic Railroad, and Cedarburg, Wisconsin.

When the shift was made from wooden to steel caboose construction, a new type of caboose also arrived. The new caboose design replaced the traditional roof-mounted “cupola” with “bay-windows” attached to the sides of the caboose. As freight cars grew taller, the effectiveness of cupolas as practical observation points was diminished. This was especially true on lines that suffered from low clearances and were incapable of making cupolas high enough to see over the top of the tallest freight cars. Cabooses were prone to rough handling, and many a trainman was knocked out of his perch in the cupola and injured when he fell. The new caboose design was safer as well as more effective.

Road Name History: The Union Pacific Railroad (reporting mark UP) is a freight hauling railroad that operates 8,500 locomotives over 32,100 route-miles in 23 states west of Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. The Union Pacific Railroad network is the largest in the United States and employs 42,600 people. It is also one of the world's largest transportation companies.

Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP); both are headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Over the years Union Pacific Corporation has grown by acquiring other railroads, notably the Missouri Pacific, Chicago & North Western, Western Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, and the Southern Pacific (including the Denver & Rio Grande Western).

Union Pacific Corporation's main competitor is the BNSF Railway, the nation's second largest freight railroad, which also primarily services the Continental U.S. west of the Mississippi River. Together, the two railroads have a duopoly on all transcontinental freight rail lines in the U.S.

Read more on Wikipedia and on Union Pacific official website.

Brand/Importer Information: E-R (Euro-Rail) Models was based at 1000 South Main Street in Newark, New York. The owner's name is Al Muniz. They produced reprints of various models using toolings discarded by Atlas (and possibly other manufacturers). They also produced their own locomotive, the Baldwin RF-16 Sharknose. The model was manufactured by Bachmann in China. E-R filed for bankruptcy in 2001.