lettering set for fast mail rider (ex-drover) cars - 1944-46 gold leaf lettering

In 1931, the Santa Fe’s Cleburne shops built the rst 10 all-steel 47’ caboose cars as drover cars to accomodate the cowboys accompanying their stock with Santa Fe’s heavy volume of cattle shipments. These rst cars were assigned road numbers as Series D930-D939, with an additional 8 cars built in 1935 as Series D940-D947. Then began a series of recongurations beginning in 1941 by adding a baggage door and renumbered as Series 2310-2314. (See Protocraft Decals “Santa Fe Drover Cars”)

 

In 1944, 7 drover’s cars (2309, 2315-2320) were converted for use to rider cars behind the fast mail trains. These cars were repainted from mineral brown to olive passenger green with gold leaf lettering and were equipped with steam lines, electric lights and high speed steel wheels, and renumbered into 2593-2599 Series. In 1946, the cars were rebuilt once again into combines and renumbered into 2315-2320 and painted mineral brown. One car, D939 remained in company service until 1971, and D935 until 1956, but most were retired by 1952.

 

Paint & Lettering: Santa Fe employed a Coach Green paint to sides, ends, steps and battery box covers: a match for this would be TCP-255.

This was somewhat lighter in shade than the standard Pullman green.

 

For more information on Santa Fe’s Drover’s cars, refer to John B. McCall’s “Coach, Cabbage & Caboose” volume, pages 119-127

 

O scale model was Hallmark Model’s MIxed Train Caboose

 

Decal set designed and created at Protocraft Decals

Printed by Microscale Industries