Building a Conductor's Car

Conductor's Car at Stoneman's Station
used as a telegraph shed

During the Civil War conductor's cars, also known as cabooses, way cars, cabin cars, and on some odd-ball railroads, vans, were not that common. According to John H. White, there were just a few  railroads with conductor cars prior to the war. During the war, the USMRR started using them more regularly. When the railroaders returned home after the war, they helped spread the idea.

I have no written record of  conductor cars on the Aquia Line, however, there is a photo of a conductor car off the rails and being used as a telegraph shed at Stoneman's. So there was at least one!

The are no plans available that I am aware of except for the drawing in Alexandrer's book. That plan has lots of mistakes, and is too big for my layout anyway. There are a few photos of USMRR conductor cars. So I decided to make my conductor's car as if it was a converted box car using the photos as guides.

I laser cut the frame and then planked the deck and sides with scale lumber.

I decided to add a full interior. Most everything is scratch built except the stove casting (though I did add a cranked chimney), the barrel and the tools. The chairs are laser cut.

Now I have to figure out how to make the roof removable.

Close up of the work table. Can you read the switch list?

The car sides are laser scribed, but engraved on two sides so the joint lines show inside and out.

The bed on the right is a 2-bunk bed.