HO B&O I-12 Caboose Blue Scheme (1965-1983+) Decals

After successful experimentation of the wagon top caboose design as applied to the I-5a/b classes the B&O was gearing up to mass produce the design. So, in 1941 100 I-12 wagon top cabooses were built at the B&O’s Keyser shops. These were numbered C-2400 to C-2499. These served faithfully during the years of heavy WW2 traffic, and in 1945 an additional 25 were built at the Keyser shops, C-2800 to C-2824. In 1982 Chessie re-numbered the cabooses of it’s 3 separate railroads into one series, 
replacing the ‘C-‘ with a 90, so the I-12 number prefixes were 9024 and 9028.

Diagrams showing each paint scheme worn by the Blue Pool Scheme and Chessie painted I-12’s are shown. For painting of the Pool Scheme I-12’s, the car body should be painted Enchantment Blue, the early Pool Scheme I-12’s had yellow ends, the Late Pool Scheme I-12’s had Enchantment  Blue ends. The Chessie Scheme I-12’s were painted yellow with a silver roof, vermillion stripes and end cage.  The trucks and underbody equipment are Dark Blue. Some I-12’s lasted into the creation of 
CSX in either the Late Pool or Chessie Schemes.

This set contains enough data to do one caboose in one particular paint scheme. However, data for all 3 different “Blue Pool” and Chessie Schemes, are included.  Also included, but not shown on the decal proof illustrated are the appropriately styled numbers to match each scheme included in the set. Various repack and reweigh locations are given for across the B&O system.

The best currently available version of this car is the plastic undecorated kit produced by Spring Mills Depot, additionally the car has been done as a resin kit and imported in brass.

Detailed instructions for decaling can be found in any standard set given by major manufacturers supplied with their product, such as Microscale.

For further references in regard to the B&O I-12 caboose fleet can be found in the Cabooses of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, by Robert Hubler; published by the BORRHS.

A big thank you for assistance in creating this set goes to Bill Carl and Ken Braden of Spring Mills Depot, whom allowed the decal artwork to be directly created from their production artwork.