How-To Use
 FauxToys Wraps

FauxToys Wraps for the
CABOOSES
OPEN-PLATFORM CARS (Old Time)
OPEN-PLATFORM CARS (Circus)

FauxToys' CABOOSE and OPEN-PLATFORM wraps are designed to fit the Marx® 6" tin caboose.

OPEN PLATFORM CAR
(OLD-TIME and CIRCUS versions)
Instructions

Disassembly - Remove the car's body from the frame by loosening the tabs on the underside. To prevent breakage, loosen tabs only enough to get the body off the frame. Loosen the tabs holding the cupola onto the roof, and remove cupola. Remove end-rail and ladder, if present.

Refinishing - Repaint the car roof and frame if necessary. See Painting Tips. Before painting the roof, you may wish to fill in the slots for the cupola tabs, and sand the area smooth.

Adding a Coupler - For most of the open-platform cars, you will need a second coupler. The easiest way is to use a frame from a freight-car with two couplers. Extra couplers and their mounting rivets can be ordered from the Robert Grossman Company. It is possible to make a substitute coupler from brass or steel wire. See How. A last resort would be to bend out the coupler support section of the frame to take the tab of the next car's coupler - I have seen this done, but have no idea whether it is effective for sustained running without causing derailments.

Follow CABOOSE Instructions for the remainder of the project.

CABOOSE
Instructions

Protecting the Wraps (Optional Step) - FauxToys wraps are tough and water-resistant. However, pressing hard on the wrap with damp hands or rubbing the wrap when it is wet may permanently mar the gloss surface. Common paste wax can give increased protection to the wrap and prevent minor warping from moisture in the air. See Details.

Disassembly and Refinishing - Repaint the car roof and frame, if necessary. See Painting Tips. If the finish on the cupola is reasonable, FauxToys recommends using it without repainting, so mask or remove the cupola before repainting the roof. If cupola finish is dull, paste wax will brighten it up.

Preparing the Panels - Cut out all paper parts, using a sharp hobby knife and metal straightedge, or scissors. Make nicks (small cuts) where indicated on the sheet. Fold sharply on the light lines between the side and end panels.

Darken the edges with a black marker or a marker of the color the edge will be bordering. Work from behind when darkening the edges.

You can cut out caboose windows, or leave them as is.

Porthole end-windows are difficult to cut. The best plan is to punch them out with an inexpensive 3/16" paper punch from the office supply store. If you don't want to invest the $1.79 in a paper punch, you can color in the portholes with a black marker to visually match cut-out side windows. Another alternative is to wait until the wraps are mounted, then cut out the windows with a sharp hobby knife, using the body's window hole as a guide. Or make a pinhole in the center and punch them into the opening with a sharp pencil after mounting.

For permanent installation, put double-stick tape along the upper and lower edges of the backs of the Body side panels and the outer edges of the end panels. Align the sides carefully so that the window openings line up properly, before pressing down to seal the tape.

For removable temporary installation on valued cars, use double-sided tape only to stick the overlapping end flaps together; do not stick the wrap to the car body.

Stick the end panel with the FauxToys copyright notice under the roof overhang on the coupler end of the caboose and cover it with the taped end panel from the other side.

If you have repainted the cupola, cut out and pre curve the cupola window pieces, so that they match the curve of the cupola. Darken the edges with a black marker. Glue on the cupola window pieces with cyano cement ("super glue"). Using tweezers will prevent smearing of the glue and permanent attachment of your finger.

Adding a Coupler - For economy's sake, Marx usually provided cabooses with only one coupler. If you wish to add a second coupler, see the Open Platform Cars instructions above.