Micro-Mark Air Caboose Red Paint, 20ml
SKU
- Classic deep red inspired by historic North American cabooses
- Slightly brighter than standard Caboose Red for blending and shading flexibility
- Pre-thinned for smooth airbrush application—no thinning required
- Ideal for cabooses, boxcars, structures, and signage with a clean finish
- Made in the USA
Description
Air Caboose Red provides the same historically rich tone and is specially formulated for airbrush use. This version lays down a smooth, even coat with minimal overspray, ideal for modelers looking for precision and consistency across broad surfaces like rolling stock and structures. Slightly brighter than some traditional formulations, it can be darkened easily to match specific railroad lines.
Air Caboose Red is available in these sets:
Item #29384 Railroad Model Color Paint Set
Item #29433 Basic Acrylic Painting Set with Brushes, Mediums & Empty Bottles, 89-Piece
Modeling Use Cases
• Rolling Stock: Cabooses, boxcars, hoppers
• Structures: Water towers, barns, sheds, station signs
• Railroad Details: Signals, signage, toolboxes
• Weathering Effects: Use over black primer or with black/brown washes for age
• Dioramas & Backdrops: Rural buildings, industrial elements
Tip: For best results, use at 15–25 psi. No additional thinning is required, but compatible with Micro-Mark Acrylic Airbrush Thinner if needed for custom blending.
Air Caboose is available in the Airbrush Railroad Acrylic Paint Set.
The History of Caboose Red
Caboose Red refers to the iconic deep red color used on cabooses—the last car on a freight train—throughout North America from the late 1800s to the mid-20th century.
Why Red?
• Availability: Railroads used iron oxide pigments (“red ochre”) that were inexpensive, durable, and easy to apply.
• Visibility: Red stood out against natural landscapes—critical for spotting the end of a train.
• Tradition: Red became visually synonymous with the caboose, cementing a cultural identity in railroading.
What Is a Caboose?
• A crewed railcar functioning as a mobile office and lookout post for conductors and brakemen.
• From the cupola or bay window, crews watched for hazards like shifting cargo or hotboxes (overheated axles).
Phase-Out and Legacy
• By the 1980s, cabooses were phased out due to innovations like End-of-Train Devices (EOTs).
• Caboose Red remains iconic, found in:
- Model railroads
- Museum restorations
- Toy trains (e.g., Lionel)
- Historical scenery and dioramas
This particular Air Caboose Red is slightly brighter than many traditional caboose paints, making it ideal for layering, highlighting, or adjusting to match specific railroad lines, which historically varied from red-orange to burgundy depending on region and era.
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Instructions
Shipping & Returns
We hope you will be completely satisfied with your order...but, if an item does not meet your expectations, you may return it in as-new condition within 30 days of delivery for a replacement, exchange or refund of the purchase price.
More Information:
Micro-Mark Acrylic Paints include brush-on and airbrush paints. These paints have been specially formulated for painting miniatures, models, and figures of all sorts. The brush-on line includes primers, a multitude of colors, thinner, cleaner, and retarder.
Painting and finishing are key components to almost every project. With 96 years of experience in the hobby/maker space, Micro-Mark has time-tested expertise in providing the best and most innovative paints, brushes, airbrushes, finishing supplies and painting equipment to our customers. Recently, the demand for quality paint products has exceeded supply and as a solution to this issue, Micro-Mark is pleased to introduce the Micro-Mark Acrylic Paint Line.
The Micro-Mark Acrylic Paint Line has been developed and tested by our expert in-house team to give model builders, miniaturists, figure artists and other makers a new option when choosing paint for their projects. Featuring the most widely requested selection of basic colors, our matte-finish acrylic paint sets provide consistent color, solid coverage and smooth application in both brush-on and airbrush formulations. Additionally, we also offer white, gray and black primer for brush-on and airbrush use, plus our own thinners, acrylic paint cleaner, airbrush flow improver and retarder medium, giving you a complete paint system for reliable results every time. Our water-based acrylic paint products are non-toxic and proudly made in the USA.
