Canadian Pacific 2-8-0 Kitbash

[alpha_1]

Looking real good, Matt! Thanks for keeping us up to date.

Cheers!

[sailormatlac]

I decided to change my mind a little bit from the main project. I got this old ROCO junker in the basket. Decided to try some weathering technics on it. Not top notch, but at least, 3759 have something to switch on the shelf layout.



Matt

[sailormatlac]

Looks like I'll have to alter the tender height. Some kind modeller took some dimensions for me on a brass model. I compared them to Omer Lavallée's diagrams and my kitbash. As I suspected, my tender is one scale feet too high. SHoudl be too hard to resize, however, I'll have to scrap almost every rivets and replace them with Archer resin details. Looks like I'll have to wait 2 weeks to get them. However, this will give me the time to completely finish the engine and tender.

BTW, I'd like to thank everybody that helped me so far in this project. I'm not that much confident in my modelling skills, they are OK for my needs, but far to be something to be looked at. Even so, It stirred up a lot of interest from various people that gave me a hand each time I had a question. It makes we want to progress and do every little effort I can to make this kitbash the most prototypically exact I can.

Matt

[faraway]

...Decided to try some weathering technics on it. ...

I think the weathering went very well. I can smell the car

[doctorwayne]

.....I'm not that much confident in my modelling skills, they are OK for my needs, but far to be something to be looked at.

Don't sell yourself short, Matt. While any of us need only satisfy ourselves with our modelling efforts, your attention to detail and ingenious use of materials makes your work especially interesting to follow. I don't think anyone can argue with the results you get, either.

Even so, It stirred up a lot of interest from various people that gave me a hand each time I had a question. It makes we want to progress and do every little effort I can to make this kitbash the most prototypically exact I can.

Matt, I knew when I invited you here that you'd get a warm reception. Not only are the folks here as nice as you'll find anywhere on-line, but a lot of us appreciate the type of work you're doing, too. Your willingness to just jump into a project and do it (and, when necessary, re-do it) sets a good example for those among us who need a push to get started on a project that has them fearful of failing.

Wayne

[sailormatlac]

Wayne,

Your invitation paid off, once again, it pushed me go farther in my modelling. Now, #2500 will be a beginner's work compared to this one. It is a good practice for the Hudson project. I've always liked to follow WIP, it's a pleasure to have to do one too.

Back to the WIP.

Chopping the tender was easier done than said! I've cut 3mm (about 1/8") so the lower part is now 5' high according to the prototype. A esthetic trick is that habitually, the tender deck align with the cab window.

The first cut, I always scrib plastic instead of cutting through the plastic shell. It makes straight edges that can be levelled easily with a large file.




Here's the resized tender. Looks far better, much more like a switcher's one.



Removed all misplaced cast-on rivets. Only kept the upper line and the line near the rear seam. On the prototype, this welded seam existed. I used sandpaper to remove all unnecessary details.



A quick shot with the engine. You're not dreaming, the fireman tries to load wood on this coal burner!!!! My hunch is that he's gonna be fired soon.



Next steps: Coal bunker, railings, water hatch and headlight. Then rivets. SInce I removed the tabs on the tender, I'll need to fix the shell on the frame with screws.

Matt

[cn nutbar]

Matt---excellent work---I'm very glad you have joined Big Blue to share your skills and inspiration to us wanna-be modellers.Any chance you have a Canadian National steamer in your future plans

[sailormatlac]

Matt---excellent work---I'm very glad you have joined Big Blue to share your skills and inspiration to us wanna-be modellers.Any chance you have a Canadian National steamer in your future plans

Coming from you, no surprise!!! Eheheh!!! As you may know, I'm more into CNR than CPR. In fact, I'm proposing myself to turn a President Choice Hudson into the real thing. I don't know when I'll start working on it. I've started to explore some ways to bash it and Wayne gave me some technical tips for the banjo frame. Most work will involve making a all weather cab and rebuilding the tender (I won't use a Spectrum Hicken tenders, doesn't feel like the real thing. Half IHC tender is good, so I'll start from there.)

But before that, I've got a CP Rail FA+B+A set to finish, #144, a CPR H16-44 and a dozen of cars to paint and decal with CDS transfer to boost up my CNR fleet. And just got an email from a club member urging me to work on the Bunge grain elevator (good thing I came across the excellent thread about grain elevators here). As you can see, Montmorency Locomotive Works is in big business!

Also, the new Bachmann Mogul seems to be a promising engine to kitbash. Just need to find a suitable prototype class to start from. I must admit I didn't do my research on that...

Matt

[sailormatlac]

Worked a little bit on the tender this morning. I ran out of short stanchions for the coal bunker and lift bar... I hate this, and other delay it seems... They should sell them in 100-piece value pack!

Coal bunker was made out of 1.5mm sheet styrene. I test fitted it to check if everything was working out.



And with its top. You can see it doesn't align well with the tender "bump", about .25mm. I thought about redoing it, but it won't be noticeable when the wood extension will be added.



When I resized the tender yesterday, the cut wasn't perfect. I puttied throughfully to get a straight edge.



Wood extensions are made out of... wood! I once did them in scribbed styrene. You really don't get the right feeling once painted. I added some styrene braces near the sloped part. This will help to align the rear panel. Also, this way, I'll be able to glue the wood extension with plastic cement instead of CA.



The front part is made of styrene. The horizontal part served to get the right angle, but also will work a tab to glue the part in final position (learning from past experiences...).



Corner ladder... I was affraid to tackle this project in it self. It worked out pretty well in fact. I used a rather strong brass wire. I may have gone with something smaller, but don't forget this engine will be in heavy operation, mainly switching duty. I prefer this part to be strong enough to survive intensive use... and abuse!



Testing the assembly.



And the finish product:





Matt

[sailormatlac]

I've just met my Waterloo... Tender trucks. I got brass Commonwealth trucks from Athabasca... just to find out I'll need to solder them, which is completely out of my range! Also, the wheels look to be cast in brass or something similar... Isn't a problem for electrical pick up?

If anyone has worked with this product before, feel free to give your thoughts about it.

Matt

[sailormatlac]

Good news everbody! Tender is completed! I mean, the general modifications. Some details like lift bar and back ladder will wait after I get the resin rivets.

Installed the railing.



I used a headlight from a MDC/Roundhouse vanderbilt tender. I mounted it on a stand made out of styrene sheet and Evergreen square styrene bits.



I salvaged the original water hatch. Always keep everything you cut!



The assembled wood extension. I decided to reuse the trick that I used for the cab: I cut long stanchions to make them shorter. It wasn't worth to order them. I kept the few short ones I have for the liftbar. But after that, no more supplies (completely stripped my Rivarossi Genoa!!! Anyway, she'll be rebuilt one day...). The steel corners on the wood extension are made of paper. We often overlook this material. The finest scratchbuilt buildings I've seen were done in the late 70's by a French modeller that used only paper of different kind. The level of detail was amazing.




The assembled thing on the layout. Seems like we time-travelled a little bit too far, Canadian Northern is still in business!



Now, it's getting harder to notice the Spectrum heritage!



Now, i've got to redo all the electronic and headlights. Shouldn't be any update here until I get the rivets done.

Matt

[alpha_1]

Very Nice work, Matt! This is a super tutorial for me. Great to see how it's done, thanks.

Cheers!

[sailormatlac]

Thanks Alpha,

Kitbashing isn't a lot different than building a patio deck. You take your measures twice, cut once! ;-) It's just a little bit smaller!

I hope I'll get the missing detailings parts soon. I take the break to design my future shelf layout and to complete the dreaded CP Rail FA+B+A set...

Matt

[alpha_1]

Will you be starting a new thread on your proposed layout? Sure hope so......you're doing good work, Matt.



Cheers,

[sailormatlac]

Will you be starting a new thread on your proposed layout? Sure hope so......you're doing good work, Matt.



Cheers,

If you check in the Challenge forum, you'll see my resolution thread. Cleaned theplace and moved my book shelf today to make some room.

Matt