Hi everybody,

First time here, as a poster and not a lurker.

Recently, I got my hand on a bunch of Miniatures by Eric vestibule cabs. It's what sparkled this project.

Canadian Pacific engine always had a esthetic charm that caught my eyes when I was reading my 1927 Youth Encyclopedia when I was a kid (I'm not that old, just read everything that was available in the house in the mid-90's. BTW, I'm sure someone remember the Do It Yourself Encyclopedia by Mechanic Popular, 1957 edition showed an O layout!).

Anyway, rarely large steamers ventured on my prototype (Quebec City), only smaller steamers. So I started working on my new X'mas steam project earlier than I thought: kitbashing a Spectrum 2-8-0 into a Canadian Pacific N2c engine (built in 1914). Last year, I used another Rock Island Spectrum to make a CNR stand in. The CPR project needs less reworking thant the CNR counter part. Mainly a cosmetic make up.

I'm not trying to get everything by the propotype, but still will make efforts to get a good result. Most hard work will be on the tender. It needs a severe shortening and reshaping which shouldn't be too hard to do. If I were a rivet counter, I would probably move the domes, but this involves a lot of reworking. Maybe I'll try it just to get the right look. Except for the cab and few castings (whistle, headlight and stanchions), most things will be scratchbuilt from styrene and electric wire.

This project involve reusing and reworking the aforementionned Miniatures by Eric CPR resin cab I got for 1$, moving some piping, a new injector, a new headlight and adding the characteristic runningboard skirts. I hope this project will inspire a few people how you can make yourself a quite decent looking canadian steam engine under 100$ including detailling pieces. I'm always amazed how Spectrum engines can mimick a lots of different real locomotives from different roads. Which is why I also started to rework a Spectrum 4-4-0 into a CPR #144 clone.

















Matt

Hey Matt, to Big Blue. Good to see that you were able to make it over here.

Your 144 turned out really well. Here's sister loco 136 on a fan trip in Hamilton, Ontario in the early '70s:




Wayne

Hi All. Nice job! Eric's Miniatures, eh? Just checked them out. Even at retail, not bad at all. Did you find the cab to be reasonably to scale? I have a spectrum 4-6-0 63" driver locomotive that's just begging to be done. I model the CPR as well.

I'd like to see and hear more from you. Thanks

Cheers.

@Wayne: Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here. I had some hesitation between engine #136 or 144. Thanks to CPR's conservatism, you can run a 1887 locomotive on a late 50's layout.

@Alpha: Thanks! As I said, I got the MBE vestibule cab for almost nothing. The cab general dimensions are good, it fits well the Spectrum boiler withotu too much grinding. However, the resin casting I used wasn't very well done. I'll probably have to rework the ladders with styrene strips. At least it isn't warped and wall thickness is about 1/8". Spectrum cab weigth also fit inside the casting. This yellow resin isn't brittle, but still very hard to work. It also lacks a lot of details, including windows, ventilation traps on the cab & doors to tender (plain area there). For a kitbash, it's ok. But if you're looking to purchase a brand new cab, I would recommand getting something better, maybe a brass version. Few models are available on the market, in particular Arthabasca brass one designed to fit Spectrum 2-8-0 (about 37$ on their webstore).

Good luck with your 4-6-0. Sounds like an interesting project, hope you'll share it with us. Would it be that you're planning to put a vestibule cab on it? Anyway, I encourage you on this project, Spectrum small steamer lend themselves naturally to kitbash.

Matt

Nice work! Great to see some CPR steam here.

This is one of my favourite sites, as it centres on my hometown in the steam era - <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.mcswiz.com/MyLayout/Homepage.asp">http://www.mcswiz.com/MyLayout/Homepage.asp</a><!-- m -->

Richard models Orangeville and surrounding area (former Credit Valley lines) in the 1940s & 50s.


And to Big Blue!


Andrew

Finally, I decided to move the sand dome forward as the prototype. Easier done than I first thought, took two hours and few bits of styrene. I used a paper template to make the new hole.

I also realigned the running board near the cab. The project should progress fast after this.





Matt

Lookin' good, Matt Wish I had your kind of expertise, She'll be a dandy when you're finished.

alpha_1 Wrote:Lookin' good, Matt Wish I had your kind of expertise, She'll be a dandy when you're finished.

Ahahah! I just painted myself again in the corner: I never planned to strip the boiler and go that far...

Matt

Yer a brave wee lad!

looks good ,, keep em coming

Did some work on the boiler this morning. I decided to remove two metal bands to respect the prototype.

I also scratchbuilt a turret from some mysterious parts in the junk box and wire, modified the steam generator, added the bell and added a custom-made injector.





To complete the boiler part, I must add the whistle, correct CPR handrail and rework a litle bit the headlight and number boards. And of course, the running boards skirts.

Matt

Very nice going, Matt. I don't know how you feel about it now, but I for one, am glad you continued on. You obviously have ths skills for this, and you're going to be a happy guy when this is completed. I'm saving this article because I don't know a whole lot about converting locomotives yet would like to learn.

Thanks so much for sharing this. looking forward to the rest of this project.

Cheers!

alpha_1 Wrote:Very nice going, Matt. I don't know how you feel about it now, but I for one, am glad you continued on. You obviously have ths skills for this, and you're going to be a happy guy when this is completed. I'm saving this article because I don't know a whole lot about converting locomotives yet would like to learn.

Thanks so much for sharing this. looking forward to the rest of this project.

Cheers!

In fact, the project is taking shape faster than I thought. I've been busy like a crazy at work in the late weeks, it feels like a therapy to me! Since you're following this conversion with interest, I took more step by step pictures.

I used electrical wire (same type as you found in telephone wire) to make the water line to the injector. I decided to pass the wire through a hole I made. This way, it's more sturdy and doesn't need glue.



Both water lines connected and ready to be cut to length. (I'm learning from my past mistakes! Something cut to length is always way too short, one can't escape Murphy's law!).



Made the twin traps on the cab according to some pictures of a Van Hobbies brass N2. Honestly, I find that Brasstrains.com is one of the best place to see clearly details like that!!! But still be careful, sometimes, brass modelmakers do some mistakes...

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Windows frame are made of 0.5mm styrene... When cutting small things like that, I always use a sharp blade and cut first the tinest parts. Cutting the panes when the window is still on a large sheet helps the part not break.



Cemented the windows with CA glue. The resin cab openings aren't even square!!!! Had some tweaking to do to make them looks acceptable.



Started to install the cab railings using Precision Scale small stanchions #371. As you can see they look really awkward... Too long for the prototype.





I decided to redo the railings again... Wasted half the afternoon getting them right, near mental and physical breakdown! Finally, I found out cutting the stanchions with pliers was enough to get them right. Looks far better that way. Still half the job to do. I need to buy stronger wire for railing. Brass is too malleable, piano wire a real pain to work with...



BTW, doesn't anyone knows CPR interior cab colors. Was it apple green like CNR? Couldn't find any valuable info on the web (as I said, I'm not a CPR fan, which means I own nothing about it!)...

Matt

Wow Matt, she's starting to look like a whole new locomotive.......nice work! If you go here: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cpsig/">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cpsig/</a><!-- m --> you'll find some very knowledgable and friendly guys who know everything about everything. I can't help you on that score, but they'll get you an answer for sure.

She's (were there any 'he' engines?) taking shape nicely. I think that cab will look just fine when you're finished.

Cheers!

Thanks for the link,

I finally got my answer: green! Two preserved Royal Hudson (St-Constant and Squamish) had green interior. I think I'm got to paint cab details, just for fun.

alpha_1 Wrote:She's (were there any 'he' engines?) taking shape nicely.

I do agree! In French, we don't have this problem since most words have a gender and a locomotive is definitely a feminine thing, the same kind as a fearful and migthy Roman goddess! Must be the skirt! ;-)

Matt