It's fairly easy to build all-weather cabs in any scale, using sheet styrene. Start with a good photo of the loco which you're trying to duplicate. If you can't find it in a book, contact a railway photo dealer. I generally turn to Al Paterson first, as he has a vast collection of Canadian railway photos, but there are many other dealers around. Specify exactly the locomotive you have in mind, or at least the class if you're not trying to replicate a particular loco. If it matters to your project, also specify the time period when the photo was taken, as many locos changed dramatically over their lifespan. Since you're most interested in the cab, make it clear that this should be an prominent part of the photo - it's also wise to get a view of both the engineer's and fireman's side of the subject, as there could be major differences between the two - for instance, on CNR all-weather cabs, as I learned too late
, there's no window in the door on the engineer's side. You will be surprised how much detail there is in a good 8"x10" as opposed to seeing the same photo reproduced in a book, or even worse, on the internet.
Once you have the photo(s), it's simply a matter of drawing the cab sides onto some sheet styrene (for N scale, .015" should work well, and .020" for HO). The prototype dimensions may have to be altered slightly to fit your particular model, as the new cab sides should be at least as long as the sides of the current cab (they'll likely be longer, due to the nature of the design). Adjust the height of the eaves of the new side so that it's the same as that which is on the current cab, and, if necessary, also adjust the position of the window and door tops. When you are satisfied with your drawing, use a new blade in your X-Acto to cut out the new sides. If your new cab requires rivet detail, now is the time to add it - working on the back face of each side, use a sharp pencil to lay out the rivet lines, then use an appropriate tool, such as a headless pin in a pin vise, to emboss the rivets. Practise your technique on some scrap styrene of the same thickness, and try working on different surfaces to see which gives you the best "rivet". I find that a smooth, hard surface with sheets of paper atop it works well. Vary the number of sheets until the rivet size "looks right" and the definition of the individual rivets is to your liking. Vary the pressure used to emboss the rivets, too, and when you're satisfied with the results, practise until you're able to consistently produce rivets of the same appearance.
If you wish to inset the doors, cut the openings, then fashion doors slightly larger than the opened space, cut the appropriate window openings in them, then cement them to the rear face of the new cab sides. Do likewise for the cab windows.
With the new cab sides more-or-less complete, place each, in turn, atop the existing cab, with the top of the new side aligned with the eave of the original, and the front aligned with the front of the old cab. Use a pencil, marker, or scribe to draw all of the openings in the new cab side onto the old cab side, and use your scale rule to mark the dimensions of any applied detail on the rear of the new sides, such as the door and/or window sash, onto the old cab. Using an appropriate blade, carefully cut or carve away all places on the old cab which are outlined by the previously scribed lines, and extend these openings slightly on
all sides. When done with this, use a file and/or sandpaper to remove all raised detail from the original cab sides, then test fit the new sides to ensure that they lay flat atop the old sides and that no part of the old side shows through any opening in the new side. Trim the old side as required, then, with the new side held in its proper position, mark the old cab roof at the point just beyond where it meets the rear edge of the new sides. Use a knife or razor saw to remove the excess, then clean-up the cut as required.
If the detail on the original cab roof is suitable to be used with the new sides, cement the new sides in place. If the roof details need to be revised, do so before installing the new sides, or, if the revisions are fairly extreme, file or sand away all detail from the existing roof, then use .010" sheet to fashion a new overlay. Add rivet detail as before, then cement it in place. Applied detail, such as roof vents, wind deflectors, and handrails can now be added as required.
You'll most likely want to close-in the rear of the cab too. You can use more .015 sheet, although .030" or heavier will give added strength to the "new" cab, and the additional thickness will not be noticeable. Measure and cut-out, fitting it to the model as required. It should fit between the new sides, with the seams facing towards the tender.
Because the all-weather cab will almost certainly be longer than the original, you'll likely need to modify the drawbar, too, or perhaps fashion a new one.
The advantage of making the cab in this manner, as an overlay, is that it retains most of the strength of the original. It also eliminates the necessity of making (and fitting to the boiler) a new cab front, and of improvising a method of securing a completely new cab to the boiler and mechanism.
The disadvantage of this method is that it's not especially suitable for replicating cabs with sloped fronts, unless, of course, your model's existing cab is so-equipped. Many of the CNR's locos
were equipped with sloped cab fronts, so, with this method, you'll either have to accept the compromise or do the extra work of fashioning new cab fronts and modifying the cabs even further.
Here's an HO scale loco with a cab converted in the manner described above (the original open cab
did have a sloped front). The original roof was used, and is removeable. The window sash also slides, so the windows can be shown open or closed.
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Wayne
) but he has taken them off his site. A quick email tells me he no longer has the castings needed to make the cab.