cnrglen Wrote:Do you have some color photos for examples of each?

I have a couple of slides taken by Omer laVallee of western engines in BC. I'll dig them out.

There was so much variation from mix to mix, that an exact match is impossible, factor in dirt, soot weathering rust, etc.

Any B&W pictures showing a lighter shade are a safe bet to be a warm gray-to-white and would be specific to a particular time and engine.

Any colour shots of eastern engines which look like dark gray are certainly graphite, and easy to match by mixing powdered ultra-fine graphite with a clear, like dull-cote.

High-heat manifold paint has worked well for me in the past.

Dan M.

I got my new tender in the mail yesterday:

It's an older tyco model but has fairly decent detailing, and its much closer to the prototype.

I like the way it looks behind the engine and don't worry, the green does come off.

That tyco tender looks great. I have the 4-6-0 and the 2-8-0 that both came with vanderbuilt tenders. I wanted square tenders, and I found a couple that came from the old Bachmann Reading 2-8-0. Using the same tenders a good way to create a "family" appearance for your fleet while disguising the MDC heritage. Those Tyco/mantua tenders can be had for cheap at train shows, and the detail isn't that bad.

I'm back to working on the tender for this project. I was looking at some prototype photos of a CPR D-10 and the tender that I picked up is pretty close, but I think I can improve it.

As you can see in the photo that Matt supplied the coal bunker comes up to about the top of the cab windows, then wooden bunker extentions take it up to the cab height.

I did some quick measurements and determined where I would have to cut the bunker down, as well as the molded-in coal load. (you might also notice that I repainted the smokebox with Scalecoat's Graphite and oil)

So my plan is to cut the top off the bunker sides, round the corners and add the rolled trim. Then I'll look at fabricating the new bunker extensions. I'm looking for some better photos of the extensions while I'm at it.

I started on the tender modifications this afternoon.

I cut the bunker sides and end down with my razor saw, leaving the front. I also removed the molded-in coal load. After that I e-roundeed the ends of the bunker side walls.

I then added a solid deck of styrene that I can later build the new coal bunker extensions off of. As you can see I left the front behind so the bunker doors can be re-used. I can also use it as a guide for the new side walls.
While I was at it I removed the cast-on grabs and drilled for the wire ones that will come later.

It starting to take shape. The tender choice was right for this project. Will you add the small fillet running along the upper edge of the tender wings?

Matt

Thanks Matt. I did look at adding the 'fillets' other the bunker wings but they were so small that I couldn't replicate them very well and once the model is painted they won't be seen anyway. I'm working on the wood bunker now, then adding the smaller details.

cnrglen Wrote:Thanks Matt. I did look at adding the 'fillets' other the bunker wings but they were so small that I couldn't replicate them very well and once the model is painted they won't be seen anyway. I'm working on the wood bunker now, then adding the smaller details.

The best thing with the "fillets" would be to sand them down and rebuilt new ones. The new ones will be a little bit larger, but not enough to be a problem. I've done it and found it quite easy to do. It's also how Doctorwayne does it.

Good luck!

Matt

Okay you've twisted my arm. I peeled off the styrene deck that I made and will attempt the 'fillets' or rolled edges on the bunker wings. I think I'll try gluing some scale 1X3 onto the top and sand them down when the glue dries.

cnrglen Wrote:Okay you've twisted my arm. I peeled off the styrene deck that I made and will attempt the 'fillets' or rolled edges on the bunker wings. I think I'll try gluing some scale 1X3 onto the top and sand them down when the glue dries.

I know what it is to stay in the comfort zone! I remember a lot of time when Wayne convinced me to go beyond my limits and I'm truly glad he did. I used a similar method to your. The strips are so thin they follow the curves easily.

Good luck Glen! And don't forget to show us your progress!

Matt

Of course I'll keep you guys updated, in fact I finished off the tender modifications yesterday.

I added the 'rolled edge' on the bunker that was cut off when shortening. this meant that I had to remove the styrene deck and re-size it just a bit. I also made the wooden bunker extension out of some scribed basswood with some styrene strip for the corner angles.

I replaced all the cast-on grabs with wire and used some Kemtron handrail posts and wire for the grabs on the wood extensions. I'll be adding a false floor and a coal load to the bunker later.
The model is pretty much ready for paint now.

I ran into another stumbling block. I thought I had decals for this project, both dry transfers and waterslide but all I have are these:

These are pretty vintage Champ decals and although I have used them in the past on other projects I'm not even sure if the logo is the right size for the tender. Now I'm looking for another set somewhere.
At least with the next engine I should have all the parts including the decals readily available.

Glen, that tender looks very CPR-ish to me! Excellent job. I think you're going to end up with a very convincing model that hides its MDC generic lineage.

About the decals, I'm not even sure CPR 4-6-0 even sported such a fancy herald as the crown. That kind of logo was reserved to more glamour engines. Very old photographs from the early 1900s show a fancy beaver shield on some 4-6-0 cab (similar but not identical to the one on the MCD cab). However, most of them only had "Canadian Pacific" slapped on the tender and numerals on the cab. Maybe a few had the decorative gold fillet on the tender side, but that wasn't the standard (I've only seen it on Quebec Central CPR-leased locomotives). In a word, the way around the stumbling block is an easy way out.

http://members.shaw.ca/cprsteam/steamcpr...066-01.jpg

Good luck Glen!

Matt

Thanks Matt. The problem with the decals is that I only have the tender logo and data, but no cab numbers. I did find some dry transfers for the number but they aren't an exact match in color. If I have to use them I will but I think I might have a few other options that I'll look into before. I also have no intention of using the crowns, I suspect they were included for a Royal Hudson locomotive.
While trying to track down a new set of decals (or dry transfers) I disassembled the engine for painting.

The cab and the tender parts were primed in gray. I'll mask and paint them in the next day or so.

As with the previous engine I dipped the wheels, and rods in Blacken-it. I'll clean the axles and wheels treads before re-assembly.

Glen, at this point, getting a new decal set would be a serious option. C-D-S is back in production, Black Cat have very neat decals too and most major decal makers do.

Matt