A while a go I had posted about how hard it was to remove all of the accumulated paint from one of my locomotives a CNR K5a.
I decided a plain black paint would do for the interim.
So, after being tucked away for over a week I decided to give the engine a oil and lube job and run it for a while.
I ran it for about an hour, I did not realize I had such an excellent running engine, good slow speed, moderate high speed.
I can hardly believe this was the same engine that literally had numerous coats of paint mainly applied by brush.
It is getting harder to find CN steam era decals.
Just a thought, maybe try Highball Graphics. He does a lot of Eastern US and Canadian stuff, or he might be able to get you in the right direction, with decals. You can also check out the cool back yard 1/8 scale "layout" he's building.
Highball Graphics
Mike.
My You Tube
don7 I ran it for about an hour, I did not realize I had such an excellent running engine, good slow speed, moderate high speed.
Glad to hear that it's a good runner, Don.
The first brass locomotive I ever painted was one of those Hudsons. It was new in the box, and I found several areas of damage - mostly poor solder joints and damage from what looked to be careless placement in the box. Those weren't too difficult to repair, but on test running the loco, I discovered numerous other problems, all due to various binds in the running gear. In fact, I've not seen another loco since with as many issues.
This was new territory for me, and I was a little hesitant to tackle it. I was doing the work through a local hobby shop, but the invoice, with the owner's name and 'phone number, was in the box, so I decided to give him a call to explain the problem and advise him of the possible additional cost. He was okay with that, and I eventually got it running smoothly. While I went on to do many more paint jobs for that shop, the real pay-off was that the owner of the loco became a very good friend - that was over 30 years ago, and I'm still painting and repairing for him.
don7 It is getting harder to find CN steam era decals.
Don, Microscale set #87-1019 covers CNR steam from 1931 to 1960. It includes 16 wafer heralds, in two sizes and in two styles (black outline and no black out line of the gold lettering and striping), along with four rondels with the maple lea herald, used on some steam from the mid-'50s. It also includes tender capacities, class designations and haulage ratings (for the cab sides), test data for the air tanks, and numbers for both cabs and tenders, all in dulux gold. There are also headlight numberboard backgrounds in red with the small "CANADIAN" and "NATIONAL" in metallic gold above and below a blank area where the loco's number can be placed. For that, individual digits, also in metallic gold, are provided. These are very complete sets, and will do several locos, well-worth the $8.00 price.
Also available are etched brass cab numerals and headlight numberboards - these are made by Athabasca Scale Models, through the CNR sig, and I use them now instead of the decals. Here are a few examples (belonging to my friend, unless otherwise noted).
This Mogul had a severe case of zincpest in the driver centres, and I recently re-built it with new drivers from Greenway, along with a can motor and new gearbox from NWSL. The tender herald is one without the black outline:
An example of the round maple leaf herald:
A brass Mike, with Elesco and a few other details added:
A re-worked Athearn Genesis USRA Mikado:
Another re-worked brass loco - I added the Elesco system and a few other details:
While this photo doesn't show it to the best advantage, this Mike has a wafer herald with black outlines around the dulux gold lettering and striping:
This one started out as a used and very plain Akane USRA 2-10-2 and was re-built to match photos of its prototype:
Here's a close-up of the front end, showing the etched numberboard:
This one is mine, acquired from another friend for "work done". I've re-worked it slightly and added all-wheel pick-up, extra weight, and a new paint job:
This one, also mine, and like the one above, shows the smaller herald from the set, meant specifically for locos with smaller tenders. It's an extensively re-worked Proto USRA loco, and was built to match photos of the prototype:
Wayne
I always look forward to seeing more pictures of both, the locomotives you have worked on and of course any pictures of your layout.
Thanks for the information on obtaining more decals. I certainly want to obtain the raised number sets. Nothing compares to them for degree of finish.
I always seem to pickup ideas for my layout after seeing pictures of yours.
Just out of curiosity, how long did it take you to start your layout and finish to the point that all landscaping had been done?
Your layout certainly is museum quality. I do not believe I have ever seen another built to the same degree of finish. And finally, being a Canadian layout populated by Canadian steam engines and rolling stock, is the icing on the cake.
Thanks for your very kind words, Don, but the layout is very far from being done and even much of the landscaping is only roughed-in.
Here are some photos showing, more-or-less, its current state.
This sketch of the layout room will give a reference point for the photos. There's a partial second level yet to be built over the grey area, and the lumpy-looking peninsula, mostly unfinished except for the track, will be the connection between the two levels. Operation will be point-to-point-to-point, with three levels of staging stacked one above the other:
This view is from the entrance to the room, with low- and mid-level staging in place to the left. At right is the GERN complex, with the balance of Port Maitland in the near distance. Beyond that is part of the engine servicing facility at Lowbanks, with a portion of the peninsula visible in the far distance. Most of the stuff to the right is "finished":
After walking to the end of the aisle shown in the photo above, this is what you'd see if you turned to face right. On the right is Lowbanks, with Chippawa Creek straight ahead at the end of the aisle - these areas are more-or-less "finished".On the left is Elfrida. Once I decide on which structures suit best, this area can be finished rather quickly. At near left is the fascia of the upper end of the peninsula, and the framing on the far wall is part of the support for the partial upper level. All of the layout seen in these two photos represents the grey portion of the sketch:
Turning 180° to the left, you'd see much of Dunnville. The upper level of tracks (hidden between the buildings near the train and the taller background structures) lead to the staging seen if the first photo. It's still unballasted because I need to construct a couple of background structures for the two streets which end at the backdrop, so I've left all of the larger structures removeable. Once the backdrop is completed, the track can be ballasted, which will affix the structures in place. The fascia visible to the right is part of the peninsula:
Proceeding a little farther into the aisle, more of Dunnville (it'll eventually be a working class residential area) is revealed. Mercury Mills, in the second photo below, will represent the edge of town:
A couple of steps farther reveal the southern outskirts of South Cayuga. The peninsula, ever decreasing in elevation, is seen at right:
The next two pictures show more of South Cayuga, but this town's structure needs are still undecided due to the nature of operations and what might best suit them. Once those decisions have been made, it can be completed as fast as I can build the structures. As you can see in the second photo below, the track splits here, with one line dropping down, heading for Elfrida, Lowbanks and Port Maitland (seen in the first couple of photos), while the other line rises as it loops back towards the viewer.
The lower track dives into a tunnel under the base of the peninsula, while the upper one enters the peninsula and proceeds around its perimeter. Both grades, about 2.5%, are mostly on curves, with the upper one about 45' long - this is doubleheader territory for almost all trains, with pushers on some. As you can see, the scenery is only roughed in, with water needed for the Speed River, ground cover almost everywhere, and trees needed, lots of trees, to cover the rest:
Here's the view from the end of the peninsula:
I think that the upper level will be pretty quickly done (once I get started) as scenery will be very simple. There'll be one town at the top of the grade, a couple of "implied" industries at the end of the aisle, and a city scene above Lowbanks. Over most of Port Maitland and all of GERN with be a locomotive servicing facility, with roundhouse, turntable, and all the ancillary structures.As for your question of "how long?".....I'm not really sure. I built the house in 1988, and still had a lot of finishing work to do, so layout construction probably didn't start until 1990. The layout originally covered a bigger area, but I lost over 200sq.ft. to "other considerations", and ripping out what was done plus constructing and finishing the two resulting rooms probably consumed most of another year.Benchwork, sub-roadbed, and track was all done fairly quickly, as was the plaster-on-screen landforms. Whenever I decided to devote time to a project, it was done fairly quickly (and I'm a slow worker), but discovering the internet really slowed things down. If I were able to ignore it, I'd guess that it would take, at most, two years to get the layout fully operational and presentable, although there'd still be lots of detail work needed.
Sorry to have temporarily highjacked your thread, Don.
To get things back on track, let me know if you need any of the etched brass CNR number plates which were used beneath the headlight. As far as I know, all but one of the prototype numbers were reproduced, but they're not available in strict numerical sequence. To get the numbers one requires, you often need to buy a "fret" of 60 number plates just to get the one you want, and there's a good possibility that the next one you need will not be on the fret you already have. I don't have the whole set (2856 individual plates), but I do have a reasonable selection.The reason I know that one number plate was not produced is because I had bought a loco to rebuild as the prototype, along with some prototype photos, but couldn't find that number plate anywhere. It wasn't until I contacted the CNR sig that they realised the omission.
@ doctorwayne: WOW! Extremly good job you did with the Akane USRA 2-10-2!!!
Thanks for your kind words, De Luxe. I did learn a few things doing that one.