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Canadian Steam

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  • Member since
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  • 2,314 posts
Canadian Steam
Posted by don7 on Sunday, July 10, 2011 10:56 PM

On my layout I have mainly GN steam and diesel and some CPR and CNR steam and diesel engines. I have added detail to many of the steamers to reflect their Canadian heritage. Number boards, feedwater heaters, bells and enclosed cabs.

I have a collection of pictures of CNR and CPR steam engines and other than the 4-4-0's and 4-6-0's and the 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 switchers I was under the impression that most had all weather enclosed cabs.

I have now received a new collection of Canadian steam engines and it appears that only a few 2-8-0's had the enclosed cabs. The 4-6-2's are a mixed bag, many with the enclosed cab, and lots without.

I am quite surprised to see that the enclosed cabs were not as common on the 4-6-2's and 2-8-0's.

Steamers of 2-8-2 and larger were all enclosed cabs.

  • Member since
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Posted by aloco on Monday, July 11, 2011 3:08 AM

If we are discussing plastic locos, what I find more important is the shape of the boiler.   A lot of the Canadian road engines had straight boilers, not the tapered USRA type found on most plastic models. 

If I were a steam modeler I would find the boiler issue somewhat frustrating.   As I said in another thread, I'd probably throw the USRA body shell away and scratch build a new boiler and cab and then add all the detail parts. 

But a CNR modeler could get away with a few USRA types on a late steam era layout.  The CNR acquired a few USRA 2-8-2s via the GTW.

  • Member since
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  • From: Québec City
  • 382 posts
Posted by Sailormatlac on Monday, July 11, 2011 11:33 AM

aloco

If we are discussing plastic locos, what I find more important is the shape of the boiler.   A lot of the Canadian road engines had straight boilers, not the tapered USRA type found on most plastic models. 

If I were a steam modeler I would find the boiler issue somewhat frustrating.   As I said in another thread, I'd probably throw the USRA body shell away and scratch build a new boiler and cab and then add all the detail parts. 

But a CNR modeler could get away with a few USRA types on a late steam era layout.  The CNR acquired a few USRA 2-8-2s via the GTW.

 

Effectively, the boiler issue is the most important thing and less easier to modify.

When I'm kitbashing plastic steamer to get canadian prototypes, I find it easier to do thing in reverse. Instead of starting with a specific prototype, I try to find a CNR prototype fitting the plastic model. This have some serious limitations because the suitable models are scarce. However, a few good models that comes to my mind are Spectrum 2-8-0 and Proto 2000 0-8-0. Without too much effort, they can follow almost prototypically the real engines. The now defunct IHC 2-6-0 and 4-4-0 have also been often converted easily in convincing CNR and CPR models. The canadian hobby press often ran articles about these kitbashes around the 90's. I've also seen many people succeed in converting the IHC President's Choice offering in all-weather cab engine. If you search the forum, you'll see a lot of Doctorwayne's conversions of plastic steamer.

I'm curious to see how the future Bachmann 2-6-0 mogul will turn out. It seems to be a good starting point to build various CNR and CPR prototypes. I just hope the mechanism will be up to our expectation.

Matt

Proudly modelling the Quebec Railway Light & Power Co since 1997.

http://www.hedley-junction.blogspot.com

http://www.harlem-station.blogspot.com

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  • From: California & Maine
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Posted by andrechapelon on Monday, July 11, 2011 12:05 PM

. I've also seen many people succeed in converting the IHC President's Choice offering in all-weather cab engine.

You mean like this?

http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/msowsun/Trains/2-10-2/?start=all

I think Roger has also done a 2-10-2 kitbash.

Andre

It's really kind of hard to support your local hobby shop when the nearest hobby shop that's worth the name is a 150 mile roundtrip.
  • Member since
    March 2009
  • From: Québec City
  • 382 posts
Posted by Sailormatlac on Monday, July 11, 2011 4:05 PM

andrechapelon

. I've also seen many people succeed in converting the IHC President's Choice offering in all-weather cab engine.

You mean like this?

http://s2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/msowsun/Trains/2-10-2/?start=all

I think Roger has also done a 2-10-2 kitbash.

Andre

 

Thanks Andre, I was exactly refering to this. For sure, it's not a piece of cake!

 

Matt

Proudly modelling the Quebec Railway Light & Power Co since 1997.

http://www.hedley-junction.blogspot.com

http://www.harlem-station.blogspot.com

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Monday, July 11, 2011 5:57 PM

There were at least a couple of classes of CNR Mikados that had open cabs, including the S-1-f, -g, and -h classes and the aforementioned USRA locos from the GTW (S-3-a,-b, -c)

Here's a brass S-3-a...

 

and one in  plastic (modified Athearn)...

 

The T-3-a 2-10-2s, purchased secondhand from the Boston & Albany, were fairly conventional-looking USRA locos, complete with open cabs, but the CNR altered their appearance fairly significantly...

 

Some of the Pacifics and smaller locos may have had straight boilers, but all of the Mikados, 2-10-2s, Mountains, Hudsons, and Northerns had tapered boilers.  You can check out the CNR Locomotive Drawings HERE

 

Wayne

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Posted by don7 on Monday, July 11, 2011 6:42 PM

aloco

If we are discussing plastic locos, what I find more important is the shape of the boiler.   A lot of the Canadian road engines had straight boilers, not the tapered USRA type found on most plastic models. 

If I were a steam modeler I would find the boiler issue somewhat frustrating.   As I said in another thread, I'd probably throw the USRA body shell away and scratch build a new boiler and cab and then add all the detail parts. 

But a CNR modeler could get away with a few USRA types on a late steam era layout.  The CNR acquired a few USRA 2-8-2s via the GTW.

I wonder where you get your information. A lot of the larger Canadian CPR and CNR steamers had tapered boilers.

  • Member since
    May 2004
  • 4,115 posts
Posted by tatans on Monday, July 11, 2011 6:56 PM

don7

On my layout I have mainly GN steam and diesel and some CPR and CNR steam and diesel engines. I have added detail to many of the steamers to reflect their Canadian heritage. Number boards, feedwater heaters, bells and enclosed cabs.

I have a collection of pictures of CNR and CPR steam engines and other than the 4-4-0's and 4-6-0's and the 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 switchers I was under the impression that most had all weather enclosed cabs.

I have now received a new collection of Canadian steam engines and it appears that only a few 2-8-0's had the enclosed cabs. The 4-6-2's are a mixed bag, many with the enclosed cab, and lots without.

I am quite surprised to see that the enclosed cabs were not as common on the 4-6-2's and 2-8-0's.

Steamers of 2-8-2 and larger were all enclosed cabs.

 

You may want to investigate further about enclosed cabs, you may be surprised how many were not enclosed, I lived in a C.P.R city  on the prairies and I can't remember seeing an enclosed cab, although I'm sure there were a few, the one big complaint from the crew was how uncomfortable they were when it was 45 below zero,  (the canvas curtains really didn't keep out those prairie blizzards)  but they did enjoy  the open cabs in the 100 degree heat of a prairie summer.

  • Member since
    February 2004
  • 933 posts
Posted by aloco on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 6:26 PM

don7

 

I wonder where you get your information. A lot of the larger Canadian CPR and CNR steamers had tapered boilers.

doctorwayne
Some of the Pacifics and smaller locos may have had straight boilers, but all of the Mikados, 2-10-2s, Mountains, Hudsons, and Northerns had tapered boilers.  You can check out the CNR Locomotive Drawings HERE

Way to go, guys... now I am interested in steam.  I looked at the CN loco diagrams and I noticed quite a few tapered boilers, although they're not exactly like the USRA type.

 

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