Grand Trunk Railway Caboose

Sometimes it takes times to come around and completed (or almost) a project. The GTR caboose was a novelty project of mine to try something old time, barely modelled and cool looking. Data was gathered from old car building encyclopedias, scale drawings in magazines and examining countless historical pictures. Several attempt were made, including many that failed. I try to over engineer the model as if it was plastic only to discover 3D printed resin isn't forgiving to structural stress during the printing process. 

Then, I discussed the project with Pierre Oliver of Yarmouth Model Works, who prompted me to model different cupolas to replicate several other cabooses that were based on the GTR original drawings. After a while, I let the project sit on my shelf, forgot about until two months ago when it became quite obvious I should get some sense of closure.

I fired up the printer and produced the missing parts. I also printed the trucks in one part, which worked quite well. Some brass rods, phosphore bronze grabiron, a coat of paint and weathering and voilà. I even used my custom decals to letter it.

At the end of the day, it was a fun project. It's both original yet down to earth. A lot of thoughts were poured in it, but it was well worth the effort. It was a pleasure to see it take shape under my eyes and bring to life something that nobody still alive has probably ever seen. It's probably what I like the most about old time model railroading, it brings to the real world artefact of an other era that have long been gone.

Custom Athearn NSC Boxcar Conversion Kit

 As I grow older as a modeller, I sense I'm no longer interested in purchasing higher end cars except for a few notable models. Not only because costs are rising at an alarming rate, but also because I derive very little enjoyment out of unboxing stuff that goes right on track. Working on a model and painting them is enjoyable, particularly when it is in pursuit of acquiring skills and being able to replicate the reality around us.

It's no secret I've been on a quest of improving old plastic kits of the past for more than a decade and half. I have in me that fascination of seeing what can be done with these crude models. What are their redeeming factors, what are the tooling mistakes that make them harder to improve. In that regard, I've learned over the time that Athearn 40ft boxcars are a decent starting point while old Roundhouse ones are more challenging for less favorable results.

Be it Bachmann Quad Hoppers, Model Power Insulated Boxcars or any other byzantine project of mine, I've tried it all and enjoyed it immensely. This long experience have made me genuinely aware of how these very humble things can become much more than good enough models. At first, I thought about replacing everything with wire and delicate parts, then tried to find a balanced recipe where the returns on investment were maximum while keeping realism as a reachable goal.

NSC-1 ends (work in progress)

I'm proud to announce that this work as culminate this week into the production of a very convincing National Steel Car built 40 ft, 10'-0" high boxcar out of our good old Athearn friend. You won't win a prize with this kitbashed and improved model, but it will be as good as if Irv Athearn did tool a specific Canadian steel boxcar from the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Parts I've made are done following Athearn's own tooling parameters, albeit a little bit more finer, with the goal of providing easy to assemble yet very sturdy models. I have no fear a car modified using my part should providing excellent reliability during operation, which may be of interest to some people with that mind set.

NSC-2 ends

All parts are design to fit Athearn and, by extension, Roundhouse boxcars. Thus, they share the discrepancies these old toolings had. These compromises are relatively minimal and impossible to discern without a calliper and some good eyeballs. However, it means you don't have to fiddle, fill with putty and try to match the surrounding details.

Suitable CNR prototypes built with NSC between 1937-1938:

-472000-472999 (11/1937-2/1938)

-475300-475999 (6-7/1938)

Please check Nakina.net to identify the renumbered cars over the years. It's a fascinating subject!

The kit provides the following parts:

-1x NSC-1 style B End with 8-rung ladder

-1x NSC-2 style A End with 8-rung ladder

-2x 8-rung Canadian style ladders

-2x 6 feet Youngstown doors

or

-2x 10'3" Youngstown doubles doors for Automobile boxcars

I don't provide new brake wheels, but do recommend using Kadee ones which are excellent and well worth the investment.

It is also recommenced to use Accurail 40ft wooden roofwalks and their underframe brake rigging which can add another layer of realism. Don't forget Tichy roof corner grabirons and Yarmouth eyebolts. In my eyes, they really enhance the appearance of a car.

Bachmann Alco 2-6-0 Conversion Mini Kit - For Sale

I recently polled modellers on Ste. Anne's Car Shops page and found out that 80% of people didn't have access to a 3D printer and preferred to purchased a real kit in resin instead of STL files.

For this reason, I've decided to offer printed parts to future customers so access to this kit is easier for everybody. I've also updated the individual part catalogue.

Also, many people wanted to model the popular CNR Class E-10-a locomotives. For this reason, I've have produced more parts to customize your models including 3 types of window frames (open, closed, with windshield), 3 types of air tanks, , 2 types of cab vents, 2 types of marker lamps and 4 types of coal bunker extensions. I've also added a steam whistle and two rerail frogs since brass parts are getting hard to find.

You can order the kit directly from me by email or on Facebook Messenger. Please specify which type of air tanks and coal bunker extension you need. If you want to model a specific CNR locomotive, let me know which one and the conversion kit will be customized to fit your needs.

Introductory price is CAD $30 which is quite a deal given the sheer number of parts you get. Compared to brass parts, you save almost half the price while getting CNR parts instead of generic ones.

All parts can also be purchased individually or in bulk at better price (ask for a quote). I'll soon release a catalogue.

Part Catalogue:

Bachmann Alco 2-6-0 CNR Conversion Mini Kit Released!

As the title says, I've just released the first kit, or more appropriately, set of STL files for resin 3D printer.

The kit includes several parts required to convert a HO scale Bachmann Alco 2-6-0 into a credible Canadian National Class E-7-a locomotive. It can be used to model other Class E locomotives too since most of them shared similar characteristics.

Many parts in the kit are multipurpose and can be used on other locomotives, including numberboard, headlight, backlight, marker lamps, etc. The kit comes also with a 5 pages illustrated instruction manual describing the steps required to complete your model.

You can also purchase STL files individually if you only need a few ones:

I'm also planning, as data will be available, to release different coal bunkers since many types were used on Class E locomotives. These bunkers will be offered graciously to people who have purchased the conversion kit. This could open doors to many options!

The STL files are sold for CAD $25.00 which is quite a deal given the price brass detail parts cost nowadays. I've evaluated printing the entire kit should cost you less than $2.00 in resin and take about 2 hours maximum. The more you will print, the more economical it will be. Files also includes the supports, which will make print setup faster. If you encounter issues while printing, contact me. It will be a pleasure to make sure your parts are printed as they should.

To order, contact me directly by email or on Facebook Messenger via the Ste. Anne's Car Shops official page. Accepted payment method is eTransfer for its inherent versatily but Paypal is also accepted.

Thanks for your support! Depending on the interest, I'm looking forward to release other parts and mini kits to convert generic plastic locomotives into decent and credible Canadian National prototypes..

Ste. Anne's Car Shops - Official Facebook Group

It's official! I created a new private Facebook Group dedicated to custom 3D printed detail parts I've designed. For those interested, you can join at HERE.

The goal is to share these parts and design ideas!

Announcement: Sharing 3D Parts

After thinking about it for a while, I've decided to share several of my 3D printed detail parts with all interested modellers. Over the last few years, I've been designing a few parts for my own personal needs but know they could be useful for many others. Recently, I started rebuilding a fleet of generic plastic steam locomotives for a friend and noticed probably many people could be interested in these parts. Also, with the custom detailing part market dwindling at a fast pace, I think providing an alternative is a good option.

As you can see, a new tab has been added in the blog header that will lead to the online shop. This new service will be called Ste. Anne's Car Shop in honor to the original Quebec Railway Light & Power Shops in Ste. Anne de Beaupré, QC where they built their first electric locomotive in the early 20th century.

CNR E-7-a conversion mini kit

I won't sell printed parts, but rather the rights to download the files. Designing parts and making sure they print well takes a lot of time, effort and also resources (resin isn't cheap nor the supplies to keep the machines clean and running). The shop will probably be set up on CGTrader in the next few weeks with a goal to be open for business by August.

CNR E-7-a conversion mini kit (tender)

Parts offered are mainly Canadian National steam locomotives details including vestibule cabs, headlights, tender ladders, etc.

Be aware that most parts are designed from pictures and crude CNR diagram. I rarely have access to original engineering drawings. It means, these parts may lack the precision a rivet counter would want. That said, the are made to fit the intended plastic RTR models, meaning I have to adjust some dimensions so it looks alright once assembled. Also, in the case of headlights, they are made to be direct replacement for their own headlight. 

Also, many fine parts may look a little bit crude. Think of headlights and ladders. I could print them more finely, but there long term solidity under normal handling could be severely affected. The goal was to get sturdy parts and reliable printing. However, I'll probably improve a few parts over the time when I can make them look better.

The first project will include a conversion kit for the popular and versatile HO scale Bachmann Alco 2-6-0. It can be kitbashed easily into a CNR class E locomotive, in particular E-7-a. 

I'm not planning to release full kits since they are time consuming to produce and manage. I prefer to leave that to real professionals. As you know, I've design two CN woodchip cars and a Grand Trunk Railway caboose. I'm glad to report you can expect some very positive announcements about that in the very near future.