East Angus - Revisiting a Good Old Design

Late summer has been busy with a progressive return to modelling and the construction of Monk Subdivision staging yard. Interestingly enough, this sparked me to revisit a very old concept based on several of my recurrents ideas: a mainline for railfanning, a very small town, a paper mill and some depiction ot topography and hydrography.

As you may remember, the original concept for the basement layout was based on East Angus, QC. It's a small locality on Quebec Central Railway that developed around a paper mill located along the St. Francis River. It has always fascinated me because this paper mill was both compact yet visually attractive. Indeed, it was a brick industrial canyon located by a beautiful multiple span deck bridge.

That said, what prompted me to revisit this design is mainly my work on building and wiring Monk Subdivision hidden staging. I've always had a justified fear of hidden trackage but can understand their use and wanted to see what could have happened if it was an accessible surround staging as designed by Trevor Marshall for Mike Hamer's famous B&M layout.

First version, with a single track main line

A surround staging for a layout such as East Angus makes sense because the paper mill act as a low height screen that hides it without impacting too much access. It also removes grades, which are generally a less than desirable thing on model railways. It's also a fun build from a modelling perspective. Lots of interesting and varied scenery involving trees, hills, rock faces, complex river bed, fields, etc. It's also a neat structure challenge including a neat brick paper mill built in several phases and styles. Add to that classic railway structures such as the depot, the feed mill and speeder shed. And finally, the pièce de résistance, a very long and impressive bridge.

While the layout is based on Quebec Central, truth is that it could find many different North American railroads or simply be generic.

And now, for the big question... would I trash Armagh to build East Angus? Maybe yes, maybe not. Both have different purposes and goals. So far, I'm eager to give Monk Subdivision a shot because of its universal appeal. I know I'm not that much of a solo switching operator. That said, if Monk ever fails for whatever reason... I wouldn't mind to try my hand with East Angus. I know from operating our Murray Bay layout and Hunter Hughson's paper mill layout that modelling a small and achievable paper mill is always a winning formula. And in this case, that beautiful setup is what welcomes you as you enter the room!

Second version, with a double track main line

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.