Two projects off the bench this week...
If you model the Canadian Pacific and love passenger op's then you're in a difficult position; there is virtually no RTR equipment around in N scale that is close to CPR passenger stuff.
I have been working on my "Dominion" consist and have been able to modify enough RTR stuff to get close to the coaches; baggage cars and HW sleepers; I've built an express car and a Solarium... but the "key" to the train, other than the diner were the "Grove" class smoothsode light weight sleepers. There was nothing even close.
As I have become more comfortable with brass sides I began a search for a "Grove" stand in.... no luck until I found the 10-5 "Cascade" sides....
These sides were for a class of sleeper used by many US roads, including the NYC. At first glance they didn't come close but a second look illustrated that although they had flush mounted battery boxes and end flairs, the windows were very, very close..... Hmmmmm.......
I bought some sides and gathered the courage to take metal cutters to expensive brass sides.... the results made me very happy.... Introducing the first of three "Grove" class 10-5 CPR sleepers, the "Willow Grove"....
The "Grove" class were a fixture on the "Dominion" and other major passenger trains until the "Canadian" took over as the premier trans continental train. They were in service on other routes; regional and Windsor corridor trains until the end of CPR passenger op's in 1977. Some got painted in a silver scheme to run with the Budd lightweights.....
"Willow Grove" is the first of three I will build. Here she is being shunted by a venerable S2 awaiting her next assignment.
"The dude in roomette 4 is waving".......I still have to add ladders and grabs and I'm not wild about the ride height so I'll be looking nto that but she's 99% done - I will make a few improvements in the next two but all in all I am very pleased with the "Grove" sleepers..... the second to last missing link in my "Dominion" consist.
Secondly, I got a bit of work done on the Great Northern consist....
I've migrated to the head end of the Big Sky Blue consist and started with the "easy car" (more about that later) - the 50' Express car.....
The Great Northern had 46 or so of these unique 50' cars. They were basically the same "low" footprint as their express reefers but without overhead hatches; with a large regular style door and with passenger trucks...... nothing to it - right ?
Wrong.....
I decided to modify a MT 50' express reefer.... first we "killed" the walk way roof hatches; filled and sanded. Next I sanded the plug door applicances off and found a couple of "donor" doors; these were cut in half horizontally; sized for the lower car, modified by removing a section and then glued together and placed on the car.... a painfully delicate and "precise" effort.
The size of the car dictated some "MacGivered" decal work after the car was primed and painted BSB... The herold and road name from a Microscale Airslide hopper sheet was used and then various other lettering and decal sheets donated the road number and car information..... all in all much more work than I had thought but the car "fits" the consist.....
Awaiting express packages at Samuel Ridge....
On it's way to Calgary with those drunken cowboys on their way to the Stampede.....
Next - the Baggage RPO.......
