Build Thread - Provincial Museum Train in N Scale

[BCR 570]

Introduction
This year (2025) will mark the 50th anniversary of the creation and operation of the British Columbia Provincial Museum Train, which ran from 1975 to 1979.  The B.C. Provincial Museum is located in Victoria, B.C. and they obtained government funding for the creation of a museum train to tour the province.  The exhibits were devoted to the age of steam and its effects on the province.  The project included the restoration of historic rolling stock and the preparation of travelling exhibits.    The restoration work followed the successful launch of the Royal Hudson excursion train a year earlier in 1974.

The original consist for the train included ex-CPR Consolidation No. 3716, an auxiliary water tank car, two display flatcars with logging exhibits, three display coaches, and an official car for staff.  In subsequent years an auxiliary fuel tank car and a second boxcar were added.  Some trips including those on Vancouver Island were powered by ex-McMillan Bloedel 2-6-2 No. 177.

Portions of the consist were also used for several special trains to promote tourism in B.C.; these ran down through Washington, Oregon and California, and across Canada to Toronto and some eastern states.  Additional cars were employed including several purchased from the American Freedom Train operation.  The B.C. Tourism trips were hauled by Royal Hudson No. 2860.

This photograph taken by my friend Ross Pugsley shows the original consist entering Fort St. John in July 1975:




In this thread I will share my efforts to model this train in N scale.  I started on this project back in 2010 and have returned to it now and again, but with the 50th anniversary approaching I would like to try and finish the train this year in hops of displaying it at some shows.

One advantage of taking so long to finish the train is that some new approaches in modelling have allowed me to get a lot closer to the prototype with many of the models.  I will attempt to share some of these techniques here.


Tim

[BCR 570]

Service Boxcars
The museum train project acquired four ex-4900 series boxcars from CP Rail.  These were express mail cars fitted for service on the had end of passenger trains and as such were equipped with steam lines.  Ex-CP 4901 and 4902 were cut down and converted into flatcars (more on those later) and the other two were retained as boxcars. 

Ex-CP 4904 was converted into a power car with a louvered vent at the 'A' end, and received an extra ladder and sill step to the left of the side doors.  It was named CHEAKAMUS RIVER, an apt choice as the river has a dam and power station on it.  I was able to match the prototype fairly closely using the Intermountain AAR boxcar with a Des Plaines Hobbies flat panel roof.  I cut out the opening for the vent in the 'A' end and built the vent in place from strip styrene.  The model was equipped with Micro-Trains trucks and couplers, and Fox Valley metal wheels.  (Please excuse the poor photograph - taken during my earliest days of digital photography):




Ex-CP 4908 was converted into a stores car to support the locomotive and train, and also had the extra ladder and sill step beside the side doors.  It was named NANAIMO RIVER.  I modelled this car in the same way as the first using the Intermountain AAR boxcar and Des Plaines Hobbies flat panel roof.  This photograph offers a better view of the replacement roof:




The cars were painted with acrylic paints and finished with ORO Decals:




Tim

[dandopinski]

Is there nothing you won't do????

[Dwight in Toronto]

Is there nothing you won't do????

And he seems to be quite accomplished at keeping numerous plates spinning!

Yet another study-worthy BCR 570 thread; thanks for sharing.

[BCR 570]

Yes; many balls in the air at present.  This one is driven by the anniversary date and the guilt of not having got back to it recently.

Tim

[BCR 570]

Display Coaches
The three display coaches were sourced from a batch of ex-CP Rail 2200 series day coaches acquired by the BC Government for service on the Royal Hudson excursion train which made its debut in 1974.  These three coaches were deemed unfit for service and were stripped to provide spare seats, washroom fittings, etc. for the other cars.  As empty shells they were suitable for display cars on the museum train, and the interiors were sheathed with plywood.  The displays came from the BC Provincial Museum and focused on logging and railway history from the steam era.  They included some O scale model trains crafted by some of our province's pioneer model railroaders and some new dioramas commissioned for the train.  All of those can be seen back in the museum today.  The third car had a small film theatre at the rear.  The coaches were painted tuscan and lettered for BRITISH COLUMBIA PROVINCIAL MUSEUM, and were named SKEENA RIVER, KOOTENAY RIVER and COWICHAN RIVER.

For these cars I used the resin castings offered by local modeller Geoff Gooderham (AngusShops) for the CPR 2200 series coaches.  They comprise a body shell and underframe, for which detail parts must be sourced and added.  I mounted the coaches on the correct Panamint Models trucks with Fox Valley 36" wheels, and installed Micro-Trains couplers and brake wheel.  The sill steps and grab irons are from Gold Medal Models sets.  The L-shaped end grab irons were formed from brass wire and the diaphragms are from American Models Limited (again, apologies for the poor photos):

Skeena River 'A' end:




Kootenay River side view:




Cowichan River 'B' end:




Close-ups of the ends:






The three models were finished with acrylic paints and ORO decals.  I cut the windows from .005" styrene, rounded the corners and rimmed the edges with a silver pen prior to installation.  Here are the completed cars:




Skeena River:




Kootenay River:




Cowichan River:




After initial test runs I saw that these coaches tended to derail on my 18" radius curves.  I suspected that it had something to do with the coupler positions and/or the diaphragms, so I moved the couplers on hte first and third coaches outboard by a scale foot or two.  The coaches now negotiate the upper deck of my layout without issues.  Here they are during a second test run on my layout after the modifications:




I have one addition left to do - the SKEENA RIVER carried four loudspeakers for the public address system on the roof, and I need to source an appropriate part for these.


Tim

[craigolio1]

Tim,

I’m excited to see you start a thread on this. I’ve shared your interest in modelling this train for years and since all I’ve had the ability to do so far is amass the parts as you sourced them, I’m modelling vicariously through you!  Really looking forward to seeing the Climax and business car British Columbia.

Craig.

Correction.  The business car is Peace River, not British Columbia, correct?

[NorthWestGN]

This is cool to see Tim and nice modelling, documentation and photographs as usual. My brother and I took the bus out to Burnaby from Coquitlam on a hot summer afternoon to see this train near Central Park. I can’t wait to see the Climax as well!

Brent

[BCR 570]

Thank you both; this project has languished for a while so really hoping to get it kick-started again.  I am currently working on securing the flatcar loads.

Tim

[BCR 570]

Display Flatcars
The two display flatcars were created to carry some historic logging exhibits from the age of steam.  These included the Dolbeer spool donkey (thought to be the first steam logging machine brought to B.C.) and a 20-Ton Climax locomotive.  I will cover those in a later post.  The flatcars were converted from the other two 4000 series express boxcars by cutting off the carbodies at the floor height.  This was done to provide two cars with existing steam lines, as the two exhibits were to be steamed during public display opportunities.

The flatcars were fitted with side letterboards to carry the road names and road numbers, and vertical handrail posts at each corner.  They were named CHEMAINUS RIVER (for the location where the Donkey worked) and CAYCUSE RIVER (for the logging camp where the Climax was restored).  The flatcars were painted the same Tuscan Red as the boxcars and coaches, with black decks.

It was immediately apparent that I would have to resort to scratch-building for these two cars as there was no suitable model to work from.  The main challenge was how to get some weight into a 40' flatcar which did not have a fishbelly centre sill in which to hide weight.  I resorted to using Micro-Trains 40' boxcar underframes for weight, and the raised portions at each end were milled off to create flat tops.  This resulted in a higher ride height than I wanted, but the cars have a decent weight and track well.

I built the carbodies from .020" scribed styrene sheet with .010" x ..020" end and side sills, and .010" x .100" side letterboards.  I used Micro-Trains Bettendorf trucks with Fox Valley metal wheels and #905 Z scale couplers.  I made the handrail posts from strip styrene and attached etched grab irons from Gold Medal Models.  I also used their sill steps.  I fashioned a brake stand and added a brake wheel.

This photograph shows the component parts:




This photograph shows my model of CHEMAINUS RIVER after assembly.  The handrail posts were obviously quite fragile and prone to breaking off, so I reinforced them with a length of brass wire in behind which as pinned down into the deck.  This made them much stronger and the wire on the back side of the posts is hardly noticeable after painting:




and this is a side view of my model of CAYCUSE RIVER after assembly:




The models were painted with acrylic paints and finished with ORO Decals.  This is CHEMAINUS RIVER after finishing:




and this is CAYCUSE RIVER after finishing.  The cars preserved their previous boxcar numbers of 4901 and 4902:




I took this photograph this week just prior to finally gluing the carbodies to the underframes.  It shows the modified boxcar underframes:




and both cars, now with the carbodies glued in place in preparation for receiving the loads:




With these two cars, complete, I now had seven cars completed for the train.  The next step would be to model the two loads for the flatcars, which would prove to be quite challenging and take several years to complete.  I will cover those in my next post.


Tim

[BCR 570]

Flatcar Exhibits
The next installment in my museum train project was to model the two flatcar exhibits.  These were a bit of a modeller's journey which spanned several years, during which my plans on how to model them evolved.  I began with a visit to the forestry museum near Duncan on Vancouver Island, where the two exhibits were now permanently displayed.  There I was able to record field measurements and photographs, from which I drafted drawings of them.

The Dolbeer spool donkey engine dates from 1894 and was the first steam-powered machine to be used in logging in B.C.  After decades of service, it was re-assembled in 1952 and displayed at Deerholme.  In 1975 MacMillan Bloedel restored it to operational status for display on the museum train.  The Climax locomotive dates from 1911 and is a 23-Ton B model.  It worked around Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island and was eventually abandoned in the woods.  It was rescued in 1970 and displayed near Duncan until 1975, when BC Forest Products restored it for display on the museum train.

My initial thought for modelling the donkey engine was to obtain the Detail Associates model, which comprises wood dowel, scale lumber, and metal castings for the ring gear and boiler.  The model depicts a typical donkey engine with vertical ring gear, but the one I am modelling has horizontal ring gear, and the skid assembly was smaller than that provided in the kit.  The model inspired me to assemble my own skid from wood dowel and scale lumber which had the correct dimensions.  I drilled side holes and installed Grandt Line NBW castings to represent the steel bolts which hold the skid together.

I began scratch-building the steel chassis from styrene, but was stumped by the ring gear assembly.  It was around this time (2017) that 3D printing was starting to make inroads into our hobby, and after a friend offered to render the chassis for me from my drawings, that resulted in a fairly accurate part from Shapeways.  I was planning to use the boiler casting from the Detail Associates kit, but after seeing the chassis part I elected to have a proper boiler rendered and printed.  That just left the fire barrel behind the boiler, for which a Period Miniatures metal casting was a close match.

Here are the final component parts for the donkey engine, including scratch-built skid assembly, printed chassis and boiler, and metal casting for the fire barrel:




This forward view shows the horizontal ring gear, capstan, and flywheel:




and this rear view shows the boiler and fire barrel:





The Climax model went through a similar evolution.  I became aware of a 3D printed kit for a Climax B locomotive offered by Showcase Miniatures via their Image Replicas store on Shapeways.  Upon receiving the kit, I determined that the chassis was longer than my prototype, and it offered a steel cab instead of a wood one.  The boiler was somewhat close, and the gearing and tender body were very close.  I was eventually able to have a correct boiler, stack and cab printed which got me a lot closer to the prototype, and as my scratch-building skills developed I ultimately chose to assemble my own correct chassis from styrene.  And then Showcse Miniatures issued the Climax kit as a cast metal one with etched parts.  They kindly sold me just the fret, which provided the tender handrail and front number plate.

This photograph illustrates the final combination of components including printed archbar trucks with FVM 28" wheels, Image Replicas cylinder/gear parts, scratch-built styrene chassis, printed boiler and stack with Image Replicas headlight, printed wood cab, and Image Replicas tender body with Showcase Miniatures etched handrail:




After assembling the model I added cut levers, front boiler stays, boiler handrails and piping, and cab handrails from brass wire:




I installed Micro-Trains True-Scale couplers fore and aft, and the etched tender handrail from Showcase Miniatures:




The models were painted with acrylic paints, and the Climax received custom decals prepared by my friend Phillipe Whyte:






And so after a journey of several years during which my plans on how to model these two exhibits changed, the end results were quite satisfactory in terms of accuracy.  My measurements, photographs and drawings were a great help throughout the entire process.

It was now time to see what the exhibits looked like sitting on their flatcars, which had been waiting some four years for this moment:






There remained a fair bit of work to secure the exhibits to their flatcars permanently, and in this I was held up by a lack of photographs which showed the tie-down arrangements in detail.  After another three years during which new photographs have surfaced, I am now finally getting around to that work.  I will address that in my next post.

A big thank you to the forestry museum for providing access to the exhibits, various individuals for photographs of the train in service, Jeff Briggs who rendered the various 3D parts and painted the models, and Philippe Whyte for the custom decals.


Tim

[Olivani]

Stunning stuff Tim, absolutely stunning. As usual from you, top notch modelling. Very well done Sir.

[Dwight in Toronto]

Damn … I am SO liking this.  Having the patience to keep revisiting a project, as new info slowly trickles in over YEARS, is just so commendable. 

[BCR 570]

Thank you both; yes sometimes it has proven worthwhile to pause and wait for better photographs and/or information.

Tim

[BCR 570]

Flatcar Load Installation (Part 1)
Well if you have read this far then you are basically caught up to where I am now.  As mentioned, my efforts to secure the loads to the flatcars were hampered by a lack of photographs showing the tie-down details.  Most photographs taken some distance from ground level don't show much of this.  A recent batch of photographs from two individuals who worked on the train have been very helpful as they were taken standing very close to the flatcars or, even better, looking down on them from an embankment.

The donkey engine was secured in place with timber blocking on either side which is bolted to the deck, and steel cables strapped across the skids and around either end of the steel chassis.  A steam line from underneath the flatcar supplied the donkey boiler.  The front portion of this flatcar was used as a speaker's platform during public displays.  A microphone was set up and speakers were located on the tender of the Climax and on the display first coach.  For the first two years of operation, a pile of ties served as the speaker's platform; in subsequent years a proper platform with railing was carried.  As I wish to display the train in various configurations, I thought I would model both speaker's platforms and use a mounting hole and pins for interchangeability.  So this flatcar will require scale lumber for the blocking timbers, eyebolts and brass wire for the steel cables, and the two platforms.

The Climax locomotive was a much heavier and taller exhibit, and thus required a far more extensive tie-down system.  It sat on a track panel of light rail and steel ties, with what appear to be steel girders on either side of the rear truck.  The panel was the same length as the locomotive and had four heavy lifting lugs.  The track panel was secured in place fore and aft and either side with blocking timbers bolted to the flatcar deck.  There was a system of steel cables to tie down the locomotive to the track and deck.  During displays the rear truck was jacked up so that the locomotive could be steamed and the gears and rear wheels activated.  The front truck remained on the track panel and was disconnected from the main crankshaft.  A steam line went from underneath the flatcar up to the locomotive boiler.  For this flatcar I will have to fabricate blocking timbers, the track panel, eyebolts and steel cables from brass wire.

I started on the flatcar securing arrangements with some scale lumber and wood ties.  I cut the various blocking timbers to length and cut the ties to a length of eight feet.  I stained all of these using Micro-Mark's Railroad Tie and Bridge Stain.  I then assembled the platform of ties, and inserted a mounting pin of .040" styrene rod underneath:




The later speaker's platform was assembled from various pieces of .060" thick styrene strip and covered with a Z scale grass mat from JTT which was close in colour to the prototype.  It would also receive a mounting pin underneath.  It still requires the safety railing, which I have yet to figure out how to make:






This photograph shows my model held up to the only decent photograph I have of the prototype:




The track panel was assembled from Code 40 rail and PC board ties.  The steel girders on either side of the rear truck were fabricated from strip styrene:




I fashioned the four lifting lugs from strip styrene and drilled holes through them, and I installed the steel girders.  This assembly was then airbrushed with Floquil Grimy Black.  After that I attached the two side timbers.  The white styrene pieces are safety placards asking people not to climb on the car.  They will receive a decal with the warning sign.  I filed the bottom of this assembly to ensure it would sit flat on the car:




I positioned the exhibits on the flatcars and then glued the blocking timbers in place on the flatcar decks except for those alongside the track panel, which were glued directly to it instead.  I used BLMA lift rings for the eyebolts where the cables are secured to the decks; probably difficult to see them in this photograph as they are so tiny.  Here are the flatcars with the blocking timbers and eyebolts installed:




Here is CHEMAINUS RIVER with the early speaker's platform pinned in place:




and again with the later platform substituted in place:




This photograph shows CAYCUSE RIVER with a test fit of the track panel in place:




And so the time has finally come to mount the exhibits on their cars permanently, and then attempt to represent the cable tie-downs.


Stay tuned!

Tim