thank you for your overwhelming response to my ealier question… here’s anither, Did any CN steamers have the air pumps on the smokebox door or did they all haver them on the side? I have got a C&O 4-8-2 that has them on the door and i want to repaint it to a CN, and try to be prototypical, or am i going to have to take a artist liscense (ignorance is bliss) on this?
Hi Rick
I have not seen any pictures of CN “Mountains” fitted with air pumps on the front of the smoke box. Apart from the Bullet Nose Betty series most CN 4-8-2’s had their air pumps mounted on the side and large Elesco Feed Water Heaters foward of the stack. Ian Wilson’s series on CN operations in Ontario has many photos depicting the Mountain.
If you want to make your engine more prototypical you can buy brass fittings through Walthers. Cal Scale makes several pieces that would help.
Fergie
This engine actually has them already on the front, all i need to do is change the name, i was curious if i could do that and not offend the “rivet counters” i know [:D]
Rick,
Two possibilities, either of which should keep Joe Nitpicker at bay for a while.
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The CN acquired the Chessie loco at a bargain, or for test purposes, and the fine folks in Ottawa insisted that it be given CN markings.
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In an alternate universe on another time line CN and Chessie shared locomotive design standards.
In the final analysis, it’s your railroad! Satisfy yourself first.
Chuck (who sometimes runs a N&W J on the 42" gauge Nihon Kokutetsu)
To tell you the truth I had two of those Mehano (IHC) Mountains. Red Cab, yellow pinstripe down the sides, etc, etc, etc. The only thing CN about it was the Decals. Did I care, naw, thing pulled better than most of my high end stuff! I finally changed the decals to the MESS. Works even better for me.
Chuck has two very good ideas and one’s that I’ve used to satisfy the Rivet Counters.
When Bob (Teffy) visited me from Texas he handed me a framed document that was to be hung in the Train room. It goes like this:
Notice!
Anyone That
Doesn’t Like the
Manner In Which
These Trains
Are Operated,
Please Notice
The Mistletoe
Attached To The
Owner’s Shirt
Tail
Have Fun and dare to dream.
Fergie
I’m actually doing something simmilar with my 4-8-2 and the Canadian Pacific. My explanation is extensive but very plausable, and I don’t think there’d be a problem freelancing your locomotive’s history.
An easy explanation could be that the CN simply bought some C&O Mountains to overcome a power shortage on the cheap. The only thing that I’d do research-wise is to find a CN steam roster and make sure that your unit is numbered for some unused number series, preferably near to what CN numbered a series of their existing Mountains.
Cheers!
~Astral
Using IHC engines is a great way to start practicing the fine art of superdetailing. They’re easy to modify, relatively inexpensive, and can tun out to be fantastic engines when done. I turned one of the 4-8-2s with the square tenders into an IC 2400-series engine, and knowledgeable IC fans have a hard tme distinguishing it from a brass import!
So why not buy a Bowser printed catalog, and go shopping for detail parts? They’ve got a large assortment of smokebox fronts, as well as virtually everything else you’d need to bring the engine closer to what a CN Mountain really looked like. Add a little brass wire for piping, a new paint job, and CDS lettering, and you’ll have an engine that you can really call your own!
Don’t forget the vestiblue cab on CN engines.
Bob Boudreau
Which you can get from Precision Scale or Athabasca. Again, a great way to get into steam redetailing!
once again i love the responses i have gotten and the advice i will be taking to heart, especially about the lend-lease idea. All i have to do is kinda overpaint the chesapeke and ohio emblem, and replace with CN logo? This engine is a Bachman Spectrum with a Vanderbuilt tender, sorry if i gave the impression that it was a IHC. Thank for the quote it now adorns my wall. What is a vestibule cab?