In the 1970’s if you modeled HO Canadian steam era you had no choice but to buy a few American locomotives that were painted and decaled in Canadian colours. I remember Tyco/Mantua and AHC had a few Canadian-ish locomotives.
Your only alternative was to buy brass.
Well, it is now 2013 and very little has changed. There are a few small manufactures who do produce a number of parts that allow one to semi-scratchbuild a Canadian locomotive from an American engine.
I have been able to obtain a number of Canadian enclosed cabs as well as bells, lamps and a few other detail parts and modify a few RTR locomotives into believeable Canadian locomotives.
However, the main choice is still Brass. I am surprised at the amount of Candian locomotives that have been built in the last few years mainly be Division Point… The downside is that the numbers are so small that no surprise the prices are quite expensive.
It is unlikely that this will change in the next 10 or 20 years. The Canadian Market is just too small to see but a few try to cater to it.
That’s true for a lot of American roads as well. Brass, bashing, and scratchbuilding are the solutions.
In the minority scales (I’m in S) it’s even worse for steam. I am VERY fortunate that Ma&Pa 41, 42, 43 are available as kits. But as for the rest of the Ma&Pa steam roster, nothing, brass or otherwise.
It would be nice if the manufacturers took a “Mr Potato Head” approach where they furnished us the Chassis/shell and sold add ons as per RR. I know no two engines were ever the same even if they were the same RR/Rwy but it sure would give us a lot of more options.
Welcome to the world of modeling the Northern Pacific! Yes, there are 0-8-0 G type N.P. switchers available; but, that’s about it, excepting diesels. I have taken Roundhouse 4-6-0s and detailed to look fairly close to N.P. S-4 Ten Wheelers and also modified a Rivarossi Mikado 2-8-2 to be a close proximity to a W-3 N.P. Mike. However, anything beyond that is probably going to have to be brass.
Although I see the hobby heading towards more & more highly detailed and expensive plastic ready to run steam locomotives, whoa be it to those who don’t model the chosen roads! There are no steam; or, diesel locomotive kits, anymore, which is the logical place to start a “Kit Bash”. Modelers today seem to lack the skills; or, interest in building; or, “Kit Bashing”, anyway.
With the high cost of “plastic” steam, is it really that much of a step up to brass? Yes, new brass is outrageously high priced. So, look in the used market for what it is you want.
The early 1960s featured a number of brass locos of Canadian prototype from an outfit called Frew & Gordon. I have not heard or seen that name in some time. At the time the price and quality, if you could judge from photographs, was certainly in line with the brass importers such as PFM, Gem, or Max Gray.
Seems to me that if you are correct that the main choice is going to remain brass, the real challenge is, will there be any brass? And made where? Somewhat to my surprise the market has not yet tried Vietnam as a source for brass.
Did you not Model HO in the 60’s - There were several Canadian importers of CPR/CNR steam in brass - One was the Canadian arm of PFM. Road specific steam for most railroads is sort of hard to do - Just about every Railroads Master Mechanic has his own twist on what an engine should look like - EMD fixed that issue when they basically asked what ‘color’ do you want it painted.
Us roads do have an advantage in that many roads did buy some, or built copies of USRA designs. But unless you like PRR/ATSF/UP/SP & N&W - you are left to kit-bash. I model the Milwaukee Road - I have a pair of USRA Heavy 2-8-2’s, a pair of Baldwin 2-8-0’s and I can let my voice drop. If someone imports a nice S-3 #261 - I may just buy it. Other than that, my diesel fleet will have to do.
I’ve thought the same in the past, but I believe this is going to change in a big way in the next few years due to 3D printing. If you look at the Shapeways website you’ll see many model railway patterns that you can have printed for a fee, including diesel and electric engine shells for prototypes that will probably never be released otherwise.
I never have understood why some roads have been completely ignored by manufacturers. I guess they go for “sure money” roads like the Pennsylvania, Sante Fe , etc. and completely ignore the Canadian roads (unless its a diesel)
You have to wonder how many more modelers would model the NP, CP, CN, SP&S etc if there were more models available?
Why are some roads ignored? Money, or the lack thereof. Manufacturing a steam loco (in plastic or brass) is expensive. There’s a ton of research that has to be done (far more than on a normal diesel), and there are a lot of parts to make. It’s not something that just happens. There’s a lot of risk involved. You can’t blame manufacturers for trying to make money and minimize risk by going after the “low hanging fruit” of PRR, ATSF, UP, NYC, et al. in regards to steam.
Some will be upset by this: Some are ignored because they just don’t sell very well, period.
Even with NYC, steam is a tough sell. Many folks only want to buy the Hudson, and don’t care to buy the others (perhaps it’s the Lionel Hudson factor, I don’t know). Historically, I am told that NYC is a tough sell, and it has been for me personally any time I’ve been selling brass models. I lost my shirt on NYC stuff far worse than anything else I ever sold.
The NYC mikados were neat and they had plenty of them…yet selling a USRA NYC mike is a challenge.
Also ACL, SAL and others can be a tough sell…seems there’s just not enough buyers.
Note: I’m modeling the failed SPSF merger era, but I have a BLI ACL E-6A coming for my son who really wants it.
I mean no disrespect to fans of the “less well known” roads. I know of one manufacturer that has found the southern roads I listed to be a tough sell, so although they do them, they typically get one run and not a rerun, while other more popular roadnames do indeed get the reruns.