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It's a brass kit with everything on sheets like photoetched (well it is photoetched )
You can solder or use Acc, I used Acc without problems. I've gotten pretty good at it, having built 3. I can have the superstructure together in an hour or so...it's not hard provided you have a vise, duckbill pliers and 2 blocks of wood 1/2"x1/2"x5" to use as a brake to bend the longer edges.
I did read somewhere (way in the past) that a better prime mover was built by Alco before MLW started building in Canada because of the loss of sales to GM because of the origional.
That's partly right, CP had purchased their first FA1s, RS2s and S switchers from Alco, but by the time FA2s, RS3s were out, (1949) MLW had taken the reigns in Canada.
The 244 Alco engine (named as the patent filed on Feb 1944) was plagued with crank/bearing problems. The problems were remedied in the 251 (Feb 1951) but Alco made the catastrophic mistake of not changing the engine in the RS3 from the 244 to the 251, because sales of the RS3 in 1951 were excellent, even though the 251 was designed only 1 year into RS3 production. Its argueable that the RS3 would have dominated the GP7 if this change had have been made, seeing as crews initially preferred the RS3. The replacement RS11/RS18 was a superior model, but the damage was done.
Some people speculate that Alco was still wasting time on steam powered technology and thus didn't focus on diesel technology in the late 40's, and that's evident in the 'hand fabrication' assembly of Alco products vs the quicker/cheaper 'die stamping fabrication' of EMD components.
OK send me a PM with your email addy. and I'll send it to you.
Meantime in Oct 93, Rail Tex purchased the CN line from Truro NS to Sydney NS and a mess of old CN power. 2003 was among the purchases. They painted the locos black with yellow trim and all had names, the 630's had names of Scottish poets (it's said) and 2003 became personalized as John Galt
attached photo shows old Johnny at the Stellarton NS station with a consist of two Via Rail coaches and a CB&CNS caboose, it was a rail excursion for model railroaders at a MR show in Truro NS. Ah well they're all gone now.
Here is a shot of my model showing it with the modified after coolers. I have to do some more work on the truck frames (maybe brake cylinders etc)
More nice models, SGS. You certainly have been busy building these last years. Willis, nice backstory and nice job on the 2003.
Interesting history and speculation on the survival of MLW and Alco in Canada. I'm sure the fact that CN was government owned until recently helped keep MLW in business. Ge also wasn't a force in Canada, provising the extreme competition with EM D and essentially driving Alco out of business in the US. I think Aloc US was slow to recognize that steam really was dead while MLW was always a diesel producer, which helped them concentrate on their product. I suspect that, having only two large railroads, Canadian maintenance was better able to maintain an inventory of repair parts and had more competent Alco mechanics than most US railroads. It's too bad that Alco never recognized the true potential of the 251 engine sooner, before EMD had grabbed most of the market share.
SGS, you'll sure be set for motive power when you do get a layout. That beat up ex-EL GP-7 is outstanding.
MLW. I'll say one thing for the CN, they sure a lot more interesting collection of locmotives than most railroads. Are the vans with the plywood covering the windows exclusively used as shoving platforms? I notice one has no smokejacks at all.
Nice stuff!
I was in my "new" caboose yesterday, a little rough inside but overall salvagable.
It has to go back to CP and get the tanks drained and the diesel removed, I'll post some pics when (if) it gets back.
Going in tomorrow to inspect some CPR GP9's for parts, I'll be sure to take the camera!
BTW any thoughts of putting that transfer van into the rotation? (hint hint)
Too bad the CN never had any, your model shows they would have looked great in the old scheme. OTOH, at least they never had they could ruin with the wet noodle scheme.
CN or CP never had the larger SD's until the SD-40's were intoduced, maybe because of all the light rail used on branch lines that the smaller Geeps were better suited for?
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