Well; being as the "MIke-O-Trains" backshop is still suffering from a significant lack of parts we had to push back the retofit of the remaining Geeps until such time as the parts are received. This left us wondering if we should lay off the gang or take on another project......we chose the latter....
Hobbycraft Canada (Life Like) commissioned several runs of C424 a few years ago; there were some issues with the first run, specifically paint colour but by the second time they got it right. I have a number of both the handsome tuscan and grey units and a few of the not so handsome Action Red locomotives. They are well executed; that said they are representitive of the original Alco units and not the MLW licenced units that the CPR and CN bought.
There are a number of significant spotting differences between the US Alco units and the Canadian MLW units:
1. Head light is located on the lower short nose, not above the cab windows. (more on this later)
2. Snow shields cover the intakes directly behind the cab (snow....Canada...go figure....)
3. The fuel tank on the LL model is a RS11 style tank; the Canadian units had a unique double tank arrangement.
4. The flaired rear radiator on the LL unit needs to be changed to a flat back, similar to the Canadian RS 10/18 units.
5. The rear headlight is a small, single lamp centered on the rear high hood.
6. Add a side bell on the engineer side.
In addition; (and this is what drives many of the a$$hats here nuts - when a mfg's lack of basic research causes the modeler work) The first CPR C424 was built by Alco (8200; later renumbered to series leader 4200) and the first 9 units in the series were built similiar to the Alco design (except for the fuel tanks) with the head light being on the high front hood. Shortly thereafter the lamps were moved to the lower hood and the high hood plated over. The remaining 30 units were built with a "crested" high hood and the lamps on the lower hood.
If LL had numbered the units 4201-4209 then the modeler could have plated over the high hood light and moved on.... they didn't... not one unit... so I had to renumber the unit to 4208, so the lamp could be plated over....
Enough talk....
The headlight wwas moved to the lower hood, the top plated over with 0.05 styrene and slightly rusted. MU's were added and the handrails painted and weathered....
A small Montreal based company (transport 2000) makes a C424/C630 fuel tank and carbody filter conversion kit that really helps the Canadian modeler. The tanks sides are removed and the new tanks sides and filters added. I also added some styrene I beams to the frame bottom to help take up some of the space. I made snow shields for the intakes behind the cab out of styrene and adhered them over the screens. The unique side bell was added and the three chime horn was moved to the correct spot on the cab hood.
The flaired radiator top was cut off and the rear car body was filed down. Styrene stock was shaped to fill in the rear in the same shape as a RS18. Once filled and sanded down I painted it and added a single small rear light. Oddly enough there were no rear number boards and the CPR did not paint a road number on, as they did with the SD40's and later CP Action Red livery.
I weathered the unit as a good Alco should be; they guys made smoke ! Overall the changes make the unit much more "Canadian looking" and when seen passing a CPR C630 in tuscan and grey, create a much more believable scene that will make the hearts of true Alco and MLW fans beat just a wee bit faster.
Next; we give an Action Red unit the same treatment.
