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Restoration Journal - July 11, 2013 Applying Decals To Engine & Tender Photos by Joe Dimech & Grant Kingsland On Thursday July 11, a group of volunteers got together and spent the after applying decals and lettering to the sides of the cab and tender. The first part of the morning was spent measuring and laying out the positions for all of the decals prior to applying them. Immediately prior to applying the CNR Herald on the side of the tender, the surface was soaked in soapy water (dish soap), and the herald applied while the side of the tender was still wet. However the lettering on the sides of the cab and the back of the tender were applied dry. Other items attended to were the fitting of bolts on the stoker screw universal joint, and attending to the throttle rods, which seem to be getting caught on something. The decals used were made of vinyl and unlike the heralds applied to CNR 6213 back in the mid 1980’s, which were silk-screened; these decals were made from individual pieces of vinyl and then applied to a black background. These heralds look great and you can’t tell that the lettering and the maple leaf are made in fact made from separate parts. Also of interest is how well they conform to the shape of the surface they are on, including a large horizontal dent on the side of the coalbunker, as well as imperfections in the paint job. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait 25 years to see which process is superior, silk-screening, or making the herald out of separate pieces. The lettering on the side of the cab and tender were made from single pieces of imitation gold coloured vinyl, omitting the black edging that the CNR used on its decals (this black edge was mostly to assist in applying the decals, as if you damaged the edge of the decal, you would not see the damage on the black edge, but you would see it if the yellow was damaged, and besides the black edging would be invisible on all but the 30 or so of CN’s green engines). However, since the Maple Leaf Heralds were made on a black background we did opt to include the black edging on those. Further more, now that the artwork has been done on computer, producing subsequent copies of the 36" herald would be inexpensive, and producing the herald in smaller sizes for diesel locomotives and passenger cars would probably be fairly straightforward as well.
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 The side of the coal bunker has been measured and the centre lines have been marked on the pieces of tape.
The centre line of the Maple LEaf decal has also been measured and indicated and marked on the pieces of tape. We used the features of the design to provide points of reference for finding the true centre of the circle.
The finished product. The decal conformed to the shape of the side of the tender, including the large dent and any imperfections in the paint. The side of the tender was wetted with soapy water and the decal was applied while the surface was still wet. Afterwards we used a sharp pin to get rid of any air bubbles present.
The side of the cab laid out. The lettering was alread properly spaced out on its backing paper so we were able to apply all of the lettering at once.
Completed cab lettering.
Applying the tender lettering. The decals had to be spaced exactly 2" from the centre of the rivets.
Almost done, just have to do the tender numberplate.
Tender lettering completed.
The tender is looking rather sharp.
New bolts for the universal joint on the stoker screw (two are for 6167 and 2 are for 6213).
Test fitting one of the bolts. The orignal bolts used for this likely had a larger flange that fit up against the side of the stoker screw to keep the bolt from turning while tightening up the nut. The head on the new bolts are a bit smaller. | |
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