CP 8905
Model and photo by Leslie Ehrlich
CP
H-24-66 8905
The Train Master. I can't for the life of me figure out
why Athearn didn't offer this model in CP! CP had the second largest
fleet of Train Masters, and all were retired in this paint scheme.
8905 is the only Train Master left in the world, and it sits on display
at the Canadian Railway Museum in Delson, Quebec. This model
is rather large for my puny layout, but I had to put things right and paint
a TM in CP. I am quite pleased with the weathering, and the loco
looks even better in real life than it does in this picture. My secret
to weathering? First, do a lousy paint job. It makes no sense
to do a perfect paint job and then mess it up with weathering. With
this loco I hid the flaws in the paint with all the grime. If some
of the decals break when they go on, no problem. On the real thing
the striping and lettering looks broken after it's been out in the sun
too long. One minor deviation: I used Badger Model Flex CP
Tuscan Red instead of trying to mix Testors paint. The Badger
paint brushes on real easy, but it's a little on the dark side. In
a way it's good it turned out dark because I've seen pictures of Train
Masters so filthy the Tuscan Red is almost black. Factory fresh or
weathered, the TM beats SD-40s by a country mile. Are there any model
railroaders out there who like to run a trio of these on the head end of
a nice long freight? That would be a sight to see.
Make:
Athearn
Detail Parts:
Miniatures
by Eric K3 CPR Train Master Kit (includes bell, horn, headlights,
radio antenna, and brake wheel stand)
M.V. Products
LS 25 Headlight Lenses for Athearn GP-38
Decals:
C-D-S
HO-284 CP diesel roadswitcher - block lettering c. 1950-1980
