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4C628F04-EF64-4EC3-B71B-0ED410826C94B23B3022-C6C3-4EFE-9A2A-427B49655310D1107768-1EFA-4269-A011-662D13B8B41A95CFEFFF-AD8E-48A6-AA0B-334D72B087A7CCE8E8D2-8A2E-4E76-956F-170388F9ED3EB18CB8F5-493E-47EE-9DAD-254ADC2D4936 I have had this little repaint project in the back of my mind for while and decided to take the plunge and get it done

 A little history first.

These locomotives were originally designed to work the heavy graded mountain divisions between Calgary Alberta and Revelstoke British Columbia, pulling mainly the Dominion, The Mountaineer and even freight across these divisions on the transcontinental mainline

  The T1c class, 5930-5935 were the last standard gauge locos built for domestic service by MLW in 1949

 Dieselization displaced these beasts from their mountain home to the Prairies, running east of Calgary as far as Swift Current Saskatchewan and North to Edmonton Alberta

  As they were due for heavy shopping at Ogden Shops in Calgary, they lost the Tuscan coloured panels and were painted all black but retained their graceful pin stripping for freight service. Booster engines on the trailing truck were also removed at this time

 The T1c class were the last of the Selkirks and lasted in service until 1958, when all but two were scrapped

  I added more weight to the loco for additional pulling power on my main grade on my layout and will be receiving Kadee couplers once my order arrives

  Here are some vids and pics of the results

What do you think? Ugly Duckling or Black Beauty?

Al

 

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  • Passenger and Freight version
  • Freshly Shopped at Calgary
Videos (2)
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I was aware of the all black repaints, but I don't think I'd ever seen a picture of one and,  given the elegance of the original Tuscan and gray scheme, I definitely didn't expect to I'd like it . I was wrong - it's definitely a Black Beauty!

I've not commented before, but I'm a long time admirer of your CP efforts. Great work!

- Mike 

Last edited by Mike Casatelli

561E45BF-2B99-45FF-880F-96C926DFD350Thank you Mike and John! I have been fascinated with the history of these locos especially their service life on the Prairies

  Photos are rather scarce and hard to find but are out there

  Here is a photo of a of another Selkirk in less than pristine appearance 

  Note the boiler tube pilot as opposed to the solid steel standard pilot, originally equipped on the T1b/c class locos

Al

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Last edited by albertstrains

Handsome engine in black or CPR gray & maroon.  There are freight in-service photos of #'s 5931 and 5935 at Medicine Hat, AB and Sidewood, SK in Joe G. Collias' book "The Last of Steam". Curiously, or practically (?), the Canadian Pacific had removed the sheet metal pilot on the 5931 and replaced it with a boiler tube type.  Pictures from September 1956, and depict the locomotives pulling "75 cars of Time Freight 980" and a "96 car stock extra".

Beautiful engines and thank you for the history lesson.  Made the trip on Rocky Mountaineer from Banff to Vancouver, back in June.  Passed through Revelstoke on rail, after going through the spiral tunnels earlier in the day.

picked up a reproduction CP poster with one of those engines in it, while in Banff.

0614ACA4-2582-40C8-9FFD-C04DA46FB4540D5287AB-B4DB-463D-B589-035CC1CA69F4D78D8DA5-7D5C-475A-885C-49185909187FThank you Mark Paul and JSTRAW124!

Mark

The Collias photos have been the only photos of these locos that I have seen published 

 These photos I am posting are the ones you mentioned, however they are from the British publication of LOCO PROFILE #35 circa 1973

 Unfortunately I traded my book “ The Last of Steam” away a few years back

John  I also installed a Super Chuffer into this model that I had laying around and I am currently converting all my rolling stock over to Kadee’s. 
 Just so I can run double headers as well 

Paul   All 4 of my cats like the trains Lol

Al

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Albert - A publication I picked up in a 1995 visit to Quebec City, titled "Canadian Pacific in Southern Ontario" by W.H.N. Rossiter (Newt) included an excellent 1949 photo of #5933 breaking in on a freight run between Montreal and Smiths Falls, on the Winchester Subdivision. Unfortunately I do not have the facility to reproduce the photo. David P. Morgan's timeless "Steam's FInest Hour" had pictures of the streamlined Selkirks, too.

Suspect the T1c's, of 1949 construction, were just too new to retire in the mid-'50's, cost accounting-wise. The two CPR 4-8-4's also found new homes out West in freight service until 1957 & '58. Believe that was the retirement time span for the T1c 2-10-4's.

Thank you Firewood! 
Yes I would like to see 5931 rebuilt for excursion service don’t think I will see that in my life time lol

Scouter Lynn if you are looking for Heavyweight cars for your Hudson, you have a couple of options

1) Golden Gate Depot have offered 21” long Heavyweight passenger cars that are available on the aftermarket auction sites. There is a 4 car set on the ‘bay when I looked yesterday

 Here is one example of a GGD car

66A51E3D-CDC8-49E7-B4D6-CBF9C613C7AD

2) MTH issued the 5 18” car Heavyweight sets with lights interiors passengers a few years back

3) Repaint some Lionel Heavyweight cars to CP as I have. I prefer the look of the Lionel cars to the MTH ones

355F679E-5F83-4CAA-A627-914DFC775E15

Al

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RoyBoy

  I’m sure Louis Marx made some $$$ of their model of a Bowen streamlined loco. I’m sure there is an interesting story on how Marx developed theirs. I have yet to hear it

 I to would like to see a scale F2a 4-4-4 3000 offered for 3 rail, plus the the lightweight cars

 Here are 2 CP publicity pics from back in the day

Al51C7DDEC-0E8B-409C-B3E3-6B56B7378B79

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 Dominic

 H B Bowen, who was promoted to Chief Mechanical Engineer in 1929 was an ardent Steam man and designed all the big modern steam for the CPR.

 The newly appointed President was Norris “Buck” Crump, who was a big believer in the Diesel and was in office in 1949 when the T1c class were delivered.

  Canadian Pacific was slow to Dieselize mainline trains while Bowen was in office but once he retired, Crump started to Dieselize with the Mountain divisions first in 1953.

 Its interesting to note that Bowen had preliminary designs for a 4-4-4-4 Duplex, 2-8-4 and a 4-8-4 with Centipede tender on the drawing board! However, this was not to be

Al

there was a 4-4-4 cp pass paint made by weaver and still available on the bay once and awhile.  i now have the weaver princess, royal hudson, 3rd tail selkirk, the mth 2020.  had to add weight to the princess and a traction tire on the front driver, put in a .020 piece of brass on the bearing for the center drivers as they pressed to much on the rail and hurt traction.  also took out the crappy train america system and converted to mth and also mikes smoke unit  and it is know asuper engine.  i;m curious if the 4-4-4 will pull anything as as small and light it is.  also th ta sound and running system.

Steam Punk - I acquired a used Weaver 4-4-4 Jubilee steamer 5 or 6 years ago. In answer to your question, 'yes' it will pull a few plastic freight cars (which I realize may not be prototypical) but I never back the engine up because reverse causes the side rods to bind abit (where they enter the steam chest) and I'm fearful this might bend the rods and cause real problems. So I err on the side of caution and don't run it in reverse (not even the engine and tender by itself), but it's a nice looking little engine steaming forward around my small layout.

albertstrains posted:

561E45BF-2B99-45FF-880F-96C926DFD350Thank you Mike and John! I have been fascinated with the history of these locos especially their service life on the Prairies

  Photos are rather scarce and hard to find but are out there

  Here is a photo of a of another Selkirk in less than pristine appearance 

  Note the boiler tube pilot as opposed to the solid steel standard pilot, originally equipped on the T1b/c class locos

Al

I always liked the shape of these and similar CP steamers, though I tended to find the multi-color paint scheme a bit fussy (it reminds me of the Erie-Lackawanna diesel scheme). I rode behind the so-called "royal" Hudson many years ago on an excursion out of Mobile on the Gulf Coast. 4-6-4's are just inherently balanced-looking, also.

But, back to your Selkirk: black is definitely an improvement over the multi-color, but black and dirty - above - is even better. Also, in this shot, the loco recalls the NYC (P&LE) A-2 Berkshire to me. Must be the spoked drivers, outside-bearing lead truck, enclosed cab and overall smooth outline and proportions. 

D500

  I am a fan of the PL&E Berks as well. I haven’t had the bug to start weathering my rolling stock, yet. But, I can see it happening once I get the layout further along and complete all my conversions to Kadee.

  I am a big fan of the Tuscan/Grey paint scheme but the all black on these locomotives is quite pleasing to the eye as well.

Al

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