CP H16-44

[kaskirov]

Hello all.

I am modelling 1960s Canadian pacific in Alberta. I like the FM locomotives, and went looking for a H16-44. I went to my local train store to inquire about pre ordering a rapido H16. They had 2 Bachmann spectrum h16s. They don’t have great reviews online, but I figured for 1/3rd the price i might be able to make it acceptable. I picked the one with custom grill work over the new in box. And that kicked off the research into what i needed to change.





First thing i needed to replace was the horn. Not sure the prototype here, but cp didn’t use that style.
The chain near the pilot needs to go. All the pictures i l have seen have movable bar, and the molded plastic chain is huge.
Fans and figures are molded in black and will get paint to stand out.
Exhaust, like the horns, are some prototype, but not on the cp models.

More details (haha) to come later.

[countryroads]

Good starting place to build what you want

[kaskirov]

I started this project at the beginning of the week, but haven’t had time to post. Trying to do a post per day of work, and its all being posted in a day. Haha

I started with the horns. Went well, filled and now need paint. New horns look good, but I’m not sure about the paint colour.
Chopped the “chains” off the railings.
Added a bell to the chassis.
Added exhaust with 3mm stainless tubing. Took some drilling to 1/8” to get it to fit. They don’t look parallel at certain angles.
I removed the radiator fans and painted. I turned them 180* so that the 2 fans were on the back. Doesn’t quite fit, so some cutting is required. A little bit of paint definitely improved the look.
I painted the figures. They appear to be dressed like panzer crewmen. Not too happy with how they turned out. I was rushing at this point as my kid was ready for bed. I could make them better, but its not like you can see them.
The grill/vents at the side of the long hood bothered me. I thought about removing and tracking down some grills. I figured i would thin some flat black and allow it to pool in the cracks adding depth. First side turned out great. 2nd side went sideways and I spent a lot of time trying to make it decent. Then i tried to make the first side match. Sigh.
Turned out ok when it dried. Might just throw some dullcoat on it.

Fairly happy with how it turned out, especially since this is my first modelling and painting in 10 years.
Left to do:
Fit the radiator fans, and add something to change the design to a 2 fan set up (i was wrong here, but these were my thoughts at the time)
Brake wheel
Maybe drybrush some vents, dig out with electro pencil?









The number boards are so wrong, but I don’t see an easy way to fix. Looks like I could buy an atlas Trainmaster body and hack off the ends. Too expensive to order online. Might get lucky at a show, but honestly not sure if it’s worth the effort.

[kaskirov]

Ok, just posted the above post, now to bring us up to date. Just came back from the train store. Picked up my next project, and found this jem:



Etched grills, correct radiator fans, and instructions and all kinds of prototype data. Highly recommend tracking this kit down if you’re looking to detail a cp h16. It will save you hours of research.

So now i have to decide if I use these parts on this model or the next h16.

[countryroads]

Decisions decisions progress is progress looks good

[mta224]

Wow,looks good.Glad to see you got the Athabasca detail kit,should make a big difference!

Anthony

[kaskirov]

Haven’t progressed much.
I was hesitant to tear into the shell to replace the radiator fans. I decided to take a brake and build a proto 2000 auto box car. What a PITA those kits are! Broke a bunch of piping and that really made me second guess the h16.

Found a miniatures by Eric K3 trainmaster detail kit that the athabasca kit recommended. I’ll only be using the brake wheel from it.

Picked up a few project locomotives, and more proto cars (local store has a bunch for $10!) so its time to get this off my bench. By bench i mean part of my layout because I haven’t got around to setting up a model building bench.

Here’s where I’m at:

The piece didn’t come close to fitting. Too tall, too long, too wide. I have filed a bunch of it and the body. I didn’t file enough of the body, and now too much of the fans. Still needs more filing. Will need some putty. With some time a patience i should end up with a decent model.

I picked up some RS3 number boards to see if they would look right. I decided to leave the boards as it. Not great, but i dont see much reward for the amount of work it will take.

[kaskirov]

Most recent update:
Fans are in. Took a lot of sanding. The glue i used for the grills was very runny and seemed to only stick to my fingers. Very frustrating. Fought with the grills for awhile, and they aren’t on perfect. Painted because i had the paint out for another project, but I don’t think I’m done with them. Got some glue on them as everything stuck to my fingers. I have been using a staple to poke the holes back into the grills.
Brake wheel added
Added a vent to the cab roof. 8225 didn’t have this, but i think it improves the look. Still needs some filling.
horn fell off when installing the vent
Added doors to each end.
Paint supply seems to be effected by covid, and i had to check a few stores to get the colours i needed. Tamiya hull red seems to be a great match for tuscan. Tamiya dark sea grey seems like it will pass on a full painted model, but not close enough to touch up this model. Maybe weathering can cover up the difference.



Its not turning out perfect, but I haven’t detailed before, and I’ve been out of the modelling hobbies for a long time. Should be an ok model when finished.

[countryroads]

Looking good you'll get back in the swing of it

[kaskirov]

Sept 14, 2021 14:19:48 GMT -5 countryroads said:

Looking good you'll get back in the swing of it

Thanks!

Put some more time in last night:




Some filling
Some touch up paint
Mu stands
Sinclair antenna
Horn back on
Working on the steps on front and rear. I’m using CAT5 cable for railings. I had a bunch, and it seems to work great for railings.

[kaskirov]

Ok. Pretty much done here:




CP added steps on the pilots for easy of movement to emd units. Back went ok, but the front used up all of my patience, and didn’t look good. Lost a lot of motivation with this project, probably because a lot of things didn’t turn our like i hoped. The radiator fans got a lot of glue on them it got all over my fingers. I couldn’t find paint to match the grey. I could have mixed until i got something close, but idk, other things drew my attention. Looking at pictures show more things; file marks on the around the fan housing, and resin crumbs everywhere. Easy fixes. I want to add sound and dcc later, probably tackle these things then.

Overall it was a huge learning experience.