Equipment portraits :: 12

Here’s the 12th in a series of posts featuring portraits of locomotives and rolling stock I have built or acquired. This time, let’s look at a stunning example of the scratch-builder’s art…

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CNR 4204

This CNR T3a class 2-10-2 was built for me by my friend Simon Parent, who also did my 2-6-0s and 4-6-0s. If I recall, it is the 3rd of 10 of these locomotives he planned to build – although the number may be less. The model combines brass castings and photo-etched nickel silver. Simon designs his own patterns and makes masters for his own castings: It’s an almost-lost art. Like all of Simon’s work, the 4204 is finished with details specific to the road number and the era. I didn’t need this one: It’s way too big to ever have appeared on the sleepy branchline that was the subject of my last layout. But I love Simon’s work and wanted to support it. When I lived in southern Ontario, this locomotive enjoyed regular workouts as part of the S Scale Workshop Free-mo style exhibition layout. I would like to ensure it continues to have a place to run, so I will have to incorporate some suitable trackage in any future S scale layout I build. Fortunately, my current S scale interest – the Niagara St. Catharines & Toronto Railway – was a CNR subsidiary and interchanged with its parent road in a couple of locations.

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Eventually, I hope to document all of my S scale equipment in this fashion – and might even add in some equipment in other scales. We’ll see how that goes. Meantime, see the Portraits category to find all posts in this series. I hope you’re enjoying these equipment portraits and notes.