I’ve been focusing a lot recently on items already in my collection. As a result, I spent a full day in the workshop this week, upgrading the DCC decoders in several HO scale Canadian National Railways diesels. It was time well spent. Here’s what I did…
CNR 2113 (HR-616):
Bombardier built 20 of these in 1982 for the CNR (road numbers 2100-2119). They introduced the CN-designed “draper taper” cowl car body. Sadly, Canadian National was the only customer for this model and they had a short lifespan, with all retired from the roster by the late 1990s. All have been scrapped.
Several years ago, when I acquired this factory-painted brass model imported by Overland, I fitted it with a Soundtraxx Tsunami decoder and current keeper. I replaced both with a Loksound 5 and PowerPack Mini. I loaded an ALCO 251E sound package into the decoder. I also installed LED lights front and back. (These gave me a little bit of trouble: They would only turn on when the speed controller was set to an even number. While poking about in the LokProgrammer, I discovered the decoder was set to 14 Speed Step operation. Changing it to 28/128 solved the problem. This is a good thing to know. I hope I remember this!)
CNR 4228 (GP-9):
GMD built a number of GP-9 variants – including some, for the CNR, specifically designed for service on branch lines with lighter rail and lighter traffic. These featured Flexicoil trucks and smaller (and therefore lighter) fuel tanks. The long-hood was designated as the front.
I acquired this Overland model in the mid-2000s. My friend Pierre Oliver painted it, while I weathered it and – at the time – added a Soundtraxx LC-090 decoder. I replaced this with a Loksound 5 and added a PowerPack Mini. I loaded an EMD 16-567C sound package.
CNR 7310 (SW1200RM):
The SW1200RS was a real workhorse for Canadian National (and Canadian Pacific) – equally at home in a yard or on the main line. GMD modified the standard SW1200 design by adding Flexicoil trucks, a larger fuel tank, multiple-unit connections, larger number boards, class lights, and other features that made this yard switcher more suitable for over-the-road service. By the late 1980s, these units were more than 30 years old and showing their age – so in 198, CNR rebuilt 18 of them into SW1200RM (“remanufactured”), with EMD 645C prime movers replacing the original 567 diesel engine. These were renumbered as 7300-7317 and were assigned to southern Ontario.
I have two of these Overland switchers. I ordered them factory painted but without road numbers, then used decals to number them as 7302 and 7310 – two diesels I regularly saw working the ex-NS&T lines in St. Catharines in the early 1990s. (For some reason, the prototype diesels both featured gold numbers in the first and fourth position, bracketing a pair of white numbers.)
There’s not much space under the hoods. When I acquired these, I was just able to squeeze a Soundtraxx LC-090 over the motor. I added a speaker built into a styrene enclosure that forms a triangle with the hood front and top. It’s effective, and nicely clears the gear tower for the front truck. To upgrade my two models, I used a Loksound 5 Micro. It’s a whole lot smaller than the LC-090, but there’s still not enough room for the fat capacitor that forms the core of a stay-alive module – so no PowerPack Mini for these models. (I know some people have popped the PowerPack into the cab but I decided to leave mine open.)
CNR 7105 (“SWEEP”):
This prototype-kitbash is the result of another remanufacturing program launched in 1986. The CNR started with the cab and frame from an SW1200RS and grafted on the long hood from a GP9. (Railfans called them “SWEEPS” – a combination of “SW” and “GEEP”). The donor switcher’s 567C engine was upgraded with 645C components, and because the GP9 hood included the larger radiators, horsepower was boosted from 1,200 to 1,300. CNR did only eight of these – numbered 7100-7107 – before deciding the extra 100 HP was not worth the bother.
If someone were to ask me, “What oddball prototype is the most popular with hobbyists”, I’d vote for the SWEEP. Modellers love them and many have done their own kitbashes. There are probably hundreds of them out there – far more than the eight that the CNR built. My example is an Overland model, acquired at the same time I bought my 7300s. (I’m appalled at how much these sell for today – and was surprised that Rapido Trains didn’t offer them when they released their SW1200RS models. For those who want one, Kaslo Shops now offers an HO resin kit for a SWEEP.)
I actually upgraded the decoder in this one a several years ago, tossing the LC-090 in favour of a Loksound Select and adding a PowerPack Mini. But since I was working on HO CNR diesels this week, I did some tuning up of the programming on this one as well. While the decoder in this SWEEP also received a 645C sound file, the recording I loaded into the Loksound Select is different than those for the Loksound 5 series – and I like that this one sounds similar, but different.
With the exception of the big Bombardier HR-616, these diesels formed the backbone of the fleet for The Peterboro Project. Pierre and I built this HO scale, Free-mo compliant exhibition layout in 2006. We had a great time doing that, and it helped cement our friendship – something I think about every time I look at these models. I hope I can find (or build) a layout for them to run on sometime…
The Model Railway Show 