Ever walk into some small, country museum and be the only person in your group who knows how that ’thingy’ over there really works? So how simply awful is it then that you find your all time favourate locomotive retired to a railway museum – and looking not to fresh either? Such is seeing an SD40-2 on a short section of track outside the back doors of the Revelstoke Railway Museum.
I started modelling just as the first builder’s photos started showing up in Model Railroader and RMC. Wow! Just look how that truck reaches out ahead in some anthropomorphic effort to grab the rail in front and pull it in behind. And 3000 horse power as well. There were dozens in Moose Jaw every day I was stationed there. A thing of beauty for sure made only more beautiful wearing a CN Safety Cab.
I wanted one so bad. I was modelling in N scale at the time and did so for many years but the Athearn (I think) model was on the market in what seemed like minutes so I put aside a few dollars and bought one in some blue American paint scheme. Didn’t care. I was repainting it in CN and even bought my first air brush kit to do the job. There was a lot to learn about painting during that project but it all worked out and the model was eventually sold off at a swap meet after about 20+ years on a shelf.
I kit bashed an N scale model as well and the new cab looked outstanding in front of a train as it passed through Winter Valley. Still photos only though. It ran like a chunk o’dung as they all did back then. I now own 2 InterMountain models. 5249 and 5244 await my N scale shelf layout.
A good quick history of 5500 can be found at…..
www.mountainrailway.com/Roster%20Archive/CP%205500/CP%205500.htm