As one of those omni-present stack trains glides through on the station track I get a chance to get a closer look at one of the last Canadian style Safety Cabs. I was never a fan of the SD60’s but I’m a huge fan of ‘The Stripes’ and the 4-window design. It takes me back to the 5200’s. The perfect locomotive IMHO but now long gone. A victim of office decisions in the boardrooms and the union halls.
http://www.cnrphotos.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=79201
The three-chime horn is gone and the number boards and class lights are lowered for ease of maintenance. The bell is still where it should be but you’ll notice it’s now hung under the frame of that newer –9 in the background. I guess the snow doesn’t clog them up like it used to. Global warming? Or perhaps they just don’t care any more.
I keep this photo in my weathering file. There are only subtle patterns showing through the wet but at the same time the rain has left behind all the critically dirty spots to concentrate on. Look closely and you’ll see that the plow has what’s left of my favourate highlight. (I would never cover the “V” with that much grime myself).
It might be nice to try this though. Paint the entire engine with a wash of your most reliable India ink mix and let the black settle in and super-highlight the details. The lights. The number boards. The grab handles. The hinges. These features jump right out at you now instead of getting lost in the overall paint scheme.