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the nose door. This was the same size and probably used the same stencil as the light gray logo applied over the red-orange nose of the 1961 scheme. Upon establishment of VIA Rail Cana- da in 1978, the CN nose logo was re- placed with a VIA logo; this was red on most units, but a few had a blue VIA logo. The nose logo was eventually dropped altogether. Variations in the paint separation between the blue and yellow in the vicinity of the cab doors also existed. As always, prototype pho- tos of a specific engine in the year of in- terest for modeling are a must. Several FPA-4 engines are preserved and continue to run. Four are used on the Napa Valley Wine Train. Despite some significant mechanical upgrades, externally these engines are still pret- ty authentic. Number 6789 has been beautifully restored to running condi- tion and painted in the striking, as-de- livered scheme at the Monticello Rail- way Museum in Illinois. Several nice photos


of it are available on the


www.rrpicturearchives.net website. Exporail, the Canadian Railway Muse- um in Saint Constant, Quebec, has 6765 on display, also painted in its original colors. For more information, see www.exporail.com. For those interested in a more com- prehensive history of these interesting engines, the two-part, well illustrated series “An FA Epilogue, CNR’s MLW Covered Wagons,” by Kevin J. Holland, published by the CNR Historical Asso- ciation in CN Lines, Volume 9, Number 4 (Part 1), and Volume 10, Number 2 (Part 2), is highly recommended. See http://cnlines.ca.


The model


This project is based on the Life-Like Proto-2000 FA-2, originally introduced about 20 years ago. These models are smooth, powerful runners and seem to turn up fairly often at swap meets. A dummy Proto 2000 FB-2 was also of- fered, and this is a good candidate for building an FPB-4. The powered A-unit chassis fits the B-unit body perfectly. While not “detailed to the nines” like so many recently-introduced models, the body is basically sound and has sub- stantially correct nose contours. (When it was released the Proto 2000 FA-2 rep- resented a major tooling and detailing advance for the hobby.) For those who enjoy the challenge and are willing to put in some effort, this is one way to go. More recently, Bachman has offered an FA-2. For others, this article may serve to whet the appetite for the new FPA-4 and FPB-4 announced by Rapido Trains. Based on this company’s reputa- tion, these will likely be highly detailed and very accurate models.


RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN


Construction To begin construction, carefully dis- assemble the FA-2,


including all


handrails and grabs, acetal resin parts, horns and windows. Leave the chassis intact for now, except for removing the truck sideframes, which pull off easily. Place the body in a disposable bak- ing pan and strip the paint and letter- ing. Testors ELO works on this model. Brush it on, let it sit for a few hours, then use an old toothbrush to scrub the


Before proceeding, carefully study pro- totype photos and notice the key differ- ences between the FA-2 and FPA-4, as well as appliances that changed over time. As mentioned above, the winteriza- tion hatch is typically no longer present on units repainted in the 1961 scheme, but locomotives which had not been re- painted still had them in the mid-1960’s. Other changes include the addition of vertical handrails on either side of the nose door, small brackets for ditch lights, and provision for an extra set of m.u. hoses on the front and rear. Some FPA-4’s also had a handrail installed above the windshield. In the 1970’s var- ious units acquired a narrow toe walk- way and extra hand grab on the right side of the nose extending forward from the cab door to allow access to the wind- shield for cleaning. In summary, choose your preferred paint scheme and period before beginning to re-detail the model; a list of supplies and a parts list are in- cluded with this article.


shell. Testors does not recommend im- mersion. It may be necessary to repeat this. Note that some manufacturers may apply an undercoat (primer) that may be more difficult to remove than the paint and lettering itself. ELO works better on some finishes than others. Wash the body in soap and wa- ter and rinse well.


The photos show most of the changes made to the body. Use pieces of styrene to back up the port holes and the holes from the exhaust stack, hand rails, and horns, then fill them with bits of styrene. Apply 3M®


Bondo Glazing and


Spot Putty as needed and follow up by finish sanding with 400- and 600-grit sandpaper. Alternately, you can use the clear glazing pieces to plug the port holes, then fill the gaps. The Farr grilles are from Detail As- sociates set No.


2701. Trim them


slightly on both the top and bottom to fit between the batten strips. I used a Micro-Mark Mini Metal Shear and Brake for this. The grilles (as were all metal parts) were attached with cyano- acrylate cement. Additional Farr grille sections go in the second row of side panels below the radiator fan. Surround them with bat- ten strips made from .006″ brass shim stock with rivet impressions embossed in them. I used a GW Models (Eng- land) rivet press, cutting the narrow strips after the rivets were made. You could use .005″ styrene and Archer or Micro-Mark decal rivets instead.


COLLECTION OF STAN SMAILL: MONCTON, NB, CANADA; NOV. 1959


The FPA-4 was the last in the FA series of Alco-designed cab units. Built by Montreal Lo- comotive Works in 1958 and 1959 for Canadian National passenger service, they wore this green and yellow scheme for only a few years before the CN switched to a more mod- ern red and white scheme. Many of them ended up wearing VIA blue before retiring.


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