CNR steam locomotive etched-brass number plates

Brass Number Plates
Numbers Covering post-1928 Steam Locomotives
August 2020 update
Before ordering please check with cnrha.treasurer@gmail.com for latest status.
Prices include shipping and GST. Canadian dollars to Canadian addresses and US dollars to US addresses.



200-1, $30
720 etched brass CNR steam locomotive number plates - 696 numbered and 24 blanks.
May not be complete sets some numbers are sold out		200-2, $30
720 etched brass CNR steam locomotive number plates - covers all road numbers from #45 through the Newfoundland numbers, the 4-4-0s, the 2-6-0s, the 4-6-0s and many 2-8-0s (to #2494 from the N-2-b subclass).
May not be complete sets some numbers are sold out		200-3, $30
720 etched brass CNR steam locomotive number plates - covers all road numbers sequentially from #2495 (also from the N-2-b subclass) through the rest of the 2-8-0s, the 2-8-2s, the 2-10-2s and many 4-6-2s to #5139 from the J-4-e subclass..
May not be complete sets some numbers are sold out		200-4, $30
720 etched brass CNR steam locomotive number plates - covers all remaining road numbers from #5140 (also from the J-4-e subclass) through the rest of the 4-6-2s, the 4-6-4s, the 4-8-2s, the 4-8-4s, th 0-6-0s and finally the 0-8-0s (ending with #8448, a re-numbered P-4-d). There are also number plates for the pioneer CNR diesel locomotives from the 1930s.
May not be complete sets some numbers are sold out
200-10, $10.00
100 (10 each digit, 1-0) brass, 15-inch raised cab numerals (wide style) most common to CNR’s Central & Atlantic Regions; and GTW. 		200-11, $10.00
100 (10 each digit, 1-0) 15-inch brass raised cab numerals (narrow style) most common to CNR’s Western Region, CV, DW&P and Grand Trunk (NEL).		200-12, $6.00
60 (6 each digit, 1-0) brass 12-inch raised running board numerals for CNR 5700, 6100 and 6400/GTW 6400 steam locos.		 200-14, $4.00
A cast brass sprue of 15 multi-pipe hangars for use on pipe-runs underneath steam locomotive running boards (while supplies last; these castings cannot be re-ordered)
Individual number plates available @ $5 for 1 to 5 nos. $10 for 6 to 10 nos.

A Not-So-Secret Painting Recipe
by John Morris
The objective is to pre-paint each sheet of 720 plates before using any individual plate(s). Prepping them this way will save time and aggravation later.

  1. Cut each sheet of 720 plates into 12 sets of 60. DO NOT separate the individual plates.
  2. Clamp each set of 60 with a hemostat along one fret edge to hold the set for painting.
  3. Mix 50% thinner / 50% paint using Scalecoat No. 73 Bright Caboose Red (which is reasonably close to CNR Red No. 10) and airbrush it on. Do not make the coverage overly heavy as you do not want to fill the etched-in surfaces.
  4. Place all 12 painted sets from one original product on a cookie sheet and bake them in an oven at 175 degrees F (approx. 80 degrees C) for two hours. Cool before starting the next steps.
  5. Acquire a fine/medium flexible sanding stick (usually available in hobby shops which deal in model aircraft).
  6. Use the fine grit side of the stick to rub the paint off the raised surfaces of the numerals, letters and edges. Inspect your work carefully under magnification as you go along.
  7. Carefully clean all the plates with a fine soft cotton cloth to remove all paint dust created in Step 5.
  8. To protect against future tarnishing of the raised brass surfaces, get out your hemostat and airbrush, etc., once again. Apply a protective clear coat of Scalecoat No. 52 Clear Gloss (this time a mix of 60% thinner / 40% gloss).
  9. Do not bake the plates at this time. Some brands of clear glazes will turn yellow from the heat.
  10. Repeat with the other three sheets.
  11. Now your lifetime supply of CNR steam locomotive number plates is ready to be applied on locomotives.
  12. Five-minute epoxy provides some working time to get number plates straight and level.
2009/09/09