EJ&E Baldwin Centercab Part 1: Prep

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Baldwin’s centercab transfer diesels were a childhood favorite of mine. I loved their impressive size and unusual carbody design. I was also fortunate enough to live close to the Illinois Railway Museum, location of the only preserved example, MN&S 21. Though the CB&Q did not own any of these big Baldwins, the Chicago area was home to EJ&E’s fleet of 27 units (over half of the total centercabs Baldwin produced). This gave me a plausible reason to include one on my roster. The prototype photos in this post come from a Baldwin promotional booklet found here.



The EJ&E received one prototype unit in 1946, which output 2000hp from twin 608NA (normally aspirated) 8-cylinder engines. In 1948, the EJ&E went back to Baldwin for 25 production units. These were also rated at 2,000hp, but used twin 606SC (supercharged) 6-cylinder engines. The railroad also purchased one of Baldwin’s demonstrator units to round out its fleet of 27.



My model represents one of the 25 production units. The EJ&E rebuilt nearly all the units in the late 1950s with either improved Baldwin 606A or EMD 567 engines, so the carbodies and paint schemes changed over the years. I chose to represent the as-built appearance since I model the late 40s time period. 


I was fortunate to find 3D printed shells representing several variations by James Model Railways and sold through Shapeways. They are designed to mount onto a Stewart C-628 or C-630 chassis. (I’ll cover the drive train in part 2) Unfortunately with the recent bankruptcy of Shapeways, I’m not sure if these shells are still available. James was very responsive to my emailed inquiries, so he’s worth contacting if you’re interested in your own shell. I also purchased a set of etched brass handrails from his site.



The shell and plastic details were made with Shapeways Fine Detail Plastic. The first step was cleaning the parts to remove the waxy residue from the printing process. Following instructions I found online, I soaked the shell in hot water with dish soap and scrubbed it with a toothbrush. I repeated this twice to remove most of the residue. Lastly, I gave the parts a short dunk in Goo-Gone (with more scrubbing) to finish the job. 


The layering of the 3D printing process leaves a slightly rough surface on the shell’s vertical surfaces. This was most noticeable on the cab sides and curved roof. I used 400 grit sandpaper to smooth these areas, being careful not to sand off any details. The material is more brittle than common styrene plastic, so I took care not to put too much pressure on the shell as I sanded.


The amount of printed detail on the hoods is impressive, albeit a little clunky in some cases, but from normal viewing distances the shell looks great. I attached a few of the separately provided details, such as the horns, using CA adhesive. But I left most off, including the handrails, to make painting easier. The shell was now ready for primer and paint.



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