Kaslo van by name and nature…

This is N scale and I made it. Crafted with love and attention from a Kaslo Shops kit, finished as an example that spent years on the Slocan lake turn, just a stones throw from Kaslo itself…

The model represents an example of a wooden van re-skinned with plywood extending its life, lasting until the late 80s. Neatly 3D printed with a quality nickel silver etch. Trucks, couplings and decals left to the modeller… classic.

I like making things.

I like the process, the research, the purchase, the tracking down of unusual parts. I like the assembly and finishing. I like the result. Not only a model of 437249, but a model of me…

You can build things out of the box, and a well designed kit can be a pleasure to assemble. My preference is to take the ingredients, play to their strengths and elevate their weaknesses - the intention to have a piece that captures something of the prototype rather than a mm perfect representation. Choosing which elements to replace or refine is all part of the mindful pursuit of modelling… 

For this isn’t a model I’ve built from first hand experience, or crawled over a prototype to photograph and measure. I’ve seen a few photos and I fell in love with the idea of the 80s way freight heading towards Rosebery across Slocan lake on a barge…

So the moulded handrails were removed and replaced with fine brass wire bent to shape by hand and the decals drawn and designed with heart. Combining the kit with myself results in a model that sits well alongside box fresh Prairie Shadow CP hoppers and a gently re-worked Atlas Alco switcher, whose story can be told another day.

For whilst this small collection is neither Defiance, nor Harris it is coherent. Mind, wouldn’t it look great with a high hood GP9…

No I don’t need any more distractions. For now, just happy to have made something, not just bought or modified. Something to enjoy as a result, of course, but as a reminder of what I love about this wonderful hobby. Until next time, more soon…

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