As a train enthusiast, my wildest dreams came true when a client brought a treasured piece of history from the Canadian Pacific Railway. This cast aluminum crest was mounted on the maroon-coloured Canadian trains from 1948 to 1955. After 1955, CPR introduced stainless-steel scenic dome trains.
Materials
Processes
The Damage
The damage to the crest was just under the beaver and in the mouth area, and it needed a complete restoration, including touch-ups of enamel. In addition, my client wanted the crest mounted to a board with an engraved nameplate.
Some cast aluminum alloys cannot be welded successfully because of their metallurgical makeup, and this cast aluminum crest was one of those. One solution to this problem was thoroughly cleaning and gluing the parts and sealing the hairline fractures. Then, I removed the excess glue, blended the glue lines, and coated the shield with its specific colouring.
When painting the beaver, I had to dull the shine and smooth the red coating. To protect the paint, I used a top seal coating of a clear archival spray, which protected the coloured layer of the crest.
Mounting
Later, as requested by the client, I mounted the crest and the engraved name plate I had ordered for the project on a coating-friendly plywood backboard.
I painted the rectangular backboard a stainless-steel colouring mimicking the streamlined passenger train from where the crests were removed.
I had to rethread the holes on the back of the crest because they were damaged. Originally, there were threaded holes on the back of the castings for mounting to the train, and specifically on one of four areas of the CPR “Chateau Viger” car, which started service on April 24, 1955.
Finally, to allow the backboard to be levelled and easily hung, I secured the board with four screws and two triangle clips with a coated wire rope.
This was a special repair for a crest that is close to my heart.
