A Small Detail, A Big Difference: Recreating CN 2747's Number Board
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The CN 2747 holds a special place in Canadian railway history as the first steam locomotive built in Western Canada. Constructed at the Transcona Shops, it was completed on April 19, 1926, and entered service the following day, April 20, 1926. The engine was retired in 1960 and placed in the then Kiwanis Park (now Rotary Heritage Park) in March of that year.
Since acquiring the historic locomotive, the Transcona Museum has worked to preserve, repair, and restore it to the appearance it had when it was first placed in the park in 1960. From 1960 to 2015, the engine went through a lot. There was exposure to the elements, vandalism, and theft.
Unfortunately, almost as soon as the locomotive was placed in the park, it became a target for vandalism. A protective fence was erected shortly afterward, but not before glass components, including the headlight and the triangular train indicator box, had been damaged.
The distinctive red-and-gold "CANADIAN 2747 NATIONAL" number board disappeared sometime after 1982. The last time we have photographic evidence of it on the engine was in images dated September 21, 1982.
At the time, the Midwestern Rail Association (now the Winnipeg Railway Museum) owned the locomotive. At some point they had removed and preserved the headlight and the train indicator box for safekeeping, but not the number board. It's possible it was missing when they removed those other elements.
When the Transcona Museum purchased the engine, we received the engine and the train indicator box, with replacement numbers inside (seen at the top of the engine). In 2021, the Winnipeg Railway Museum located the headlight, a taillight, and a replacement number board for the tender. The Winnipeg Railway Museum has a display of all the Canadian National number boards in its collection, so if they had 2747s, it would be on display.
When the museum started our preservation work on the engine, the front end looked quite bare. The train indicator box had previously been removed, as well as the headlight, sidelights, and the number board.
By the summer of 2025, with the hard work of our volunteers, the front of the engine was looking like this:
One of the final missing elements is the distinctive red-and-gold number board. The Transcona Museum Board approved a plan to recreate the number board, as the original's location is unknown. Unfortunately, after more than forty years without any trace, we have to assume that the original number board was stolen. Side note: If anyone knows the whereabouts of the original number board, we would be grateful for its return to the museum. No questions asked.
So, how does one go about recreating something that they have only seen in a picture? Our condition assessment by GP Heritage Consulting recommended exploring 3D scanning as a way to recreate the missing plate. Rather than creating a new brass casting, which would be expensive and could itself become a target for theft, we decided to produce a durable 3D-printed replacement.
In the summer of 2025, I reached out to the Winnipeg Railway Museum and asked whether they had any Canadian National number boards that included the numerals 2, 4, and 7. The Railway Museum sent me photographs of the number boards in their collection. Two boards in their collection proved ideal. The No. 7244 board contained the numerals we needed, while the No. 2751 board matched the correct size for the CN 2747. They generously agreed to let us scan both boards so we could digitally recreate the missing original.
I began looking for a local company that could 3D scan an existing number board, modify the digital model, print the finished product, and transfer ownership of the digital files to the museum. After contacting several companies and reviewing their proposals, we selected Winnipeg Prototyping. In October 2025, Winnipeg Prototyping met with a representative of the Winnipeg Railway Museum, and they scanned the two existing plates. By November, they had rendered the new board and sent me a file for approval.
Later that month, I picked up our new number board. The replacement was printed in PETG, a durable plastic that offers excellent UV resistance and is waterproof, ideal for an artifact that will spend its life outdoors.
With a few coats of paint, we were ready to install the new number board in its new home on the CN 2747. Winnipeg Prototyping also provided us with ownership of the digital file, meaning we can produce additional number boards in the future if needed. I also experimented with scaling the design in Tinkercad, and Alpha@Play produced miniature versions that we presented as thank-you gifts to supporters of our centennial celebration. We're now considering offering these mini boards and perhaps keychains featuring the design in the museum gift shop.
On June 20, 2026, we held a Centennial Community Celebration at CN 2747 in honour of its 100th anniversary. Museum staff and volunteers installed the number board before the event, and TM President Rick Walker unveiled the number board to our guests. As a thank-you, we presented the miniature versions of the number board to supporters who attended the event. Those who were unable to attend have since received theirs as well.
With the red-and-gold number board back in place, the front of CN 2747 once again looks complete. While there is still plenty of restoration work ahead, projects like this remind us just how much has been accomplished over the past few years. We're proud of how far the locomotive has come, and excited about what comes next.
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