B&O Q-3 Cab With Brakeman's Seat
- Scales: HO, N
- Designed by request for Bruce D. Griffin.
- Cabs have been designed to fit the HO BLI Light Mikado, The HO Athearn Light Mikado and the N BLI Light Mikado.
- Printed on a resin printer.
- HO cabs may be purchased for $45 each. The N scale cab to fit the BLI Light Mikado sells for $35. The HO cabs include a Cricut cut window set, two horizontal roof grabs, and two grabs under the front of the roof. Add $8 for USPS Ground Advantage shipping. Combined shipping offered. Please Contact me to order.
Thank You
There are a number of people that need to be thanked who made development of the cabs possible.
Bruce D. Griffin
The first is Bruce D. Griffin. After Raymond Stern of Pro Custom Hobbies shared a photo of some of my 3D work with Bruce, I received a message through my website asking if I had any interest in designing a 3D printed cab for the B&O Q-3 Mikado.
Once I decided to take on this project, Bruce provided a BLI boiler, the original cab, an earlier resin printed cab, and some photos to help me design the cabs. Bruce has patiently driven this project and provided additional information and guidance.
Travers Stavac
I’d like to thank Travers, who searched the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Historical Society archives and located some drawings that he scanned and forwarded to me. He also sent me some photos and answered questions that helped me with the design.
Doug Hunt
I’d also like to thank Doug Hunt. Doug sent me photos of B&O Q-3s that showed a handrail installed on the rear panel of the brakeman’s compartment that I hadn’t included in the first version of the cabs. He also suggested a way to install the two grabs under the front of the roof.
Steve Williams
I’d also like to thank Steve Williams. Steve requested I develop a version of the cab to fit the Athearn Light Mikado. Steve sent me an Athearn Light Mikado boiler and cab to help me with the design. Steve waited patiently for me to design the cab for the Athearn Mikado for several months.
Steve Long
Steve Long gave me an N scale stock cab that fit the BLI Light Mikado at the Amherst Show in Springfield MA in 2024. Steve has been patient while I’ve been working on some other projects, but in Q1 2026 I finally finished the N scale cab.
Members of the BaltimoreAndOhioRailroadList
Finally I’d like to thank all the members of the BaltimoreAndOhioRailroadList on group.io who answered questions and provided feedback and information to help me with the design these cabs.
Prototype Cabs
When the B&O originally purchased locomotives they arrived without a brakeman’s cab extension. According to the Barr and Barringer B&O Q – Class Mikado book the B&O started adding the brakeman’s seat to the cabs in the early 1940’s.
The left side of the cab was extended and a brakeman’s seat was installed behind the fireman’s seat. The fireman’s window was made a little smaller and a new window was added for the brakeman.
Designing the Model Cabs
The model cab was first designed to fit the HO BLI Light Mikado. I matched the shape and thickness of the cab front on the stock BLI cab so it fit the BLI boiler.
I originally designed the roof to match the curves and thickness of the stock cab. After someone sent me a photo of the top view of a Q-3 locomotive I realized the roof curves had a flat section close to where the roof met the cab sides. Also the roof did not meet the sides at a smooth tangent, but at an angle.
I made the curved sections at the bottom corners of the roof by looking at photos of Q-3’s. Then I added the front windows and frames.
I was sent some drawings from the Baltimore and Ohio Historical Society archives. They were drawings of a Q-4 Mikado which is slightly different than the Q-3. The drawings helped with the sizing and placement of the wind deflector and the vents on the roof. The drawings also helped with the design of the window sashes and armrests.
I added bolt fittings to the roof for the long horizontal roof grabs for the HO cab. I also drill holes for the grabs mounted onder the front part of the roof for the HO cabs.
All grabs are prebent and mounted in the holes. They are mounted loose so any adjustments can be made.
For the N scale cab the only mounting hole that is drilled is for the handrail that mounts to the side of the brakeman’s compartment. No grab is provided. Steve Long specified that a hole should be drilled for .012 Phosphor Bronze Wire (not included.)
HO cabs also include a set of Cricut cut clear styrene for windows. I designed recesses behind the front windows so the clear styrene can be installed “closer to flush”.
I bought my own HO BLI Light Mikado so I could work on my own B&O Q-3. When I fit the cab to the BLI model I noticed that I could use the existing BLI handrail on the back right (engineer’s) side. I added a bolt fitting and a pilot hole to the back of the cab. I adjusted the position of the pilot hole so when a #78 drill was used the BLI handrail fit perfectly.
When I tried drilling holes after curing the cab a piece broke off because the cured resin was much more brittle. I discovered that if the hole is drilled before the cab is cured under UV light it’s easier to drill and the chance of damaging the cab is reduced. I also added a bolt fitting and pilot hole to the thin wall to the rear of the brakeman’s seat on the left side of the cab. I already drill the holes for the handrails using a #78 drill.
The stock BLI handrail cannot be used for the back left (fireman’s) side of the cab. A new handrail needs to be bent using Tichy or other .015 phosphor bronze wire. It runs from the drilled hole on the side by the brakeman’s seat to the existing bottom hole on the left side. Consult photos to aid bending the handrail.
As Bruce Griffin works on his Baltimore and Ohio Q-3 locomotive he will be documenting his modeling on his blog at https://bomodeling.com/blog/. Please follow Bruce’s blog for valuable information as you work on your own B&O Q-3 Mike.
Additional resources for modeling Baltimore and Ohio Q-3 Mikado Cabs
- Q The Definitive History of The Baltimore and Ohio Company’s Q – Class Mikado Locomotives by Howard N. Barr and Wlliam A. Barger, 1978
- B & O Power by Lawrence W. Sagle, Alvin Staufer, 1964
- B&O Steam Roster Part 6 – NE Rails