CNW EMD E9BA Crandall Cab

These are N scale 3D printable files for the Chicago & North Western EMD E9BA "Crandall Cab" — one of the most distinctive and beloved locomotive modifications in American passenger railroad history. Designed to fit on a Kato E unit frame.

By the late 1950s, the Chicago & North Western Railway was operating a large fleet of EMD E-series passenger locomotives on its extensive commuter and intercity services out of Chicago. As the locomotives aged, the CNW faced a familiar problem: the original bulldog-nose cab design, while handsome, offered poor visibility for the engineer and limited crew comfort. Rather than retire the units or purchase expensive new power, the CNW's mechanical department devised an elegant in-house solution — rebuilding the cab ends of their E units with a new, flat-faced "safety cab" design that dramatically improved forward visibility and crew ergonomics.

The rebuilt locomotives became known as "Crandall Cabs" after CNW Superintendent of Motive Power Larry Crandall, who championed the program. The new cab gave the E units a strikingly modern, almost European appearance — a sharp contrast to the original streamlined nose — and the modification proved so successful that it was applied across a significant portion of the CNW's E unit fleet. The Crandall Cab E units became a defining visual element of CNW commuter operations in and out of Chicago's Union Station through the 1960s and into the early Amtrak era.

This model captures the E9BA variant in the Crandall Cab configuration, wearing the CNW's classic yellow and green passenger livery. Designed to fit on a Kato E unit frame, it brings one of the most characterful and undermodeled locomotives in Chicago railroad history to your N scale layout.

After purchase, your digital files will be available for immediate direct download from your order confirmation. These files are for Personal Use Only — if you are interested in a commercial license, please contact us.

Please allow a few weeks for 3D printing and shipping. Decals are shipped separately — please allow some additional time for decal printing and shipping after ordering.