Screenshots

 

BLW ZT IC comparison to CNW Pack

Cars and locomotives in the IC pack are very similar to what would be needed for the CNW 

Commuter CNW E8 Proof of Concept

For the engine, I took the F7 textures from the BLW_CNW_F7 and modified them to fit the UP E9 shapefile (which required compressing the width slightly), and also moved around the panel seams & added the portholes & door (using the BLW UP E unit as a guide for approximate spacing)...  I also modified the ENG file lighting so that the lower headlight is the main and matches the vertical alignment.

It's weathered to look like a CNW unit would have by the time they took over in commuter service, however to be really authentic, the top headlight needs to be covered up with a blank metal plate and the 1970's E8's would have mufflers for the HEP with the twin vent openings aft of the last porthole restored to be a full panel... 

For the PS Commuter cars, I created a BLW_CNW_CommuterPS folder, and modified the cab textures to take out the cab window, and applied them to the BLW_CNW_Commuter\CNWCom_7600 shapefile.  

For the single level cars, I started with the new BLW/ZT shapefile in their Illinois Central City of New Orleans set, and mixed up some of the window patterns on floorplans that were similar to the CNW's, with textures and colors on the bi-levels.  The biggest problem was the single door, which I was able to recreate from one of my photos of the CNW 553 club car that still was operating on Metra as of 2021.  

CNW Long Distance Bi-Levels

CNW took delivery in 1958 of 13 Pullman Standard bi-levels configured for long distance service.

These were used on the Flambeau 400 (Chicago-Green Bay-Ashland) and Peninsula 400 (Chicago-Green Bay-Ishpeming), and were an upgrade promised to the State of Wisconsin in exchange for receiving approval to discontinue other non-400 passenger trains.  The long distance bi-levels were cosmetically and mechanically identical to the 4x4 windowed PS commuter coaches.   One car (903) had a slightly different window configuration and servicing door at forward end of the car where the bar/galley were located. 

Two photos of car 903 are below:

(source: Chuck Zeiler @ http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4103488)

(Source: Bill Hebner @ http://hebners.net/Amtrak/amtBiLev/amt9601.jpg)

These cars remained in service for 13 years until Amtrak was formed, and survived another 20 years on Amtrak's roster.  They were used for Illinois services (Illinois Zephyr, Blackhawk) as well as Chicago-Milwaukee and Chicago-Valparaiso.  CNW also leased out commuter engines to run these cars, as they had HEP and the majority of the Amtrak motive fleet was not HEP equipped.

CNW Consists

Sample consists... work in progress