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Yup, there's a bit more to it:  Note the differences in the air intakes, both under the radiators and behind the cab, which have to be modified / added / deleted.  And that's just openers......

Is this project going to use the Locomotive Workshop U33B kit you got last April that you were going to convert to a CR U36B -- or were you "lucky" [ cough ] to acquire another one of these ?  If one 'needed' a 23-7 I think it would be more merciful to start from an Atlas U23B myself.......

SZ

Steinzeit posted:

Yup, there's a bit more to it:  Note the differences in the air intakes, both under the radiators and behind the cab, which have to be modified / added / deleted.  And that's just openers......

Is this project going to use the Locomotive Workshop U33B kit you got last April that you were going to convert to a CR U36B -- or were you "lucky" [ cough ] to acquire another one of these ?  If one 'needed' a 23-7 I think it would be more merciful to start from an Atlas U23B myself.......

SZ

Agreed. An Atlas u23b and an MTH c30-7 are my bests starts for a project.  But there is still a lot of work starting with differing frame lengths.  And trucks from an Atlas B40... blah, blah, blah.

Last edited by rdunniii

The best starting point if you're using Atlas products is the U23B.  You'll essentially need the wide radiator section at the end and you're good to go.  I had thought of a similar approach to a U36B in taking the radiator off of an old Lionel U36B shell and grafting it to the Atlas shell giving you a U36B, then taking the Atlas radiator and grafting that to the Lionel shell.  With the addition of a sill and steps the Lionel might be very close length wise to a U18B.  Can anyone tell I model Seaboard Coast Line??? LOL  

A note of caution is to find the nose light/cab window variation you're looking for and then convert that unit.  Some U36Bs had their extra windows blanked and most had nose lights and not every variant of the Atlas U23B comes with nose lights.  

Good luck!  

rdunniii posted:
Steinzeit posted:
 

Agreed. An Atlas u23b and an MTH c30-7 are my bests starts for a project.  But there is still a lot of work starting with differing frame lengths.  And trucks from an Atlas B40... blah, blah, blah.

Are you planning on one of the Super 7 rebuilds that the Monongahela had, or one of the production b23-7's?  I have the impression that the Atlas b40-8 cab, nose, sub-base, trucks, and radiator would be better suited to the Mon locos.  Whereas the Atlas u23b with either AAR B or Blomberg trucks would be more appropriate for the production locos.

Just curious, none of my skin in this game as I'm more of an EMD fan, although I do have an errant attraction to the later boxy GE spartan cab/nose locos.  I can't really explain it.  

Jim

Railthunder posted:

The best starting point if you're using Atlas products is the U23B.  You'll essentially need the wide radiator section at the end .....

For those folks thinking of going from a 23 to a 30/33/36 or vice versa, as I recall* the 12 cyl locos usually** had one less radiator section than their 16 cyl big brothers.  I am using section here in the sense that, if you think of the radiator area when viewed from the top as being divided into four quarters, the 23's had no cores in one of the four sections.  This assumes the model has a see-thru radiator screen on top, of course.  I have some slides that illustrate this but am not able to quickly find them, so perhaps someone better organized than myself [  My wife might say "That would be everybody...."] can contribute an illustration.

*Because I am going from memory

**There might be exceptions -- Southern Peru Copper, for example -- and I'm not counting B30A's, etc

Regards, SZ

big train posted
........ although I do have an errant attraction to the later boxy GE spartan cab/nose locos.  I can't really explain it. 

I must have picked up that virus from you;  that will teach me to go to the March Meet with you.  At least in your case they can fit in your prototype location and era.....

IMG_3156_edited-1

Best, SZ

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big train posted:

I presume by "bulge", that the OP means the flared fairing on the leading edge of the radiator section?   I think this was a feature on early phase u33b's, and I think it was gone by the time the b23-7's went into production.

I think so, because his LW U33B kit has them.  But they didn't last long in GE production across the U line-- I think only the D&H U23B's [ first U23B order ? ] had them, let alone B23-7's.   Did Atlas do a D&H 23 in 0 ?   They did in HO -- but didn't include the flare.

SZ

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