the HO scale conversion shells for these rare locomotives are now available on internet trains. i just ordered one for my P&W roster. the conversion shells are by smokey valley. anyone have experience with these? hopefully it will fit over an atlas b23-7 frame. if not, it would probably make a great dummy unit with a sound decoder.
I checked at Walthers and at Smokey Valley. Neither site mentions such an item. Besides “internet trains”, do you have any other source for this info? I’d certainly like to get a couple of bodies myself, should they be produced. Smokey Valley has certainly produced some parts for a conversion, but I still have the impression that they’ve not made a full body. Ed
Oh. I’ve got two of these in a parts box. You don’t get the whole shell. You get (quoting from the Smokey Valley packaging) “GE-B UNIT CONVERSION CAB”. That is, you get the filler for when you remove the cab of your sacrificial GE unit. Sad but true. Ed
With Smokey Valley kit number 73, you get the parts (3) to fill in for the missing cab. You also get some stanchions. They also make a kit number 73 “GE-7 HI SHORT HOOD”. This consists of four pieces of plastic. Now that Atlas sells a high hood B30-7 (I think), I would think that this would be a better choice than the kit number 73 route. I’ve got on my to-do list making one or two of these B units. It’s way down there as I’m wishin’ that Atlas will do them. Fat chance, truly. Anyway, they’re back-burner stuff. If you want to do this project, might I suggest getting a copy of “Diesel Era” Volume 11 Number 3. There’s an article on BN B units including the locos of interest. I think the subject’s also come up on the Atlas forum. You might want to do a search over there. I think (PERHAPS) that someone had a good description of their own plans for the matter. For me, this project will require a good bit of research. I don’t want to go to the trouble of building one/two of these to find out they’re not quite right. Best wishes Ed
I just took a few minutes to compare the Atlas B23-7’s and the B30-7’s to the BN B30-7A’s. The major problem I see is that the various louver panels under the radiator are different. It would appear that the choice is either to accept the mis-placed louvers or correct them. Neither sounds pleasant. Maybe Smokey Valley would care to do another set of castings to modify the Atlas units. Or not. Also, by the way, the BN units have FB-2 trucks. Ed