It’s a Dash 8-32C or some such. Someone has made a good body shell. I’m wondering how accurate it might be (if anyone knows who made it) and I’m wondering what chassis it should go on???
Thanks
[8D]
Rail Power Products makes a shell that’s supposed to fit the Athearn UC frame.
http://ppw-aline.com/bdrppc328.htm
Athearn had bought RPP out, and that’s where the GP35 and SD45 come from. Maybe they will make those or a C30-7.
Dave,
Your best bet is the RPP C32-8. As CR only had 10 on them, they were rare. CR assigned them to ballast service in their final years. I believe the RPP shell fits the Athearn U33C chassis.
Nick
Just FYI,
Conrail had two of the GE “humpback” models…
10 C32-8, (the only 10 ever built)
photo - http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=140512&nseq=4
and 22 of the more common C39-8 (a total of 161 were built, 22 for CR, the rest for NS)
photos - http://www.railroad.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=31824
Scot
Thanks folks! [:D]
I now have one of these on an Overland chassis lined up for collection. [:D]
I like those pics of the “survivor”. It’s so much more useful when someone takes pics all round anything.
Anyone knowwhat year Conrail received them from GE please?
Am I right in thinking that the front is higher than usual and that is an “anti climb” design?
Thanks
[8D]
C32-8: 1984
C39-8: 1986
Nick
According to the book Conrail Motive Power Review 1986-1991 by Paul Withers the 10 Conrail C32-8 engines had road numbers 6610-6619. The builder’s numbers were 44495 through 44504. The builder’s date is shown as September 1984 for all of the locomotives. There is one picture of the engines in service with a date shown as September 27,1984.
The Rail Power shell (at least the ones I bought) does not include the front anti-climber (they offered this as a separate part), nor any of the handrails or grabs. I believe that Smoky Valley offered a set of handrails that fit. The shell also lacks the cutout in the short hood engineer’s side where the brakewheel is supposed to go. The shell detail itself is relatively crude compared to some of the latest and greatest, but is better than nothing. I believe that Details Associates, or maybe Details West, offers an etched metal detail set to replace the cast on radiator fan section grid.
I think that Rail Power offered the shell in black plastic (which I have) and in a gray color. Possibly the gray model is slightly improved from the black plastic item.
I’m hoping that someone, possibly Athearn, would come out with a RTR model with improved details, since with the breakup of Conrail the model engines would have more painting options than with just the rare Conrail flavor (NS fans unite?). I’m not holding my breath.
Someone mentioned a C30-7. Atlas offered a model of this that was really nice, and came with a variety of prototypical paint jobs. However, it is also missing the Conrail anticlimber. These engines came with different styles of truck sideframes, and Atlas varied the sideframes to match the prototype (at least the Conrail model). BLI also offered the C30-7, and I have the Conrail model. This also is lacking the anticlimb
Athearn has also produced the CF-7, GP60M, GP60B, SD38 & SD40 from RPP tooling.
Yep, Rail Power products made these shells.
You should know that there were TWO different runs of the shells. The older C32-8 shells were cast in black plastic, and had engine doors outlined by raised plastic (rather than the doors being raised). Because of this, these are less-accurate models and you should avoid them, they’ll never look right.
The later run is made with gray plastic, and it is a little better as far as details go. as was earlier mentioned, it does lack many required pieces, and doesn’t have the recess in the nose for the hand brake.
here is a photo of my C32-8, still under construction, but almost done.
Here is one I did about 2 years ago. I have since sold it off at a nice profit.
I used an Atlas U33 chasis for the unit. I also used the smokey valley hand rails as well as the Detail associate’s grill upgrades.
David B
Yeah, those metal grills are so much better than whats molded on! I also added the see-thru steps, which was a lot easier than i thought they would be. You should add those and get some Dash-8 trucks (they didn’t run on U-boat trucks), and that woud look great.
the only thing you have to be careful with the U-boat frames is that technically they don’t match.In reality, the Dash-8 fuel tanks are lower down from the top of the tank relative to the bottom of the sill than a u-boat, but your model looks ok in that aspect.
If you DO use an athearn frame, keep in mind it will be too tall and it might have couple pocket issues. I had to do a lot of frame modifications to bring the Athearn GE-C frame down to the correct size.
I wonder if the designers at GE realized that the low flat cab roof looks ugly as sin? I don’t think there were too many of those cabs made. Most of the Dash 8 series photos I’ve seen are of units with higher cab roofs that have slightly angled corners.
Wow! [tup] Thanks everybody! [:)]
Does anyone have a pic or link that would show just what the nti-climber looks like?
Thanks
[8D]
Well, as with anything else, “ugly as sin” is very subjective! 
personally I think the “humpback” look of the C32-8 and the C39-8 is MUCH more interesting than the later C40-8…where the top of the cab is flush with the long hood…yes, these were much more common than the “hump backs”…but IMO the C40-8 was also the beginning of the “era of extremely boring-looking GE’s”…which is still going on today… especially with the endless widecabs…
humpback C39-8: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/cr/cr6002bgd.jpg
compared to “non-humpback” C40-8: http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/cr/cr6027agd.jpg
I wouldnt say either is a beauty queen! the GE “Dash-8 standard cab” and nose design wont go down in history as “good looking” by any means! but IMO the C40-8 is much more boring looking without the hump…
Scot
If you can find the Smokey Valley hand rail kits, they come with the steps and such. actually, the Railpower anti climbers (the separate pieces) match, except you need to cut a notch in the one side. If you go over to the Conrail Cyclopedia, you’ll see what i mean. You’ll also have to cut notches for the handrail stanchions and the chain gates.
You gotta remember that the C32/39-8 was a hold over from the U-boat/Dash-7 days. why fix what isn’t broken?
BN had some B32-8s and there were a couple demonstrators with this body style, but thats it.
I have the Smokey Valley kits, but I don’t think that they include the steps. I think it’s just railings and stanchions.
The humpback is fine - that doesn’t bother me.
It’s the flat cab roof that is ugly.
Actually, the ugliest cab design is GE’s BQ23-7. And Bachmann made an HO scale BQ23-7 in the early 1980s.