Can someone tell me what the differences are? I thought about buying an unlettered BLI version.
I can tell off the bat the feedwater heater on the side is wrong causing an elevated running board. And the bell placement is wrong. I would also have to lower the headlight.
Is there anything else I should fix? Or should I just go after a mid 90’s RR version of the L2A Hudson?
A quick internet search on something like “Hudson steam engine” or “4-6-4 steam engine” will come up with links that will give you the data for both engines. Without looking, my guess would be the C&O engine was quite a bit bigger. Because of tunnel restrictions, due to much of their mainline being built before the Civil War, the NYC’s engines (and cabooses, if you’ve ever noticed their unusually low cupolas) were very restricted as to height.
There would be little to gain by getting the Rivarossi C&O Hudson, since that was just their NYC J3a fitted with a C&O smokebox door and modified pilot beam and front end moulding.
In fact the J3a had a higher running board than the J1e, so it was very slightly closer in appearance.
The C&O L2a was bigger and had a slanting cab front and different cab side window.
If you just want a C&O Hudson, the L1 No 494 (the only one not streamlined) was much closer in size to the J1e and retained the conventional smokebox centreline headlight. The cab shape was different, with a backward sloped front plate, part of the streamlining that was never completed.
My recollection is that when Rivarossi/AHM came out with their C&O Hudson modification of the NYC Hudson, even Model Railroader’s review noted how surprisingly convincing the conversion was visually, in spite of any number of differences, based for the most part on just changing the smokebox front and headend details. (I think Rivarossi used the NKP Berkshire tender for the C&O Hudson).
If capturing the general look or concept of the C&O is enough for a person it is worth considering.