I’d like to respectfully bounce this off of the GE U-Boat fans here.
I recently emailed Chris Howard of Railflyer Model Prototypes Inc.
I relayed to him that a number of modelers that I know have had an interest in body detail parts for the GE U-Boat series. Two specific items that have been suggested by me and other modelers in this and other forums are
“See-Thru” side radiator grills for GE U18, U33, & U36 series units.
See-Thru grills for the top of the radiator cab “wings” section-.
In my humble opinion, these would be very eye-catching, prototypical details that complement the Atlas, Athearn, and the new Intermountain U-Boats quite nicely.
BTW: I just compared my Intermountain U18B and my Atlas U33C. The molded on side radiator grills appear identical. Is this accurate?
Chris emailed me back, stating that Railflyer will be making locomotive kits that comprise of add on components for GEs. He is genuinely interested and would appreciate input and data information from interested modelers. So, what do you gentlemen think?
Here’s his information below:
Christopher Howard President, Railflyer Model Prototypes Inc.
I hope that there is enough interest from modelers that he would be willing to do this. I’ve seen prototype U-Boats up close on many occasions and always thought that it was neat to look at the radiator grills and seeing clearly through to the other side (just as in a Tunnel Motor).
Do you have any suggestions as to how dimensional specs can be obtained? I remember seeing detailed diagrams of EMD locomotives in past TRAINS issues. Any of you have one that might have an article on the U-Boats?
I’m just trying to find a starting point to provide the spec-info to Mr. Howard.
Actually, for the stuff he’s done so far, he’s had access to the prototype to take measurements from. He’s also had people out “in the field” taking measurements for him. Drawings, even factory blueprints, don’t always reflect small changes that have to be made when the units are built. [:)]
Perhaps if one had access to certain units in a museum, exact measurements could be taken and forwarded to Chris. For instance, I know of at least one U-boat at the Illinois Railway Museum, an ex-BN unit.