Looks like good news today. Walthers will let me order the part (although undecorated, but thats ok) for the nose on my U28B, so that I can make it right. I just need decals.
I wethered my U23B today, so now it has all the grime a busy U-boat like it should have.
The best thing i've seen today is pictures of Conrail 3401, a third phase GP40-2. These were originally ordered with all sorts of crazy nose marker lights and such. I just happen to have the Athearn model of Conrail 3401. Originally i was very upset, because i could not find any pictures of 3401 with the Conrail Quality logo, and also because the nose lights and things ( as well as the model's 81" nose as opposed to the prototype's 88" nose) were intimidating enough that i didn't want to hack up my model.
Today while searching for pictures of the Illusive U28B 2822 (i have found only 3, pictures, and only 1 picture of it's sister, 2823), i bumped onto two pictures of 3401 around the 1990, In which it had the Conrail Quality scheme, AND regular old class lights.
I found the 3401 (now 3069) on Norfolk Southern as well, and it matched the other pictures. There was no renumbering or anything so far as i am aware of. The only real change i need to make is the basic details, and to move the euipment box from behind the conductor to behind the blower housing. I can do that!
Its a good day today!
Here are some pictures of the weathered U23B.
Its pretty much basic stuff right now. I painted the grills, trucks, fuel tanks, and pilots polly scale grimy black. I also dry brushed grimmy black around the exhaust, as well as aroung the radiators, where soot tends to build up on U-boats. I might actually tone down the black with some floquil Conrail blue later, but I'll see what you think.
I then brushed some pollyscale tarnished black around the center of the tank to make it darker, and then drybrushed polly scale rust all over the locomotive, wherever it looked rusty on the photographs.
U23B 2735 and GP38 7868 pull their tanks to Port Reading.
You gotta love the variety. I've been feeling good with all this new GE power. I mean, when it comes to diesels, on models as well as in real life, all you ever see is the familiar angular shape of EMD diesels of various sorts, and with all my GE locomotives, ranging from electrics such as the GG1 and E33, to the 44 tonners, U34CHs, U28Bs, U23Bs, and to modern B40-8s, its nice to see some difference.
These locomotives are the same size, but look completely different. be honest, U-boat or GP? what do you prefer?