Which other bodies will fit a U23B

[Anonymous]

I have an Athern U23B engine and I would like to change the shell on it. Are their any shells of other locomotives that would fit this engine?

[BRAKIE]

Doug:Are you sure that is a athearn?You see athearn doesn't make a U23b.They do make a U33b is this what you are talking about? If so,I have afew ideas.let me know.

[Anonymous]

Ok, I had to pull out the boxes to be sure, but I think you are right and they are infact U33B's. These were the first two engines that I ever got, and now they really don't go with my layout. One is a Seabord Coastline and the other is a Chessie System. The thing that had me thinking that they were 23's is that for some reason the Chessie System has C&O under the cab window, then it has the words RADIO and U-23B. Finally it has its road number which is 8212. However the box does say U33B. I guess it is just a mistake.

Anyway though, what I am trying to do is put on a shell of a modern road. I would prefer either Norfolk Southern or CSX. And just to make it difficult my layout is set to be pretty modern and CSX has just removed the last of the U23B's from their roster. I guess now I need to look and see if their are any U33B's left. If you think that I could find an even more modern engine shell that would fit that would be great too.

Thanks for the help so far.

[Anonymous]

Ok, I found some picks of Chessie System engines and they don't list any U33B's. They do have 8212 though.

http://www.trainweb.org/chessiephotos/html/U30B.html

Acording to the site it is a U30B? The model looks identical except where the fourth black vent from the right is set down the model has it on the top. Also the eve over the window is a little bit diffrent.

Any ideas what it really is?

[BRAKIE]

Dough:contact me at larrymorgan83 @hotmail.com We get our haeds together and come up with a engine for you.

[SSW9389]

Athearn makes three shells that will fit its BB truck UBoat drive. They are the U28B, the U30B, and the U33B. Sometimes Athearn pulls a fast one. For example the Western Pacific U28B. Now the real Western Pacific did not own any U28Bs, but did own five U30Bs that used the same carbody as the late U28Bs. Another example is the Santa Fe U30B that they never owned numbered for a U23B which they did own. My point here is to know the roster of the road you are modeling and to use photographs to confirm details.