Does anyone know how close a six axle "Super 7" could be made out of a C40-8? I think some Mexican railroads had their U30Cs rebuilt into the "Super 7" series. I'd like to say my railroad put their worn out U30Cs through this program. How much modification would be needed on a standard Dash 8 to get a descent representation of one?
Your best bet for a base model would be the Atlas c40-8. I searched up the super 7 series, and found that not all of them looked exactly the same. The Mexican ones seem to still be in operation. This is a picture I found of a Dash 8 series locomotive. (None of the photos are mine, I just found them on Google.) The first thing I noticed were the grills on the long hood. The Super 7 does not have the long rectangular grill behind the dynamic brakes. Instead, it is more square. The transition between the dynamic brakes and the prime mover hood is sloping on the Super 7, and vertical on the c40-8. Below the radiators, the grill arrangement is different as well. The Super 7 does not have the secondary rectangular grill below the radiator wings. The radiator wings have different dimension between units it seems as well. It looks smaller on the Super 7. Another difference between the two is the absence of the two (assuming)air tanks on the side of the fuel tank on the Super 7. The louvered doors on the walkway of the long hood appear longer on the Dash 8. It looks to have a third smaller box directly behind the can, which is absent on the 7. The Dash 8 has three stanchions mounted to it, but the Super 7 only has two. The picture is a bit blurry, so it is difficult to say for certain. Keep in mind, since the Super 7s were rebuilds, there are probably differences between railroads. You have some room for imagination if your road is fictional. Personally, I wouldn't want to rebuild a Dash 8 into a Super 7. Making all of the small changes to the long hood, and most likely the underbody and piping, has lots of chances for error. I think it would be a lot of work, but it is not impossible.
Thanks for the info! After seeing all the details you pointed out, there are more differences than I noticed before. I think I will agree, it may be more than I bargained for.
