We were looking at my two Atlas Santa Fe B23-7's to see what details are needed, and Matt noticed that the exhaust stacks were different. One unit is numbered and one un-numbered, don't know if that means anything. Anyone know the reason for this?
The larger, more open exhaust stack is the latter of the two designs. Are the trucks on your units the same? I know for a fact (because of a picture posted on Trainorders.com) that the SF units had two different styles of trucks. Hope this bit of info helps you Alan.
Craig is correct, the smaller exaust is the early style. I am not sure if Santa Fe had both styles, I have only seen the larger "bathtub" type. The larger style is quieter and may have been mandated by the EPA. As for the trucks, I think somthing like 25 of Santa Fe's B23-7s rode on remanufactured equalizer trucks from traded in locos. The rest of them ride under GE's FB (floating bolster) trucks. Brian
Brian is correct, the larger GE "bathtub" silencer stack was an EPA/FRA mandated item, beginning in 1980, as a way to reduce locomotive noise. EMD/GMDD did the same thing, in the form of the boxy exhaust silencers on turbocharged units, as well as Q-Fans on the radiators. All new units built from 1980 onward had to have these features.
Had another look at them, and both units have FB trucks. Before I number the un-numbered unit, I would like to find out if the exhaust and trucks are correct for particular road numbers. Research needed!
Further inspection of the models reveals that the un-numbered one has a four-window cab, whilst the numbered one has a two-window! A look through photographs shows some units with the AAR style equaliser trucks, other differences are high or low mounted headlights, different positions and mountings for the horns and different positions for the rotary beacon! I think I have selected a unit which has the correct combination of fittings
