Kitbashing a BQ23-7 - 1
Some people call
it “a face only a
mother could love”,
while others say
it's one of the most
beautiful locomotive
designs ...
Kitbashing a BQ23-7
in HO scale
– Michael Kreiser
Model Photos by the author
T
he BQ23-7, offered
by General Electric
from 1978 on, was a
failed innovation. The large
“quarters cab” (thus the
Q in the designation), was
designed to offer space for
the caboose crew, eliminating
the caboose at the end of the
train. Probably a profitable
idea on the economic side,
the design failed primarily
due to safety concerns of the
crews, who missed the extra
space in the front, giving
them more collapsible zone
in the case of a frontal crash.
Just 10 locomotives left the factory and all went to Seaboard
Coast Line.
A model of this locomotive was offered by Bachmann in
the 1970s but is not suitable for today's modelers' needs.
Nevertheless, we need one for the cab, and since they show
up on eBay often, it's not a problem to get one. We also need
an Atlas B23-7, ideally a version with Blomberg trucks, but they
can also be ordered directly at Atlas.
Let's start with the shells. The Atlas cab has to be removed,
and the nose with the cab area must be cut at the connection
to the long hood. Additionally, the corrugated platings on the
front battery boxes has to be removed, here is later the con-
nection with the new cab. The Bachmann shell will be cut just
behind the cab, then the front pilot must be removed carefully.
Remove as much of the lower part of the cab, until it fits the
Atlas frame. See picture 1 to have an idea.
When you put the cab on the frame, you will see that the cab
is around 1/3 scale feet too wide. This means the shell must
1
1. A first test how everything fits.
MRH-Mar 2014
