All, I have heard the MINITRIX GE U28C is a copy of the GE U30C and if true I’ll need a pair of the GE U30C handrails. Tom
This post has made me smile, the U28C was the thing that got me in N for sure, I think of it as the tops before Kato. And there's no question that Kato knocked the out in the first round. But my experience was that initially tmy u38 ran smooth like butter, but in time developed contact problems. It was more and more difficult getting juice from the rail to the motor. But I do remember the handrails on my U28. To duplicate them just pull handrails off any handy HO locomotive. Even as new to the hobby aw i was at the time, I recognized how oversized they were.
A bit late to the game, but figured I could add a bit of info here. The U28C was a transitional engine that only lasted a few years. Early U28Cs were externally identical to the earlier U25C, including the walkway "hump" at the rear under the radiator. Later U28Cs were pretty much the same as early U30Cs. This is the version Minitrix modeled. Late U30Cs looked like the U33/36C without the radiator wings, but WITH the full radiator length bump-out over the walkway. BTW the Minitrix model is shorter than the Kato U30C. I once attempted to swap shells but the trucks would not clear the pilot steps. This also means that you can not put the hood section of the Minitrix model on the walkway of the Kato U30C. Some Great prototype info: https://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/thread/15490/guide-u25c https://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/thread/15529/guide-u28c https://dieseldetailer.proboards.com/thread/15724/guide-u30c
So you're telling me that putting a U30CG shell on one of the excess C30-7 mechanisms I have is not a good idea?
I had two Trix U-28s and also a U-30CG. They ran great. In the early '80s I painted the pair of U-28s as U-30s in D&H lightning stripe using Northeast Decals and they turned out nicely. I kept the handrails and somehow turned a blind eye to them. Man, parts were EXPENSIVE back in the '70s then when inflation was at full throttle and foreign exchange rates were terrible. As a kid mowing lawns, I cringed at buying a $15 Trix motor from their importer American Tortoise. Adjusted for inflation today, its cost would be $60! Anything from Arnold was equally expensive.
You got to watch these ambitious guys and galls. They'll have you rebuilding the whole unit. Get your self some fine wire and make your own. It may take some practice to make it happen but can be done. I gave up on finding hand rails for my three units. Someone, made them back in a time but I never connected.
