Can I Convert a Lionel Amtrak Dash-8 505 (6-28230) Locomotive Into a Different Livery With a Different Shell

You certainly can swap out the shell for another livery.  A couple that I verified are Santa Fe #605 (swap and done) or CSX #9019 (swap and paint or replace truck side frames).  Both are currently available on a popular on-line auction site.  Just search “Lionel Dash Shell.”   There will be others that will work also.  Just watch the mounting post arrangement so that it bolts right up to your existing frame.  Some shells posted are only top half so be careful on those.  

Thanks.  I suspected that Lionel must have made other liveries in this locomotive, but could not easily find which ones.  So, the Santa Fe lower half is identical to the Amtrak?  I have not researched or looked for one yet, but if that is the case, that would certainly simplify things.  The big thing will be to find a "complete" shell, with everything on it.

Scott

A follow-up.  A quick search just now shows that the 605 is a Dash-9.  Do the mounting holes align between a Dash-8 and Dash-9, that you are aware of?

Certain Dash-8s and 9’s are compatible.  Please do that on-line search I suggested and you will see your shell as well as others.  Big difference between Dash-8 and 9’s were the trucks.  

That was what took me to the Dash-9s.  I did not see, but may have missed, Santa Fe Dash-8s.  I'll try again.  It's still early.....

You would be putting this shell:

On this frame:

Sidefames and pilots are already correct color.

Interesting.  Thank you for the photos.  So far, I have not found a Dash-8 shell, only a Dash-9 and looking at the "underneath" view, it does not have the same pinout as the Dash-8.  The "9" has springs, apparently to make contact with the frame below it.  So, I will continue to search for the right Dash-8 shell.   IF you happen to have the Lionel part number for that shell, I would be tremendously grateful.  If not, please do not spend a lot of time looking.  I just haven't had a great deal of Google success this morning.

This is what I am referring to.  The first image, with the white connector, is the Amtrak Dash-8 shell.  The other image is the only Santa Fe shell that I can seem to find and it's a Dash-9.  It appears to have springs to make contact with something underneath it to make removal easier, I suppose.  Now, I guess it is possible that the four contacts on the Dash-9 correspond to the four wires in the connector on the Dash-8 and could, in theory, be cut and replaced with the connector on the Dash-9.  I see at least one vendor that has multiple of these shells and offers returns.  I could always order one to inspect it and then if that looks ok, make the connector switch.  I obviously would not be able to return the one I cut on, so I would probably do one at a time and take a $110 gamble that it could be done.  The alternative is to try to get rid of the Amtrak Dash-8s at a significant loss, which would probably be equal to or more than taking the chance on the Dash-9 shell.

Scott

I believe that the Legacy B40-8W was also produced in BNSF livery.

Well, I have spent WAY too much time searching.  Either I am not using the correct search terms or it is just not out there right now.  I simply cannot locate anywhere a Dash-8 shell.  Lot's of Dash-9 shells, but those do not appear to be form/fit/functional replacements.  I may order one and see if it can be made to work, but, I am rapidly running out of patience.  So, I'm going to give it a break and come back to it later.  Maybe something will pop up.  I would prefer to NOT cut wires in order to make a Dash-9 work.  I would like to be able to restore it to the Amtrak shell if/when I decide to part with it.  Oh, well.