SOU FEATURES:
- Flexicoil Trucks
- Firecracker antenna
- Large fuel tank
- No MU hoses
- Long handrails
- Nathan P-3 horn
- Removed footboards on both ends
The Southern owned a small group of SW1500s that were acquired from the KIT and carried two-digit numbers. Modifications done by the road included a switch to frame-mounted handrails and the addition of a firecracker antenna. Units 74-76 were often spotted on assignment in Kentucky and Tennessee.
MODEL FEATURES:
- Lit ground lights
- Detailed cab interior
- Drop steps unless noted
- MU stands
- Dual exhaust stacks
- Printed numberboards
- Fine scale handrails
- Signal hoses as appropriate to the prototype road (MU capability was a railroad specified option for these locos, and some railroads did not order it).
- Front and rear trainline hoses with silver glad hands
- Separately applied wire grab irons
- See-through radiator intake grille and cab windows
- Low or high mounted windshield wipers per prototype
- Rectangular or oval builder’s plate where appropriate
- Separately applied air tank
- McHenry® scale knuckle couplers - Kadee® compatible
- All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation
- All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
- DCC-ready features Quick Plug™ plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
- Improved 5-pole skew wound can motor with flywheels and multi-link drivetrain
- Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
- Highly-detailed, injection molded body
- Interior plastic blister safely holds the model for convenient storage
- Minimum radius: 18”
NEW FEATURES:
- Operating ground lights
- Newly designed can motor is more powerful and quieter than before
- DCC-ready models feature 21-pin plug
- DCC & sound models feature Economi sound with single cube speaker
- LED lighting for long life and reliable operation
SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE
- Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Economi sound
- Single cube speaker for optimal sound quality
- Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
- Engine, horn, and bell sounds work in DC
- Some functions are limited in DC
- All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode
- Operating lighting functions with F5 and/or F6
- Excellent low-speed operation
- Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights
- Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes
- CV chart included in the box
PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION
An EMD SW1500 is a 4-axle diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1966 and 1974. It is similar in appearance to the EMD SW1000 model, which has a different engine and has one exhaust stack while the SW1500 has two.
Power was provided by an EMD 645E 12-cylinder engine which generated 1,500 horsepower. This locomotive was built on the same common frame as the EMD SW1000, giving it an overall length of 44 feet 8 inches.
The SW1500 featured a bulkier carbody and was a bit heavier from earlier models although its intended use remained the same, working light branch lines or in industrial settings. Many railroads regularly used SW1500s for road freight service.
