Description

Detailed Information

SP SD40R GRIP REBUILDS:

Blanked out/removed gyralights
Relocated horn
Tall forward ditch lights
Modified L window cab
Truck mounted spare knuckles
Large EMD plow
Extra dynamic brake vents
Nose ratchet brake
GRIP rebuilt battery box doors
SP style low mounted brake cylinder trucks

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

#7303

Red number boards
Nathan P-3 Horn
Stratolight Beacon

#7316

Nathan P-3 horn

SP SD40M-2 REBUILDS:

Relocated horn
Vapor style A/C
Antenna with stand
Large EMD plow
Rear mounted brake wheel
Morrison Knudsen rebuilds from SD40 cores
Alternating front ditch lights with horn effect
MK style rebuilt truck sideframes with Timken bearings

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

#8627

MK rebuilds
cab mounted headlight
small ditch lights.

#8645

MK rebuilds
cab mounted headlight
small ditch lights.

During the 1980’s, SP’s aging fleet of SD40’s were in dire need of rebuilding. They went through SP’s “GRIP” program which upgraded the whole locomotive, becoming SD40R’s. By the late 1980’s, the original SP equipped gyralights became expensive to maintain and were removed to save costs. By 1994, some got repainted into SP’s then-new “speed lettered” scheme. Around this same time, SP contracted MK to rebuild numerous SD40 locomotive cores to basically a “new” version, a SD40M-2. MK added new features to these such as alternating front ditch lights, Timken roller bearings, and computerized wheel slip control. They were all used system wide and found in many types of service.

LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

LED lighting
Photo-etched stainless steel windshield wipers
Fully assembled and ready-to-run
Separately applied wire grab irons
Separately applied air tanks
Coupler cut levers
Rubber MU hoses
Fine scale handrails molded in engineering plastic
Non-sound version features 21-pin NEM DCC plug
See-through dynamic brake and radiator fans
Curved radiator fan grab iron
Exhaust stack
Frame mounted bell (unless noted)
Detailed 4000 gallon fuel tank (unless different capacity is noted)
Flexicoil-C trucks with high or low brake cylinders (per prototype)
McHenry scale knuckle spring couplers
Highly-detailed, injection molded body featuring new tooling
Painted and printed for realistic decoration
See through cab windows
Bi-directional LED lighting
All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth and quiet operation
All-wheel electrical pickup
5-pole motor with flywheels and multi-link drivetrain for trouble-free operation
Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
Window packaging for easy viewing
Interior plastic blister safely holds the model for convenient storage
Minimum radius: 18”
Recommended radius: 22”

SOUND EQUPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE

Onnboard Econami sound decoder by Soundtraxx
Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
Engine startup sound sequence
All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode
Dynamic brake sound or Non-Dynamic Straight to idle on F4
Some functions are limited in DC
Extra prime mover and horn sounds exclusive to Athearn version
Slow speed control
Multiple bell sound files user configurable via Configuration Value (CV)
CV chart included in the box
Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode
Engine, horn, and bell sounds work in DC
All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode
Excellent Slow speed control
CV chart included in the box
Current Keeper ready with on board expansion plug
Operating lighting functions with F5 and/or F6
Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights
Many functions can be altered via CV changes

PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

In 1966, EMD updated its locomotive catalog with entirely new models, all powered by the new 645 diesel engine. The SD40 had 3,000 hp from a turbocharged V16. 856 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads, 330 were built for Canadian railroads, and 72 were built for Mexican railroads.

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