Dear HO Scale Customers;

 

Athearn has announced the RTR SD40-2 Diesel Locomotives

 

 

 

Union Pacific

This release represents “standard” Union Pacific SD40-2s as they appeared in the mid-1980s, with two major spotting features:

20-inch high cab side numbers (the numbers having been moved there from their location on the long hood, starting in November 1980). This was done to improve the visibility of the numbers when being viewed by the low-resolution video cameras then in use by UP at major yards and terminals.

Grey-colored trucks. These replaced aluminum paint which had been in use since 1953. This change was implemented in February 1984, to avoid the high cost of repainting the entire Missouri Pacific fleet.

 

UP FEATURES:

• Leslie RS3L horn

• Firecracker antenna

• Cab roof mounted strobe

• Large snowplow

 

 

 

Norfolk Southern

After the 1982 SOU-NW merger into Norfolk Southern, the SD40-2 remained a principle mainline locomotive for the road. Early repaints did not feature white delineators on the frames, and many units lasted this way through the 2000s. They could be found on all types of NS freight movements, and they also had a penchant for showing up on Southern Pacific trains in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

 

NS FEATURES:

• Former SOU units

• Bell mounted on long hood

• “Breakaway” style end handrails

• Nathan P5 horn on each end

• Walkway lights

• Long hood-forward operation

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #3280 “SOU” on cab. Two “Firecracker” antennas

• #3299 “AGS” on cab. Three “Firecracker” antennas

• #3306 “SOU” on cab. Six “Firecracker” antennas (for Locotrol equipment)

 

Santa Fe

Starting in the late 1980s, Santa Fe began to modify their locomotives based on crew feedback. The headlight was moved from the cab to the nose to reduce the amount of glare. The air horn was also moved to the long hood to reduce the amount of noise intrusion into the cab. Not all locomotives were modified at the same time, but by the 1990s many had been modified.

 

ATSF FEATURES:

• RS3L or K3LA horn on stand, mounted on long hood

• Cab air conditioner

• Sinclair antennas on ground planes

• Small MU stands on front walkway

• Headlight moved to nose and opening plated over

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #5065 Silver horn, blue anticlimber

• #5067 Silver horn, blue anticlimber

• #5084 Yellow horn & anticlimber

 

 

Chessie System

The Baltimore and Ohio (now under the unified corporate identity of Chessie System) ordered 20 SD40-2’s. The units were delivered in Jan and Feb of 1977. These units were used throughout the system, but were frequent visitors of helper pools in the Appalachian regions. All but one survived into the CSX era.

 

BO FEATURES:

• Updated approved colors

• “Mail slot” battery box doors

• Art approved by Chessie experts

• Chessie rock plows

• 5-chime horn

• Long hood-mounted bell

 

 

 

PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

The SD40-2 was introduced in January 1972 as part of EMD’s Dash 2 series, responding to competing products from GE and ALCO. Reliability and versatility of the 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 made it the best-selling model in EMD’s history and the standard of the industry for several decades after its introduction. The SD40-2 was an improvement over the SD40, with modular electronic control systems similar to those of the experimental SD45X and DDA40X. The last SD40-2 delivered to a United States railroad was built in July 1984, with production continuing for railroads in Canada until 1988.

 

SD40-2 SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run

• DCC-ready features Quick Plug™ plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector

• Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more

• Accurately –painted and –printed paint schemes

• Coupler cut levers

• Flexible rubber MU hoses for durability

• Flexible rubber trainline hose

• See-through cab windows

• Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance

• Photo-etch stainless steel windshield wipers

• Wire grab irons

• Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, & breather pipes

• Separately applied air tanks

• DCC-ready Non-sound version features 21-pin NEM DCC plug

• See-through dynamic brake and radiator fans

• Exhaust stack

• Frame mounted bell (unless noted)

• Detailed 4000 gallon fuel tank (unless different capacity is noted)

• McHenry scale knuckle couplers - Kadee compatible

• All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation

• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow

• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track

• Bi-directional LED lighting for realistic appearance

• Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power

• Packaging securely holds model for safe storage

• Warranty service available

• Minimum radius: 18” Recommended radius 22”

 

SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE

• For the first time, factory equipped with Tsunami2 Sound

• Dual cube speakers

• Onboard DCC+Sound models have full-feature Tsunami2 sound decoder by SoundTraxx

• 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

• Precision slow speed control

• 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

 

 

 

Building on a rich tradition started in 1946, the Athearn brand is home to the hobby’s best-loved models. Athearn has brought the joy of model railroading to you for 75 years, starting from our classic ‘Blue-Box” kits to our most recent Genesis 2.0 line. With accurate detailing and painting, Athearn is the brand that any hobbyist is proud to own and operate. No matter your era or favorite railroad, Athearn truly is “Trains in Miniature.”

 

Order Due Date: November 26, 2021

Anticipated Delivery Date: January 2023

Looking for more Athearn SD40-2 Diesel Locomotives? Click here!

 

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