Dear HO Scale Customers;

Athearn has announced the RS-3 Diesel Locomotives

Southern

Several of Southern’s RS-3s were sub-lettered for the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway.

 

SOU FEATURES:

• Steam generator

• Single beam lights

• Water-cooled turbocharger exhaust

• Flat pilot plates

 

Missouri Pacific

MoPac purchased the RS-3 loco in 1951, and they were long-lived on the railroad thanks to an extensive rebuild program in the 1970s.

 

MP FEATURES:

• Water-cooled turbocharger exhaust

• Dual beam lights

• Flat pilot plates

 

Western Maryland

WM class DS-23 were delivered in 1953 and 1954. They replaced 2-8-0s on the Elkins division and were also found in passenger service.

 

WM FEATURES:

• Single beam lights

• Water-cooled turbocharger exhaust

• Pointed pilot plates

 

 

PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

The ALCO RS-3 is a 1,600 hp B-B diesel-electric locomotive manufactured from May 1950 to August 1956 by American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and its subsidiary Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW). A total of 1,418 were produced: 1,265 for American railroads, 98 for Canadian railroads, 48 for Brazilian railroads, and seven for Mexican railroads.

The RS-3 greatly resembled the RS-1 and RS-2, but it had 100 more horsepower thanks to its 12-cylinder, 1,600 hp ALCO Model 244 engine. It also had some changes to the fuel system and body shape. Much like the RS-1, many RS-3s served for decades; some are still in use as of 2020s.

 

RS-3 LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Newly designed can motor is more powerful and quieter than before

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

• DCC & sound models feature Econami sound with cube speaker

• LED lighting for long life and reliable operation

• Metal grab irons

• Large or small fuel tank per prototype

• See through etched metal radiator fan and cab windows

• Fine scale handrails

• McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers

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

• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow

• 5-pole motor with precision-machined flywheels and multi-link drive train for trouble free operation

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

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

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

• Accurately –painted and –printed paint schemes

• Packaging securely holds model for safe storage

• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run

• Minimum radius: 18” Recommended radius 22”

 

SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE

• Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Econami 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

• Effect lighting (if applicable) using 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

 

Alton & Southern

Formerly a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), the Alton and Southern is a switching railroad serving the greater St Louis area in Illinois.

 

AS FEATURES:

• Single beam lights

• Water-cooled turbocharger exhaust

• Open pilot plates

• Operating beacon (flash effect on DCC/sound version)

 

 

Order Due Date: June 28, 2024

 

Looking for more Athearn RS-3 Diesel Locomotives? Click here!

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