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Jun 28, 2024 - HO Scale
Athearn Genesis - HO Scale - EMD GP38-2 Diesel Locomotives
Dear HO Scale Customers;
Athearn Genesis has announced the EMD GP38-2 Diesel Locomotives
Burlington Northern
After the BN-Frisco merger of 1980, many Frisco diesel locomotives were painted into BN colors fairly quickly. When repainted, they retained many of the features such as the Leslie 5-chime horn, front class lights, and nose gyralight. Many would soldier on into the BNSF era losing their roof top beacons and nose gyralights in favor of ditch lights and nose mounted headlights.
BN FEATURES:
- Ex-SLSF
- Mid-production body with corrugated grilles and standard fans
- Lit number boards and front class lights
- Nose gyralight (Effect in DCC)
- 3600 gallon fuel tank
- Stratolite beacon (Effect in DCC)
- Blomberg B trucks
- Leslie 5-chime horn
- Flush standard exhaust stacks
ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:
- #2316 Dynamic brake with square paper air filter box
- #2325 Dynamic brake with angled paper air filter box
- #2333 Dynamic brake with angled paper air filter box
Illinois Central
In 1972, Gulf Mobile & Ohio received 15 GP38-2s from EMD. These early phase units featured chicken wire grilles and widely-spaced radiator fans. That same year, the GM&O merged into the Illinois Central. After a few different paint schemes, the IC settled on the simple black and white scheme in the 1990’s. This would become the last scheme worn until the CN purchased the IC in 1998, with many of the units lasting well into the 2010s.
IC FEATURES:
- Ex-GM&O
- Nathan P5 horn
- Early Phase 1 body with chicken wire grilles
- Widely-spaced radiator fans
- Front and rear ditch lights
- Non-Dynamic
ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:
- #9562 Thin white frame stripe, removed front plow
- #9564 Thick white frame stripe, small front EMD plow
- #9567 Thin white frame stripe, removed front plow
Southern Pacific
In 1980, SP placed an order for 45 GP38-2’s from EMD. Starting in the late 1980’s, FRA regulations dictated that any lighting feature of a locomotive that is installed must operate or the locomotive cannot be used in service. To combat this, the SP (and many other roads) would simply remove any unused or mechanically problematic lighting features such as class lights and gryalights. Also during this time, SP rebuilt many of their locomotives with the removal of the “L” window cab glass, which was costly to replace if broken. Our offering shows their 1990’s appearance before the UP merger of 1996.
SP FEATURES:
- Late Phase body with corrugated grilles and Q fans
- 1990s Appearance
- Removed Class lights
- Nathan P3 Horn
- Removed SP front and rear light packages
- Lit number boards
- Stratolite Beacon (Effect in DCC)
- Modified “L” Window Cab
PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION
By the early 1970s, many first generation diesels were reaching the end of their service lives. The most common replacement locomotive became the GP38-2. EMD began production of the 16-cylinder, non-turbocharged, 2000 horsepower engine in 1972. Unlike the GP38’s engine, which drove a generator to supply power to the traction motors, the GP38-2s prime mover drove an alternator which produced AC electrical current that was rectified to DC to power the four traction motors. Another major change for the GP38-2 was the introduction of the “dash 2” modular electrical cabinet. For more than 40 years, the GP38-2 has worked main line freights, locals, switching jobs, yard service, helpers, snow fighting trains, and hump power. Many remain in service today.
GP38-2 SERIES LOCOMOTIVE NEW FEATURES:
- Operating Class Lights (Where equipped based on prototype)
- Operating Number boards
GENESIS DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:
- Coupler cut levers
- Trainline hose
- Full cab interior
- Windshield wipers
- Wire grab irons
- MU hoses
- See-through cab windows
- Walkway tread
- Lift rings
- Sander lines
- DCC-ready features Quick Plug plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
- Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance
- Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, & breather pipes
- Body-mounted McHenry operating scale knuckle couplers
- Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain for trouble free operation
- All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth and quiet operation
- All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
- Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
- LED Lighting for trouble free operation
- 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 the model for safe storage
- Minimum radius: 18”
SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE
- Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound
- Dual cube speakers for optimal sound quality
- Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
- Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode
- 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
Order Due Date: July 26, 2024
Anticipated Delivery Date: December 2025
Looking for more Athearn EMD GP-30 Diesel Locomotives? Click here!
Product Details
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