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.”

 

 

PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

Introduced in 1966, the EMD SW1000/1500 switchers have gone on to long careers with many sitll in service today. Used as a yard goat by many roads, these units have also seen service as industrial engines and local road switches. Their simple and rugged durability along with a ready supply of parts ensures they will continue in service for many years to come. Add a goat to your yard, or bring more motive power to your industry with one of these hard working switches.  

SW1500 LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Detailed cab interior

• Front and rear trainline hoses with silver glad hands

• MU stands

• See through radiator intake grille and cab windows

• Low or high mounted windshield wipers per prototype

• Separately applied Air tank

• Fine scale handrails

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

• DCC-ready features Quick Plug plug-and-play technology

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

• Highly-detailed, injection molded body

• Fully assembled and ready-to-run

• Minimum radius: 18”

• Signal hoses with silver glad hands unless noted

• Drop steps unless noted

• Separately applied wire grab irons

• Exhaust stacks

• Rectangular or oval builder’s plate where appropriate

• Printed numberboards

• McHenry scale knuckle couplers - Kadee compatible

• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow

• Improved 5-pole skew wound can motor with flywheels and multi-link drivetrain for with 21-pin NEM connector trouble-free operation

• Window packaging for easy viewing

• Painted and printed for realistic decoration

• Interior plastic blister safely holds the model for convenient storage

 

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 Tsunami2 sound with dual cube speakers

• LED lighting for long life and reliable operation

 

SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE

• Onboard Tsunami2 DCC/Sound decoder

• Sound units operate in both DC and DCC

• Some functions are limited in DC

• Operating lighting functions with F5 and/or F6 (Flashing ditch lights, beacon, etc)

• Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights

• CV chart included in the box

• Dual cube speakers for optimal sound quality

• Engine, horn, and bell sounds work in DC

• All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode

• Excellent low-speed operation

• Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes

 

 

Wisconsin Central

In the late 1990’s Wisconsin Central purchased 3 ex-SP SW1500’s from the Indiana Harbor Belt Railway. These three units were refurbished and repainted in WC colors.

 

WC FEATURES:

• Weed Cutter style plow

• Whip style antenna

• Full Cab interior

• 1,100 gallon fuel tank

• MU hoses

• Flexicoil Trucks

• All-weather cab window

 

 

 

Looking for more Athearn SW1500 Switcher Diesel Locomotives? Click here!

 

---