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 LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Flexible rubber MU hoses for durability

• Flexible rubber trainline hose

• See-through cab windows

• Coupler cut levers

• Wire grab irons

• Exhaust stack

• See-through dynamic brake and radiator fans

• Frame mounted bell (unless noted)

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

• Separately applied air tanks

• Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance

• Photo-etch stainless steel windshield wipers

• LED Illuminated front and rear headlights, ditch lights, and beacons (where applicable to the prototype)

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

• 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

• Bi-directional LED lighting for realistic appearance

• 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

 

PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE

• Duplicated look and feel of “In Service” equipment

• Faded base colors matched to the prototype

• Perfect starting point for adding grime and rust

 

Reading & Northern

While wearing a black paint scheme, RBMN 3062 entered the West Cressona, PA paint shop on August 7, 2023. It emerged on September 15, 2023, as RBMN 1983. It is decorated in a paint scheme that celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the Reading and Northern Railroad (RBMN). The locomotive is a tribute to the first days of railroad operation in 1983, when the railroad was originally named the Blue Mountain and Reading (BM&R) which operated 13 miles of track from Temple, PA to Hamburg, PA. Today, the RBMN operates over 400 miles of track in 9 counties. This former BN and NS unit features the original BM&R herald on the nose and a blue color that was used by the first Blue Mountain and Reading diesel units in 1983.

 

RBMN FEATURES:

• Flashing front and rear ditch lights with horn activation (DCC Only)

• Mid-production body with corrugated grilles

• Dynamic brakes

• 4000 gallon fuel tank

• Nathan 3-Chime horn

• Front plow

• Sinclair antenna

• HTC sideframes

• 88” nose with ratchet

 

 

Looking for more Athearn SD-40 Diesel Locomotives? Click here!

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