PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

In the 1960s, railroads were looking to replace aging EMD E-units and Alco PAs for passenger service. EMD responded by adding a steam generator compartment to the long hood end of their SD45. This required a longer frame and resulted in the creation of the SDP45. Three railroads originally purchased SDP45s: Southern Pacific, Great Northern, and Erie Lackawanna. Over the decades, the SDP45s were then acquired by other railroads through mergers, leasing companies, and rebuild programs.

 

SDP45 SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Flexible rubber trainline hose

• Lift rings

• Sander lines

• Full cab interior

• Flexible rubber MU hoses

• Wire grab irons

• Coupler cut levers

• Walkway tread

• Windshield wipers

• Lit Number Boards & Class lights (if applicable)

• 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, and 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 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

• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run

• Packaging securely holds the model for safe storage

• Minimum radius: 18” — Recommended radius: 22”

 

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

• 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

 

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

 

LEGENDARY LIVERIES

What are Legendary Liveries? An Athearn exclusive, they are the ultimate answer to “What if?” Featuring some of the most popular railroad paint schemes of all time, these models are perfect for collecting, protofreelancing, or just plain fun! Whether company proposed paint schemes, canceled locomotive orders, or alternate takes on history, Legendary Liveries are fun and unique additions to any roster. Enjoy these items, and answer the ultimate railroad question of: “What if?”

 

Union Pacific

Union Pacific was well-known for its famous passenger trains, with such names as the Portland Rose, Overland Limited, and City of Los Angeles. UP was maintaining passenger service, and buying new passenger power, much later than most other roads. As the railroad consolidated its trains to save on operating costs, consist sizes swelled, often requiring 4-or-5-unit lashups of E-units to pull them. It’s conceivable that the Union Pacific could have ordered SDP45 locomotives to reduce the units needed to pull a train, vs. the E-units. Such units could have easily been adapted for freight service as the need arose. The road was already familiar with the EMD SD45, having ordered 50 units in 1968. These SDP45s, decked out with their “Dependable Transportation” slogans, would look great pulling the “City of Everywhere” or a hotshot intermodal train.

 

UP FEATURES:

• Icicle breakers

• Small EMD style snowplow

• High brake cylinders

• UP-style Leslie RS3L horn between radiator fans

• Western-Cullen Beacon (flash effect on DCC +sound version)

• Winterization hatch

• Steam Generator

 

 

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

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