Athearn 29663 HO Scale EMD SW1500 Rock Island RI 944

An EMD SW1500 is a 4-axle diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1966 and 1974. It is similar in appearance to the EMD SW1000 model, which has a different engine and has one exhaust stack while the SW1500 has two.

Power was provided by an EMD 645E 12-cylinder engine which generated 1,500 horsepower. This locomotive was built on the same common frame as the EMD SW1000, giving it an overall length of 44 feet 8 inches.

The SW1500 featured a bulkier carbody and was a bit heavier from earlier models although its intended use remained the same, working light branch lines or in industrial settings. Many railroads regularly used SW1500s for road freight service.

The Rock Island was a prolific user of switchers, and while the road owned many makes of the type, EMD was the favored builder. The Rock owned a sizeable group of EMD SW1200s; when they went looking for additional switchers in 1966, they found that the SW1200 had been replaced in the catalog by the SW1500. The SW1500s were optioned much the same as the SW1200s, having the same Flexicoil trucks, hood-mounted handrails, and paint scheme. All outlasted the Rock itself and found employment elsewhere after the 1980 bankruptcy.

FEATURES:

• Flexicoil Trucks
• Firecracker antenna
• Large fuel tank
• MU hoses
• Hood-mounted handrails
• Nathan P-5 horn
• Footboards on both ends
• Operating ground lights
• Newly designed can motor is more powerful and quieter than before
• LED lighting for long life and reliable operation
• Detailed cab interior
• Drop steps unless noted
• MU stands
• Dual exhaust stacks
• Printed numberboards
• Fine scale handrails
• Signal hoses as appropriate to the prototype road (MU capability was a railroad specified option for these locos, and some railroads did not order it).
• Front and rear trainline hoses with silver glad hands
• Separately applied wire grab irons
• See-through radiator intake grille and cab windows
• Low or high mounted windshield wipers per prototype
• Rectangular or oval builder’s plate where appropriate
• Separately applied air tank
• McHenry® scale knuckle couplers – Kadee® compatible
• All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation
• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
• DCC-ready features Quick Plug™ plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
• Improved 5-pole skew wound can motor with flywheels and multi-link drivetrain
• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
• Highly-detailed, injection molded body
• Interior plastic blister safely holds the model for convenient storage
• Minimum radius: 18”

SPECIFICATIONS:

• DCC: Ready / 21-Pin NEW
• SOUND: Ready
• PROTOTYPE MANUFACTURER: EMD
• Axles: 4
• LIGHTED: LED Lighting
• Minimum Age Recommendation: 14 years
• Is Assembly Required: No