NEW FEATURES FOR ALL SD40-2S IN THIS ANNOUNCEMENT:

• All-new LED lighting
• Rubber MU hoses for durability
• Photo-etched stainless steel windshield wipers

UP UNITED WAY FEATURES:

• Front snowplow
• Late coupler cut levers
• Large anticlimber
• Illuminated ditch lights
• 116” nose with brakewheel
• Round nose vent on right side
• Standard late Dash-2 style 4-window cab without roof seam and louvers
• Riveted cab side panels
• Mirrors/wind deflectors fore of windows
• Leslie RS3L Air Horn
• Firecracker antenna
• Intermediate Dash-2 style battery box door on left-hand side
• Welded ECAFB
• Early extended range dynamic brake
• Corrugated radiator grilles
• Standard radiator fans

Union Pacific applied this one-off livery, depicting the Stars and Stripes of the US flag, in 1994 as a fundraiser for the US-based charity, United Way. The locomotive operated as part of UP’s regular roster for many years. It also was spotted at various railroad events and photo ops across the United States.

ATSF FEATURES:

• Illuminated beacon (Effect on DCC/sound version)
• Sinclair antenna on ground plane
• 88” nose with brake wheel
• Extended range dynamic brake
• EMD low front snowplow
• 4000 gal fuel tank
• Three chime Leslie air horn
• Cab air conditioner
• Q-fans
• Exhaust silencer
• Small Sinclair antenna on ground plane

During the 1980s, Southern Pacific and Santa Fe attempted to merge. Before the eventual merger denial by the ICC, the Santa Fe painted 306 locomotives versus Southern Pacific’s 96 locomotives. A total of sixteen SD40-2 diesels made it into merger colors before it was denied on July 24, 1986 by the ICC. After the merger’s denial, railroad industry writers, employees of both railroads and railfans alike joked that SPSF really stood for “Shouldn’t Paint So Fast”. These locomotives continued on in the “Kodachrome” scheme until the late 1980s.

NS FEATURES:

• Standard range dynamic brake
• Illuminated front and rear ditch lights (Effect on long hood end with horn blown on DCC/sound version)
• Firecracker antenna
• High nose w/ ratchet brake
• Nathan P-3 horns at each end
• Bell mounted on the end of the long hood

BNSF FEATURES:

• Corrugated radiator grills
• Front anticlimber
• Extended range dynamic brakes
• Welded ECAFB
• Electronic bell
• Blanked cab headlight; headlight moved to nose
• Cab air conditioner
• Sinclair antennas with ground planes and conduits per prototype
• Front EMD low plow
• Rear spare knuckle holders
• Illuminated cab-mounted strobe( effect on DCC/sound version)

BNSF has recently began rebuilding their surplus SD40-2 locomotives into locomotives more suitable for road switcher service. Many were equipped as Remote Control Locomotives (RCL) and derated to 2300 hp. These locomotives see a variety of service most typically in transfer/hauler service or as a yard trimmer, making up or breaking up long trains. #1803 & #1813:

• 88” nose with electronic parking brake and blanked class lights
• Newly-designed K3LA horn on bracket
• Cab side vents

• 123” nose with brake wheel and blanked class lights
• Newly-designed Nathan K3LA horn on bracket

• 123” nose with brake wheel and blanked class lights
• Newly designed Nathan K3LA horn on triangular bracket
• Cab arm rests

RJC FEATURES:

• Illuminated ditch lights
• Early extended range dynamic brake

• Large EMD style plow
• 88” nose with brake wheel
• Cab air conditioner
• Nathan K5LA horn
• Large and small firecracker antennas
• Ditch lights mounted on anticlimber

• Large EMD style plow
• 123” nose with brake wheel
• Leslie RS5T horn
• Two large firecracker antennas
• Ditch lights mounted on pilot

Perfect power for the RJ Corman Thrall cars, also announced this month

LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Fully assembled and ready-to-run
• Separately applied wire grab irons
• Separately applied air tanks
• Coupler cut levers
• Rubber MU hoses
• Photo-etch stainless steel windshield wipers
• Fine scale handrails molded in engineering plastic
• DCC-ready Non-sound version features 21-pin NEM DCC plug
• See-through dynamic brake and radiator fans
• Exhaust stack
• Frame mounted bell (unless noted)
• Detailed 4000 gallon fuel tank (unless different capacity is noted)
• HTC or Flexicoil-C trucks (per prototype)
• McHenry scale knuckle spring couplers
• Highly-detailed, injection molded body featuring new tooling
• Painted and printed for realistic decoration
• See through cab windows
• Bi-directional LED lighting
• All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth and quiet operation
• All-wheel electrical pickup
• 5-pole motor with flywheels and multi-link drivetrain
• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
• Window packaging for easy viewing
• Interior plastic blister safely holds the model for convenient storage
• Minimum radius: 18”
• Recommended radius: 22”

SOUND EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE

• Onboard Econami sound decoder by Soundtraxx
• Engine startup sound sequence
• Dynamic brake sound or Non-Dynamic Straight to idle on F4
• Extra prime mover and horn sounds exclusive to Athearn version
• Multiple bell sound files user configurable via Configuration Value (CV)
• 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
• Excellent Slow speed control
• Current Keeper ready with on board expansion plug
• Operating lighting functions with F5 and/or F6
• Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights
• Many functions can be altered via CV changes

PROTOTYPE INFO:

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.