O SW1500 Diesel Amtrak #540/3.0

The end-cab switcher was the advance guard of the diesel
revolution, working its way onto Class 1 rosters before road diesels
were even considered. Compared with the 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 steamers they
replaced, the advantages of diesel switchers were obvious: near-instant
start-up and shut down, compared with building a fire and later dumping
the ashes; and 360-degree visibility in the chaos of the yards and
industrial settings where switchers typically worked. From the
engineer’s point of view, the new diesels were cleaner,
safer, and easier to operate.

At 1500 horsepower, the SW1500 was the last and most powerful of
EMD’s SW line of switchers, which traced its roots back to
the SW1 of 1939 — when “S” stood for six hundred horsepower,
“W” stood for welded frame, and the pre-GM company name was
Electro-Motive Corporation. The SW 1500 and its 1000 hp sibling, the
SW1000, were the first switchers delivered with EMD’s
second-generation model 645 diesel motor. Visually, the only difference
between the two was the second exhaust stack on the SW1500 for its
12-cylinder prime mover.

While it sold quite well, with 808 units delivered from
1966–1974, the SW1500 was born into a declining market for
purpose-built switchers. EMD’s best-selling Geeps had
popularized the do-anything, go-anywhere road switcher concept, and
railroads were quick to see the advantage of road engines that could
double as switchers when needed. Recognizing this, the designers of the
SW1500 conceived what was almost a mini road switcher, giving its crew
the all-around visibility of a switcher, but with a beefier,
higher-riding body than earlier SW models, more power, and the option
of smoother-riding Flexicoil trucks.

In fact, more than half of the SW1500’s produced were ordered
with the Flexicoil option, indicating the engines were indeed bought
for road and commuter as well as yard service. The SW1500 proved
popular with some Class 1 railroads — the Southern Pacific
took delivery of 240 and the Penn Central bought 112 — and
numerous short lines and industrial owners. Even today, when the
end-cab switcher is nearly extinct on Class 1 railroads, dozens of
short line and industrial owners still roster SW1500s as primary power.

Our RailKing Scale model accurately reproduces the rugged —
for a switcher — look of the SW1500, and delivers the same
versatility and dependabilty as its prototype. Dual pickup rollers on
its detailed Flexicoil trucks make this model nearly stall-proof on any
three-rail O gauge switches.Throttle down as low as three scale miles
per hour to muscle a heavy cut of freight or passenger cars around your
terminal — and maintain that speed as long as you wish,
thanks to Proto-Speed Control and twin flywheel-equipped motors.
Negotiate crowded industrial areas with curves as tight as O-27, or
hustle down your main line to the next town. Pick up and drop off cars
wherever you like, with remotely activated front and rear
Proto-Couplers. Our full-scale, fully featured model of this EMD
workhorse offers everything you could want in a handsome, hard-working
locomotive.

Did You Know?

The increased height of the SW1000 and SW1500 made them too tall to fit
in some sidings where earlier SW switchers had prowled. Responding to
customer concerns, EMD introduced the SW1001 in 1968, with a lowered
frame and shorter cab that reduced the overall height by nine inches.
At 174 units, the SW1001 actually outsold the SW1000 and stayed in
EMD’s catalog more than a decade after its siblings were
discontinued.