Description
Railroad Short Name: DRGW
Prototype Information:
The SD40T-2 is a 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division having a 16-cylinder EMD 645E3 diesel engine producing 3,000 horsepower (2,240 kW). 312 SD40T-2s were built for North American railroads between April 1974 and July 1980. This locomotive and the SD45T-2 are popularly called tunnel motors, but EMD’s term is SD40-2s with “cooling system modifications” because they were designed for better engine cooling in tunnels. The difference between this locomotive and its non-tunnel motor cousin, the SD40-2, are the radiator intakes and radiator fan grills located at the rear of the locomotive. The radiator air intakes in this model were along the deck to allow more fresh, cooler air to enter and less hot exhaust fumes lingering around the tunnel’s ceiling.
Road Numbers 5344, 5350, & 5353 Features:
- 81” nose
- Functioning nose light
- Sinclair Antenna
- Correct sized fuel tank
- See-through lower air intakes
- Snow plow
- Ratchet style brake
- Dual fuel fillers
Road Numbers 5400, 5405, 5413 Features:
- 88” nose with brake wheel
- Large Sinclair antenna
- Relocated P3 horn
- Tall front ditch lights
- Stratolight Beacon
- Small EMD plow
- Extended range dynamic brakes
Locomotive Features:
- Fine scale handrails
- Separately applied air tanks
- See through cab windows
- Welded ECAFB
- Photo etch windshield wipers
- LED Lighting
- HTC truck sideframes
- All-wheel electrical pickup
- See-through dynamic brake fans
- “Mushroom” nose vent on right side
- Separately applied wire grab irons
- Fully assembled and ready-to-run
- Rubber trainline and MU hoses with silver ends
- Standard Dash-2 cab, windows correct per prototype
- See-through radiator grilles with new rear truck gearbox specific for the tunnel motor
- Speed recorder attached to appropriate axle per prototype (except undecorated)
- McHenry scale knuckle spring couplers
- Highly-detailed, injection molded body
- Painted and printed for realistic decoration
- All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth and quiet operation
- 5-pole motor with flywheels and multi-link drive train for trouble free operation
- DCC Ready 21-pin NEM Quick Plug™ technology
- Nickel plated, blackened machined wheels
- Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
- Replacement parts available including motor brushes
- Recommended radius: 22”
Sound Features:
- Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Tsunami2 sound
- 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
- Effect lighting (if applicable) using F5 and/or F6
- Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights
- Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes
ron brooks (verified owner) –
This locomotive is one of the best ready to roll locomotives with sound, hats off to Athearn the sound module has improved, along with LED lighting. The locomotive does not stall out at all. The older ready to roll stalled out with lights on, these must have a keep alive in them. This model stacks up well against the more Expensive Geneses line. I would even say it compares well with the Scale Trains version of this locomotive. In fact I purchased Scale trains ET44 GE units. These run a lot better than the more expensive scale trains locomotives.