Lionel's 1982 Collector Series catalog introduces the impressive SD-40 diesel to the line. A blue and yellow frieght warbonnet Santa Fe (No. 6-8265) is the first and only roadname in '82. A Union Pacific SD-40 comes along in 1983 in the Collector Series' Gold Coast Limited set. An Erie Lackawanna SD-40 powers the Erie-Lackawanna Limited of 1983. And in the final year of this resource's survey period, a green and black Burlington Northern SD-40 is found in the Burlington Northern Limited set. The SD-40 begins life as a single motor driven loco, but following the Santa Fe and UP examples a dual motor drive becomes standard. I've seen a dummy SD-40 for the Erie Lackawanna (No. 6-8459), though I know of no catalog appearance for this non-powered SD-40.

Lionel's 1982 Collector Series catalog introduces the impressive SD-40 diesel to the line. Look closely at the images presented on the front cover and inside the catalog and you'll see the SD-40 shown in a pre-production model with vastly different tooling than regular release SD-40 offerings. The production model is much improved over this early example with its rather flat nose, cab that had a roof extending too high above the roofline of the long hood, a poorly shaped dynamic brake blister and more.