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EMD SW1500 Cow
Baltimore & Ohio
No. 4009 -Powered -1966 Release
No. 4059 -Dummy -1966 Release
EMD SW1500 Cow
Burlington Northern
No. 4002 -Powered -1978 Release
No. 4052 -Dummy -1978 Release
EMD SW1500 Cow
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy
No. 4002 -Powered -1966 Release
No. 4052 -Dummy -1966 Release
EMD SW1500 Cow
Illinois Central
No. 4003 -Powered -1966 Release
No. 4053 -Dummy -1966 Release
EMD SW1500 Cow
Pennsylvania Railroad
No. 4008 -Powered -1966 Release
No. 4058 -Dummy -1966 Release
EMD SW1500 Cow
Santa Fe
No.4005 -Powered -1966 Release
No.4055 -Dummy -1966 Release
EMD SW1500 Cow
Southern
No. 4004 -Powered -1966 Release
No. 4054 -Dummy -1966 Release
EMD SW1500 Cow
Southern Pacific
No. 4006 -Powered -1966 Release
No. 4056 -Dummy -1966 Release
EMD SW1500 Cow
Union Pacific
No.4007 -Powered -1966 Release
No.4057 -Dummy -1966 Release
EMD SW1500 Cow
Undecorated
No.4001 -Powered -1966 Release
No.4051 -Dummy -1966 Release
This is the second version of Athearn's drive
for the SW1500 switchers with a pair of flywheels on each side of the motor, which is mounted over the fuel tank. This frame
would serve Athearn in the creation of the Baldwin S-12 in 1974, both switchers utilized the same metal frame.
Athearn's EMD switcher was a rare case of mistaken identity in the company's
line for some years. Jim Boyd discusses the model's prototype attributes in the October 1971 issue of Railroad Model
Craftsman magazine with his article, "Athearn's SW-?"
Mr. Boyd stated that EMD created and distributed plans for a number of future production models in
the mid 1950s. These scale drawings included EMD's GP40, SD40, SDP40, SD38, SW1000, SW1500, and the never produced
DD40A. The article references these early EMD plans and the fact that the SW1500 displayed in 1955 included a carbody
similar to the earlier EMD switchers. Athearn did their homework early and began production on a number of HO-scale
diesels based on these EMD pre-production outlines. The end result was an SW7 switcher that was labeled as an SW1500
by Athearn for many years, due to this incorrect illustration. Model railroads received the DD40A that never
rode the rails. Ultimately, EMD produced DD35 and DD35A models and later the DD40AX, but never a DD40A.
The SW1500, both Cow and Calf, feature hood produced wider than scale to allow for the size of
the motors used by Athearn at the time. Original examples came with a drive without flywheels and rode on metal trucks.
Examples produced in the 1980s and later would include plastic truck.
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