Norfolk Southern

NS acquired 21 SD38s from the Conrail split and usually assigned them to yard and local service.

 

NS FEATURES:

• Ex-CR/PC

• Cab A/C

• Front and rear operating ditch lights

• Leslie RS3L horn on long hood

 

Conrail

Conrail’s SD38s came from the Penn Central, and numbered 35 units. While only having 2000 horsepower to the SD40’s 3000, their starting tractive effort was identical. They were used mostly in hump and yard service, being fitted with hump speed control and slug connections.

 

CR FEATURES:

• Sinclair antenna

• Leslie RS3L low-clearance horn on number board

• Front and rear MU hose holders

 

McCloud River Railroad

MR FEATURES:

• Dual strobe beacons (Effect in DCC)

• Updated colors

• Rear walkway mounted brakes

• Modified pilot MU catches

• 3,200 gallon fuel tank

• Dynamic brakes

• Firecracker antenna

 

 

PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

The SD38 is a 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between May 1967 and October 1971. It had an EMD 645 16-cylinder engine generating 2,000 horsepower. The EMD SD38AC built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between June and October 1971. It was basically an SD38 with an AR10 alternating current alternator instead of the SD38’s normal direct current generator. It also produces 2,000 horsepower from a 16-cylinder EMD 645E roots blown prime mover. It came equipped with or without dynamic brakes. The SD38 and SD38AC have the same frame as the SD39, SD40 and SD45.

In 1966, EMD updated its locomotive catalog with entirely new models, all powered by the new 645 diesel engine. The SD39 had 2,300 hp from a turbocharged V12. The SD39 had the smallest prime mover of the SD locomotives in the EMD catalog. 54 were built for American railroads.

 

SD38/SD39 LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Fine scale handrails

• Separately-applied air tanks

• Brake wheel or ratchet brake nose per prototype

• Individually applied wire formed grab irons

• See-through cab windows

• Detailed fuel tank per prototype

• See-through dynamic brake and radiator fans

• Separately-applied detail parts

• DCC Ready 21-pin NEM plug

• Non-sound version features 21-pin NEM DCC plug

• LED Illuminated front and rear headlights, ditch lights, and beacons (where applicable to the prototype)

• All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth and quiet operation

• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow

• 5-pole motor with precision-machined flywheels and multi-link drive train for trouble free operation

• Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power

• McHenry scale knuckle spring couplers

• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track

• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run out of the box

• Painted and printed for realistic decoration

• Genesis motor retrofit kit ATHG63839 compatible

• Highly-detailed, injection-molded body

• Minimum radius: 18” — Recommended radius: 22”

 

SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE

• Onboard Econami Sound by SoundTraxx

• 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

 

Sound Ready! All non-sound come with speakers installed, ready to add the 21-pin sound decoder of your choice!

PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE

• Duplicated look and feel of “In Service” equipment

• Faded base colors matched to the prototype

• Perfect starting point for adding grime and rust

 

Order Due Date: October 27, 2023

Anticipated Delivery Date: March 2025

 

Looking for more Athearn SD-30 Diesel Locomotives? Click here!

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