Building on a rich tradition started in 1946, the Athearn brand is home to the hobby’s best-loved models. Athearn has brought the joy of model railroading to you for 75 years, starting from our classic ‘Blue-Box” kits to our most recent Genesis 2.0 line. With accurate detailing and painting, Athearn is the brand that any hobbyist is proud to own and operate. No matter your era or favorite railroad, Athearn truly is “Trains in Miniature.”

 

 

PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

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.

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article “EMD SD39”; it is used under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Li­cense (CC-BY-SA). You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the CC-BY-SA.

 

SD39 SERIES LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:

• Separately applied air tanks

• Coupler cut levers

• Rubber MU hoses

• Photo-etch stainless steel windshield wipers

• Fine scale handrails

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

• See-through dynamic brake and radiator fans

• Curved radiator fan grab iron

• Exhaust stack

• Frame-mounted bell (unless noted)

• Detailed 4000 gallon fuel tank (unless different capacity is noted)

• Flexicoil-C trucks with high or low brake cylinders (per prototype)

• McHenry scale knuckle spring couplers

• See-through cab windows

• Bi-directional LED lighting

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

• All-wheel electrical pickup

• 5-pole motor with flywheels and multi-link drivetrain for trouble-free operation

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

• Painted and printed for realistic decoration

• Highly-detailed, injection molded body

• Minimum radius: 18”

• Recommended radius: 22”

 

SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE

• Onboard Econami sound decoder by Soundtraxx

• Engine startup sound sequence

• Dynamic brake sound or Non-Dynamic Straight to idle on F4

• Extra prime mover and horn sounds exclusive to Athearn

• Sounds recorded from a real EMD 12-645E3

• Multiple bell sound files user configurable via Configuration Value (CV)

• 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

• Current Keeper ready with on board expansion plug

• Operating lighting functions with F5 and/or F6

• Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights

• Many functions can be altered via CV changes

 

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

 

 

DAIR FEATURES:

Ex Movie stars! These units started life as SP units before being sold off and repainted into Rio Grande colors for the movie “Switchback”. After their movie stint, they would used by Anderson Rock Company still in Rio Grande colors. Dakota and Iowa purchased the pair in 2008, painted them into this attractive scheme, and use them for various services on the railroad.

 

ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:

• #4027 Ex SP 5325, FARR grilles, nose-mounted headlight, front operating ditch lights, large front plow, P-3 horn, firecracker antenna, rear brake wheel, removed front and rear SP light packages

• #4028 Ex SP 5319, FARR grilles, cab-mounted headlight, front operating ditch lights, large front plow, Leslie 3-chime horn, Sinclair antenna, rear brake wheel, removed front and rear SP light packages

 

 

 

Looking for more Athearn HO Scale SD-39 Diesel Locomotives? Click here!

 

Looking for more Athearn HO Scale Products? Click here!

---