Athearn Genesis - HO Scale - EMD SD-50 Diesel Locomotive - with DCC & Tsunami2 Sound - Kansas City Southern (KCS) #704 - White/Black/Yellow with Red Lettering (Era: 1981+) (SKU 141-1866)
Available On: December 1, 2025
PROTOTYPE SPECIFIC INFORMATION
EMD introduced the new 3,500 horsepower SD50 in May of 1981 as part of their planned “50 Series”. The SD50 was, in essence, a transition model of the 1970s era Dash 2 series of locomotive.
Originally produced by EMD as an immediate response to General Electric’s Dash 7 line of locomotives which were becoming more favorable with current roads—providing more competition for EMD. While EMD’s current SD40-2 model provided a reliable locomotive for most class 1 railroads at the time, GE Transportation was gaining more inroads with the 3,600hp Dash 7s. The Dash 7s boasted more modern technology and GE Transportation was providing competitive financing and maintenance programs to assist purchasers of their offerings. While EMD’s SD45 and SD45-2s - with their 3,600 horsepower were successful, the large 20-cylinder engines were not fuel-efficient. This lack of efficiency, alongside reported issues of reliability, caused many railroads to rethink their motive power provder. This was further magnified in the 1970s when the fuel crisis impacted general transportation as well as the railroad industry.
In May of 1981, EMD unveiled the new SD50 which would feature an updated version of the V16 645 from the venerable SD40-2, upgraded to 3,500 hp at 900rpm. The SD50 had a longer frame and much longer long hood than its predecessors. Other improvements came from moving the dynamic brake resistors for the dynamic brake grid from the traditional location above the prime mover to a cooler temperature location in front of the engine compartment air intakes, closer to the electrical switchgear. This, in turn, separated them from other systems, resulting in simplified maintenance for both the prime mover as well as the electrical system. A grand total of 426 units were produced when production ceased in Feb of 1986.
SD50 SERIES LOCOMOTIVE NEW FEATURES:
SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE
Kansas City Southern
After experimenting with 4 testbed EMD SD40X’s built in 1979, Kansas City Southern ordered the first production run of the SD50 produced from late May into June of 1981. They featured an early notched frame, rounded blower housing, large exhaust stack, dual cab mounted strobes and a front warning light with offset headlights. KCS numbered their fleet of SD50s #704 – 713 and were painted in the then standard white scheme with large red letters. While #705 was wrecked and off the roster by February of 1994, the others soldiered on, many receiving the gray “ghost” scheme before being sold off or retired.
KCS FEATURES:
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