HO RTR SD40-2, EMDX #6345

HO RTR SD40-2, EMDX #6345 Overview

Not only was EMD known for building locomotives, they also had a lease fleet of used ones. Power-short railroads could lease power on a short-term or long-term basis. Since the contracts would leave EMD to take care of maintenance, railroads could focus on other things. These brightly painted locos could be found on just about any railroad.

The SD40-2 was introduced in January 1972 as part of EMD's Dash 2 series, responding to competing products from GE and ALCO. Reliability and versatility of the 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 made it the best-selling model in EMD's history and the standard of the industry for several decades after its introduction. The SD40-2 was an improvement over the SD40, with modular electronic control systems like those of the experimental SD45X and DDA40X. The last SD40-2 delivered to a United States railroad was built in July 1984, with production continuing for railroads in Canada until 1988.