Discontinued
HO SW1000 Locomotive with DCC & Sound, VIA #203
Athearn - ATH86848
HO SW1000 Locomotive with DCC & Sound, VIA #203 Overview
In 1987 VIA purchased 3 SW1000's second hand from Inland Steel in Indiana for use in their yards in their MontrĂŠal Maintenance Centre.
An EMD SW1000 is a 4 axle diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between June 1966 and October 1972. Power was provided by an EMD 645E 8-cylinder engine which generated 1,000 horsepower. This locomotive was built on the same common frame as the EMD SW1500, giving it an overall length of 44 feet 8 inches. Over one-third of SW1000 production went to the Burlington Northern Railroad.
The SW1000 was taller than previous EMD switchers, which posed a problem for industrial customers: at many facilities, tight clearances existed, and the SW1000 exceeded them. As a result, most production went to railroads, not industries.
114 EMD SW1000 units were built for railroads and industrial operations in the United States.
Currently 2 EMD SW1000 units are owned and operated by VIA Rail Canada in the Montreal Maintenance Centre.