HO SW1500 Locomotive with DCC & Sound, Southern Railway #76A Overview
The Southern owned a small group of SW1500s that were acquired from the KIT and carried two-digit numbers. Modifications done by the road included a switch to frame-mounted handrails and the addition of a firecracker antenna. Units 74-76 were often spotted on assignment in Kentucky and Tennessee.
An EMD SW1500 is a 4-axle diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1966 and 1974. It is similar in appearance to the EMD SW1000 model, which has a different engine and has one exhaust stack while the SW1500 has two.
Power was provided by an EMD 645E 12-cylinder engine which generated 1,500 horsepower. This locomotive was built on the same common frame as the EMD SW1000, giving it an overall length of 44 feet 8 inches.
The SW1500 featured a bulkier carbody and was a bit heavier from earlier models although its intended use remained the same, working light branch lines or in industrial settings. Many railroads regularly used SW1500s for road freight service.