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Athearn HO scale Electro-Motive Division SW1500 diesel locomotive
In the summer of 1973 I was trying to sell Fuller brushes and other products door-to-door in Southboro, Mass. I often saw the local Penn Central freight (Framingham-Leominster on the former Agricultural Railroad) stop in the middle of that suburban town so the crew could get lunch. The power was always an SW1500, which I’d never seen before. These switchers appeared to sit unusually high above their trucks compared to earlier types; I’ve never quite gotten used to that.
George Elwood’s treasure trove of a website, www.rr-fallenflags.org , has photos of the following PC SW1500’s taken on former Boston & Albany and New Haven lines: 9520, 9526, 9527, 9530, 9550, 9555 and 9558.
Was elated when Athearn announced the release of this upgraded model in the Reading Co. (Reading Lines) paint scheme. Was equally elated when the the three models arrived and they all ran quietly and at the same speed. Other than new headlight lens and changing to extended length couplers for multiple unit operation on tight curves, these models were perfect right out of the box. Kudos Athearn.
Sure would like to see them release it in Great Northern Paint!
Is there room under the shell for a sound decoder and speaker?
Cody,
Please do add the Union Railroad to your list of road names available for this Athearn SW1500 locomotive. The Union Railroad is one of the most strategic, main line, Steel Mill Railroads. I have had a couple of these on order for months and eager to add it to my Union Railroad MP15 locomotives.
“Always be Safe”, Brandon Wehe
It needs to come with sound also for that price.
I still can’t get over the sticker shock on these Athearn models. Back when Irv was building them in California, they were, what? Twenty five bucks? Now, manufacturing in China they are well north of a hundred. It can’t all be inflation or the effect of crude oil prices in the cost of plastic, can it?
My uncle was Master Mechanic for the Chicago Short Line Railway whose entire roster in my era consisted of two SW1500s and two SW1000s. I can personally attest to their excellent ride quality at 5 mph and the wonderful sounds of their horns and bells.
Hello -
Kudo’s on a well researched review. Just one thing, the article states “The HO scale model, originally released in 1991 as part of Athearn’s blue box line of locomotive and rolling stock kits…”. I purchased an Athearn blue box kit of an SW1500 when I was in college in the mid 1970’s. As I recall they came in “cow” (with a crew cab) and “calf” (no crew cab) varients. Is this an error on Mr. Grivno’s part? Is my memory faulty? Or did Mr. Grivno have some other category of “originally released” in mind?
It does look as thought Athearn has made a lot of serious upgrades to their rendition of the SW-1500.
G. Welles Still
Hi Garrison, the model you are thinking of is Athearns old and mis-labeled SW1500. Athearns old model is actually a very nice, but a little crude by todays standards, rendition of an SW-7. These are totally different models. The “new” SW1500 is a great replica of the actual SW1500 that Athearn released back in the 80’s. After this, Athearn corrected the labeling on the older SW to correctly refer to it as an SW-7. I still have several of these old units because they shell is accurate, yes it is the right width. It is still the only plastic SW-7 out there. I would love it if Athearn would upgrade that model. There were more SW-7’s on other railroads than the SW1500. I understand though why they chose to upgrade this model. The mold is still great even by todays standards. Same could be said for the SW1000. I also think the GN SW1500’s were delivered in the light blue/white/gray scheme if memory serves.
These new models are considerably better than the old ones, I have an old one and it just doesn’t stack up for detail of the new one.
If you’re comparing prices from distant memory, look up the previous release price and year and punch it into an inflation calculator and see what that money is really worth now. As for sound, a sound version costs $100 more. I’ve not seen a good sound loco with a list price for less than $200, many are more expensive. Also keep in mind that list price isn’t the same as street price. The new release can be had for as low as $90.
I remembered the ole SW1200, running on the Great Western RR through MC,Ia. It was only later on in the late mid to late 70’s in Texas, I remember the SW 1500. on the ole MKT-Katy RR, and the old Rock Island that ran through the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. I have an old athearn SW1200 that still runs fairly well.
“Though the model is well painted, I was disappointed with the quality control. The etched-metal radiator grill didn’t seat properly on the engineer’s side. Upon closer inspection, I noticed a blob of glue on the shell where the factory tried to reattach the grill. There was also a glue stain with a fingerprint on the road number. Some of the white paint had flaked off the vertical handrails on the cab end, revealing brown plastic.”
For the price I would have been extremely disappointed by the shell and paint defects.
There is no mention of flywheels. Are they close to the motor or have they been sacrificed to gain space for electronics? Of all engines, I feel that a switcher needs the
flywheels most. Thank you.
To Vince from Indiana: The Chicago Short Line is still my all-time favorite short line. Their locomotives were always washed and waxed so that they looked like they had just come from the factory, despite working in/around steel mills! Kudos to your uncle!
However, the roster companions to the CSL SW1500s were actually SW1001s, a subtly different model from the SW1000. The SW1001 was a hybrid between the SW9/1200 frame and an SW1000-like body. It rode lower than the SW1000, making it useful in industrial settings.
While more plentiful (230 vs. 75) than the SW1000, a model of the SW1001 is still a gaping hole in the locomotive offerings from the model manufacturers. We get models of the U50 (26 built), U18B (163 built), and HH600/660 (122 built), but still no model of the SW1001!
What makes this model different from previous runs of RTR 1500 over the past few years.
The sw1000 is just as good as the sw1500. For those who are putting a decoder in it, make sure the contacts are in good shape the decoder is in operating condition.
Weathering also makes the model look better.
The beacon on the sw1000 doesn’t operate even with dcc.
I needed a small switcher so I picked this up and was surprised at the quietness of the engine, very smooth as compared to my engines from the 70’s. I do have to agree on the quality issues noted above as the grill was not even tacked down. Aside from this it’s great.