I have a question about EMD’s paint jobs on their demo locomotives. Athearn has SD40-2 and GP38-2 EMD demo units painted in a maroon and gray scheme. Was this prototypical? I also have a Bachmann Spectrum GP-30 with a black and white EMD demo scheme. I seem to remember seeing this paint job years ago, but have no recollection of the maroon. Does anybody know the authenticity of this paint job? I’ve looked on the web for pictures of old demo units without success. Are there any sites anyone knows of with pictures of demo units from the 1970s?
The Athearn models show units in a 1990s EMD Lease scheme. This scheme was introduced on the demonstrator SD70M units, and a number of SD70M Lease units were built in that scheme, although later EMD lease units in that batch were painted solid maroon. A number of lease units of other types were painted in that scheme, shown by the SD60 photo in CSXMU’s post above.
There were no “Dash-2” demonstrators, EMD just switched from non- modular controls to modular controls in January 1972, and nobody got a choice.
There were a number of 645 engine demonstrators, SD45s, painted dark metallic blue and white back in 1966-67 and Athearn made them too!
The next group of demonstrators were the 710 engine units, GP59, GP60 and SD60, and the SD60 in light blue and white in csxmu’s post illustrates that scheme. 100 “Oakway” lease units and some other lease units were painted like that (or in simplified light blue with only a white nose, also in the post above.
Nearly all EMD demonstrator schemes have been modelled!
Thanks for the info, guys. I should have mentioned that I’m looking specifically for pictures of SD40-2 and GP35 or GP38 in EMD demo paint. I’ll look on the sites mentioned, and also scout around the mentioned sites some more.
