Hello guys, just thought I would provide a review and a follow up to a previous post. Keep in mind these are both used so previous maintenance may come into play.
For those not familiar I am new to the hobby and recently ordered two used power units, what I found out were an Atlas SD35 and a Athearn BlueBox SD40. To my untrained eye these locomotives share more similarities than differences.
Weight seems good on each.
Sound wise both are heavy and run with a good low revving tone. The deeper note absolutely blows away my Life Like Diesel GP38 by soo much they sound similar to my ear.
Size wise the SD35 is 8 inches (20cm) and the SD40 9 1/2 inches (24cm). Both ran through my 18 inch curves and IMO looked good. The opinions on size make sense though, the larger Athearn locomotive might look out of place on my short spurs, or at least like a road locomotive do a switcher’s job. I think I noticed increased rolling resistance in the curves and it found and derailed repeatedly on kinked section in a curve the shorter Atlas locomotive handled. The 9 1/2 inch SD40 is probably the absolute largest I should purchase.
Pulling they both seem similar. The larger SD40 might have a little more weight so it probably gets an advantage even though my railcar fleet is not big enough to stress them yet.
Throttle response and low speed function are very similar and both run with less power than that previously mentioned Life Like unit.
Speed can’t be that important especially considering the age of the locomotives but the smaller SD35 is just a tad faster at all power points. It caught the SD 40 after quite a few laps.
Finish quality is similar, I would give the nod to the SD35 for having more detail but if they are not both in front of you then you might not notice. Biggest thing I noticed is the Atlas SD35 has flexible plastic hand rails and the SD40 hand ra
Great Write-up! -Thanks!!
Enjoyed your first impressions of your new loco’s.
Say, is that Santa Fe one, a GP38-2 ?
I think I can figure out the others, the SD40-2T & the SD35 by your great overhead photo shot.
(It shows the -2T’s Tunnel Radiator top & the SD35’s Dual fan [SD] Dynamic brake hatch, & the 35 Series Small 36" Mid-Fan in the Radiator area)…
Really glad to hear that they were working well on your curves, some folks can’t seem to get those results, you got pretty lucky with those units…!
Really glad you are enjoying them, & thanks for sharing!!
It’s always pretty cool to feel the excitement of folks enjoying new Locos!!
Enjoy!!
Thanks for the feedback on these units. I was one of several who responded to your original post regarding their purchase. I am glad they are working out well for you. With minimal maintenance and clean wheels they will run for many years to come. I also have a Life Like GP38 / 40 that I have turned into a dummy unit.
You shouldn’t be disappointed with either of them. I bought a few of the older Atlas locos second hand a couple of years ago & was actually shocked just how much they looked like the ConCor GP38-2 my Dad had bought me. Identical actually.
I too had 18" curves on my first layout when I got back into the hobby but have expanded them slightly so that the larger locomotives don’t look as bad going around them.
The Atlas/Roco SD35 is a tough locomotive and still a winner and should not be overlooked by those modeling on a budget…I seen these old SD35s at train shows for as low as $25.00 in excellent use condition.
Excellent use :All details are present,no broken or missing handrails and in good running condition.
