InterMountain - 69401-16 - Locomotive, Diesel, EMD SD40T-2 - Rio Grande - 5350

Specific Item Information: These D&RGW locomotives are decorated in the sharp black and Aspen gold scheme with the billboard flying "Rio Grande" on the sides. These models feature a three chime air horn and Sinclair antenna on the cab roof. They also come with a smaller fuel tank than those found on Southern Pacific units. They are fully assembled with numerous etched metal details such as sunshades, windshield wipers, fan and intake grilles and come with Micro-Trains couplers.

Model Information: InterMountain first introduced this model in 2003. Several additional runs have been produced since then.

The design of the chassis is very much similar to the Atlas SD50/60 mechanism. It sports all the features one normally associates with "modern" diesel models - IE, DCC-Ready / split-frame / all-metal chassis, 5-pole / skew-wound / "slow speed" motor, dual flywheels, low-friction drive, bi-directional LED lighting, all-wheel drive and pickup (no traction tires), blackened / low-profile wheels, shell-mounted magnetic knuckle couplers, all-plastic gearing, etc.

Assembly instructions from Intermountain: SD40T-2 / SD45T-2 (or on company website)
Note on this drawing that several parts are actually Atlas parts.

DCC Information: From the run announced in 2015, this model is proposed factory-equipped with either a non-sound DCC decoder (models suffixed by "D") or a sound DCC decoder (models suffixed by "S"), both from ESU. The new associated design induced significant delays, and the new models are now announced to be released in 2017.

Models produced up to 2009 accept the following plug-in decoders (non-sound):
- Digitrax DN166I0: 1.5 Amp Decoder for Intermountain N scale SD40T-2 / SD45T-2.
- TCS IMD4: BEMF decoder designed to fit Intermountain N scale SD40T-2, SD45T-2, SD45-2.
- NCE N12AOe: Plug and Play, 2 function decoder for Intermountain Tunnel Motors.

Prototype History: An SD40T-2 is a 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division having a 16-cylinder EMD 645E3 diesel engine producing 3,000 horsepower (2,240 kW). 312 SD40T-2s were built for North American railroads between April 1974 and July 1980. This locomotive and the SD45T-2 are popularly called tunnel motors, but EMD's term is SD40-2s with "cooling system modifications" because they were designed for better engine cooling in tunnels. The difference between this locomotive and its non-tunnel motor cousin, the SD40-2, are the radiator intakes and radiator fan grills located at the rear of the locomotive. The radiator air intakes in this model were along the deck to allow more fresh, cooler air to enter and less hot exhaust fumes lingering around the tunnel's ceiling. EMD SD45T-2 vs SD40T-2 radiator fan motor access doors

This locomotive model was purchased by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, the Southern Pacific Railroad, and its subsidiary Cotton Belt. Southern Pacific's version has a 4,400-US-gallon (16,700 L; 3,660 imp gal) fuel tank and is 70 feet 8 inches (21.54 m) long. Rio Grande's version has a smaller 4,000-US-gallon (15,100 l; 3,330 imp gal) fuel tank. After merging with Rio Grande, the Southern Pacific and later Union Pacific owned every SD40T-2.

In 2005, most of these units were owned by Union Pacific or leasing companies. By 2008, none were left in service on UP with SP or DRGW reporting marks. DRGW 5371 was the last one, retired in March 2008, and now resides at the Utah State Railroad Museum in Ogden Utah. Another SD40T-2 is preserved at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad in Boone, Iowa. UP still runs a few units repainted in its own livery.

Full EMD SD40T-2 data sheet on The Diesel Workshop.

Read more on Wikipedia.
Read more on American-Rails.com

Road Name History: The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (reporting mark DRGW), often shortened to Rio Grande, D&RG or D&RGW, formerly the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, was an American Class I railroad company. The railroad started as a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge line running south from Denver, Colorado in 1870. It served mainly as a transcontinental bridge line between Denver, and Salt Lake City, Utah.

In 1988, the Rio Grande's parent corporation, Rio Grande Industries, purchased Southern Pacific Transportation Company, and as the result of a merger, the larger Southern Pacific Railroad name was chosen for identity. The Rio Grande operated as a separate division of the Southern Pacific, until that company was acquired by the Union Pacific Railroad. Today, most former D&RGW main lines are owned and operated by the Union Pacific while several branch lines are now operated as heritage railways by various companies.

Brand/Importer Information: InterMountain was founded in 1985 by Fred Brummet. They got started in the model railroad business by producing O-Scale model kits. They got started in the N Scale business almost a decade later when in 1994 they introduced the 40-23 reefer car in kit form. Later, in 1998, they started producing RTR (Ready-to-Run) models. By the early 2000s, InterMountain phased out kit production in favor of the RTR models.

The InterMountain Railway company is located at 1224 Boston Ave in Longmont, CO. They are a manufacturer of HO, N and Z scale model trains. They have produced kits as well as RTR (Ready-To-Run) models. Their N Scale products include locomotives as well as rolling stock. Their rolling stock lineup includes Boxcars, Hoppers, Tank Cars, Reefers, Gondolas, Stock Cars and Flatcars.

Their locomotive releases have primarily been diesel units, with the one major exception being their series of AC-12 Cab Forward steam locos. Their diesel lineup includes F3's, F7's, F9's, SD40's, SD45's and FT units. They are known for quality and detail. They also release their rolling stock in larger varieties of road numbers than most of the other manufacturers.