Model Power - 7584 - Locomotive, Diesel, Plymouth WDT - Union Pacific

Model Information: This body was produced by Mehano. The first releases were produced for Atlas between 1968 and 1972. In 1972, Atlas switched production to Roco (which is covered in another body style). From 1972 onward, the model was imported by Model Power. It does not run very well compared to modern (post 1990) designs.

DCC Information: Forget about DCC with these.

Prototype History: The Plymouth Locomotive Works was founded in 1910. They specialized in small switcher locomotives for industrial use. The WDT was the 6-wheel model of their diesel switcher.

With 6-wheels, the WDT could handle a fairly heavy powerplant capable of moving small numbers of very heavy freight cars. When a railroad moves a freight car, the owner of the freight car is charged every time the car is moved. The typical floor price for such a move is $200. For an industrial complex that has to shunt 100's of cars daily, it quickly becomes economical to own your own switchers rather than contract with a railroad. Plymouth locomotive works specialized in providing purpose built engines for exactly this purpose: providing a low-cost alternative to using a railroad to move cars around your yard. Own your own low-maintenance, high-power industrial yard switcher.

Road Name History: The Union Pacific Railroad (reporting mark UP) is a freight hauling railroad that operates 8,500 locomotives over 32,100 route-miles in 23 states west of Chicago, Illinois and New Orleans, Louisiana. The Union Pacific Railroad network is the largest in the United States and employs 42,600 people. It is also one of the world's largest transportation companies.

Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP); both are headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. Over the years Union Pacific Corporation has grown by acquiring other railroads, notably the Missouri Pacific, Chicago & North Western, Western Pacific, Missouri-Kansas-Texas, and the Southern Pacific (including the Denver & Rio Grande Western).

Union Pacific Corporation's main competitor is the BNSF Railway, the nation's second largest freight railroad, which also primarily services the Continental U.S. west of the Mississippi River. Together, the two railroads have a duopoly on all transcontinental freight rail lines in the U.S.

Read more on Wikipedia and on Union Pacific official website.

Brand/Importer Information: Founded in the late 1960's by Michael Tager, the 3rd generation business specializes in quality hobby products serving the toy and hobby markets worldwide. During its 50 years of operation, Model Power has developed a full line of model railroading products, die-cast metal aircraft, and die-cast metal cars and trucks.

In early 2014, Model Power ceased its business operations. Its extensive portfolio of intellectual property and physical assets are now exclusively produced, marketed, sold, and distributed by MRC (Model Power, MetalTrain and Mantua) and by Daron (Postage Stamp Airplanes and Airliner Collection).

Manufacturer Information: Mehano is a Slovenian toy manufacturer located in Izola, Slovenija. The company was founded as Mehanotehnika and was producing toys starting in June 1953. They first exhibited at the Nuerenberg Toy Fair in 1959. Mehano produced a number of different locomotives and rolling stock models for the North American market in the 1960s and 1970s. Companies such as Atlas and Life-Like imported a huge variety of their products. Generally they can easily be recognized as they are stamped "Yugosolavia" on the underframe. The company was formally renamed "Mehano" in 1990. Izola today is part of the country of Slovenia since the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Mehano filed for bankruptcy in 2008, but still continued to exist and operate. Since 2012, Mehano products are distributed by Lemke.