Kato USA - 176-5621-KB1 - Locomotive, Diesel, EMD SD90MAC - San Luis & Rio Grande - 111

Specific Item Information: Kobo Custom:
These locomotives will be offered as part of the Kato USA Kobo Custom Paint line, hand-painted and decorated by a master modeler in Japan. While they will not be a “limited” run, all orders will be processed in a made-to-order fashion and will available on a first come, first served basis until the base models run out. Due to the hand-made nature of this item, some minor blemishes and differences may be present from model to model – Kato USA cannot take returns on items unless they possess major paint or mechanical issues.

See Kato announcement

Prototype History: The SD90MAC was introduced in 1995, along with the far more successful SD80MAC locomotives. The SD90MAC was designed to utilize the new 16-cylinder H-engine, while the SD80MAC was designed to use the 20-cylinder version of the existing 710G engine. However, technical problems with the 6,000 horsepower (4,500 kW) engine resulted in the first locomotives being shipped with 4,300 hp (3,210 kW) 16-cylinder 710G engines, making them similar to the SD70MACs. These locomotives were given the informal model designation SD9043MAC by railroads that purchased them with the option to re-engine them with 6,000 hp (4,470 kW) engines when they became available. This upgrade program, however, was never taken advantage of by SD90MAC buyers due to reliability issues with the newer engine. Over 400 SD90MAC locomotives fitted with the 4,300 hp (3,210 kW) 710 engine were built.

The EMD SD90MAC is a 6,000 hp (4,470 kW) C-C diesel-electric hood unit locomotive produced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. It is, with the SD80MAC, one of the largest single-engined locomotives produced by that company, surpassed only by the dual-engined DDA40X. Currently, a few SD90MACs are being rebuilt into SD70ACu's by Norfolk Southern, while a few others are still in service.

The SD90MACs feature radial steering trucks with AC traction motors and an isolated safety cab which is mounted on shock absorbers to lessen vibrations in the cab. The SD90MAC, like the SD80MAC, SD70ACe, and SD70M-2, has a wide radiator section, nearly the entire width of the locomotive, which along with their size makes them easy to spot.

Read more on Wikipedia.

Road Name History: The SLRG was established by the RailAmerica shortline group in 2003 to acquire three former Rio Grande routes radiating from Alamosa, Colorado from Union Pacific. The first runs east over La Veta Pass to Walsenburg. The second runs south to Antonito. The third runs west to South Fork. Tourist trains operating under the name Rio Grande Scenic Railroad were run on the first two in the warmer months. The Permian Basin Railways shortline group (a subsidiary of Iowa Pacific Holdings) bought the SLRG in 2005. Freight service is handled by a fleet of eleven B39-8E’s, two SD9043MAC’s and an SD40R. A large fleet of passenger service cab units, F40 rebuilds and former commuter service GP40FH-2’s are also carried on SLRG’s official roster for use by Iowa Pacific’s many passenger and tourist operations. In 2019, Iowa Pacific had defaulted on a loan and the SLRG and other properties were placed in receivership. Passenger service ended and some rolling stock was sold. In 2021 an auction was announced with the SLRG likely going to the Midwest & Bluegrass shortline group.

Brand/Importer Information: KATO U.S.A. was established in 1986, with the first U.S. locomotive model (the GP38-2, in N-Scale) released in 1987. Since that time, KATO has come to be known as one of the leading manufacturers of precision railroad products for the modeling community. KATO's parent company, Sekisui Kinzoku Co., Ltd., is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

In addition to producing ready-to-run HO and N scale models that are universally hailed for their high level of detail, craftsmanship and operation, KATO also manufactures UNITRACK. UNITRACK is the finest rail & roadbed modular track system available to modelers today. With the track and roadbed integrated into a single piece, UNITRACK features a nickel-silver rail and a realistic-looking roadbed. Patented UNIJOINERS allow sections to be snapped together quickly and securely, time after time if necessary.

The Kato U.S.A. office and warehouse facility is located in Schaumburg, Illinois, approximately 30 miles northwest of Chicago. All research & development of new North American products is performed here, in addition to the sales and distribution of merchandise to a vast network of wholesale representatives and retail dealers. Models requiring service sent in by hobbyists are usually attended to at this location as well. The manufacturing of all KATO products is performed in Japan.

Supporters of KATO should note that there is currently no showroom or operating exhibit of models at the Schaumburg facility. Furthermore, model parts are the only merchandise sold directly to consumers. (Please view the Parts Catalog of this website for more specific information.)