Kato USA - 176-4300 - Locomotive, Diesel, Alco RSC-2 - Undecorated

Specific Item Information: Friction Bearing Trucks

Model Information: Introduced in 1999, together with the RS-2 that shares the same chassis. There has been only one run of these locos. They sport the modern split frame design with a separate light board and a motor isolated from the chassis.

DCC Information: DCC ready.
Accepts the following plug-in decoders (non-sound):
- Digitrax DN163K2: 1 Amp N Scale Mobile Decoder for Kato N scale SD80/90MAC Series, RSC2, RS2. Installation here.
- TCS K2D4: BEMF decoder designed to fit Kato N scale RS2/RSC2, SD80/SD90MAC and Walthers N scale RS2, GP18. Installation here.

Prototype History: The ALCO RSC-2 was a diesel-electric locomotive of the road switcher type that rode on three-axle trucks, having an A1A-A1A wheel arrangement. Used in much the same manner as its four-axle counterpart, the ALCO RS-2, though the wheel arrangement lowered the axle load for operation on light rail such as are found on branch lines.

The Milwaukee Road was the first railroad to take delivery of the RSC-2, initially assigning them to their Valley Division (headquartered near Wausau, Wisconsin) in November 1946. This was done in order to study the effects of an all-diesel roster (i.e. no steam locomotives available as protection power). The experiment was deemed a success and soon all steam locomotives were gone from the Valley Division. RSC-2s would faithfully serve the Milwaukee Road for many years, until being replaced in turn by the EMD SDL39.

ALCO also exported these units to the state railway of Portugal, where Portuguese Railways (CP) designated them Série 1500. These locomotives were built for the Iberian track gauge of (1,668 mm (5 ft 5 21⁄32 in)). The last units in Portugal served in regular passenger service into the first decade of the 21st century. Of these, five are still running today, 60 years after their arrival (one is a museum locomotive, while the other four are owned by track maintenance companies). Five units were exported to the Algerian National Railways where they were used in passenger train service.

From Wikipedia
Read more on American-Rails.com

Road Name History: Although they may be molded in color, unpainted and unlettered, undecorated products are marketed to modelers who seek to custom decorate their models for private roads and/or road and/or company names that were not commercially produced by any of the major manufacturers.

Undecorated models are frequently also unassembled or only partially assembled and required modelers to be comfortable with glue, paint and sometimes solder in order to prepare their models for display. Materials for these models can vary but often include plastic, pewter and resin. Models may or may not come with decals or other decorations such as plastic signage, railings and ladders to enhance the appearance of the final product.

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.)