Hallmark Models - NS0541 - Locomotive, Diesel, EMD SD26 - Santa Fe - 4633

Model Information: Model introduced in 1990, using brass Dai Young shells mounted on Kato (Atlas) SD7/9 mechanisms.

• Split-frame metal chassis,
• Plastic truck assemblies and gearing,
• All-wheel drive and pick-up (no traction tires),
• Open-sided 5-pole motor, with dual-flywheels,
• Open pilots with Rapido couplers,
• Chassis covered with vinyl to prevent short circuits,
• No lightboards, as they would provoke short circuits with the shell.

DCC Information: No provision for DCC.

Prototype History: The SD26 were EMD SD24 diesel locomotives rebuilt by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway between January 1973 and January 1978. In an effort to spare the cost of purchasing new motive power, the Santa Fe elected to expand on the success of its CF7 and other capital rebuild programs and extend the life of its fleet of 80 aging SD24s by rebuilding them at its San Bernardino, California Shops.
The rebuilt locomotives saw service throughout much of the Santa Fe system. One unit, the 4625, was wrecked in August 1974 shortly after rebuild. Another 44 units were retired by Santa Fe in 1985 and replaced with state-of-the-art equipment, while a year later the remaining 35 units were sold to Guilford Rail System (now Pan Am Railways). As of 2012, all SD26s have been scrapped.

Road Name History: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. Chartered in February 1859, the railroad reached the Kansas-Colorado border in 1873 and Pueblo, Colorado, in 1876. To create a demand for its services, the railroad set up real estate offices and sold farm land from the land grants that it was awarded by Congress. Despite the name, its main line never served Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the terrain was too difficult; the town ultimately was reached by a branch line from Lamy.

The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport, an enterprise that (at one time or another) included a tugboat fleet and an airline (the short-lived Santa Fe Skyway). Its bus line extended passenger transportation to areas not accessible by rail, and ferryboats on the San Francisco Bay allowed travelers to complete their westward journeys to the Pacific Ocean. The ATSF was the subject of a popular song, Harry Warren & Johnny Mercer's "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe", written for the film, The Harvey Girls (1946).

The railroad officially ceased operations on December 31, 1996, when it merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway.

Read more on Wikipedia.

Brand/Importer Information: Hallmark Models was the importing arm of Bobbye Hall's Hobby Shop of Dallas, Texas. When Bobbye Hall retired in her nineties, both the importing business and the shop closed down.

Manufacturer Information: Dai Young Models Company was a Korean manufacturer of brass model trains from 1974 to 2002.