Con-Cor - 0001-005121 - Locomotive, Diesel, EMD SW1200, Calf - Southern - 2450

Model Information: This body style is for the Con-Cor versions with Rivarossi, Kato or Con-Cor mechanisms.

This model was first produced by Rivarossi for Atlas in 1971. The trucks are marked 'Made in Italy' with a Rivarossi logo and an Atlas logo. The motor is visible from below on the powered cow. On the dummy calf, a large hollow can be seen from the bottom of the model, corresponding to the missing motor.
After Atlas stopped ordering them ca. 1977, Rivarossi continued selling them with its own brand and reference (#91xx) and released one additional paint scheme (SP Black Widow) in 1980. Con-Cor also began importing the Rivarossi model. On this model, the trucks are marked 'Made in Italy' with a Rivarossi logo only.
The Rivarossi/Con-Cor version was available powered or unpowered, for both the cow and the calf. The Con-Cor stock numbers are in the form 5001 or 5002 (powered cow), 5011 or 5012 (unpowered cow), 5021 or 5022 (powered calf), 5031 or 5032 (unpowered calf), followed by a letter assigned for each road name.
The boxes can also be labeled with a Rivarossi stock number on one end and a Con-Cor stock number on the other end, sometimes printed on a Rivarossi label.
Models not in Rivarossi catalog, so only sold by Con-Cor, may still show a Rivarossi stock number, corresponding to the type of chassis - #9288 (dummy calf) or #9289 (dummy cow) or #9290 (powered cow) - on one side and a Con-Cor stock number on the other side. The Con-Cor number was on a sticker which tended to detach with age, leaving only the printed Rivarossi number. Hence many classifieds are using the non-distinctive Rivarossi number 9288 or 9289 or 9890.
At a certain point ca. 1985, apparently dissatisfied with the mechanisms made by Rivarossi, Con-Cor had Kato design a new, more reliable, mechanism but continued use of the Rivarossi shell. This new Kato/Rivarossi hybrid was produced until 1989. The change of mechanism only applied to the 'cow' powered unit; the 'calf' dummy unit continued to be fully made by Rivarossi. On the powered cow, the trucks are marked '17712/Made in Japan' with Kato logo and the fuel tank is marked 'Con-Cor' on the bottom.
In 1996, Arnold/Rivarossi re-released the same model with yet another new mechanism and a few improvements of the shell (thinner handrails and tank details). On this model, the fuel tank is marked 'Arnold/Made in Germany'. The couplers are truck-mounted.
In 1997, Con-Cor released a new version of the model this time using a Chinese manufactured mechanism, but with the shell still more or less the same. These Chinese versions were marketed as SW-1200s. The bottom of the trucks is marked '17712/Made in China', without logo. The 'calf' dummy unit still continued to be fully made by Rivarossi
Con-Cor stopped making their version during the downsizing in 2005 and Arnold stopped producing theirs in 2006 with the bankruptcy.

Adding to the confusion, Con-Cor decided to re-use for the 1997 SW-1200 cow version, the same stock number range that was used for the previous Kato version sets (cow/calf). So any stock number from 0001-005000 to 0001-005023 can refer to one or the other.

The model was designed from early EMD drawings for the SW1500 prototype, that were quite similar to the SW1200 drawings. Eventually the final SW1500 prototype was released with significant changes to the early drawing. So though the model is sold as a SW1500, it is actually closer to a SW1200 than to a SW1500. Moreover, if a cow-calf version of the SW1200 (TR12) was offered in the catalog, it was actually never purchased. No cow-calf version of the SW1500 was ever envisaged.

DCC Information: No provision for DCC, except on the Arnold version.

Prototype History: An EMD SW1200 is a diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1954 and May 1966. Power was provided by an EMD 567C 12-cylinder engine which generated 1,200 hp (895 kW). Late SW1200s built in 1966 were built with the 567E 12-cylinder engine. Additional SW1200 production was completed by General Motors Diesel in Ontario Canada between September 1955 and June 1964.

737 examples of this locomotive model were built for American railroads, 287 were built for Canadian railroads 4 were built for Brazilian Railroads, 25 were built for a Chilean Industrial firm, and 3 were built for the Panama Canal Railway. A cow-calf variation, the TR12, was cataloged, but none were built. A few units were built with dynamic brakes, featuring large square box with a fan on top of the hood, right in front of the cab.

An SW1200RS is a variation of the standard SW1200 that featured large front and rear (on some units) numberboard housings, EMD Flexicoil B-B trucks, and larger fuel tanks for roadswitcher service. The majority of the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific SW1200 fleets were purchased as SW1200RS units. The Sandersville Railroad Company EMD SW1200 road number SAN 1200 formerly SAN 200 was originally built with the V-12 EMD 567C Prime Mover but it was replaced with a V-12 EMD 645 Prime Mover, the two both produce 1,200 Horsepower, even though the same motor in the EMD SW1500 produces 1,500 Horsepower. The SAN 1200 also has EMD Flexcoil trucks instead of the standard switcher trucks found on other EMD SW1200s.

From Wikipedia

Road Name History: The Southern Railway (reporting mark SOU) (also known as Southern Railway Company) was a US class 1 railroad that was based in the Southern United States. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894.

At the end of 1970 Southern operated 6,026 miles (9,698 km) of railroad, not including its Class I subsidiaries AGS (528 miles or 850 km) CofG (1729 miles) S&A (167 miles) CNOTP (415 miles) GS&F (454 miles) and twelve Class II subsidiaries. That year Southern itself reported 26111 million net ton-miles of revenue freight and 110 million passenger-miles; AGS reported 3854 and 11, CofG 3595 and 17, S&A 140 and 0, CNO&TP 4906 and 0.3, and GS&F 1431 and 0.3

The railroad joined forces with the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) in 1982 to form the Norfolk Southern Corporation. The Norfolk Southern Corporation was created in response to the creation of the CSX Corporation (its rail system was later transformed to CSX Transportation in 1986). The Southern Railway was renamed Norfolk Southern Railway in 1990 and continued under that name ever since. Seven years later in 1997 the railroad absorbed the Norfolk and Western Railway, ending the Norfolk and Western's existence as an independent railroad.

Brand/Importer Information: Con-Cor has been in business since 1962. Many things have changed over time as originally they were a complete manufacturing operation in the USA and at one time had upwards of 45 employees. They not only designed the models,but they also built their own molds, did injection molding, painting, printing and packaging on their models.

Currently, most of their manufacturing has been moved overseas and now they import 90% of their products as totally finished goods, or in finished components. They only do some incidental manufacturing today within the USA.

Important Note: The Con-Cor product numbering can be very confusing. Please see here in the article how to properly enter Con-Cor stock numbers in the TroveStar database.