GEC's roster thread

[Green_Elite_Cab]

A New Conrail Unit for the Roster!

Conrail SW1200 #9344 (Likely to be Renumbered 9340)

At the formation of Conrail, the railroad had the largest fleet of locomotives on the continent. Among the locomotives coming in from the Conrail Component railroads were 68 of the 1,200 Horse power EMD switchers, contributed by Penn Central, Erie Lackawanna, and the Reading Company. These switchers found themselves spread across the Conrail system, working in yards and on locals. The more run down units were scrapped or sold in the first 5-6 years of Conrail, though many lasted into the 1990s.

The SW1200 was the next step after the SW900 series. Introduced in 1954, the SW1200 had more capabilities than previous SW series units, including the ability to MU, and Extended Range fuel tanks. Flexicoil trucks were also an option. However, other than a few battery box details, the body was externally identical to the SW900. This particular unit represents a former Penn Central unit.

As a model, its is an older Proto 2000 model, and it does need some detailing to look "just right". However, one major issue is the Road Number and paint. The 9344 didn't have a Conrail logo until the early half of the 1980s, and so it doesn't necessarily fit into my 1978-1979 time frame. its sibling, #9340, did operate in New Jersey for a time, and had the whole logo. Unfortuneately, the font on the P2k model is larger than the Microscale decals, and so i may need to remove the whol road number if i can't find matching Decals.

I'll probably replace the horn, handrails, and MU stands with better parts, as well as add the "zig-zag" piping that is mounted along side the fuel tanks of these units.