The Norfolk Southern SD60E diesel locomotive is making its debut in the Atlas Model Railroad Co. N scale product lineup. Features on the Master Line model include a Scale Speed motor, operating front and rear ditch lights, and body-mounted Accumate couplers.
Prototype history
Norfolk Southern rebuilt 136 Electro-Motive Division SD60 diesel locomotives of various lineages at its Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona, Pa., between 2010 and 2017. The diesels, given the designation SD60E, are rated at 4,000hp and have a 16-cylinder EMD 710G3B-IC diesel engine, Positive Train Control, and a railroad-designed Crescent cab. The SD60E diesels are numbered 6900 through 7002 and 7004 through 7035. The locomotive scheduled to be the 7003 was numbered 911 in honor of first responders.
The sample we received is decorated as Norfolk Southern 6927. The prototype was built by EMD in September 1986 as Chicago & North Western SD60 8042. After Union Pacific merged with C&NW in June 1995, it renumbered the Northern Western’s SD60s. The 8042 became UP 5994 in June 1997. When the locomotive’s lease expired in January 2002, UP retired the 5994 and returned it to General Electric Credit Corp. The unit later joined the Helm Financial lease fleet, becoming HLCX 5994.
Norfolk Southern acquired 40 ex-UP (former C&NW) SD60s from Helm in 2011, assigning them road numbers 6510 through 6549. Helm Financial (HLCX) 5994 became NS 6527. The locomotive was rebuilt as an SD60E in November 2013. The unit is still in service today.
Model features
The SD60E is constructed similar to other N scale diesels produced by Atlas. It has a one-piece plastic body with a separate cab and sill/walkway. The front pilot has a factory-applied snow plow. The uncoupling lever and m.u. hoses are molded. Ditch lights are mounted on top of the anticlimber pilot (the unit also has working rear ditch lights).
The Crescent cab is a separate part with wire grab irons, freestanding sand filler hatches, and a PTC antenna array on top. The headlight and side cab windows are picked in aluminum. Molded, non-functioning Locomotive Speed Limiter lights are located above the on both sides of the cab.
The engineer’s side of the cab has an access door for the electronic air brake equipment. The louvered panel adjacent to it is the air conditioner intake. The brakeman’s side access door for the air conditioner is louvered.
Many of the long hood details are molded, including the various rooftop fans, hinged-style roof access doors, and fan grab iron. The inertial air filter screens for the split-cooling system are freestanding parts. A factory-applied plastic Nathan K5LAR24 air horn is located between the access doors and radiator fans.
A closer look
To remove the friction-fit shell from the split, die-cast metal chassis, I gently lifted up on the sill above the front and rear trucks. The body-mounted Accumate couplers don’t need to be removed. The Scale Speed motor with dual flywheels is centered in the chassis. The Digital Command Control sound board is located above the motor. The speaker is in the fuel tank.
The Atlas model is neatly painted black with opaque white lettering. Graphic placement largely matches prototype images. One minor error was the SD60E designation on the brakeman’s side of the cab. It should be moved near the back edge of the cab.
The guard by the traction motor blower duct has a slightly different design than that on the full-size unit. The fuel tank on the model has a round profile, but should have an angled taper about halfway down the side. Spare knuckle holders were omitted from the rear pilot.
Our test sample has an ESU LokSound V5 sound decoder. For workbench testing, I used an NCE Power Cab. At step 1, the model ran at 1 scale mph. At step 28, the SD60E was barreling down the test track at 117 scale mph. The speed range can be fine tuned using configuration variables.
Atlas has done a good job re-creating the SD60E in N scale. The six-axle unit would look good on the point of a mainline freight, but it could just as easily be running long-hood forward in local service. If you’re a fan of modern diesel power, you’ll definitely want to check out this Master Line model.
Watch a video of the Atlas Norfolk Southern SD60E in action on our new N scale Colorado Plains T-Trak modules.
Facts & features
Price: Direct-current model with factory-installed speaker, $149.95; with dual-mode ESU sound decoder, $259.95
Manufacturer
Atlas Model Railroad Co.
378 Florence Ave.
Hillside, NJ 07205
Era: 2010 to present
Road names: Norfolk Southern (Thoroughbred scheme in two road numbers; GORail, Honoring Our Veterans, and Honoring First Responders in one number each). Also available undecorated.
Features
- Body-mounted Accumate couplers; front at correct height, rear .015” too high
- Metal wheel stubs mounted on plastic drive axle gears, in gauge
- Weight: 3.5 ounces
