A new run of the WalthersProto HO EMD SD9 was recently released. Join Senior Editor Cody Grivno as he provides a brief history of Great Northern No. 595, points out the many freestanding details on the six-axle road switcher, and demonstrates the various light and sound functions on the ESU LokSound 5-equipped model. Then see the SD9 in action is it leads a short train and spots cars at an elevator on our Wisconsin & Southern staff layout.
In addition to Great Northern (Empire Builder scheme), the WalthersProto HO EMD SD9 is decorated for Chicago & Illinois Midland (green); Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (black and gray); Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range (as-delivered and arrowhead schemes); and Southern Pacific (“black widow,” gray and scarlet 1965 renumbering, and gray and scarlet 1970s SD9E rebuild and renumber). Each paint scheme is offered in four road numbers; an undecorated model is also available.
The Electro-Motive Division SD9 is equipped with a five-pole, skew-wound motor and features all-wheel drive and electrical pickup, helical gears with a 14:1 ratio, and Proto-Max metal couplers. The WalthersProto model has era- and railroad-specific details, early Flexicoil truck sideframes with brake cylinders and piping, a die-cast metal underframe, a cab interior with two painted crew figures, formed wire grab irons, etched-metal lift rings, and warm white light-emitting-diode lighting.
Direct-current models with a 21-pin DCC plug retail for $219.98. Versions with an ESU LokSound 5 sound decoder are priced at $319.98.
Trains.com Product Review videos showcase the latest new items from manufacturers of products in Z, N, HO, S, O, and large scales. In the videos, you can watch locomotives in action, take a close-up look at details on freight cars, see kit components, and much more.
If you are a manufacturer and have products you would like reviewed, please email Senior Editor Cody Grivno at cody.grivno@firecrown.com for more information.
