Athearn Genesis G75757 HO Scale SD70ACu Progress Rail Leasing PRLX 7271

In September of 2014, Norfolk Southern purchased 100 ex-Union Pacific SD90MAC locomotives from EMD/Progress Rail to assist in the high volume traffic that NS was experiencing. As AC traction was being more accepted by the railroad, which previously had relied solely on DC power, the 90MACs fit the new direction of motive power for the railroad.

Starting in 2016, NS began the SD70ACU capital rebuild program using the SD90MAC units as cores. All major components were either overhauled or replaced, including an overhaul of the 710G3C prime mover. Most notable in the rebuild is that from the electrical cabinet forward, all new components were used, including a new ACe style isolated cab with AAR-style control stand. The new electrical cabinet contains Mitsubishi electronics, replacing the 90MAC’s original Siemens equipment.

Later, starting in 2018, Canadian Pacific announced a plan to acquire 30 SD70ACU units from EMD/Progress Rail using their laid up fleet of SD90MAC locomotives as core units. That number was later increased from 30 to 60. They also acquired 2 ex-Union Pacific units, in 2019.

In September of 2019, CP unveiled two Heritage painted locomotives in the Tuscan and Grey paint schemes; one unit, 7010, using the Canadian Pacific script lettering and the other
unit, 7015, utilizing the Roman font. CP has painted 10 units in this scheme, 5 with the script style lettering and 5 with the Roman style lettering.

In November of 2019, CP painted 5 SD70ACU’s into 5 separate military inspired paint schemes. These units commemorate the Army, Navy, Air Force and a special tribute locomotive for D-Day wearing camo and the Allied invasion stripes used on June 6, 1944.

All Canadian Pacific units have been completed in 2020 and can been found plying the rails of Canada and the US, with a few having even reached Mexico!

In mid-2022, Progress Rail purchased a batch of ex-NS SD70ACU’s. Some of them had a red “PRLX” hand-written over the old logo, and some others were simply patched out completely as depicted in our models.

FEATURES:

• Nathan 5-chime horn
• Large Plow
• Alternating flash ditch lights on both ends (Function in DCC)
• #7271 Ex-NS patched to PRLX, originally UP. Forward light grey/primer radiator fan, slightly faded body
• Illuminated truck lights
• Illuminated number boards
• See-through air intakes
• Minimum radius: 18” — Recommended radius: 22”
• Animated Roller Bearing Trucks
• Coupler cut levers
• Flexible trainline hose
• Full cab interior
• Flexible MU hoses
• See-through cab windows
• Walkway tread
• Wire grab irons
• Sander lines
• Windshield wipers
• Lift rings
• DCC-ready features Quick PlugTM plug-and-play technology with 21-pin NEM connector
• Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance
• Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, and breather pipes,
• Body-mounted McHenry® operating scale knuckle couplers
• Genesis driveline with 5-pole skew wound motor, precision machined flywheels, and multi-link drivetrain for trouble free operation
• Eight-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth and quiet operation
• All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
• Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
• LED Lighting for trouble free operation
• Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
• Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
• Accurately-painted and –printed paint schemes
• Fully-assembled and ready-to-run
• Packaging securely holds the model for safe storage
• PRIMED FOR GRIME MODELS FEATURE:
• Duplicated look and feel of “InService” equipment
• Faded base colors matched to the prototype
• Perfect starting point for adding grime and rust