Help ID-ing old HO-Scale switcher

[bpickering]

Hello,

I've got an HO-scale switcher of uncertain vintage. It's certainly at least 22 years old, since I got it in late high school, but I don't think it was new then. Some of the cars I got at the same time could date as early as the early 60s, according to the year imprinted from the plastic molds, but that's not very firm. Plus, it has recently become obvious to me just how long some of these dies/molds are used, since two of the included cabooses are identical to an Athearn blue-box kit I bought this summer, apart from paint/road number. :-)


(Yes, the shell is resting on a snack-size Twix bar- who knew the new neighborhood wouldn't have any trick-or-treaters?! [:0])
The detail isn't incredible, and I've been having a little difficulty locking the loco to a specific model. It's obviously meant to be some kind of EMD switcher; the best match I've seen in the Diesel Locomotives Cyclopedia is on page 47, the TR4 (or, basically, a SW7) from Belt Railway of Chicago, based on
1) six louvered access doors on each side of the hood
2) upper louvers above the main louvers on said doors (absent on the SW9 & SW1200)
3) squared windows (rather than trapezoidal or five-sided) on the hood side of the cab
However, none of this is necessarily definitive. [:)]

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone might have any idea of a) who made this engine, and b) what its prototype is actually supposed to be?

It runs OK, although the wheels need a serious cleaning. Not sure if I'll bother converting it eventually to DCC (although I did replace the old hook-horn couplers with Kadee #5), or just keep it as a souvenier of my mis-spent youth. [;)]

Brian Pickering

[SSW9389]

That is an Athearn SW7 as numbered for one of Santa Fe's TR4As. The TR4s were the Cow/Calf version of the SW7.

[SP4449]

I have both the cow and calf locos with brass wheels. I bought the pair in 1979 for $33 dollars at a train show. Both are powered and the road numbers are 2418 for the cow and 2418A for the calf. The calf is a copy of the cow except it has no cab and when in use the end where the cab would be faces the cab'd unit so the engineer can see the meters and other engine controls and indicators. Pretty neat and nice runners with a good amount of pulling power.

[SP4449]

If I may be allowed to add to my own post, I went to the basement and dug out my copy of the "Standard Guide to Athearn Model Trains" by Tim Blaisdell and Ed Urmston, dated 1998.

On page 140, it lists the SW-7 cow and the calf on page 143. The cow is from 1966, kit number 4005, originally produced as an SW-1500, changed to SW-7 when Athearn produced an actual SW-1500 in 1990. Except for the kit number, the same applies to the calf unit. All were available as powered and dummy.

Rarity is listed as OP3 for the Santa Fe units: "out of production, rare, not likely to be found". Maybe a person can find additonal units at garage sales, flea markets, or train shows.

The units were produced in several road names including Southern, Burlington Northern, Union Pacific(3 versions), Southern Pacific, Canadian Pacific, Pennsylvania (green), Baltimore and Ohio, Chicago Burlington & Quincy black/grey/red scheme(which carries a rarity of OP4: out of production, extremely rare).

[bpickering]

OK, the last post was particularly nice, in giving a reference (something I was going to ask about... I'm only recently back into the hobby, and have barely started a reference library.)

I remember it as a fairly good runner, 20-some years ago, but right now I really need to clean the wheels well, lube it, and CLEAN OUT THE DARNED CAT HAIRS!!!!! I loved Ki-Ki, the half-pureblood-Persian, half something else (mommy cat got out one night to meet a friend... [:I]), but she left white hairs EVERYWHERE, including on my old 4x8 table.

Given that I already (again, 20-some years ago) soldered jumpers to get around the poor contacts of the metal strip on the top of the motor, it's not pristine, and so I won't consider selling it. However, I'll likely leave it in the ATSF colors as a reminder.

Thanks all for posting,

Brian

[Anonymous]

I have a pair of Cow and Calf from the mid 80's still growling around my yard. I am considering removing the motor of the calf since both destroys my middle coupler regularly.

[Anonymous]

Just an idea, but you could use a drawbar between the units, and add through-wiring between the motors for better pickup (would look like the jumper wires if done in the right way). This would allow you to keep both motors and have pick up on more wheels, hence better running.