SD-?

[Jacktal]

My local hobby shop moved a little while ago and just offered me a deal on a brand new N scale loco he's had on his display shelf for a while because it has collected a little dust and he has lost its box in the moving.

It looks great and runs the same,however since I'm not an expert yet,I can't identify it for sure.It was made by Kato,is a high hood SD series loco.It's all black,bearing the big white NW(Norfolk&Western?)letters and the unit number is 2349.I believe its an SD-9 but not sure.I love it...whatever...just curious to know.

[Anonymous]

Scroll thru the www.katousa.com site

[Anonymous]

I believe you are right about it being an SD-9. Check this site:

http://nwry.railfan.net/rosterpix.html

There's a pic of #2341 and #2343 running nose-to-nose.

Rob.

[Anonymous]

Jacktal-

You have one of the locomotives that I also have in my roster. I should do my civic duty and issue you this warning:

CAUTION: Appreciation of a fine-running N-scale diesel may lead to a lifetime of modeling whatever road it is painted as.

This is what happened to me, when I was first getting into N-scale trains, as a young junior-high kid. I had no concept then of selecting a prototype, but we lived in Yorktown, VA at the time. My GrandPops bought me a christmas gift, which was a brand-new N-scale engine, one made by Kato for Atlas. It was a Norfolk & Western RS-3, and guess what? Today I am a die-hard NW modeler, I model 1971, and I love Alco diesels, particularly the early ones. And I still own that engine, number 307. You have been warned.

[Jacktal]

Thanks for the answers to my search.I find Avondaleguy's answer particularly interesting but his warning is probably of no consequence as I think I'm hopelessly addicted to this hobby.I already own nine locos(purchased the ninth today) and I still have a few specific models I want to eventually own.When will this stop? Twenty,thirty,a hundred?I DON'T WANT TO KNOW.Considering I don't have a satisfactory layout yet,that's some virus I'm caught with.

I appreciate the dedication involved in modelling a particular line,area and era but right now I don't concern myself much about that.I purchase different locos that happen to please me,whatever era,line or else.If I get a deal,I take it,specially if it has a certain appeal to me,wether new or used.

Like the one I got today,it's a used Alco PA with a minor electrical glitch I'll have to fix but looks great and runs fine...when it does.Got it for a smileAll I know about it is that it is a few years old,was sold by Con-Cor but made by Kato,and bears the orange stripe over red scheme of Southern Pacific.Since there is no unit number on it,I will have the challenging search to find which PA version it is,1,2 or 3.....only one part of the fun.

[Wdlgln005]

http://home.cfl.rr.com/dawestern/nscale/nscale.html

Try this link to see if you can identify your PA-1. It is fun to see if you can get the old one running & looking like new.

[Jacktal]

I love this forum...what a great way to share infos.Thanks to Wdlgln005 this time,it's been easy to identify my newly acquired loco.
It's an Alco PA1no doubt.It bears Southern Pacific's Daylight paint scheme and was manufactured by Kato for Con-Cor.With the stock number on its box,it was a piece of cake.However,the website says nothing about manufacturing date but being of a design which is much different from today's locos,I'd say it is one of the first N scale locos that was offered on the market.

I took it apart to find that it had only oxidized contact surfaces and very little wear on moving parts,so that after a little reconditionning it runs reliably,although not as smooth as my newer locos with their flywheels and more precise engineering.Its exterior is in great condition,no scratches or other damages other than the paint turning dull with time....natural aging....WOW!That makes it even more valuable,to me at least,as it is now my "collector's item".Thanks again.