Review

 In 1984, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors introduced its 60 series product line. Included in this line would be a locomotive that would give EMD a fighting chance against the ever-growing GE menace: the SD60.

EMD Struggles

Ever since the introduction of the FT in the late 1930s, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (EMD) pretty much owned the diesel locomotive market in North America. Bolstered by the War Production Board's edict that only EMD would be permitted to produce road locomotives during WWII, EMD found itself in the driver's seat after the war when railroads were clamoring to replace their steam locomotives with shiny new diesels. The war years had given EMD time to perfect their design, while the other builders had to be content with building switchers and a few experimental road diesels. By the late 1960s, EMD's competitors had all left the locomotive business, with the exception of upstart General Electric. EMD dominance continued into the early 1980s. Up until that time, EMD was still producing what had rapidly become the gold standard of reliability, the highly successful SD40-2. Many of the Class-1 lines had hundreds of these 3,000 horse, 6-axle brutes, and were quite satisfied with them. EMD was faced with a tough act to follow in designing a successor.

First appearing in 1980, the 50 series locomotives featured several major improvements. Five-hundred more horsepower, and a new radar-based wheel-slip control system called Super-Series promised to make the 50 series better than anything that had come before them. The SD50 also sported a totally new dynamic brake arrangement, placing the grids along with a single large cooling fan directly behind the cab. This allowed them to be removed from their former position above the prime mover, away from the high temperatures that accompanied it, no doubt extending their service life. The 50 series was poised to become the next great thing from EMD, but unfortunately, it didn't happen that way. The recession of the early 1980s delivered a hard blow to the railroads. Locomotive orders were but a shadow of their former glory as railroads tightened their belts. Many new locomotives that were delivered were placed immediately into storage, alongside older units that were being retired. Then, problems began to surface with the 50 series units. The proven 645 prime mover, known as the 645E in the 50 series units, had been pushed too far, as EMD was coaxing 3,500 horses out of only 16 cylinders. Overhaul schedules that used to be once every four years in the 40 series, were now every two years in the 50s.

 While the newly designed wheel slip system was working wonderfully, many other things were not. CSX sent its SD50 fleet to EMD for rebuilding after only a couple years of service, and BN experimented with reducing the horsepower of its GP50s in hopes of extracting more time between overhauls. It was shades of the 35 series of 1963, when EMD pushed the 567 prime mover beyond its limits. General Electric was enjoying increased market share due to the 50 series problems, and succeeded in capturing the number one spot in locomotive sales for the first time. It was clear something had to be done if EMD were to remain in business. That something would be the SD60.

 A Savior for EMD

First appearing in 1984, the SD60 bore a virtually identical appearance to the ill-starred SD50. But that's where the similarity ends. Underneath the hood, meaningful changes had taken place in the form of the new 710 series prime mover. Featuring a one-inch longer stroke, which in turn necessitated one-inch longer pistons, crankshaft with half-inch longer throws, and two-inch longer cylinder liners, the new prime mover displaced 710 cubic inches of displacement per cylinder. To put that in perspective, think of a Chevy big block V8 engine, which has 454 cubic inches displacement total. EMD now had a prime mover capable of expanding to meet both current and futures needs. The new 710 engine also produced another 300 horses in it V16 configuration, giving the 60 series 3,800 horses. At the same time, EMD was able to wring out a 16 percent increase in fuel efficiency over the 50 series units.

Also new to the 60 series were microprocessor controls, which replaced many of the older style control cards and relays. This also enabled a sophisticated diagnostic system to aid in troubleshooting problems as they arose. A total of three microcomputers are responsible for control of the 60 series units. Improved traction motors and higher capacity main alternators gave the 60 series a very robust electrical system. One other 50 series demon was exorcised in the 60: the overheating problem which seemed to plague the older units was cured by the use of two-speed cooling fans and added radiator capacity. While the GP60 proved itself as an intermodal racehorse, the SD60 became a jack-of-all-trades workhorse. EMD had a contender!

The Model

On the heels of their highly successful SD50, Athearn has brought us another much sought-after model, the SD60. Modern era modelers can rejoice over this one, as it's been executed very well. Roadnames available so far include Conrail, Norfolk Southern, CSX, and EMD-Oakway Leasing. Three roadnumbers are available for each. The next release will feature Burlington, Northern, Chicago and Northwestern, Kansas City Southern, and SOO. Again, three roadnumbers will be available for each roadname. Undecorated units are also available for those of us who prefer to "roll their own." Our sample came painted as EMD Oakway Leasing 9008. The prototype Oakway units were ordered by Burlington Northern at a time when they needed additional power for the Powder River coal trains, but earnings for the railroad were somewhat depressed.

An innovative method of leasing was devised that would have a profound effect on the way locomotives were leased from then on. Instead of the typical 15-year lease most railroad companies utilize, or the day-today short-term lease used by the leasing companies, Burlington Northern was billed by the kilowatt hour for the electricity generated by the units' main alternators. Originally, maintenance was to be performed by EMD personnel, but the union representing BN's mechanical department workers took exception to this, so an agreement was made in which BN mechanical forces maintain the units under the direction of EMD personnel. The prototype for our sample, the 9008, still performs yeoman duty for the BNSF along with 99 other sister units, still going strong after nearly 20 years on the job.

Paint and lettering are very nicely done, with lettering on all but the very smallest warning labels being able to be read with the naked eye. The painting of the dynamic brake fan is done very well, and would be hard to reproduce easily. Another nice touch is the painting of the intake grilles to simulate openings that would get sucked-in dirt and dust on the prototype. The silver-painted trucks are correct for an as-delivered unit, since units in service for any length of time now have either black trucks or they are too dirty to tell they are silver! There are a few minor complaints I have noticed though. First, the shade of blue seems to have a touch of green to it, giving it a hair of an aqua tint. Certainly nothing that would keep me from buying any, and what is the proper shade of any color seems to be in the eye of the beholder. Second, the cab numbers are a little too thick, and not spaced far enough apart. Lastly, the electrical cabinet air filter box should be painted blue on the back of it, but this is easily cured. In short, these are minor problems I feel can be lived with.

Detailing is very nice on this unit. Handrails are cast in Delrin, in color, right down to the white corner rails. Be careful though, they are somewhat delicate, and the corner rails can come loose and fall off the unit. Just make sure yours are secure when you take it out of the box. The air horn is a nice brass casting, and its position is appropriate for the Oakways when they were first delivered. I do feel the stand it's mounted on is a little too high. All grab irons found on the prototype are present on our model, formed from wire for a scale appearance. The winterization hatch over the first fan is very nice. The opening features a fine mesh screen through which the radiator fan is visible. Nice touch.

The walkways have a nice tread pattern, the cab has very nice flush mounted glass. Also, the cab has nicely done wind deflectors on either side of the windows, brass-etched sunshades, and sliding side windows. The pilots are plain and don't have any of the hoses or cut levers many ready-to-run models feature. Personally, I look at it as having a blank canvas on which to add my own details as h see fit. The plow fitted to the front pilot doesn't match the prototype very well, and our sample model has it mounted too low from the factory, which causes it to catch on turnouts. You should probably check your own before you put it into service. In case you're wondering, Athearn didn't just take the SD50 shell and paint new roadnames on it. The long hood actually sports the correct SD60 door arrangement. Looks like the same genius toolmaker, the one who did the SD50, made possible another outstanding model.

Operation

Under the hood of this model, we find the tried and true Athearn drive with all the latest refinements. The time tested 5 pole motor sports the latest flywheels, which incorporate the new hex-style drive lines. This goes a long way to eliminate the old Athearn rattle we've heard for so many years. The trucks feature nickel silver wheel sets, a far cry from the old sintered iron wheels from days gone by. As is expected from Athearn, all axles are driven, and all wheels pick up power. No traction tires are found on this unit.

The roofline is home to a lot of interesting detail, including the circular dynamic brake fan and the exhaust stack. Athearn has also managed to squeeze in another 2-1/2 ounces of weight over the previous SD50 model, weighing in at 18-1/2 ounces. Decoder installation was a breeze with the quick plug decoder board designed for Athearn by Digitrax. Do take care though, and make sure the motor does not have the ability to ground out on the frame, as the SD50 sometimes had a problem with a solder joint on the bottom motor clip touching the frame.

Summary

This is a model I have waited for a very long time to be done, and done correctly. The tooling is exquisite, and the detail is well executed. The few flaws found on our unit are definitely nothing to lose sleep over and certainly won't prevent me from acquiring more as more roadnames are produced. For the folks who've wanted a correct SD60, your wait is now over! With this kind of quality, I can't wait to see the SD45T-2s!