Review

Life-Like's second foray into early EMD switchers, having released their successful, higher-horsepower (dual-stack) version. They are releasing their first run of the single-stack SW8/SW900/SW600 (all had the same basic carbody) in at least two numbers of the following road names: Baltimore & Ohio, Chicago & North Western, Erie Lackawanna, Electro Motive Division, Great Northern, New York Central, Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, Southern Pacific, and an undecorated version.

Prototype Information

Electro-Motive Corporation introduced its first switcher, the SC, in 1936, built on a 44 foot 5 inch frame. By 1939, they introduced the SW1 which they continued to produce into 1953. Also introduced in 1939 was the NW with its larger carbody on the same size frame. In 1950, the company was owned by General Motors as their Electro-Motive Division (EMD) and introduced the SWB, an 800 horsepower V8 end-cab, low-hood switcher. From September 1950 to January 1954, EMD built 366 of them, a fair success. In 1954, without changing the carbody externally, they split the product line between a 600hp V6-cylinder and a 900 hp V8, all of the engines based on the 567 design. From that time until production ceased in 1965, this line of locos produced 16 of the SW600 and 357 of the Sw900. All of these switchers were built on a frame of the same dimensions as the original SC.

At the same time, EMD was also cranking out double these numbers of their 1000 to 1500 hp, V12 powered units. The V6 and V8 cylinder locomotives shared a similar frame and carbody with them, but had a single stack as compared with theV12s twin stacks. Spotting the difference between the SW8, SW600, and SW900 isn't easy unless you open the doors and look at the engine. Minor variation in the louvers on the battery box and other places represent changes in EMD thinking along the line.

Between the low-horsepower, single stack line and the dual-stacked, higher-ponied cousins, the EMD switcher was one of the most common locomotives to be found around North America. The vast majority rode on the Type A trucks which lacked swing motion, limiting them to a 35 mph top speed, even if the traction motors were capable of pushing them to 60. Swing motion appeared in the AAR Type B and the Blomberg Type B, and these became the basis for road switchers. Swing motion allows the kingpin socket in the top of the truck to slide from side to side against centering spring tension, helping to equalize the weight of the locomotive in curves. This is a significant feature, because the Type A-trucked switcher was likely to climb on the ground at higher speeds. If you really want to learn more about these locomotives, you can read the actual operator's manual at http://www.dnaco.net/gelwood/manual.html

The Model

Our review sample is painted for the Electro-Motvie Division of Gerneral Motors. If you are a locomotive with that paint job, it generally means one of three things: you are a demonstrator unit, you are in their lease fleet, or you are a relative failure and work around the plant. EMD actually experimented with a hydraulic-drive version of the SW8, but it didn't pan out and was converted into a standard electric drive unit. It became the plant switcher and got The Paint Job.

In this case, Life-Like has done a lovely job on the paint, something I've come to expect from them but don't want to take for granted. Inspecting their work turns me into the model railroad equivalent of the Maytag repairman; I look for problems but can't find any. Lettering and trim are sharp and nicely applied. The railings are soft, flexible plastic which looks to scale and can tolerate some handling. The steps and pilot boards have see-through perforations, another tiny but important detail.

A small bag of detail parts allows you to modify your switcher to the specifics of the road you are modeling. The package includes sunshades, a spark arrestor, and "greenhouse" window boxes as were used in colder climes. Depending upon what road name you choose, you may also get extended tanks, MU connectors, or drop steps. The bag also contains a pair of horn-hook couplers, though the installed magnetic couplers seem to be a far better solution. While I didn't change over to Kadees, the pockets look to support standard #5 couplers, for those who must have them.

A close look through the window glazing on the cab shows a pair of shadowy figures at the controls. The entire cab interior removes with the shell, including the rear headlight above the cab door. It gets its juice via spring-loaded contacts which make their connection when the shell is installed.

This appears to be an SWS or an early version of the SW600/900 since it has six punched louvers in the battery box behind the cab. Later versions sported only five. Also, the number of lift eyes on each side of the hood went from three in the earlier version down to just two. This model has three eyes on each side. In the world of scale model railroading, this would be referred to as a Phase I. The later version is a Phase II, and Life-Like applies the correct phase to each roadname they produce.

Under the shell, you will find dual brass flywheels which contribute greatly to smooth operation. The weight over the front truck removes to make space for a DCC decoder. There isn't a decoder socket, and you would lose the extra traction afforded by the weight The lamp for the front headlight lays in a groove in the top of the weight, so what happens to the light with the weight is gone is uncertain.

Operation

According to the Kadee coupler height gauge, both couplers are about .44 inch low, though their trip pins are bent such that they wont snag anything. During testing, I had no operating problems due to the coupler height situation, but if I do at a later date, I'll change out the couplers and deal with the issue then.

This puppy runs well at low speed and is a pretty good puller. On the flat, it muscled a 23 NMRA-weighted-car train but wanted to lay down on a I % grade. Of course, those are my cars on my layout; you may well get very different results. I cranked it through the

various speed and pulling tests and can report that gear noise was quite acceptable. At slow speeds, the loco is nearly inaudible; at top speeds, you can hear it easily, but it ranks among the quieter locos I have. The tests also don't address smoothness, and this is a very smooth puller. When given its starting voltage, it begins moving without making a big jump; that's a trait I like.

I tried speed-matching it with other locos I have, including several Proto 2000 units, and didn't find any that matched up well. Fortunately, switchers often work alone or paired with another just like it, and that's what I d suggest here.

The headlight begins to show just as the model starts to move. It reaches most of its brightness by around 8 volts and stays steady from there. The light is not bright enough to be really noticeable on a sunny day, but it shows well in low light situations.