Review

 The latest release from Life-Like in their Proto 2000 Series is the three-window cab version of the EMD SD6OM. This is the second of three different SD60 versions that Life-Like will be putting on the market. The first installment was the standard cab SD60 that came out a year ago. The next release after this one will be the two-window version of the SDGOM. This locomotive comes in three different numbers for the Union Pacific and Burlington Northern as well as two different numbers for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) and SOO Line. Life-Like is also offering the always-famous undecorated version.

The Prototype

This release represents the first full production line of the EMD wide cab to the North American market. Only three railroads received this three-window version of the SD60M. The UP was the largest purchaser of this model with a total of 184 (UP6O85 - 6268) purchased. The BN was a solid second with a total of 50 (BN 9200-9249) while the SOO Line bought 5 (SOO 6058-6062) beautiful Candy Apple Red units. Production of the SD60M started in 1988 with the first units delivered to the UP in early 1989, starting with UP 6085. These units were equipped with the same prime mover and electronics as the standard cab SD6O. The prime mover was the reliable 16 cylinder 710 engine rated at 3800 horsepower.

The Model

In the box, this locomotive is packaged very well for shipment and display. They took a lot of care to insure the locomotive arrived to the consumer with as little blemishes as possible. They even have a warning on the Styrofoam packaging inside that strongly suggests that you read the instructions before removing the locomotive.

This locomotive comes loaded with all kinds of goodies. Below is a list of the notable items:

• Over 100 factory applied parts

• Constant Directional Lighting

• DCC Ready (small conversion required)

• Heavy die cast chassis for maximum tractive effort

• 5-pole skew wound balance armature motor with dual machined brass flywheels

• All wheel drive and electrical pickup

• Frame mounted PROTO 2000 magnetic knuckle couplers

• Detailed cab with crew

Inside the box you will find the warranty card, removal instructions (locomotive from packaging) and operating instructions. The warranty card states that once it is filled out and sent in, the locomotive will be warrantied for life. This is saying a lot about Life-Like's confidence in their product. Included in the operating instructions are nice step-by-step instructions on how to convert this locomotive to DCC. I've never installed DCC before and I found these instructions easy to follow.

Also included in the packaging are prototype specific parts that the modelers will have to install themselves. These parts include; the rotary beacon, ditch lights, snowplows, sunshades, winterization hatch, antennas and even horn hook couplers. To add these parts will require some drilling and gluing. The details applied and the placement depends on your prototype and time frame. Unfortunately there are no instructions as to the placement of the cab roof details. They do provide three locator dimples on the inside of the long hood as a drill guide for mounting the winterization hatch. A good source for the placement of these parts is the Wither's publication, EMD's SD60 Series.

Out of the box this is a really good-looking model. Life-Like says that there are over 100 factory-applied parts on the model and it shows. There are many grab irons and lift rings added to the entire model. Let's take a closer look at the model one section at a time:

Nose

Here is where Life-Like did their homework! Of the 3-window cab models, they have provided us all 3 different nose variations that were produced during the production of the prototype. The three different variations are:

• Non tapered nose

• Non tapered nose with window in door

• Nose with front corners tapered

The very first SD60Ms produced by EMD were delivered with the straight non-tapered nose. These included the 50 BN units, the first 131 to the UP (UP6085 6215) and all 6 of the SOO units. It wasn't until after these locomotives were delivered that both the BN and UP units received windows on their nose doors. It appears that this modification took place around 1992 for both railroads. Thus when modeling either of these BN or UP units, you would be prototypically correct with or without a window on the door. It just depends which time frame you are modeling. The tapered nose version of the three-window cab only appeared on 53 UP locomotives (UP6216 6268). No other railroad received this combination nose and cab.

Unfortunately, to provide the three separate versions of the nose, Life-Like had to manufacture both the nose and cab as separate assemblies. This allows for three different noses to be mated with the cab. Because of this, there is an obvious seam between the cab and nose. It gives a kind of ISO cab look, but unfortunately, it is not. The alternative to doing it this way would have been to produce 3 separate nose/cab assemblies and that would have been very expensive.

The quality of the detail on the nose and cab is very good. The silver frames on the cab side windows just jump out and make you take notice. The factory-applied details to the nose are numerous and they look great. Many of these details are so small that it would have been very difficult for the average modelers to install them selves. The grab irons are thin and appear to be prototypically correct

Shell/Walkway

The shell is well detailed with many factory add-on parts with the majority of them being lifts rings and grab irons. These details are very small but very sturdy too. I presume that they are made of a Delrin type of plastic. The shell was cast very well with the access doors and knucklebusters looking very sharp. The dynamic brake screen is see-through as well as the three radiator cooling fans with separate fan blades visible inside.

There are a few inaccuracies on my UP model. One is the style of electrical cabinet found behind the cab on the right side. The cabinet provided on the locomotive is the type found on BN and SOO locomotives. The correct UP cabinet is more upright and rectangular: Another inaccuracy on my sample locomotive was the absence of the elevated walkway between the blower housing and the cab.

The detail of the walkway is second to none. Even the steps behind the rear cab door have the tread. And you got to love the see-through steps. It is quite an effort to cast those steps as part of the walkway assembly. I can't say enough about how good they look. This is a standard that none of their competitors have met ...yet. Also take note of the little walkway lights at the top of each set of stairs.

Removing the shell from the chassis is really easy. Just remove the two-coupler pocket screws, then remove the two pockets and the shell will slide off easily. This is a real safe and easy design that doesn't require squeezing the shell or any other undue force that may damage the locomotive. I did run into difficulties when replacing the shell back on the chassis. The problem centered on re-installing the coupler pockets. Both the uncoupler levers and MU air hoses on the pilots get in the way when trying to slide the pocket into place. This requires that both these dangling details will need to be lifted up and out of the way while seating the pocket into place.

Chassis

Under the walkway they also have included some good-looking details. These details include the air reservoir and filter with their associated piping, the bell and underframe lights. The fuel tank details include separate fuel filler and gauge on each side as well as some really nice overfill tubes on the ends. The sideframes are finely cast with the brake cylinder piping already added. The sander lines on the sideframes look first class too.

The chassis under the shell is packed to the gills. If it isn't the drive mechanism, lights or circuit boards, then it must be the die cast weight on the chassis. There is not much room in there for anything else. Because of this weight, the locomotive weighs in at a whopping 25.6 ounces.

Paint

The overall paint finish on my sample is very nice. The lettering, red lines, numbering, and UP shields look very sharp and crisp. Afterwards we run into a few discrepancies, the biggest and most glaring being the black walkways and steps. For some reason someone at Life-Like must think the walkways should be black instead of the standard UP Harbor Mist Gray as with the prototype. From my inspection of both the SOO and BN units it looks as though this is only isolated to the UP unit. Let's hope they correct this before they do the next version of the SD60M (two window). (Ed. Note: According to Life-Like, the next release will find the UP walkways in Harbor Mist Gray.)

Other small color discrepancies that I noted are with the shade of the non-skid gray on the top surface of the nose and the color matching of the radiator fans and brake wheel. The non-skid gray on the nose is just too light compared with the rest of the model. It looks like they may have meant it to look weathered. The radiator fans were cast in a gray plastic as well as the brake wheel was cast in yellow plastic. Unfortunately, neither color matches the colors on the shell. These smaller color discrepancies can be easily neutralized with a little weathering.

Performance

On the track I found this locomotive to be a very smooth runner. At both high and low speeds there was minimal gear noise. The directional headlights were of constant brightness (with white lights), no matter what the speed was. In the forward direction the number boards would light up evenly. The pulling power of this locomotive is exceptional with the ability to pull nearly one-third its weight. The down side is that this locomotive runs slower than other locomotives and would be difficult to run with anything else but other P2K locomotives.

Conclusion

I cannot finish this review without complimenting Life-Like on the interchangeable cab/nose design that allows them to offer all the different variations. Many modelers may not like this but it's the only way Life-Like could offer the different noses without raising the price of the locomotive. The cost for new cast molds is very expensive and would have been passed down to the consumer via higher locomotive price.

Overall this is one fine locomotive regardless of the black walkways and the cab seam. If you can get past these big booboos, then this locomotive is for you. If you can't, you can always get an undecorated unit, add on the correct details, seal the cab seam and paint it. This locomotive does offer an excellent starting point for those super detailers, like myself. Nevertheless, there is no doubt in my mind that this model is the best plastic SD60M on the market today by far.