I recently purchased two Athearn HO DD40x engines in SP bloody nose paint (both are number 9503). I looked at the SP engine rosters online and did not find a DD40x anywhere. Did SP ever run any DD40x's?
No, but they did have cabless DD35Bs (essentially two GP35s on a ling frame). Athearn's DD40 model is a kinda-sorta-wannabe DD35A. Only Union Pacific owned any DD35As.
Athearn was good for painting locomotives in any paint scheme. I have a Athearn SP SD40T-2 with a Cotton Belt number. Thom
Another outfit that likes to paint up fictional schemes, is Con-Cor. Only UP had any DDA40X engines. Boxcab E50
Ah yes. Good old Lionel. But we knew they weren't even trying to be scale models. Yet they were great fun. Especially all their action cars, and operating accessories. Great memories! Boxcab E50
Except for brass, I know of no decent DD35 models in any scale. Athearn's attempt, as previously stated, is off the mark in quite a few ways. C'mon, a B&O DD35???? A nice what-if, but not prototypical. You'd almost be better off taking the DD40 shell, removing everything above the walkways, and splicing two GP35 shells without cabs on top of the walkway, using plastic and Cannon & Co. door kits to build up the short hood and fill in the space left by the removed cab. At least you'd have a more-passable model. And oh yes, replace the wide motors with the new narrow can motors, either from Athearn or other manufacturers. Paint the finished model in either UP or SP colors.
Hey! Now that is a project I've had in the back of my mind for sometime now. I've gotten alot better at bashing and scratchin so maybe someday this will happen. Course by then, someone will have them out in rtr plastic.
I'd recommend finding a couple of Rail Power Products shells, or two Athearn R-T-R shells (the scale-width hood, not the wide one) for starters. I'm not sure if Diesel Era has pics of these beasts (or Extra 2000 South), but I'm sure you can find some in George Elwood's site (albeit roster shots).
