Con-Cor - 0001-002655 - Locomotive, Diesel, EMD SD50 - Santa Fe - 5802

Specific Item Information: Prototype with this road number is a SD45-2

Model Information: Introduced in 1986.
Shares the same chassis, made by Roco in Austria, as other Con-Cor locomotives of the same vintage: EMD SD40-2, SD45 and Alco C-636.
A very distinctive spotting feature is the fuel tank that appears to be in two parts: the largest one being part of the metal chassis, and the smallest one being a plastic add-on. This is due to Con-Cor having pulled the rear truck backwards from the chassis on the SD50 and SD40-2 compared to to the C-636 and SD45.
The bottom of the fuel tank is stamped ' Con-Cor Austria'.
Other features include:
- Skew-wound 3-poler motor.
- Four wheels per truck are geared and and four provide pick-up. Center wheels come with traction tires and are geared. Wheels on the last axle provide pick-up but are not geared.
- Wheel flanges are reported not fitted for Code 55 track.
- Truck-mounted Rapidos couplers.
- Non-directional headlight.

A number of these models were delivered without a road number. Due the lack of reliable source, we cannot certify if the road numbers that we have indicated are factory-original or custom numbers. Any additional information would be highly appreciated.

DCC Information: No provision for DCC.

Prototype History: The SD50 was produced in response to increasingly tough competition from GE Transportation Systems, whose Dash 7 line was proving quite successful with railroads. While EMD's SD40-2 was a reliable and trusted product, GE's line included locomotives up to 3,600 hp (2,685 kW) with more modern technology, as well as very competitive finance and maintenance deals. EMD responded throughout the SD50 program by offering discounts on large orders.

GM-EMD had previously produced 3,600 hp (2,685 kW) locomotives, the SD45 and later SD45-2, but these used huge, 20-cylinder engines with high fuel consumption, and had reliability problems when first introduced. Demand for the 45 series dropped sharply after the 1970s fuel crisis. The SD50 used an updated version of the V16 645 used in the SD40-2, uprated to 3,500 hp (2,600 kW)- and later 3,600 hp (2,685 kW) - at 950 rpm from 3,000 hp (2,240 kW) at 900 rpm. This proved to be a step too far; the 50 series models were plagued by engine and electrical system problems which harmed both sales and the reputation of EMD.

From Wikipedia
Read more on American-Rails.com

Road Name History: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (reporting mark ATSF), often abbreviated as Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. Chartered in February 1859, the railroad reached the Kansas-Colorado border in 1873 and Pueblo, Colorado, in 1876. To create a demand for its services, the railroad set up real estate offices and sold farm land from the land grants that it was awarded by Congress. Despite the name, its main line never served Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the terrain was too difficult; the town ultimately was reached by a branch line from Lamy.

The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport, an enterprise that (at one time or another) included a tugboat fleet and an airline (the short-lived Santa Fe Skyway). Its bus line extended passenger transportation to areas not accessible by rail, and ferryboats on the San Francisco Bay allowed travelers to complete their westward journeys to the Pacific Ocean. The ATSF was the subject of a popular song, Harry Warren & Johnny Mercer's "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe", written for the film, The Harvey Girls (1946).

The railroad officially ceased operations on December 31, 1996, when it merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad to form the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway.

Read more on Wikipedia.

Brand/Importer Information: Con-Cor has been in business since 1962. Many things have changed over time as originally they were a complete manufacturing operation in the USA and at one time had upwards of 45 employees. They not only designed the models,but they also built their own molds, did injection molding, painting, printing and packaging on their models.

Currently, most of their manufacturing has been moved overseas and now they import 90% of their products as totally finished goods, or in finished components. They only do some incidental manufacturing today within the USA.

Important Note: The Con-Cor product numbering can be very confusing. Please see here in the article how to properly enter Con-Cor stock numbers in the TroveStar database.