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Life-Like - 7728 - Locomotive, Diesel, EMD SD7 - Southern Pacific - 5321

7  of these sold for an average price of: 67.8567.857 of these sold for an average price of: 67.85
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N Scale - Life-Like - 7728 - Locomotive, Diesel, EMD SD7 - Southern Pacific - 5321 Original Rapido couplers replaced by knuckle couplers
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Stock Number7728
Original Retail Price$50.00
BrandLife-Like
ManufacturerLife-Like
Body StyleLife-Like Diesel Engine SD7
Prototype VehicleLocomotive, Diesel, EMD SD7 (Details)
Road or Company NameSouthern Pacific (Details)
Road or Reporting Number5321
Paint Color(s)Black w. White and Yellow stripes on nose
Print Color(s)White
Paint SchemeBlack Widow
Coupler TypeRapido Hook
Coupler MountBody-Mount
Wheel TypeNickel-Silver Plated Metal
Wheel ProfileSmall Flange (Low Profile)
DCC ReadinessNo
Release Date1996-01-01
Item CategoryLocomotives
Model TypeDiesel
Model SubtypeEMD
Model VarietySD7
Prototype RegionNorth America
Prototype EraNA Era III: Transition (1939 - 1957)
Scale1/160



Model Information: Life-Like introduced this model in 1996. This model was one of several pretty good quality locomotives created by Life-Like in the 1990s. The model uses a dual-flywheel design, but the chassis is NOT a split-frame. Running quality is fairly good, but a DCC install is likely fairly challenging. Lighting is NOT directional. Due to the simpler design, Life-Like was able to offer these models at a lower price point than Atlas or Kato. Hence they were fairly popular. Since Walther acquired Life-Like, we have yet to see a re-release. Likely the chassis is a complete throw-away, and the shell is a bit on the simplistic side for what modelers expect in the current marketplace (2017). This model was sold either as a SD7 or a SD9, as there is little visual difference between both prototypes.
DCC Information: Although not DCC-Compatible, an excellent how-to tutorial can be found here: DCC for Life-Like SD7's and SD9's'
Prototype History:
An SD7 is a 6-axle road switcher diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between February 1952 and November 1953. It had an EMD 567B 16-cylinder engine producing 1,500 horsepower (1.12 MW) for its six traction motors. 188 were built for United States railroads. Starting in August 1953 a total of 26 SD7s were produced which used either the 567BC engine or the 567C engine. These units are noted on the roster below.

This was the first model in EMD's SD (Special Duty) series of locomotives, a lengthened B-B GP7 with a C-C truck arrangement. The two extra axles and traction motors are useful in heavy, low speed freight service. SD series locomotives are still being produced today, with the SD70 being the most popular example in current production, and with many SD40-2s and rebuilds to SD40-2 specifications, or SD60s still in operation.

Yesterday's Special Duty eventually became today's Standard Duty, and yesterday's General Purpose has become today's Special Purpose ("time" freight and other time-sensitive lading). True GPs were discontinued after the completion of the last GP60 in 1994. Recently intermodal and other fast freights may be hauled by 6 axles locomotives with 4 powered axles, such as the SD70Ace-P4.

Many earlier model GPs, most particularly GP40s, GP39s and GP38s, also their SD equivalents, SD40s, SD39s and SD38s have been rebuilt to Dash 2 standards for another 30 to 40 years of service.

From Wikipedia
Road Name History:
The Southern Pacific Transportation Company (reporting mark SP), earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually called the Southern Pacific or (from the railroad's initials) Espee, was an American Class I railroad. It was absorbed in 1988 by the company that controlled the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and eight years later became part of the Union Pacific Railroad.

The railroad was founded as a land holding company in 1865, later acquiring the Central Pacific Railroad by lease. By 1900 the Southern Pacific Company was a major railroad system incorporating many smaller companies, such as the Texas and New Orleans Railroad and Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad. It extended from New Orleans through Texas to El Paso, across New Mexico and through Tucson, to Los Angeles, through most of California, including San Francisco and Sacramento. Central Pacific lines extended east across Nevada to Ogden, Utah, and reached north through Oregon to Portland. Other subsidiaries eventually included the St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt), the Northwestern Pacific Railroad at 328 miles (528 km), the 1,331 miles (2,142 km) Southern Pacific Railroad of Mexico, and a variety of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge routes.

In 1929 SP/T&NO operated 13848 route-miles not including Cotton Belt, whose purchase of the Golden State Route circa 1980 nearly doubled its size to 3,085 miles (4,965 km), bringing total SP/SSW mileage to around 13,508 miles (21,739 km).

By the 1980s route mileage had dropped to 10,423 miles (16,774 km), mainly due to the pruning of branch lines. In 1988 the Southern Pacific was taken over by D&RGW parent Rio Grande Industries. The combined railroad kept the Southern Pacific name due to its brand recognition in the railroad industry and with customers of both constituent railroads. Along with the addition of the SPCSL Corporation route from Chicago to St. Louis, the total length of the D&RGW/SP/SSW system was 15,959 miles (25,684 km).

By 1996 years of financial problems had dropped SP's mileage to 13,715 miles (22,072 km), and it was taken over by the Union Pacific Railroad.

Read more on Wikipedia.
Brand/Importer Information:
Life-Like Products LLC (now Life-Like Toy and Hobby division of Wm. K. Walthers) was a manufacturer of model railroad products and was based in Baltimore, Maryland.

It was founded in the 1950s by a company that pioneered extruded foam ice chests under the Lifoam trademark. Because ice chests are a summer seasonal item, the company needed a way to keep the factory operating year round. As model railroading was becoming popular in the post-war years, they saw this as an opportunity and so manufactured extruded foam tunnels for model trains. Over the years, Life-Like expanded into other scenery items, finally manufacturing rolling stock beginning in the late 1960s. At some point in the early 1970s, Life-Like purchased Varney Inc. and began to produce the former Varney line as its own.

The Canadian distributor for Life-Like products, Canadian Hobbycraft, saw a missing segment in market for Canadian model prototypes, and started producing a few Canadian models that were later, with a few modifications, offered in the US market with US roadnames.

In 2005, the company, now known as Lifoam Industries, LLC, decided to concentrate on their core products of extruded foam and sold their model railroad operations to Wm. K. Walthers.

In June 2018, Atlas and Walthers announced to have reached an agreement under which all Walthers N scale rolling stock tooling, including the former Life-Like tooling, will be purchased by Atlas.

Read more on Wikipedia and The Train Collectors Association.
Item created by: Alain LM on 2020-12-11 01:45:56. Last edited by Alain LM on 2020-12-11 01:47:21

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