Product Review ScaleTrains HO High-Hood SD45, VMV Leasiing, ex-Southern Railiway, ex-Norfolk Southern.
In this product review, Dan takes a look at a high-hood HO scale SD45 diesel locomotive from ScaleTrains.
This model train locomotive represents an ex-Southern Railway SD45 that was built between 1967 an 1970. Many of Southern’s SD45s lasted past the Norfolk Southern merger into the mid-1980s.
Some, like this one, found new life as lease units. VMV leasing had a number of these high-hood SD45s that retained their Southern Railway paint, with only the road name and herald patched out.
Power hungry Southern Pacific leased a number of these units from the late 1980s through the early 1990s.
Photographic evidence shows that Dan’s model, VMV 3123, operated on the SP in 1988 and 1989, and possibly longer.
These locomotives were set up to run long-hood forward, meaning that the end that was the rear on most other railroads was considered the front. The control console and engineers seat inside the cab was reversed 180 degrees from other SD45s, so that it faced the long hood.
The ScaleTrains model train captures these details faithfully, as well as other unique Southern Railway features like the end-mounted bell and rectangular sunshades.
This new ScaleTrains locomotive has it all – prototype accuracy with unit-specific details, amazing high quality DCC sound and motor control, LED lighting, and more!
As usual, Dan evaluates each model’s packaging, prototype accuracy, paint & detail, and how well it operates and conforms to applicable standards.
There’s also a RIP Track segment where Dan talks about some of the issues found with the model, and shows how to change the factory couplers to Kadee 158s.
If you’re a fan of Southern Railway, VMV leasing, or big EMD diesel locomotives, be sure to check out this review!