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| Releasing November 2026
Athearn -
Item No.
ATH-2974
HO ATH SD40-2 Locomotive w/DCC & Sound, UP 'Ex-MP NLR Lettering' #4164
$256.51
In 1989, Burlington Northern returned to its traditional colors of Cascade Green and black with the unveiling of what was soon called by many railfans, the “whiteface.” Locomotives sported a large BN logo on the nose of the locomotive and featured a white cab face and a white stripe applied to the frame below the cab and radiator areas. In 1991, BN added the now familiar 2-inch wide separator stripe on the long hood between the upper black and lower green section. America flags were also added to the locomotives battery boxes in support for those employees who were called to active service for Desert Storm.
ATHEARN EMD SD40-2 DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO:
The SD40-2 was introduced in January 1972 as part of EMD's Dash 2 series, responding to competing products from GE and ALCO. Reliability and versatility of the 3,000-horsepower SD40-2 made it the best-selling model in EMD's history and the standard of the industry for several decades after its introduction. The SD40-2 was an improvement over the SD40, with modular electronic control systems similar to those of the experimental SD45X and DDA40X. The last SD40-2 delivered to a United States railroad was built in July 1984, with production continuing for railroads in Canada until 1988.
ATHEARN EMD SD40-2 DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE FEATURES:
- Flexible rubber MU hoses for durability
- Flexible rubber trainline hose
- See-through cab windows
- Coupler cut levers
- Wire grab irons
- Exhaust stack
- See-through dynamic brake and radiator fans
- Frame mounted bell (unless noted)
- Detailed fuel tank with fuel fillers, fuel gauges, & breather pipes
- Separately applied air tanks
- Fine-scale Celcon handrails for scale appearance
- Photo-etched stainless steel windshield wipers
- LED Illuminated front and rear headlights, ditch lights, and beacons (where applicable to the prototype)
- DCC-ready Non-sound version features 21-pin NEM DCC plug
- McHenry® operating scale knuckle couplers
- All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth & quiet operation
- All-wheel electrical pickup provides reliable current flow
- 5-pole motor with precision-machined flywheels and multi-link drive train for trouble free operation
- Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
- Heavy die-cast frame for greater traction and more pulling power
- Scaled from prototype resources including drawings, field measurements, photographs, and more
- Accurately –painted and –printed paint schemes
- Packaging securely holds model for safe storage
- Fully-assembled and ready-to-run
- Minimum radius: 18” Recommended radius 22”
SOUND-EQUIPPED MODELS ALSO FEATURE:
- Onboard DCC decoder with SoundTraxx Econami sound
- Single cube speaker for optimal sound quality
- Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
- Engine, horn, and bell sounds work in DC
- Some functions are limited in DC
- All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode
- Effect lighting (if applicable) using F5 and/or F6
- Excellent low-speed operation
- Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights
- Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes
- CV chart included in the box
ROAD NUMBER SPECIFIC FEATURES:
- #4164, 4020: Side-mounted bell, front and rear MU hose holders
- #B4116, B4211: front plow, rear MU hose holders, standard bell, no cab mirrors, B-unit markings
- #1639, 1647: Long hood designated as front, RS5T horn on cab, Bell mounted on long hood, Firecracker antennas, Cab mirrors / wind deflectors, Early “chickenwire” grills
- #3459: Nose mounted headlight, Brake lever, Cab A/C, Corrugated grills, K5LA horn on long hood
- #3511: Nose mounted headlight, Brake wheel, Cab A/C, Corrugated grills,K3LA horn on long hood
- #6808, 6813: CNW lettering on nose, early “chicken wire” grills
- #6829, 6833: No CNW lettering on nose, late corrugated grills
BN FEATURES:
- Firecracker antennas
- Horn mounted on the long hood
- Strobe-type ditch lights
- Small EMD style plow
- Later White Face scheme with white pinstripe and 1991 Desert Strom flags
UP FEATURES:
- Firecracker antenna
- No dynamic brakes
- RS3L horn on cab roof
- Early “chicken wire” grills
BNSF FEATURES:
- Firecracker antennas
- Horn mounted on the long hood
- Roof-mounted strobe light
- Large anticlimber
- Remote control equipment markings
- RV-style air conditioners
- Front and rear ditch lights
- Small EMD style plow
- Early “chicken wire” grills
NS FEATURES:
- Front and rear ditch lights
CNW FEATURES:
- Sinclair Antenna
- Cab-mounted strobe
- Gong bell mounted on the nose
- Cab side mirrors / wind deflectors
- RS3L horn on cab roof
- Small EMD style snowplow
LLPX FEATURES:
- Sinclair antenna
- UP-style flat-top plow
- Etched side mirrors
- K3LA horn on long hood
- Front and rear ditch lights
Product Specs
Axles
Coupler Style
DCC
Era
Full Road Name
Lighting
Minimum Radius
Prototype Manufacturer
Reporting Mark
Scale
Sound
Sub Brand
Wheel Configuration