When I was a teenager in Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula, I saw a lot of Canadian National Railways switchers and if I could have only one locomotive model, I suspect SW1200s would be it. Fortunately, back in 2004 Overland Models imported a batch of terrific examples of these versatile diesels in HO scale.
When Overland announced these, I ordered two 7300-series SW1200RM models and a SWEEP. (I wrote about these in mid-March, after upgrading their decoders.) These were upgraded with components from EMD 645 prime movers.
Recently, I acquired two more Overland examples – 1300 series SW1200RS units, which were built with an EMD 567 under the hood. I’ve now installed decoders and dirtied them up a bit.
One thing I’m enjoying more than I thought I would is the difference in sound between the two prime movers. I put together a quick video to demonstrate:
This brings me joy.
While CNR SWs have now been offered in mass market plastic/diecast hybrids for HO scale modellers, I enjoy the Overland models – they’re smooth, quiet, and powerful, and have proven reliable over almost 20 years of service, including on The Peterboro Project.
I’m currently pondering how put these to best use. I have ideas about that – but I’m not ready to share them publicly…
The Model Railway Show 