my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

California's Railroad to the U.S. 1861 - 1996

D&RGW SD50

5501 - 5517

17 units delivered

These SD50's were originally a repeat order for 20 more SD40T-2's.
DRGW tested SD50's from both KCS and Seaboard, appraising them as better than the SD40T-2's, DRGW ordered 17 SD50's.

Delivered in 1984 to D&RGW, in Rio Grande paint, they were tacked onto the end of a CSX order, and so exhibit Chessie traits, ie. hood mounted bell and 'mail-slot' battery box doors.

These D&RGW locos entered the SP roster, when the D&RGW bought SP in 1988.

At some point in time ?, these units began to appear in the SP Merger Speed Lettering paint, keeping their original D&RGW numbers.

Prototype References:

• SP.....into the '90's by Joe.W.Shine.
• 1995 Southern Pacific Motive Power Annual by Bill Shippen.
• Southern Pacific Rails - a motive power finale by Peter Limas.