MTH ELECTRIC TRAINS

Cataloged from 1954 through 1966, the SW1200 was the immediate successor to Electro-Motive’s SW9 switcher featured elsewhere in this catalog. Externally, the SW1200 was nearly identical to its older sibling. It also delivered the same 1200 horsepower from a Roots-blower-equipped V-12 model 567 diesel — so named because each cylinder displaced 567 cubic inches, more than an entire Corvette V-8. The SW1200, however, featured the latest generation 567C, with upgrades to the crankcase and cooling system. The 567C would prove to be the last hurrah of the motor that had powered almost the entire first generation of EMD diesels, as the model 645 motor would debut in 1966.

Like the SW9, the rugged SW1200 would prove popular with railroads large and small. U.S. production totaled 737 units, and EMD’s Canadian division sold another 287 engines. Brazil, Chile, and the Panama Canal Railway rostered units overseas. Thanks to the legendary durability of the 567 motor, a number of SW1200s still haul freight and tourists on US and Canadian roads today.

For 2018, the SW1200 returns to the RailKing lineup in four prototypical short line schemes. Each delivers everything you need in a hard-working switcher.