I recently bought a pair of HO scale Athearn SD60’s and that prompted me to pull out and inspect my two Proto 2000 SD60’s. I acquired the P2K units a while back but after reading a review about dimensional discrepancies in the shell, I set them aside. Upon acquiring the Athearn units, I decided to compare the two shells and share my findings. The last “big” power painted in a pure SOO LINE scheme was the EMD SD60/SD60M. The SOO received three orders of 21 SD60’s for a total of 63 units. The third and last order came painted in the SOO’s Candy Apple Red scheme. The last five in this order, (6058 through 6062) were SD60M’s. There are still some of SD60’s running about system wide but some of the earlier ones have moved on to other railroads. Order One (6000 through 6020): purchased in August 1987 Beacons are on their own fabricated stand on the (engineers side) cab roof. Antennas are mounted on the forward two-thirds of the cab roof on the centerline of the cab. These units were painted in the traditional SOO red and white. Order Two (6021 through 6041): received by March 1989. Beacons were placed centered on the cab, mounted just above the number boards. Antennas are on the centerline of the cab, mounted two-thirds of the way back. These units were painted in the traditional SOO red and white. Order Three (6042 through 6057): received by October 1989. Beacons were placed centered on the cab, mounted just above the number boards. Antennas are on the centerline of the cab, mounted two-thirds of the way back. The last five locomotives in this order were SD60M’s. The SD60M’s sported an early version of the SD60M cab. These had three pane windshields that had the glass angled at 90 degrees. Later SD60M’s had two windows that were set at a lesser angle. Candy Apple paint scheme. SD60M beacons were centered on the cab roof, mounted about two-thirds of the way towards the back of the cab. The SD60M firecracker antenna was mounted on the rear quarter of the cab. These locomotives were delivered in the SOO’s “Candy Apple Red” paint scheme. Standard SOO LINE SD60 details: “All-weather” window on Engineers side Sunshade on the conductor’s side Winterization hatch over the forward radiator fan. Beacon/Strobe installed “Firecracker” type of antenna on cab roof. E.O.T. antennas on the cab roof. Dual fuel fillers on each side, placed toward the forward end of the fuel tank. SOO SD60’s received ditch lights very soon after they were delivered. However, I do have some photos taken in the fall of 1989 that show an SD60M without ditch lights. I would guess that they all had ditch lights by sometime in 1990. 3 Chime horn Snowplow with red safety stripes on each upper corner. Aluminum kick plates mounted above the step on each side of the cab (front only). Non-skid coating was applied on all walkways, giving the appearance of black paint. Class Lights were applied (front and back). Some were removed later. Both Athearn and P2K have produced SD60’s. However there are some cosmetic and mechanical differences between them. Both shells are well done with a plethora of details applied. Here are some of the details that both units have: Walkway tread See through fans with blades. See through grills for the dynamic brake fan intakes. Both also have a rounded piece supposed to represent the Dynamic brake fan body (as seen through the grills). Grab irons Scale handrails Cab wind-deflectors (My Athearn unit has the holes drilled for them and they are shown in the parts list but they were not included with the unit. I emailed Athearn about it and was told that the units were not supplied with wind deflectors or sunshades). Sunshade (My Athearn unit listed a sunshade in the parts list but one was not included with it). Crisp detailing on the shells The P2K unit: This has a large weight running the full length of the chassis. The standard P2K “Athearn look-alike” drive is present. For some reason the gearing in the power trucks were changed significantly. The unit runs very smoothly and is extremely quiet. Low speed performance is exceptional. However, the top speed is pretty low and one side effect would be that the unit would most likely not run well with any other manufacturers locomotives. With DCC it might be able to program the unit so it will match a unit of another brand for a particular throttle setting. With DC, however, this won’t be possible. On a DC layout, the unit will only run well with another P2K SD60. However, they promise to have an incredible amount of tractive effort. With these units I should be able to out-pull almost any other manufacturers offering. Cosmetically, the detail is good and the dimensions seem correct. When the P2K units first came out, there was a lot of concern that the nose on the P2K unit was not of the proper length. I measured the length of the nose from the cab to the tip of the nose and it works out a tad bit short. There is a bevel at the front edge of the nose and if you don’t count that, you get a measurement of 84 inches. I put a straight edge along the very tip of the nose and then I measured from there. This time I came up with 88 inches. The unit should have an 88-inch nose. I pulled out the Nov. ’89 issue of RMC and measured the HO scale drawing in there. From the cab window to the top edge of the nose is exactly 84 inches. If you go to the outside front edge of the nose you will measure 88 inches. So if nothing else P2K faithfully followed the RMC drawings. I do see a couple of discrepancies; the step guard on this unit goes all the way to the edge of the steps. The raised panels simulating the hand brake area are wider than they should be. This does give the appearance of a shorter nose. My P2k units were undecorated so I can’t comment on the paintjob. Holes are predrilled for the grabs and lift rings. The couplers as well as two screws hold on the body. The fuel tank is plastic and held on to the frame with a press fit and double stick tape. Ditch lights are included (two on the back and two on the front) but are not lit. There are two HO scale people sitting on seats in the cab. Uncoupling levers, m.u. hoses and a bell are supplied. All steps are drilled out and are see-through. A drill template is supplied to facilitate the drilling of holes for the mounting of detail parts. The units are DCC ready. The Athearn unit: These came assembled and painted. Grab irons were installed but there are no lift rings installed. The holes would have to be drilled for these. An under-frame bell is installed. The standard Athearn motor and flywheels are present. The drive shafts incorporate the newer “hex-drive” hardware. The units started out with a lot of noise but quieted down the more they were run. The fuel tank is plastic and is a press fit on the shell. The paint is excellent. It is especially hard to lay a smooth thin coat of white but Athearn did an exceptional job of it. The line between the red and white is crisp and the lettering is sharp. The unit also comes with the number-boards already lettered. The back steps behind the engineer’s side of the cab are see-through and very nicely done. So is the front step up to the cab. The pilots are devoid of detail and no hoses are included. I like the Athearn “knuckle-buster” latches a little bit better than the ones on the P2K doors but this might just be prejudice on my part. The step guard and hand brake area seem closer in appearance to the RMC drawings. The units are DCC ready. Holes were drilled for The shell rattled against the chassis at speed but some masking tape applied to the top of the frame should take care of that. Conclusions: Once painted and set on the layout there will be very little to distinguish the two different units. If I add lift rings to the Athearn unit, I will be hard pressed to tell the difference between them unless I pick them up. The Athearn units are definitely lighter but the lack of the P2K weight in that body will allow for easy installation of a decoder and/or sound. The P2K unit will have to have part of the weight cut away before a sound unit can be mounted in there. Neither unit comes supplied with an all weather window but after-market parts are readily available. Both shells have crisp details With out a doubt, the P2K drive train is smoother and quieter. With a little break in, the Athearn drive will not make as much noise as it does now. After a little detaiIing, I look forward to putting both sets of units into revenue service. *photos are credited at the bottom of each image Model photos to follow......
A tale of two sixties: part II The painted locomotive is the Athearn unit. As you can see, the two shells are almost identical. Details are missing from the P2K unit because I have not installed them all yet. Athearn did a great job painting the dynamic brake grill. It is going to be a very tough act to follow. The separations between the various colors is very well done and hard to duplicate The winterisation hatch screen on the P2K unit is coarser but the unit was molded several years before Athearns. It could always be cut out and substituted with an etched screen. I just placed the hatch on the P2K unit, which would account for it being off center in the photo below. more to follow.....
A Tale of Two Sixties: Part III The black paint on the Athearn unit tends to accentuate the diamond tread. Its there on the P2K unit too, its just that there is a lack of contrast in the photo that renders it almost invisible. The see-through steps on the P2k unit are nice! Not as nice as etched brass ones but it saves a lot of work. These will be units that I run regularly and I will have to transport them to the club twice a week. I'm going to try and avoid an excess of detail as moving them around is hard on delicate details.The P2K diamond tread is as good as Athearn's. It just hard to see in these photos. Blame my photography techniques. More to follow......
A Tale of Two Sixties: Part IV Like I said in the review, the detailing is close on both units. One unit is a little better in the crispness of one part and the other is a little better in another part. Notice the cab vent on the Athearn unit; it is in the correct location for a SOO locomotive. The P2K vent will have to be scraped off and relocated. Doors and handrails are well done on both units. Overall its hard to pick which one is the better shell. Once the units are weathered, there won't be much difference.
A Tale of Two Sixties: Part V P2K did make these available in SOO livery so don't get put off by the undecorated unit. P2K also made a three window version of the SD60M (in SOO) which Athearn will most likely not offer. You can still see them on eBay once in a while. That's all Folks!
Wow, wat a comparo! Seems both units are nicely appointed. I did a set of 4 P2K SD50's in D&RGW for a club member back in '05. The details were a bit of a pain!
Interesting. I just caught three of these units on an Indiana RR train last saturday, still in Soo Line paint. Mikado
Hello Mikado, Indiana Railroad did a very nice job of blending their logo onto the SOO paint scheme. That would be an interesting railroad to model. Street running, coal, grain, tanks, etc.
