EMD MP15DC DIESEL LOCOMOTIVE - ATLAS MASTER LINE GOLD DCC/Sound
Brief history.
This new EMD MP15DC switcher/road-switcher diesel locomotive followed the similar SW1500 and was very similar in external design. The only differences were the 1.600 gallon fuel tank and the Blomberg B-trucKs type. All locomotives were equipped with the engine V12 EMD 12-645E, capable of 1500 hp, with a tractive effort of 62.000 lb and a maximum speed of 65 Mph. Built between 1974-1980, over 40 american railroads bought the MP15s, among which the main buyers were the Southern Railway with 88 units, the Missouri Pacific Railroad with 62 engines and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad with 25 brand new locomotives. The Multi-Purpose MP15 diesel switcher series were available in two versions: the first produced was the MP15DC equipped with a DC generator, the second was the MP15AC variant where the DC generator was replaced by an advanced alternating current AC drive system. Later, the MP15T model was offered from 1984 with a turbocharged eight-cylinder prime mover for better fuel economy. Overall, the series sold relatively well (a total of 471 units were produced), and many MP15s remain in service today on railroads large and small.
Specifications / Technical data
Builder: Electro Motive Division
Wheels: B-B
Gauge: 4 ft 8,5 in
Loco weight: 248,000 lb (112,493 kg)
Lenght: 14,80 meters
Engine power: Diesel
Prime mover: EMD 12-645E V12
Horsepower: 1.500 Hp
Speed: 65 mph (115 km/h)
Build date: 1974-1980
Units built: 471 (230 MP15ACs)
EMD MP15DC Conrail #9623 (ex-Reading 2773) c/n 74641-3, pictured in 1988 at Shiremanstown Yard, PA (Conrail Photo Archive copyright).
EMD MP15DC Union Pacific UPY #1338 c/n 73678-4 (photo taken on the web, unknown details).
Conrail number #9624.
In 1974, the Reading Company leased 10 MP15DCs from EMD, then passed to Conrail for the 9621-9630 series. They were all returned to the manufacturer at the end of the lease, although they proved to be versatile and reliable road-switchers. Unit number CR-9624 was the Reading #2774 used by Conrail with its original former RDG green color until the last months of 1980. It received the first CR stencils already in the autumn of 1976. It was repainted in Conrail classic blue livery in early 1981. All MP15dcs used by Reading and Conrail are based at Reading, PA, and they served on Atlantic Region lines in Pennsylvania.
EMD MP15DC Conrail #9624 data
Road Number: 9624
Type: B-B diesel locomotive
Builder: EMD
Built: 12/1974
CN: 74641-4
Disposition: =
Previous owner: Reading
Remarks: ex RDG-2779
Assignment: =
Units in CR roster: 10
EMD MP15DC Conrail #9624 portraied at Reading, PA, on 1st December 1978 (Bill Paris copyright)
The ATLAS MASTER LINE GOLD MP15DC of PRRHO.com.
PRRHO.com purchased in May 2023, from an American web retailer, a model of ATLAS Master Line Gold series (item 10003874) equipped with an ESU Loksound sound decoder. The HO scale replica immediately shows its excellent quality, as soon as you open the box and take it out of its packaging (the usual Atlas type for the Master Line Gold series). As the basis for the Conrail unit selected for the Conrail Early Years 1976-1978 project, obviously PRRHO.com chose a Reading Lines locomotive in the original green color number #2773 (in reality, CR 9624 was MP15DC number # 2774).
As already mentioned, with the Master Line series Atlas produces excellent replicas of diesel locomotives in HO scale. But again as usual, these Atlas productions lack important details. We want to mention just a pair about the same component: the pipes of the sandbox system and the brake chains ... on the trucks.
Another part that appears to be different from the original prototype is about the pneumatic horns, with double chimes horn in the Atlas model but in reality it was a single chime horn (type unknown, only for the Reading units). The two diesel fuel tanks are also leaking some pipes. Furthermore, differences are also showed in the design of the cab, with the body thickness between the roof and the side windows slightly narrower watching the real prototype. Finally, omitted here and there on the carbody, some hook rings and the couplers should be replaced with more realistic types (such as Kadee Metal Whiskers).
Processing for Conrail unit #9629.
With the premises of the description made above, it is understood how important the work to be done is to have our CR-9624.