Atlas Master HO 40003052 Gold Series ALCO RSD-4/5 DCC/ESU LokSound Chicago and North Western C&NW #1665

Atlas Master HO 40003052 Gold Series ALCO RSD-4/5 DCC/ESU LokSound Chicago and North Western C&NW #1665

Well over 1,300 RS-3 road-switcher locomotives were built by ALCO between 1950 and 1956. It can be considered one of the most successful four-axle diesel road-switchers ever produced by the builder. ALCO’s Canadian subsidiary, MLW, produced an additional 146 RS-3s in Canada. These 1,600hp locomotives were powered by an ALCO 244 V-12 engine which was complemented by rugged GE electrical components. The RS-3 was truly a versatile locomotive. It could be found in virtually every type of service from passenger and commuter runs to heavy-haul and local freight assignments. Original owners of the RS-3 tended to be in the eastern and central regions of the US, with heavier concentrations in the northeast and southeast.

During this same time-period, ALCO offered a six-axle road-switcher which was more commonly found in the west. The RSD-4/5 was externally very similar to the RS-3, having six-axle trucks as an obvious spotting feature. They produced the same 1,600hp as an RS-3, but offered increased tractive effort due to the use of a larger generator. Many RSD-4/5s were assigned to operate in mountainous territory, with varying degrees of success, on the Southern Pacific, Santa Fe and the Utah Railway.

Features:

• DCC/Sound version available with LokSound decoder
• Analog version includes an 8-pin or 21 pin socket for optional DCC install
• Improved tooling on turbo exhaust stack, including option of water cooled or air cooled turbo exhaust stack
• Separately applied handrails and stanchions, including separate drop step detail
• Factory installed AccuMate couplers
• Dual flywheel-equipped five-pole skewed armature motor for optimum performance at all speeds
• Metal grab irons
• Accurate painting and printing

New Features for DCC Gold Series

The LokSound Select Dual-Mode, 32 Mbit memory chip decoder offers 5th generation motor control, load compensation - using Back-EMF, Dynamic Drive Control - DDC, along with options to customize the sounds, and download new operational software using the ESU LokProgrammer

• Supports all DCC-programming modes
• Flexible mapping of function keys F0 to F28.
• A total of six DCC function outputs are available
• Follows all NMRA DCC standards and recommended practices.
• Sound Functionality
• Over 20 sound effects are available, including engine start-up and shutdown, prime mover sounds through all eight notches, bell, air horn, air compressor, dynamic brakes and more.
• There are 16 user-selectable horns, 2 user-selectable bells, and 2 user-selectable synchronized brake squeals.
• Manual and Automatic Notching modes with the ability to change modes ‘on the fly’ are provided for true realism.

Analog DC Operation:

Although the Gold Series model features an ESU dual mode decoder, for optimum performance, reliability and safety Lombard Hobbies recommends always running DCC units on a DCC system and DC units on DC system.