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In this video, we will take a look at the new MKT SW1200 locomotives by WalthersProto.
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Hey guys, it’s time to look at an awesome new product.
I know we just had a run and review a few days ago with the Class One Model Works flatcars…now we have another one- that’s a great thing with so many new Katy products rolling out. Today we are taking a look at the new WalthersProto SW1200 switcher-which is being offered in several road names…ours of course being Missouri-Kansas-Texas.
A handful of numbers are included in this run…from the details to the paint to the operation-these things are beautiful.
This is the first Walthers locomotive I’ve had in about 15 years…just because they’ve not rolled out with anything I’ve needed. Everything on my engine roster is Athearn Genesis or Atlas…so this was going to be something new…playing catch up with a Walthers product…and I’m really liking what I’ve seen so far.
Honesty hour here…I never once saw an SW1200 working on the Sedalia subdivision- Katy usually kept these switchers around its big terminals- like Parsons, Kansas, and Kansas City, Saint Louis, - and down in Texas. I eventually plan on building the layout out to Saint Louis and/or Parsons, so I’ll have these switchers there- in the future. Until then- they will help kick cars here in Sedalia.
As for those operations…this is a really smooth running unit- especially at super slow speeds which you’ll need while doing switching. My units are the DCC versions…they come equipped with an ESU Loksound 5 decoder.
The LED headlights are nice and bright and the sound is fantastic.
This run represents some of Katy’s six SW1200s numbered one through six delivered during 1957 in red…they would have been repainted green and yellow in the 1970s. The Katy had two more of these 12-hundred horsepower SW1200s delivered in 1962…. For the most part, the units appeared the same externally as the sw9- which Katy had ten of on the roster.
Walther’s promotional material says these engines include newly-tooled details.
One thing that impresses me is this is not one size fits all units. Walthers paid a lot of attention to the little things with road-specific features…and included unique items found on Katy’s units, including:
MKT-style air filter boxes
Spark arrestors on the exhaust stacks
Dual-beam vertical headlight
Other nice details include…
Hood mounted bell
Sunshades and wind deflectors
Proper 600-gallon fuel tank and battery box
Firecracker-style radio antenna
Very nice handrails and grab irons
Finely detailed Footboard, drop steps, and mu hoses
A nice bonus- detailed cab with crew figures- a nice touch
The paint and lettering on these are very nice and crisp. As I mentioned in previous videos, we Katy modelers have had issues in the past with some manufacturers having shades of green that are off…but to my eye, this looks pretty good.
One thing that always stood out to me as cool about all of Katy’s switchers is the solid yellow upper portion on the cab and cab roof…the road units had the stripes going all the way up to the roofline and solid green roofs, or in the early green years, the yellow stripes continued up and across the roof. I always thought the extra yellow was a neat variation and gave the units a pretty bright appearance.
Whether painted up for Katy or whatever your favorite road is, I bet you’ll enjoy these WalthersProto SW1200s. They'll look right at home working your yards, industry tracks, or branch lines.
I just got back from the National Model Railroad Association National train show in Grapevine, Texas- I’ll have the highlights of that fantastic event in the next episode. Until then, all aboard, and all the best!
27 июл 2024
