Monon Legacy SD70ACE #1847 (Heritage)
| Item # | 2133371 |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Lionel |
| Loco Type | EMD SD70ACe |
| Wheel Arr. | C-C |
| Proto. Manufacturer | Electro-Motive Division (EMD) |
| Loco Category | Diesel Locomotives |
| Road Name | Monon Railroad |
| Road Number | 1847 |
| Prototype Era | 1999-present |
| Catalog Year | 2021 |
| Catalog Season | Big Book |
| Product Line | Legacy |
| Features | |
| Scale | Scale |
| Min. Curve | O36 |
| Run Type | Built to Order |
| MSRP | $599.99 |
| Notes | |
| UP Heritage fantasy scheme; Monon fallen flag; 5 selectable horns; 19" length; [2021 V1 catalog] | |
| Control Systems | |
| Bluetooth | ● |
|---|---|
| Legacy Control System | ● |
| TMCC | ● |
| LC Universal Remote | ● |
| LC Individual Remote | |
| Conventional | ● |
| Features | |
| Sound | ● |
| Smoke Unit | ● |
| Odyssey Speed Control | ● |
| ElectroCoupler | ● |
The EMD SD70ACe is a 4,300-horsepower C-C AC traction road switcher introduced in 2004 as EMD's Tier 2 emissions-compliant high-horsepower locomotive — the successor to the SD70MAC designed to meet EPA emissions standards that took effect in the mid-2000s. The 710G3C-T2 prime mover produces 4,300 horsepower, a 300-horsepower increase over the SD70MAC, while meeting the stricter exhaust emissions limits that the EPA imposed on new locomotive production. The AC traction motors retained from the SD70MAC provide the adhesion advantages that made that model particularly effective in heavy coal and bulk commodity service, and the SD70ACe has been ordered extensively for those same applications.
Union Pacific and BNSF have been the primary customers for the SD70ACe, acquiring large fleets for their heavy freight operations. The locomotive's wide safety cab, high-mounted headlight, and clean lines give it the contemporary appearance characteristic of current production American freight locomotives. The SD70ACe represents the current EMD high-horsepower platform and remains in production, making it one of the most common new freight locomotives entering service on American Class I railroads today. In O Gauge, the SD70ACe is a subject for contemporary layout modeling, representing the current generation of high-horsepower AC traction freight power on the major western railroads.
The Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway — universally known as the Monon, a name derived from a small Indiana town on its main line — was Indiana's home railroad, operating a system of routes through the Hoosier State connecting Chicago with Indianapolis, Louisville, and the college towns and agricultural communities of central and southern Indiana. Organized in its consolidated form in 1897, the Monon served a territory defined by Indiana's agricultural production, limestone quarrying, and the modest industrial base of its smaller cities, and it developed a strong regional identity closely tied to Indiana's self-image as a place where the Midwest's rural and small-town character was most fully expressed.
The Monon was transformed in the 1940s and 1950s under the management of John Barriger, one of the most celebrated railroad turnaround managers in American history, who applied his philosophy of aggressive track investment and operating efficiency to produce a railroad that punched well above its Class II weight in service quality and financial performance. Barriger's influence gave the Monon a modern fleet that included Fairbanks-Morse H15-44 diesels and Alco C-420s alongside standard EMD switchers, and the railroad emerged as a model of efficient regional operation. The Monon was merged into the Louisville and Nashville in 1971.
The Monon's red and gray paint scheme — clean and purposeful, applied to a compact and well-run fleet — gives it a distinctive Indiana identity on a layout, and the railroad's association with the John Barriger management tradition makes it of particular interest to modelers who follow the business history of American railroading alongside its operational story. The Monon's Indiana setting and its unusual FM diesel fleet give it a regional specificity that rewards modelers focused on the Midwestern prototype scene beyond the major trunk lines.
Modeling Significance & Notes[edit | edit source]
The 2021 Legacy EMD SD70ACe is a Scale fifteen-product release built to Legacy Control System standards with Bluetooth, five selectable horns, fan-driven smoke, front and rear ElectroCouplers, and die-cast construction at 19 inches overall length on O-36 curves — all products in Union Pacific Heritage Series fantasy schemes honoring predecessor and fallen flag railroads including the ATSF, ACL, B&O, B&M, CP, Great Northern, KCS, and Monon Railroad, with multiple road number variants.
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