Help with the SW Series

Grain Baron · 03-08-2008, 08:38 AM

Help!

With all the upgrades and retrofits done on the SW's, I can not tell externally which is which. Part of it might be poor identification of train spotters who are mislabelling and making it hard to keep an SW9 from a SW1000 from a SW1500....

Any suggestions?

Squidbait · 03-08-2008, 12:34 PM

Buy a Diesel Spotter's Guide? One of the most-thumbed books in my collection. Following that is the Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide.

Or you could look here. It's not really a "spotter's guide", since it doesn't really address the different identification points, but it's a start.

With the SW series, the big differences are long hoods ( flat-topped notch on SW-1 and NW-2 (early)) # of stacks (1 on SW8 and SW600 &SW900) and cab type (more curved roof and arch-top windows on up to SW-1200, shallower curve and square windows on SW1000, 1001, and 1500).

Triplex · 03-08-2008, 07:34 PM

Unfortunately, switchers are my weakness when it comes to identification.

03-08-2008, 08:38 AM	#1
Grain Baron A newbie to MRR Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Canadian Prairies Posts: 14 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Help with the SW Series Help! With all the upgrades and retrofits done on the SW's, I can not tell externally which is which. Part of it might be poor identification of train spotters who are mislabelling and making it hard to keep an SW9 from a SW1000 from a SW1500.... Any suggestions? __________________ Grain Baron Collecting the earth's golden currency...

03-08-2008, 12:34 PM	#2
Squidbait Recovering ALCO-holic Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Paris, ON Posts: 1,291 Downloads: 1 Uploads: 0	Buy a Diesel Spotter's Guide? One of the most-thumbed books in my collection. Following that is the Contemporary Diesel Spotter's Guide. Or you could look here. It's not really a "spotter's guide", since it doesn't really address the different identification points, but it's a start. With the SW series, the big differences are long hoods ( flat-topped notch on SW-1 and NW-2 (early)) # of stacks (1 on SW8 and SW600 &SW900) and cab type (more curved roof and arch-top windows on up to SW-1200, shallower curve and square windows on SW1000, 1001, and 1500). __________________ Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. Last edited by Squidbait; 03-08-2008 at 12:39 PM..

03-08-2008, 07:34 PM	#3
Triplex Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 1,882 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Unfortunately, switchers are my weakness when it comes to identification. __________________ Fan of Conrail... also transition-era PRR, 70s Santa Fe, BN and SP, 70s-80s eastern CN, pre-merger-era UP, heavy electric operations in general, modern EFVM and Brazilian railroads in general... why bother trying to list them all?

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