The EMD SW1500 was an 1,500 hp (1,100 kW) diesel locomotive intended for switching service and built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between June 1966 and January 1974. 808 examples were constructed. It was closely related to the less powerful EMD SW1000 model, forming a line of switchers powered by the new EMD 645 engine. The SW1500 replaced the SW1200 in the EMD product line, and was in turn replaced by the MP15DC.

The SW1500 was a substantially bulkier locomotive than the SW1200, with a much bulkier frame, larger cab and bigger hood. In many respects it was approaching a road switcher in abilities. While the SW1500 came as standard with AAR switcher trucks, the majority of them were delivered with the optional Flexicoil trucks which permitted speeds up to 60 mph (100 km/h). The SW1500 was, in fact, often operated as a road-switcher for branchline service, and continues in this role today.

The very similar SW1504 was fundamentally a SW1500 mounted on Blomberg trucks, and was produced for the Mexican national railroad, Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México.

Original & Current Owners

Domestic (US/Canada) orders
Railroad	Quantity	Road numbers	Notes
Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi Railroad	1	150	Now on the Fordyce and Princeton Railroad
Alton and Southern Railway	18	1500-1517
Apalachicola Northern Railroad	8	712-719	#717 & 718 now on the Central Midland Ry in St Louis
Angelina and Neches River Railroad	1	1500
Algoma Steel	5	701-705
Alcoa Terminal Railroad	1	9
Burlington Northern Railroad	15	310-324	In service as BNSF 3456-3470
Belt Railway of Chicago	3	530-532
Cambria and Indiana Railroad	2	15, 16
Central California Traction	4	1501-1504	Ex Southern Pacific
Chattahoochee Valley Railway	1	100
Chicago Short Line Railroad	2	30, 31
General Motors Locomotive Group	9	106-114
Tennessee Eastman Corporation (Eastman Kodak)	1	1
Great Northern Railway	10	200-209	Most in service with BNSF
Georgia Power	5	1401-1405
Houston Belt and Terminal Railway	6	50-55
Howe Coal	2	1, 2	To Kansas City Southern
Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad	28	9200-9227
Inland Steel	7	119-125
Illinois Terminal Railroad	6	1510-1515
Indianapolis Union Railway	5	24, 26, 30-32
Jefferson Warrior Railroad	4	51-54
Kansas City Southern Railway	42	1500-1541	In service with KCS
Kentucky and Indiana Terminal Railroad	16	67-83
Lake Erie, Franklin and Clarion Railroad	2	23, 24
Lancaster and Chester Railway	2	95, 96	ex-Vermont Railway and Toledo, Peoria, and Western
Louisville and Nashville Railroad	30	5000-5029
Longview, Portland and Northern Railway	1	130
Metra	4	4-8
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago	1	4
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad	6	50-55
Minneapolis, Northfield and Southern Railway	2	36-37
Missouri Pacific Railroad	4	1518-1521
Mississippi Export Railroad	1	64
Minnesota Transfer Railway	7	300-306
New Jersey Transit	1	502	Originally 500-503, only a dying 502 remains, the other 3 were sold off
New Orleans Public Belt Railroad	3	151-153
Patapsco and Back Rivers Railroad	2	160, 161
Penn Central	84	9500-9583
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad	40	1534-1563, 9280-9289
Reading Railroad	21	2750-2770
Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad	9	1-8,91
Rock Island Line	10	940-949
Roscoe, Snyder and Pacific Railway	2	500,600
Sandersville Railroad	2	100,300
St. Louis San Francisco Railroad	38	315-352
Southern Railway	48	2300-2347
Southern Pacific Railroad	204	2450-2480, 2493-2510, 2523-2578, 2591-2689
St. Louis Southwestern Railroad	36	2481-2492,2511-2522, 2579-2590
St. Maries River Railroad	1	503
Terminal Railroad Alabama State Docks	2	681,682
Tennessee Copper	1	108
Toledo, Peoria and Western Railroad	4	303-306
Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis	17	1501-1517
Union Railroad	9	1-9
US Steel	6	949-954
Vermont Railway	1	501	Was sold to the Lancaster and Chester Railway.
Weirton Steel	19	300-318
Winifrede Railroad	1	13
Western Pacific Railroad	3	1501-1503
W.R. Grace	2	101, 102
Weyerhaeuser Timber Co.	2	306, 307
Export orders
Amapá Railway, Brazil	1	5

Specifications

Overall length:	44 ft 8 in	13.61 m
Between bolster centers:	22 ft 0 in	6.71 m
Truck wheelbase:	8 ft 0 in	2.44 m
Width over grabirons:	10 ft 0.125 in	3.05 m
Height above rails:	15 ft 0 in	4.57 m
Wheel diameter:	40 in	1.02 m
Fuel capacity:	600-1,100 US gal	2,300-4,200 L
Engine:	12-645E, V12 Roots-blown diesel
Power:	1,500 hp	1,100 kW
Main generator:	D32 generator
Traction motors:	4 × D77/78 DC
Standard gearing:	62:15
Weight:	248,000 lb	112,000 kg

References

• Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Kalmbach Publishing Co., Milwaukee, WI. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
• Hayden, Bob (Ed.) (1980). Model Railroader Cyclopedia-Volume 2: Diesel Locomotives. Kalmbach Books. ISBN 0-89024-547-9.
• GATX Rail Locomotive Group. SW1500 specification page. Retrieved on March 20, 2005.