EMD (Electro Motive Diesel) Inc. has been producing commercial railroad locomotives since early 1920s. The company passed through the hands of various owners including GM after which it was purchased by Progress Rail Services Corporation, a subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc. Please visit our link for a short list of locomotives for sale.

EMD produced SW (Switcher) model locomotives from 1935 to 1960, covering a period of 25 years. A switcher is a special type of locomotive that is employed in picking up and delivering railcars outside of a railroad yard. Here we will look at some of the most popular SW model locomotives produced by the company.

1.      EMD SW1

EMD SW1 was produced from 1939 to 1953, a period of 14 years during the WWII. The engine was rated at 600 hp or 447 kW. A total of 661 SW1 locomotives were sold by the company.

2.      EMD SW7

EMD SW7 was in production from 1949 to 1951 during which around 489 vehicles were sold. The engine was rated at 1,200 hp or 895 kW.

3.      EMD SW8

EMD SW8 is another popular switcher model locomotive produced by the company. SW8 was in production from 1950 to 1954. The engine was rated at 800 hp or 600W. A total of 306 SW8s were sold by the company.

4.      EMD SW9

SW9 was in production from 1950 to 1953. The company sold around 815 SW9 vehicles that was rated at 1,200 hp or 890 kW.

5.      EMD SW600

EMD SW600 was a popular switcher locomotive built between 1954 to 1962. The company produced just 15 vehicles during the eight years period. It was powered by a 600 hp engine rated at 447kW.

6.      EMD SW900

EMD SW900 vehicle was powered by a 900 hp engine with rating of 670 kW. The company manufactured around 371 SW900 from 1954 till 1969,.

7.      EMD SW1000

EMD SW1000 produced from 1966 to 1972. The company manufactured around 119 vehicles during this period. Engine rating of SW1000 was 1,000 hp or 750kW.

8.      EMD SW1001

EMD SW1001 is another popular switcher locomotive. The company sold around 174 vehicles during 1968 to 1986. Engine of the vehicle was rated at 1,000 hp or 750 kW.

9.      EMD SW1200

EMD SW1200 was mass produced from 1954 to 1966. The company was able to sell around 1,056 vehicles during this period. Engine rating of the vehicle is 1,200 hp or 890 kW.

10. EMD SW1500

EMD SW1500 was in production from 1966 to 1974. During this period the company was able to sell 808 vehicles. The prime mover of the vehicle was EMD 12-645E while AAR wheel alignment was B-B.

11. EMD SW1504

Last in our list is EMD SW1504 that was manufactured in one year only i.e. 1973. The company sold just around 60 vehicles during this period. The vehicle was powered by 1,500 hp (1,100kW) engine.

EMD produced around 7028 switcher locomotives starting from 1935 when it was known as EMC (Electro-Motive Corporation). The last SW model switcher vehicle was produced in 1960 after which the company discontinued the series.