Description
The EMD SD70MAC was the first AC-traction six-axle road locomotive built in volume, and through the 1990s and 2000s it defined modern heavy freight power across North America. A 16-cylinder 710 prime mover produced 4,000 hp (later 4,300 hp), and AC traction motors gave the locomotive the slow-speed pulling power required for unit coal and intermodal work. Burlington Northern and then BNSF became the dominant operator with over 780 units; CSX rostered 220 (130 with flared radiators), TFM/KCS took 75, and Alaska Railroad bought 32 — a dozen of which received HEP for combined freight and passenger duty. By the 2010s, rebuild programs brought the fleet into Tier-1 compliance, and Metra rebuilt 42 with HEP, microprocessors and 80-mph gearing for commuter service.
Rapido's N scale SD70MAC delivers all of this variety in 1:160. The model is built on Rapido's modern N scale six-axle chassis with full road-specific details: late-production Tier-1 units, multiple nose and cab variations (nose light, high headlight, Gyralite), railroad and era-appropriate PTC antennas, working headlights, ditchlights, and extra lighting. Metra units include a Gyralite, marker light, and emergency light, plus HEP rebuild details, end buffers and more. CSX, KCS and BNSF rebuild variations are modeled with a raised DB hatch where prototypical. Alaska Railroad units feature their unique HEP power-component shell details. Flared-radiator variants are included.
Each scheme is offered in DC/Silent (DCC ready) and Dual-Mode DC/DCC/Sound configurations, the latter with an ESU LokSound 5 Nano decoder. Pre-orders require a 25% deposit; balance is collected when stock arrives at the store.
This unit: Metra - Light Blue/Black: #523 — DC/Silent
- Late-production Tier-1 SD70MAC units — first time in N scale plastic
- Multiple nose, cab and roof variations including Gyralite, high headlight and nose light
- Railroad and era-appropriate PTC antennas; raised dynamic-brake hatch on CSX/KCS/BNSF rebuild variants
- Metra rebuild details: Gyralite, marker light, emergency light, HEP and end buffers
- Alaska Railroad-specific HEP power-component shell details
- DC/Silent (DCC ready) or Dual-Mode DC/DCC/Sound with ESU LokSound 5 Nano
- Working headlights, ditch lights and class/marker lights
📦 Preorder details:
Expected ship date: see the Rapido Product Delivery Schedule for the latest dates
25% deposit required at checkout, balance charged when product ships.
Preorder cancellation: 7 days from order date; deposit non-refundable after that.
Browse more from Rapido Trains and our N scale collection, or see all preorders. Ships from Oakville, Ontario. Contact us for special orders.