Artwork from Greg Palumbo collection |
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When Electro-Motive Division of GMC was ready to introduce a new heavy-duty freight locomotive
to the industry press and public, the LaGrange, Illinois-builder would consistently call on the
talents of noted artist Tom Fawell. This month a cross-section of his six & eight-axle locomotive
illustrations is presented.
DD35 -- Months before a single six-axle, high-horsepower road-switcher left the
Electro-Motive Division plant in southwest Chicago, the locomotive builder had fielded a 10,000-hp
demonstrator set. The centerpiece was an eight-axle, double-engine cab-less unit built to deliver
5000 horspower to the railhead. Driven by two EMD V16-567 prime movers, the model was a direct
response to challenge from Union Pacific for more horsepower under the hood. The cab-less feature
also meant a lower production and maintenance costs. The only buyers were the UP at 15 units and
Southern Pacific which opted for three of the giants. Sufficiently impressed UP returned to EMD for
an additional 15 units, but equipped with a standard cab. | ||
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SD35 -- In June 1964, EMD released a lone
SD35 demonstrator #7715 which was later sold to The Atlantic Coast Line as #1000. The event
was not appreciated nor fully understood at the time, but it was a harbinger of things to come.
Within approximatelytwo decades, the sales of new six-axle high horsepower EMDs surpassed
four-axle counterparts by nearly two to one. Fawell's artwork was an important component of
marketing the strength, durabilty and reliability of both the V-567 line of locomotives, as
well as the V-645 replacements. |
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SDP35 -- When the Seaboard Air Line was
ready to purchase new power for its few remaining passenger trains, EMD was no longer offering
E-units, but it did have an alternative -- an elongated, six-axle freight-motor equipped with
a steam generator. The new model's flexibility and highly respected 567 powerplant appealed to
the Class 1 carrier which opted to buy twenty of the road units. In this artwork, Fawell
portrays the railroad's north and southbound "Silver Meteors."" |
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SD40 -- As evident by this illustration,
Fawell customarily employed strong contrasting background colors to highlight the customer's
designated paint scheme. This artwork also reflects Missouri Pacific's preference for locomotives
sans dynamic braking. MP managers did not feel the railroad's geographic] profile warranted
the cost of d/b equipped SD40s. |
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SD45 -- At the time, the 20-cylinder SD45
was the most powerful single-engine lococmotive in the EMD catalog. In this Fawell artwork,
he depicts a 10800-hp consist rolling a manifest along the Clark Fork River in Montana. He also
seemed to intentionally exaggerate the size of the flared radiator grill which was the hallmark
of the 3600-hp SD45. |
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SD40-2 -- For decades, coal was at the top
of the Louisville & Nashville railroad's diverse traffic base, and Fawell made the point plainly
evident in the adjacent artwork. A huge wall of "black diamonds" dominates the background while
a pair of new SD40-2s drag hoopers passed one of the many coal chutes that border the railroad's
numerous branch lines. |
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SD45T-2 "Tunnel Motors" -- Southern Pacific's
right-of-ways, tested its diesel locomotives to the fullest, tough winding grades with tunnels
that typically deprived diesel engines of fresh air. Hence, Fawell used lots of black color to
portray a train breaking free of the darkness. The scene also reflects EMD's willingness to
listen to clients and help overcome operating constrains. |
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| New: 1 February 2026 | ||