ABOUT THE PROTOTYPE

EMD, famous for its successful production of quality locomotives, hit the target once again when the company introduced the SW1500 and its cousin the SW1000 on January 1, 1966. These locomotives were the latest in the SW line of switchers that had been tremendously popular since the mid-1930s. Under their hoods throbbed EMD’s new 645E prime mover; the SW1500 sported a 12-cylinder version that developed 1500 hp. The list of optional equipment for the SW1500 – which included a larger fuel tank, smoother-riding trucks, and ballasting to add weight – suggests that EMD expected the locomotive to be used as a true road switcher. Many railroads did just that.

The River Street Rambler was a SW1500 that served under both Southern and Norfolk Southern until 1999. Instead of a horn, Dixieland music warned River Street tourists and local Savannah residents of it’s presence on the way up and down River Street pulling it’s small train of freight multiple times a day to the facilities at Ft. Jackson.