36608 - Rapido Trains HO MLW RS-23 CP Rail: Action Red (5" Stripes): #8032 (DC/DCC/Sound)

The MLW S-13 and RS-23 locomotives are virtually identical from the frame up. In fact, they both used the same MLW-style switcher body and underframe of the previous S-11 and S-12 designs. Under the hood both used an ALCO 251c prime mover which generated 1,000hp. The major difference between the two versions was that the S-13 rode on “switching style” type A AAR trucks, while the RS-23 utilized road trucks (type B or lightweight truck).

British Columbia (formerly PGE) received the first MLW S-13s with an order of three, delivered in January 1959. Canadian National was the largest owner of S-13s, rostering 49 units with the first also arriving in 1959. Of these, 26 were assigned hump service in sets of three units. These were a variety of paint schemes for both BCR and CN before being retired or sold to short lines.

Canadian Pacific was the largest owner of the RS-23 locomotives with a total of 34 built between August and September of 1959. These were classified as “Diesel Road Switcher, 1,000hp” (DRS-10c). Initially assigned to Ontario, the RS-23s were reassigned to the Atlantic Region and Saskatchewan. It was not uncommon to see them working in sets of four or five units in northern Saskatchewan on branchline freights. Out in the Maritimes, the RS-23s could be seen in the same capacity, albeit in smaller sets of two to three units. As road switchers, CP's RS-23s often ran in multiple with larger 4-axle and 6-axle freight locomotives. During CP's motive power shortage in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the RS-23s worked hard in mainline freight duty. By the late-1990s, CP retired its fleet but many continue to survive on short lines throughout North America.

HO Scale S-13/RS-23 Locomotives Features:

• Heavy die-cast frame with many separate details
• Correct Canadian-style AAR (Type A or B) or MLW lightweight trucks
• Photo-etched radiator grilles
• Road-specific fuel tanks
• Traction motor details on trucks
• New thinwall cab design with complete interior lighting
• Prototypically correct tread patterns on walkways
• CN S-13s feature strobe "fink light" on roof where appropriate
• Metal grab irons
• Rapido’s innovative dead-straight metal handrails with plastic stanchions
• Rubber air and sanding lines
• MoPower capacitor system for uninterrupted DCC running
• DC/DCC ready or Dual-Mode DCC/Sound (Recorded from a real S-13!)
• Suggested minimum radius: 18”