The Alco RSD-5 was a rugged, six-motor road switcher that found its niche on the Southern Pacific hauling heavy freights, working mountain grades, and serving in demanding helper service across the West. Introduced in the early 1950s, these locomotives were known for their low-speed pulling power and signature Alco sound — qualities that made them indispensable on SP’s vast system.
Southern Pacific’s RSD-5 fleet is also remembered for wearing some of the most distinctive paint schemes in the railroad’s diesel era. From early warning stripes to experimental palettes and the enduring “Bloody Nose,” SP’s RSD-5s charted the evolution of Southern Pacific’s diesel identity.
Now, Sunset Models / 3rd Rail proudly presents the first-ever non-brass O Scale RSD-5, available in both 2-Rail and 3-Rail. With a precision ABS shell, die-cast metal chassis, and fine brass detail parts, this model delivers museum-quality fidelity at a price and durability level never before available for this locomotive in O Scale.
Paint Schemes & Road Numbers Offered
Tiger Stripe (1950s)
A high-visibility safety scheme used during early dieselization, featuring bold orange stripes over gray — iconic and unmistakably Southern Pacific.
#5337
#5338
Black Widow
The dramatic black-and-red livery that defined SP’s late-steam and early-diesel era, striking and highly sought after by modelers.
#5338
#5339
Bloody Nose (Scarlet & Gray)
The long-lived standard SP freight scheme featuring a scarlet nose and gray body — the railroad’s signature look through the 1960s–1980s.
#2884
#5507
Halloween
A rare orange-and-black experimental/transition scheme applied to select units — one of the most unique SP looks ever worn by an RSD-5.
#5495
#5502
Model Features
• First-Ever Non-Brass O Scale RSD-5 Available in Both 2R & 3R
• Precision ABS Plastic Shell with Die-Cast Metal Chassis
• Fine Brass Detail Parts — grilles, handrails, pilot details, MU cables, and rooftop fittings
• Road-Specific Southern Pacific Details — correct pilots, horn placements, light packages, hood variations, and accurate paint layouts per scheme
• Powerful Can Motor Drive for strong, quiet operation
• All-Wheel Drive and Electrical Pickup
• Advanced electronics: 3R ERR Cruise/TMCC/Railsounds compatible with TMCC/Legacy/DCS, 3R Conventional for your choice of sound, and 2R ESU Loksound 5.0. Blunami is available as well
• LED Lighting Suite — headlights & number boards
• ERR Cruise is compatible with Legacy, DCS, TMCC, and Conventional control systems, Blunami is not and indepently operated through the iPhone or Andriod Apps.
Smoke is not available in 3R versions due to space constraints.
A First in O Scale — Southern Pacific’s RSD-5 in Museum-Quality Form
From Tiger Stripe to Black Widow, Bloody Nose to Halloween, the Southern Pacific RSD-5 represents some of the railroad’s most iconic diesel transitions. With this release, Sunset Models / 3rd Rail brings the RSD-5 to O Scale plastic for the very first time, with accuracy and presence previously achievable only through brass imports.
Reserve your Southern Pacific RSD-5 today and add a one-of-a-kind diesel legend to your O Scale fleet — now available to more modelers than ever before.
Minimum 15 of each paint scheme are required to be reserved to be made.
Photos courtesy of brasstrains.com
