Built for heavy mountain railroading, the Alco RSD-5 was a natural fit for the Utah Railway, a road famous for its steep grades, coal traffic, and rugged operations in the canyons and plateaus of eastern Utah. With six powered axles, 1,600 HP, and classic Alco muscle, the RSD-5s spent their careers lugging tonnage over demanding territory where adhesion and low-speed tractive effort mattered more than pure speed.
On the Utah Railway, the RSD-5s were used in coal train service, helpers, and general freight, often working in multiple-unit lashups with other Alcos and EMD power. Their purposeful look, hardworking reputation, and association with heavy western coal make them a favorite among diesel aficionados and mountain railroad modelers.
Now, Sunset Models / 3rd Rail brings the Utah Railway RSD-5 to O Scale as part of its first non-brass RSD-5 project, using a precision ABS shell, die-cast chassis, and fine brass detail parts to deliver true museum-quality presence and performance.
Road Numbers Offered – Utah Railway
Prototypical Utah Railway RSD-5 road numbers:
Utah Railway 306
Utah Railway 307
Utah Railway 308
These units represent Utah’s fleet of Alco six-axle road switchers assigned to heavy coal and freight service.
Model Features
• First-Ever Non-Brass O Scale RSD-5 in Utah Railway Paint
• Precision ABS Plastic Shell with Die-Cast Metal Chassis
• Fine Brass Detail Parts — grab irons, handrails, pilot hardware, radiator grilles, and rooftop fittings
• Road-Specific Utah Railway Details — correct horn placement, light packages, number style, and appliance arrangements based on prototype photos
• Powerful Can Motor Drive for smooth, quiet, heavy-train performance
• 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 and 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.
Mountain Coal Power, Finally done "A Cut Above" in O Scale
The Utah Railway RSD-5s embody everything modelers love about western mountain railroading: heavy trains, steep grades, rugged scenery, and hardworking second-generation diesels. Despite their appeal, they’ve never been broadly available in O Scale outside of brass in scale proportions.
With this release, Sunset Models / 3rd Rail puts Utah’s Alco muscle within reach of more modelers than ever — without compromising on detail, accuracy, or performance.
Reserve your Utah Railway RSD-5 today and add authentic, mountain-grade Alco power to your O Scale roster.
Minimum 20 of are required to be reserved to be made.
Photo courtesy of locomotivewiki.com
