Which Loco?

[nephthyr]

I'm modelling the Santa Fe in 1976 in Texas and want a nice zebra stripe loco for a yard switcher in HO scale. I dont like the high nose diesels like the GP7/9 and was thinking more along the lines of a S or N (NW2 or SW1200).

Would those look out of place in 1976? I am also leaning toward the new Walthers H-10-44 in zebra stripe with sound, but I suspect the Santa Fe retired its 3 H-10-44's long before the 70's? Which other manufacturers offer a switcher in zebra stripe scheme, preferably DCC ready?

 

[UP2CSX]

The zebra stripe scheme was long gone on any switcher by 1976. The last locomotive delivered in that scheme were on some SD-24's in 1960 and everything after that was blue and yellow. The Santa Fe started a very aggressive repaint program to get everything in blue and yellow about 1962, with the switchers being the last to get repainted. I can recall seeing one zebra stripe S-4 in San Bernardino yard in 1968 but never saw another one after that so I would guess that 1970 was the absolute latest date for any locomotive to still being the zebra stripe paint scheme.

NW-2's were mostly retired by 1976 and all the Baldwins were also long gone. The SW-9, 900, and SW SSB-1200's were the switchers still in common yard use but all in blue and yellow. There were still a few ALCO S-4's around but very few. The CH-7 program began in 1969 and they were becoming more common as yard switchers, replacing everything but SW SSB-1200's.

So, if I really wanted a zebra stripe unit and was worried about prototype accuracy, I'd have to move era back about 15 years. If you want to stay with 1976, I'd go with an SW SSB-1200 or a CF-7 in the yellowbonnet scheme.