Kato produced this HO scale unit on a limited-run basis many years ago. I picked it up in Chicago in 2002. It performs beautifully, and, as the CPR sidelines these relatively young units, I am happy to have an unexpected collector's item.
The prototypes of these units were produced by EMD in London, Ontario. They were intended to be "upgradable" by the railway. However, reliability problems led these units to be stored as "surge power" and also curtailed any further EMD purchases by the Canadian Pacific.
The model came well painted and detailed. Having said that, Kato chose to mount the ditch lights on the pilot face. This is incorrect for ANY SD90/43. I replaced them with Details West deck-mounted style ditch lights. Among other upgrades were Details West plough, M.U. and train-line hoses. Hand-formed truck sand lines decorate the sideframes. Lastly, a Miniatures by Eric horn sits atop the long hood.
