From February 1939 through December 1949, the General Motors Electro-Motive Division built 1,145 EMD NW2 1,000 horsepower switcher locomotives. The NW2 was widely popular, with more than fifty Class 1 railroads purchasing more than 1,100 NW2's. They were also popular with industries, and several were purchased by the US Navy. The NW2's were EMD's new 12-cylinder, 567A prime mover. The NW2 was 44 feet long and equipped with the standard B-B truck arrangement. Typical distinguishing features of the NW2 switchers include two stacks in the middle of the hood, a half-height radiator grill on the front, no sand box on the front platform, no small louvers at the front corners, and the tops of the front cab windows are curved to match the curve of the roof. Our model is of the phase V locomotives. The main difference between the Phase V and the Phase 1-4 NW2's is the slope of the long hood just ahead of the cab.
