McCloud River Railroad reviews:

Athearn's Second Run of Brown Scheme McCloud River SD38s



Twenty years ago, in January 2006, Athearn released its first run of the EMD SD38 in HO scale based around the old Rail Power Products shell. Athearn included models painted for the McCloud Railway in that first run, which was a welcome addition to the modeling world as they were essentially the first mass produced McCloud River locomotives ever offered in plastic. However, the models suffered from several problems, starting with that Athearn decided to paint the models in the brown scheme introduced in 1982, and then chose an almost pink shade of brown that seemed inspired by the damage done to the original paint schemes on the #36 and #37 by the Utah sun and a mild acid Union Pacific used in their wash racks during the time the pair spent on lease to that road in the later 1980s. The units also had some inaccuracies with their lettering and logos on a few of the models. However, they were still welcome additions to the McCloud modeling world.

In the two decades since Athearn has released several more runs of SD38s, two of which featured models painted in the far more popular orange and white scheme. Reviews of all of three of the previous runs can be found on this website. In late September 2023 Athearn announced plans for another run of SD38s that would include a second batch of McCloud River units painted in the brown scheme. Athearn did a lot of homework in developing this model and making sure the corrected the errors on the first run. The models arrived around the first of this year (2026) and are making their way to store shelves.

First off, these models are clearly a big step up from the first run of the brown scheme, Athearn is to be commended for the work they put into these models. The paint is crisp and clean, as are the lettering and numbers. The models appear detailed for how they appeared in the roughly 1982-1988 time frame, minus the giant plow that the #38 carried through the later part of that era. The models do come with extra drop steps and fuel tank piping as add-on details in parts bags, I have not installed those details on these models as of yet. The age of the basic tooling does show through in a few places, most notably in that the walkways are smooth instead of having the safety tread replicated as is becoming common on today's models, but that is not something easily corrected unless Athearn completely retools the model.

Now, on to some photos of the newly released fourth run of Athearn's McCloud River SD38s.


We'll start with a prototype photo of the #36 in McCloud on 2 May 1983 shot by Keith E. Ardinger.


One more prototype shot, this one by Steve Moore near Arkrite on 31 October 1984 that partially captures the roof details of the SD38s.


The front of the three models.


Rear view of the three models.


Top view of the models. Athearn committed the same error as Scale Trains did with their recent #39 models in that they placed the radio antennas in line behind the flashing beacon when they should have been placed to the right side of the cab roof. Athearn also used rotary beacons instead of the flashing strobe lights McCloud was using by the time they adopted this paint scheme, but these are minor errors.


Broadside of the left side of the locomotive. As with the second run of the orange and white scheme the fuel tank is centered on the frame whereas it should have been offset to the rear, but the location of the steel block anchoring the motor prevents Athearn from mounting the fuel tank anywhere other than where it is.


Broadside of the right side of the locomotive.


As with the first run Athearn correctly got the "Sidney E. Muma" lettering on the #36 in place of the road name. This view also shows the replicated EMD builders plates and some of the other crisp detailing on the models.


Comparison shot of the 2026 (front) and 2006 (back) models. Most obvious differences between the two are the corrected shade of brown, correct placement of the numbers on the long hood, additional added details in the second run, correct orange handrails, among a few other things.


Front of the 2026 model to the left and the 2006 model to the right. The 2006 models all had snowplows, which was incorrect in as much as the #38 was the only one so equipped while wearing this paint scheme. The corrected handrail colors and added details such as the drop step and multiple unit connections and hoses are readily apparent.


Rear view of the 2026 run to the left and 2006 run to the right. I replaced the stock Athearn couplers with Kadee #5's on the 2026 models before taking these photos.


Broadside views of the 2026 run to the left and 2006 run to the right.


One last comparison shot of the 2026 run in the front and the 2006 run behind it.


Models of the #36 and #37 on my "Plywood Pacific" layout.


One last broadside view of the #37.


My childhood memories brought to life....the Scale Trains #39 and Athearn's #37 hauling empty Columbia & Cowlitz woodchip hoppers out of Burney. Thank you, Athearn!