SW1200 Locomotives

SW1200 Engines. These locomotives, numbered 601 to 603, were manufactured by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between June and September 1962, and were likely delivered by the end of that same year to the Panama Railroad. They were designed with a diesel engine that delivered 1,200 horsepower, specifically for light yard work, hence their name Switcher (SW) 1200 (HP). They were built especially for the Panama Railroad with a 5-foot (1,524 mm) track gauge.

These three locomotives were the last to be retired and remained in service until the final day of operation of the Panama Railroad under the administration of the Panamanian government. In fact, the last freight and passenger trains were operated by these locomotives. During the railroad's final days, two of these locomotives were stored in the Balboa roundhouse, and one was kept in the Gamboa area. The final whereabouts of these locomotives remain unknown, but it is highly likely that they were sold as scrap metal, as was the case with most of the railroad's equipment.