Broadway Limited 2501 | Baldwin Centipede A-A Set, PRR #5831/#5819 Set, 5-Stripe Passenger Scheme, both units w/ Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC | HO Scale

The Baldwin 12-8-1500/2 were BLW's first serious attempt at a production road diesel locomotive.   Baldwin built the famous "Centipedes" between 1945-48.   The carbody rode on two enormous articulated half-frames that were linked at the middled with a hinged joint.  One unpowered four-wheel truck at each end guided the locomotive through curves and helped provide stability.  The Centipedes were huge - 91.5' feet long for single units as operated on SAL and NdM.  Semi-permanently coupled pairs, as operated on the PRR, were 183' long!   Each unit contained two 1500 horsepower diesel motors, so a pair contained four motors and totaled 6000 horsepower.  Centipedes were heavy, totaling 1,200,000 pounds (1.2 million) for a pair, with more than 800,000 of those pounds carried by the 16 drivers. In 1945, the prototype A1-A2 set toured American railroads and three railroads placed orders - PRR, SAL, and NdeM.   Union Pacific originally ordered two units, but never took delivery.  Unfortunate