Between 1939 and 1949, over 1100 units were produced out of EMD’s LaGrange facility, and later at Cleveland. The 1000-horsepower NW-2 easily became a staple of many railroad yards in the U.S. and Canada.

• Legacy Control System equipped – able to run in LEGACY Control mode, in TrainMaster Command Control mode, or in Conventional mode with a standard transformer
• Odyssey II Speed Control with On/Off switch
• LEGACY RailSounds sound system featuring:
  • CrewTalk dialog and TowerCom announcements, each with different scenarios depending on whether the locomotive is in motion or stopped
  • Eight diesel RPM levels
  • LEGACY "Real-Time Quilling Horn" control with instant response for realistic signature "quilling" and correctly timed warning signals
  • Single hit or continuous mechanical bell sounds
• Front and rear ElectroCouplers
• Powerful maintenance-free motor with momentum flywheels
• Refined Conventional Transformer Control Mode with lower starting speeds
• Traction tires
• Fan-driven smoke unit
• Adjustable smoke output
• Directional lighting including LED headlights on front and rear
• Operating marker lights
• Illuminated number boards
• Lighted cab interior
• Die-cast metal trucks, pilots, and fuel tank
• Die-cast metal frame with fixed pilots
• High level of separately applied metal details
• Cab window "glass"