SD45 Alive and Kickin'

[davefoxx]

Whoa!  How did this happen and not come up on my radar until now?  SCL SD45 #2024 restored and operable!

Now I shall do my happy dance. 

DFF

[Missaberoad]

Its Amazing the number of preserved SD45s... I count at least 7 with 4 operational...  Compare that to 3 SD40s (1 CP - 2 NS) and 3 SD40-2s preserved so far...

EL 3607
GN 400 Hustle Muscle
NP 3617
NW 1776
SCL 2024
SP 8800
WC 7525

[davefoxx]

Its Amazing the number of preserved SD45s... I count at least 7 with 4 operational...  Compare that to 3 SD40s (1 CP - 2 NS) and 3 SD40-2s preserved so far...

EL 3607
GN 400 Hustle Muscle
NP 3617
NW 1776
SCL 2024
SP 8800
WC 7525

Out of sheer luck, I saw WC #7525 at the Illinois Railway Museum this past summer.  She's pretty, too!



DFF

[Bob Bufkin]

And the ones that still look like an SD-45 on the outside but are really an SD40-2 on the inside

[Philip H]

Given the number of 40-2's upgraded by various roads (and often classed as 40-3's) we may not see many of them preserved just yet.

[C855B]

I've been a big, big fan of the SD45 since they were new, but have mixed emotions about preservation efforts, even the running preservations. These things were monsters in multiple lashups pulling drags over the Tehachapis and Donner. Running together under load, the V20s would set-up an unbelievable booming bass you felt in your gut. These are not like preserved large steam, where one is awesome, these need to be run in 4 to 5-unit lashups to convey the ambiance of their day.

The Dash-2 and T-2 versions were not the same, as they received the exhaust "silencers" that debuted on the SDP40F. The direct exhaust note wasn't all that muffled, but the throbbing bass note wasn't nearly as evident.

[sigh]

[mu26aeh]

G&W has a handful of SD40M-2 in 45 bodies.  Maryland Midland got 4 of them a couple years back, ex CEFX units.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3855078

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4529490

[jagged ben]

So are there no SD45s left in revenue service?  Call me a bit surprised.

[nkalanaga]

Mike:  Since diesels, unlike steam, aren't "road specific", and the operable units almost have to meet current safety and interchange standards, it should be possible, at least for rare special events, to bring all four together.  The fact that they're in different paint schemes won't matter, as diesel run-throughs predated the SD45.

One place where they could meet would be the Illinois Railway Museum, as it's easily accessible, both to major railroads and to the public, and has the room to run them.

[wazzou]

So are there no SD45s left in revenue service?  Call me a bit surprised.

Well, they are generally 50 years old now.  I believe the MRL still has 4 units on the active roster, last I heard.

[nkalanaga]

"Well, they are generally 50 years old now."  The first production units came out in May(?) or 1966.

For comparison, at that time, the equivalent would have been a locomotive built in 1916.  How many were still in mainline service?  The MILW's boxcab electrics, but I doubt that any steam was, even on the narrow gauge.  That the MRL has SD45s on the active roster, even if they're not actually running, is a testament to the durability of the things.

Are the meter gauge DDM45s in Brazil still running?

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I've been a big, big fan of the SD45 since they were new, but have mixed emotions about preservation efforts, even the running preservations. These things were monsters in multiple lashups pulling drags over the Tehachapis and Donner. Running together under load, the V20s would set-up an unbelievable booming bass you felt in your gut. These are not like preserved large steam, where one is awesome, these need to be run in 4 to 5-unit lashups to convey the ambiance of their day.

The Dash-2 and T-2 versions were not the same, as they received the exhaust "silencers" that debuted on the SDP40F. The direct exhaust note wasn't all that muffled, but the throbbing bass note wasn't nearly as evident.

[sigh]

See, what has to happen is a big SD45 get together like the Spencer Streamliners thing, except it should be at Saluda...

[davefoxx]

See, what has to happen is a big SD45 get together like the Spencer Streamliners thing, except it should be at Saluda...

Hell, yeah!

DFF

[Spades]

The Dash-2 and T-2 versions were not the same, as they received the exhaust "silencers" that debuted on the SDP40F. The direct exhaust note wasn't all that muffled, but the throbbing bass note wasn't nearly as evident.

[sigh]

I thought only the sixth/final  SP SD40T-2 order came with the exhaust silencer.  All SD45T-2 orders and the five other SD40T-2 orders did not have the exhaust silencer. This is going from questionable memory.

[nkalanaga]

Yeah, I could see quite a crowd to watch 4 SD45s haul a tonnage train, even if it is MOW hoppers full of rock, up Saluda.  Never mind the video - make sure the AUDIO recordings are good.  And get both digital and analog, for the historical record.

You can do video as well, of course, but if the engines are in good condition, there really won't be much see, just 4 diesels pulling a train.  Unlike steam, where the sight is as impressive as the sound.