During the
1960s the demand for high HP locomotives drove EMD and competitor
GE to continue to push the limits of locomotive design.
During the time when 3,000 HP 16-cylinder prime movers were the
norm, EMD made the decision to introduce a 20-cylinder, 3600 HP
design.
Introduced in 1965, the SD45, with its distinctive flared radiator
design, was purchased by many major US railroads, totaling over
1,200 units
until the SD45-2 replaced it in the EMD catalog in 1972.
The SD45 did have some teething problems, most notably crankshaft
failures. EMD did provide a means to remedy this issue, but some
rail-
roads chose to derate the SD45 to 3,000 HP, or in some cases replace
the prime mover with the 16-cylinder 3,000 HP as utilized in the
SD40-2.
Most railroads decided that the extra 600 HP was pushing the limits
of the 645 prime mover and preferred the reliability of the 16-cylinder
design. The SD40-2 proved to be the best choice for many railroads.
It would take a new design, the 710 series prime mover first featured
in
the SD50, for EMD to reach past 3,000 HP once again.
Many units are still in service today, most being rebuilt as mentioned.
Some did retain the stock 20-cylinder prime mover, a beefed-up engine
block mitigated crankshaft failures. Quite a few examples exist
in museums, proving that despite some problems the EMD SD45 remains
a
popular locomotive.
The Atlas N Scale SD45 is an accurate rendition of the EMD design,
matching many of the variations as seen during the production of
the
prototype locomotive. |
