EMD SD45-2

The EMD SD45-2 was introduced in 1972 as part of Electro-Motive Division's Dash 2 series, a broad family of upgraded diesel-electric locomotives that incorporated improved electrical systems and modular components intended to reduce maintenance demands and increase reliability compared to their predecessors. The SD45-2 represented a refinement of the earlier SD45, which had been a popular high-horsepower six-axle road locomotive during the late 1960s. A total of 136 units were constructed between 1972 and 1974, a relatively modest production run compared to other members of the Dash 2 family. The largest purchaser of the SD45-2 was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which acquired approximately 90 of the 136 units built. Other railroads that rostered the type included the Clinchfield Railroad with 18 units, the Seaboard Coast Line with 15 units, and the Erie Lackawanna with 13 units. Santa Fe later converted a small number of its SD45-2 units into cabless B-unit variants during remanufacturing programs, relocating the dynamic brake equipment in the process to accommodate the configuration change. Through mergers and acquisitions, most surviving SD45-2s eventually passed into the fleets of successor railroads such as BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, and Norfolk Southern. At least two examples have been preserved at railway museums. A former Seaboard Coast Line unit, later owned by CSX, resides at the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, Georgia, while a Santa Fe example has been preserved at the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris, California. Norfolk Southern additionally drew attention in 2015 when it repainted one former Erie Lackawanna unit into that predecessor railroad's original livery.

The SD45-2 was powered by an EMD 645E3 prime mover, a 20-cylinder two-stroke diesel engine rated at 3,600 horsepower. This engine configuration was shared with the original SD45, and the power output remained unchanged in the Dash 2 upgrade. The locomotive used a C-C wheel arrangement, meaning two three-axle powered trucks, with all six axles driven by DC traction motors. The SD45-2 shared its underframe with other members of the Dash 2 family, including the SD40-2 and SD38-2, a design decision that simplified manufacturing and improved parts commonality across the product line. The most readily apparent visual distinction between the SD45 and the SD45-2 was the treatment of the long hood at the radiator end. The original SD45 featured a flared or widened section at the rear to accommodate its large cooling system, giving it a distinctive appearance. The SD45-2 replaced this flared hood with a vertical, straight-sided long hood, and the cooling fans were arranged in a more spread-out configuration across the top of the rear hood section. This change gave the SD45-2 a more uniform external profile consistent with other Dash 2 models, and it also reflected incremental improvements in the cooling system's packaging and engineering.

Models by: Athearn · Walthers