EMD SD45u

EMD SD45u
File:ATSF 5408 November 1985 (28393573962).jpg Santa Fe SD45U #5408 in November of 1985.
Type and origin Power type Diesel Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) Model SD45 SD45u Build date 1966 – 1974 Total produced 125 Rebuild date March 1980 – October 1985 Number rebuilt 115
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR C-C Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Length 65 feet 8 inches (20.02 m); 65 feet 9 1⁄2 inches (20.053 m) on some units starting early 1968. Loco weight 368,000 pounds (167,000 kg) Prime mover EMD 645 Engine type V20 diesel Generator AR10B Cylinders 20
Performance figures Maximum speed 71 miles per hour (114 km/h) Power output 3,600 hp (2,680 kW) Tractive effort Starting: 92,000 lbf (410 kN) Continuous: 82,100 lbf (365 kN) @ 11 mph (18 km/h)
Career Class SD45: ATSF 1800 and 5590 class (1800-1889, 5590-5624) SD45U: ATSF 5430 and 5500 class (5430-5437, 5500-5589) Numbers ATSF 1800-1889, 5590-5624 (SD45) ATSF 5400-5483 (SD45u)

The EMD SD45u was a rebuild from EMD SD45 diesel locomotives that were originally built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

History

Between 1966 and 1974, General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) built 125 EMD SD45 diesel locomotives for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

But there was an issue with the EMD SD45; the locomotives had some teething problems, mainly with their massive twenty-cylinder prime movers that were prone to crankshaft failures from engine block flex. Though it produced 600 horsepower (450 kW) more when compared to the EMD SD40's 16-645E3 prime movers, some railroads using EMD SD45 locomotives felt that the extra horsepower wasn’t worth it, even after EMD strengthened the block to eliminate the crankshaft failures. At low speeds, when tractive effort was adhesion-limited, the EMD SD45 provided no advantage over the EMD SD40.

As a result of these issues, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway rebuilt 115 units into what became the EMD SD45u. They were all renumbered as 5400-5483 between 1979 and 1989.

The majority of SD45u locomotives lasted into the days of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF).

See also

• EMD SD45
• EMD SD45R

Further reading

• Del Grosso, Robert C. (2010). Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway 1995 Motive Power Fleet (1st ed.). Great Northern Pacific Publications. Search this book on
• McMillan, Joe (1975). Santa Fe's Diesel Fleet. Chatham Publishing. Search this book on
• Del Grosso, Robert C. (1998). Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway 1997 Annual. Great Northern Pacific Publications. Search this book on
• Pacific Rail News - Issues 363-373. 1994. p. 21. Search this book on
• McMillan, Joe (1985). Santa Fe Motive Power. McMillan Publications, Inc. ISBN 9780934228084. Search this book on

External links

• ATSF EMD SD45/SD45u Power Roster

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