In 1965, EMD introduced the six axle SD45. It featured a new 3600 HP EMD 645E3 20 cylinder prime mover. The new engine fit on the same frame as earlier EMD units such as the SD40, but provided an additional 600 horsepower on the same frame. While moving, the locomotive used less fuel per mile than the SD40's, but did use more when idling owing to the additional four cylinders.

Early on, SD45's were not as reliable as hoped, as the 645E3 did occasionally break crankshafts. EMD addressed this issue by strengthening the block, but sales were modest. Production ran from 1965 to the end of 1971 with a total of 1260 units built for North American railroads. It was replaced with the SD45-2 in 1972, along with the rest of the -2 series locomotives. The SD45-2 fared even worse, with few orders, it was discontinued in 1974. The SD45 and SD45-2 were far outpaced by the EMD GP38-2 and SD40-2 locomotives.

Original operators included Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Santa Fe, Southern Pacific and Union Pacific. Many SD45's remain in service today with secondary owners and leasing companies. Some of the lease units have been rebuilt with sixteen-cylinder 645's, essentially making them SD40's. Though these locomotives saw limited success in sales, they have gone on to have long service lives and examples will certainly be around for years to come.

Features:

Separately applied wire grab irons
    Standard 81" low nose without headlight or brake unless noted
    Standard cab with dual beam sealed headlight and glare shields unless noted
    See through cab windows
    Sliding cab side windows
    Air filter grille
    Smooth blower housing
    Standard dustbin unless noted
    See-through dynamic brake and radiator fans
    Extended-range dynamic brake unless noted
    Dynamic brake vent
    Exhaust stack
    Chicken wire radiator grilles unless noted
    "F" painted on short hood end unless noted
    4,000 gallon fuel tank with front fuel fill
    Air tank
    Printed numberboards
    Fine scale handrails
    Fully assembled and ready-to-run
    McHenry scale knuckle spring couplers
    DCC and SOUND ready with Quick Plug™ technology
    Genesis motor retrofit kit ATHG63839 compatible
    Highly-detailed, injection molded body
    Painted and printed for realistic decoration
    Bi-directional constant lighting so headlight brightness remains consistent
    All-wheel drive with precision gears for smooth and quiet operation
    All-wheel electrical pickup
    5-pole skew wound motor with flywheels and multi-link drivetrain for trouble-free operation
    Wheels with RP25 contours operate on all popular brands of track
    Window packaging for easy viewing
    Interior plastic blister safely holds the model for convenient storage
    Minimum radius: 18"
    Recommended radius: 22"

Sound equipped models also feature:

    Onboard RTR Sound by SoundTraxx
    Sound units operate in both DC and DCC
    Full DCC functions available when operated in DCC mode
    Engine, horn, and bell sounds work in DC
    All functions NMRA compatible in DCC mode
    Excellent Slow speed control
    Operating lighting function with F5
    Program a multiple unit (MU) lashup with lead unit only horn, bell, and lights
    Many functions can be altered via Configuration Value (CV) changes

CSX FEATURES:

    #8903 & #8942 FEATURES:
        Two units "CSX" logo
        High mounted brake cylinders
        Blanked out number board signal light
    #8938 & #8961 FEATURES:
        Two units "CSX Transportation" logo
        High mounted brake cylinders
        Blanked out number board signal light