EMD FP45

Last updated
EMD FP45
ATSF 108 at Southern California Railway Museum.jpg
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
ModelFP45
Build date1967-1970
Total produced14
Specifications
Configuration:
   AAR C-C
Gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Wheelbase 45 ft 0 in (13.72 m)
Length72 ft 4 in (22.05 m)
Prime mover EMD 20-645E3
Engine type Diesel
Cylinders 20
Performance figures
Power output3,600  hp (2,680 kW)
Career
Operators Santa Fe, Milwaukee Road, and BNSF
LocaleWestern United States
DispositionSix preserved in museums, two wrecked, one sold to Wisconsin Central, remainder presumed scrapped

The EMD FP45 is a cowl unit type of C-C diesel locomotive produced in the United States by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD). It was produced beginning in 1967 at the request of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which did not want its prestigious Super Chief/El Capitan and other passenger trains pulled by freight style hood unit locomotives, which have external walkways.

Contents

History and development

The EMD SDP45 was a good passenger locomotive, but to the Santa Fe Railway it did not look the part. EMD therefore designed a lightweight "cowl" body to cover the locomotive, though it did not, as in earlier cab units, provide any structural strength, which remained in the frame. The cowl provided sleeker looks, better aerodynamics at speed, and allowed the crew to enter the engine compartment en route for diagnostics and maintenance. Final drive gear ratio for passenger service was 57:20. [1]

Orders

Santa Fe purchased nine of the locomotives (road numbers 100 through 108), and the Milwaukee Road bought five for its passenger service (road numbers 1 through 5). The Milwaukee Road units were delivered without dynamic braking. Reportedly, Illinois Central Railroad was considering an order for five FP45s as well (EMD order #5742, serial #s 34952–34956), but canceled it. Such low production was feasible and profitable for EMD since the locomotive was fundamentally just a re-clothed SDP45. Power, as in the SDP45, was from a V20 645E3 engine (or prime mover) developing 3,600  hp (2,680 kW).

Derivatives

ATSF 100 and 102 with the Super C in January 1968 ATSF FP45 100 brand new heading the Super C before its inaugural run, Corwith Yard, Chicago, IL on January 17, 1968 (22069889544).jpg
ATSF 100 and 102 with the Super C in January 1968
Control stand of ATSF 108 Oerm atsf 98 control stand.jpg
Control stand of ATSF 108

A freight-only derivative, the EMD F45, was sold in greater numbers (86) to Santa Fe, the Great Northern Railway, and the Burlington Northern Railroad. Amtrak bought a similar passenger locomotive based on the 3,000  hp (2,240 kW) SD40-2, the SDP40F. After the failure of the SDP40F, Amtrak traded 18 units to the Santa Fe, where they were converted for freight use. The converted locomotives were designated as SDF40-2.

The last three F45s in service were on the Montana Rail Link and the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway in the northern and northeastern United States. These units were taken out of service in 2006 for the MRL and 2010 for the NYSW. Three are known to survive, with one located at the Izaak Walton Inn, now converted into a lodge. [ citation needed ]

Rebuilds

Between April 1980 and December 1982, Santa Fe's San Bernardino shops rebuilt eight FP45s 5940–5943, 5945–5948. They emerged as 5990–5993, 5995–5998, and were redesignated SDFP45s. The 5944 was retired in September 1981 on account of a wreck at Toland, Texas. Electrically they were upgraded to SD45-2 standards. Mechanically, they were re-geared from 59:18 to 60:17, reducing their top speed from 89 to 83 mph (143 to 134 km/h).

In the mid-1980s Santa Fe again re-geared them - this time to 62:15 for 71 mph (114 km/h).

Withdrawal

Milwaukee Road's FP45s were all sold for scrap in 1981 and 1984. Santa Fe SDFP45 No. 5944 was wrecked in 1981, Santa Fe SDFP45 No. 96 was wrecked in 1994 on Cajon Pass. While No. 91 was sold to the Wisconsin Central in January 1995, becoming their #6652 and the rest stayed in service right up until the BNSF merger in 1996, and were retired shortly after the merger.

Preservation

Those that were not wrecked in service, or sold to other railroads, are on display in museums:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway</span> Former railroad company in the United States

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowl unit</span> Locomotive body style

A cowl unit is a diesel locomotive with full-width, enclosing bodywork, similar in appearance to the cab unit-style of earlier locomotives, such as the EMD F-units of the 1940s and 1950s. The term cowl unit is of North American origin, although similarly-styled locomotives exist elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD F40PH</span> North American diesel locomotive class

The EMD F40PH is a four-axle 3,000–3,200 hp (2.2–2.4 MW) B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on Amtrak's short-haul passenger routes, it became the backbone of Amtrak's diesel fleet after the failure of the EMD SDP40F. The F40PH also found widespread use on commuter railroads in the United States and with VIA Rail in Canada. Additional F40PH variants were manufactured by Morrison-Knudsen and MotivePower between 1988 and 1998, mostly rebuilt from older locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD DDA40X</span> Model of diesel-electric locomotive

The EMD DDA40X is a 6,600 hp (4,943 kW) D-D locomotive, built by EMD from 1969 to 1971 exclusively for the Union Pacific Railroad. It is the most powerful diesel-electric locomotive model ever built on a single frame, having two 16-645E3A diesel prime movers. Union Pacific has marked DD40X on the cab exteriors, while EMD literature inconsistently refers to this model as either DD-40X or DDA40X.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cab unit</span> Body styles of locomotive

In North American railroad terminology, a cab unit is a railroad locomotive with its own cab and controls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ALCO PA</span> American locomotive class

The ALCO PA was a family of A1A-A1A diesel locomotives built to haul passenger trains. The locomotives were built in Schenectady, New York, in the United States, by a partnership of the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) and General Electric (GE) between June, 1946 and December, 1953. Designed by General Electric's Ray Patten, they were of a cab unit design; both cab-equipped lead A unit PA and cabless booster B unit PB models were built. While externally the PB models were slightly shorter than the PA model, they shared many of the same characteristics, both aesthetically and mechanically. However, they were not as reliable as EMD E-units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD SD40</span> North American diesel-electric locomotive

The EMD SD40 is an American 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1966 and August 1972. 1,268 locomotives were built between 1966 and 1972. In 1972, an improved version with new electronics was developed and marketed as a new locomotive, the SD40-2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD SDP40</span>

An SDP40 is a 6-axle passenger diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) between June 1966 and May 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD SD45</span> Class of diesel-electric locomotives

The SD45 is a six-axle diesel-electric locomotive class built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1965 and 1971. It has an EMD 645E3 twenty-cylinder engine generating 3,600 hp (2,680 kW) on the same frame as the SD38, SD39, SD40, and SDP40. As of 2023, most SD45s have been retired, scrapped or rebuilt to SD40-2 standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD SD45-2</span>

The EMD SD45-2 is a 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD). EMD built 136 locomotives between 1972 and 1974, primarily for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (ATSF). The SD45-2 was an improved version of the EMD SD45; the primary visual difference is the absence of flared radiators on the SD45-2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD F45</span>

The EMD F45 is a C-C cowled diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1968 and 1971. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 20-cylinder engine which generated 3,600 hp (2,680 kW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD SDP40F</span> Class of diesel passenger locomotives

The EMD SDP40F was a six-axle 3,000 hp (2.2 MW) C-C diesel–electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) from 1973 to 1974. Based on Santa Fe's EMD FP45, EMD built 150 for Amtrak, the operator of most intercity passenger trains in the United States. Amtrak, a private company but funded by the United States government, had begun operation in 1971 with a fleet of aging diesel locomotives inherited from various private railroads. The SDP40F was the first diesel locomotive built new for Amtrak and for a brief time they formed the backbone of the company's long-distance fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD SD40A</span>

The EMD SD40A is a model of diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1969 and 1970. 18 locomotives were built for the Illinois Central Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Fe CF7</span> EMD F-unit railroad locomotive converted for switching duty

The Santa Fe CF7 is an EMD F-unit railroad locomotive that has had its streamlined carbody removed and replaced with a custom-made, "general purpose" body in order to adapt the unit for switching duty. All of the conversions were performed by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway's Cleburne, Texas, workshops between February 1970 and 1978. This was Santa Fe's most notable remanufacturing project, with 233 completed between 1970 - March 1978. The program was initiated in response to a system-wide need for more than 200 additional four-axle diesel road switchers to meet projected motive power demands on branch lines and secondary main lines.

The FM H-12-44TS was a light road switcher version of the Fairbanks-Morse H-12-44 yard switcher locomotive. Only three of the 1,200-horsepower (890 kW), six-cylinder opposed piston engine locomotives were manufactured especially for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in May, 1956. The units had an extended frame to accommodate the addition of a short hood behind the cab, and were configured in a B-B wheel arrangement and mounted atop a pair of two-axle AAR Type-A switcher trucks with all axles powered. H-12-44TSs also came equipped with steam generator units as they were acquired solely for shuttling passenger cars in and around the Dearborn Station terminal in Chicago, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GE U28CG</span> US Diesel-electric locomotive

The GE U28CG was a dual-service diesel-electric locomotive produced in 1966 by GE Transportation Systems and derived from their freight-hauling U28C design. The sole customer was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which ordered ten early that year for delivery in July and August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GE U30CG</span> US passenger diesel locomotive

The GE U30CG was a passenger-hauling diesel-electric locomotive built by GE Transportation Systems. It was a passenger variant of GE's U30C design purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. ATSF had purchased ten U28CG locomotives in 1966, and while these locomotives were satisfactory operationally, the railroad felt that their utilitarian appearance was unsuitable for its passenger trains. Desiring smooth-sided passenger power, the railroad ordered the first cowl units from both GE and GM-EMD. GE produced the U30CG to meet this requirement. It was mechanically identical to a U30C except that the bodywork was replaced with a full-width long hood with fluted stainless-steel panels, and a full-width rounded nose and slanted cab front were fitted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of the American Railroad</span> Railroad museum in Frisco, Texas, U.S.

The Museum of the American Railroad, formerly known as the Age of Steam Railroad Museum, is a railroad museum in Frisco, Texas. The museum has more than 70 pieces of steam, diesel, passenger, and freight railroad equipment sitting on 15 acres making it one of the largest historic rail collections in the US. Guests may walk through some of the equipment on guided tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Plains Transportation Museum</span> Railroad Museum in Wichita, KS USA

The Great Plains Transportation Museum is a railroad museum in Wichita, Kansas, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern California Railway Museum</span> Railroad museum in Perris, California

The Southern California Railway Museum, formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, is a railroad museum in Perris, California, United States. It was founded in 1956 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles before moving to the former Pinacate Station as the "Orange Empire Trolley Museum" in 1958. It was renamed "Orange Empire Railway Museum" in 1975 after merging with a museum then known as the California Southern Railroad Museum, and adopted its current name in 2019. The museum also operates a heritage railroad on the museum grounds.

References

  1. "Santa Fe F45's". atsf.railfan.net. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  2. KWCH Staff (2023-09-25). "Actor leading Wichita museum's effort to restore Santa Fe locomotive". www.kwch.com. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  3. Busse, Dave (8 October 2018). "Santa Fe 'Warbonnet' FP45 comes alive in California". Trains.com. Perris, CA: Trains Newswire. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2024.