 | This articlehas an unclearcitation style. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style ofcitation andfootnoting.(December 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| EMD SD45T-2 | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Indiana and Ohio Railroad #9400, still inSouthern Pacific colors | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
TheSD45T-2 is a model ofdiesel-electric locomotive built byEMD for theSouthern Pacific Railroad. Like the laterSD40T-2 it is colloquially nicknamed atunnel motor. 247 total units (including the original EMD/SP joint-venture prototype) were produced from February 1972 to June 1975, including 84 for SP's subsidiaryCotton Belt. From April 1986 to December 1989, 126 were rebuilt and re-designated asSD45T-2R, including 24 for Cotton Belt.
The SD45T-2 is a variant of theSD45-2 that featured the "Dash 2" upgrade components such as improved electronics and high traction trucks, with the "T" denoting its cooling system modifications. The intake for radiator cooling air was moved to the walkway level and the cooling fans themselves were under the radiator cores, instead of above. Tunnel motors were built for mountainous areas in thewestern United States, where SP had previously encountered repeated overheating issues on their SD45s.
The laterSD40T-2 looks similar to the SD45T-2. One spotting difference is the longer hood on the SD45T-2 to accommodate theV20 prime mover vs. theV16 used on the SD40T-2. The SD45T-2's cab is further forward on the frame, so there is less "front porch". This mimics the differences between the SD45-2 and theSD40-2. Another spotting difference is the SD45T-2's three fan access doors on each side above the cooling air intake, while the SD40T-2 has two.
Like their SD40T-2, some of SP's SD45T-2 tunnel motors were obtained byKansas City Southern Railway,Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad,Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway, and by theUnion Pacific Railroad when it merged the SP in 1996. Cotton Belt 9385 was purchased byAmericana Latina Logistica and exported to Brazil.
Some SD45T-2s were rebuilt and designated toSD45T-3,SD40T-3 andSD40-2T. In addition, some locomotive leasing companies own the SD45 tunnel motor locomotives. They are scattered all overNorth America and are an increasingly rare sight.
Starting in the 1986, theSouthern Pacific Transportation Company and theSt. Louis Southwestern Railway (also known as the "Cotton Belt Route") had begun rebuilding the majority of their EMD SD45T-2 locomotives into what had become the EMD SD45T-2R.[1][2][3] Both railroads had rebuilt a total of 126 of their EMD SD45T-2 locomotives into EMD SD45T-2R locomotives, which left a total of 121 EMD SD45T-2 un-rebuilt and they were all renumbered as 6793–6832, 6834–6868 and 6869–6892.[1][4][2][3]
| Railroad | Number of engines | Roster numbers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Pacific | 163 | 9166–9260, 9302–9370 | [5] SP 9314 is the rebuild of the wrecked SP 9220. 9340 was wrecked in the1989 Cajon Pass Runaway and scrapped. |
| St. Louis Southwestern (Cotton Belt) | 84 | 9157–9165, 9261–9301, 9371–9404 | [5] SSW 9389 was the 600th "45" Series unit delivered to the Southern Pacific System by EMD and wore Bicentennial colors |
| Totals | 247 |
Media related toEMD SD45T-2 locomotives at Wikimedia Commons