The SD45T-2 is a model of

diesel-electric locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is conveyed to the driving wheels ...

built by EMD for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Like the later SD40T-2 it is colloquially nicknamed a tunnel motor. 247 total units (including the original EMD/SP joint venture working Prototype) were produced from February 1972 to June 1975, including 84 for SP's subsidiary

Cotton Belt The Cotton Belt is a region of the Southern United States where cotton was the predominant cash crop from the late 18th century into the 20th century.

. From April 1986 to December 1989, 126 were rebuilt and re-designated as ''SD45T-2R'', including 24 for Cotton Belt. The SD45T-2 is a variant of the venerable

SD45 The SD45 is a six-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1965 and 1971. It has an EMD 645E3 twenty-cylinder engine generating on the same frame as the SD38, SD39, SD40, and SDP40. As of 2022, mos ...

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 the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

, where SP had previously encountered repeated overheating issues on their SD45s. The later SD40T-2 looks similar to the SD45T-2. One spotting difference is the longer hood on the SD45T-2 to accommodate the V20 prime mover vs. the V16 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 the

SD40-2 The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C diesel-electric locomotive built by EMD from 1972 to 1989. The SD40-2 was introduced in January 1972 as part of EMD's '' Dash 2'' series, competing against the GE U30C and the ALCO Century 630. Although higher-horsepowe ...

. 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. EMD SD45T-2 vs SD40T-2 radiator fan motor access doors

EMD SD45T-2 vs SD40T-2 radiator fan motor access doors

Like their SD40T-2, some of SP's SD45T-2 tunnel motors were obtained by

Kansas City Southern Railway The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...

Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad The Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad is a class II railroad that operates in northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. The railroad's main route runs from the Lake Erie port of Conneaut, Ohio, to the Pittsburgh suburb of Penn Hills, Pen ...

Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway The Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway (DM&IR) , informally known as the Missabe Road, was a railroad operating in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin that used to haul iron ore and later taconite to the Great Lakes ports of Duluth and Two Harbor ...

, and by the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

when it merged the SP in 1996. Some SD45T-2s were rebuilt and designated to ''SD45T-3'', ''SD40T-3'' and ''SD40-2T''. In addition, some locomotive leasing companies own the SD45 tunnel motor locomotives. They are scattered all over the United States and are an increasingly rare sight.

Original owners

Preservation

Southern Pacific 6819 (originally 9193) was donated by SP successor

to the California State Railroad Museum in December 2001.

References

* Sarberenyi, Robert.
EMD SD45T-2 Original Owners
'. Retrieved on August 27, 2006 * American-Rails.com

'. Added May 19, 2018 * Richard Percy. ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

'. Added May 19, 2018 *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Emd Sd45t-2 C-C locomotives SD45T-2 Diesel-electric locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1972 Freight locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of the United States