During the 1960s the demand for high HP locomotives drove EMD and competitor GE to continue to push the limits of locomotive design. During the time when 3,000 HP 16-cylinder prime movers were the norm, EMD made the decision to introduce a 20-cylinder, 3600 HP design. Introduced in 1965, the SD45, with its distinctive flared radiator design, was purchased by many major US railroads, totaling over 1,200 units until the SD45-2 replaced it in the EMD catalog in 1972.
The SD45 did have some teething problems, most notably crankshaft failures. EMD did provide a means to remedy this issue, but some railroads chose to derate the SD45 to 3,000 HP, or in some cases replace the prime mover with the 16-cylinder 3,000 HP as utilized in the SD40-2. Most railroads decided that the extra 600 HP was pushing the limits of the 645 prime mover and preferred the reliability of the 16-cylinder design. The SD40-2 proved to be the best choice for many railroads. It would take a new design, the 710 series prime mover first featured in the SD50, for EMD to reach past 3,000 HP once again.
Many units are still in service today, most being rebuilt as mentioned. Some did retain the stock 20-cylinder prime mover, a beefed-up engine block mitigated crankshaft failures. Quite a few examples exist in museums, proving that despite some problems the EMD SD45 remains a popular locomotive.
The Atlas N Scale SD45 is an accurate rendition of the EMD design, matching many of the variations as seen during the production of the prototype locomotive.
Features:
- All new tooling
- Golden-white LEDs
- Painted safety rails
- Directional lighting
- Blackened metal wheels
- Magnetic knuckle couplers
- Atlas Master® Gold version features Soundtraxx Tsunami Decoder
- Silver Sound Ready (equipped with speaker for easy conversion to DCC sound)
Atlas Master Series Gold Features:
- Soundtraxx Tsunami Decoder equipped
Atlas Master® Series Silver Additional Features:
- NMRA 21-pin plug for DCC (Decoder-ready)
Check availability of this product on the Atlas Online Store
Silver Item# |
Road Name |
Road Number |
Gold Item# |
November 2022
Silver Undec MSRP: $149.95 Gold Undec MSRP: $259.95
Silver MSRP: $159.95 Gold MSRP: $269.95 |
N SD45 Locomotive - New Model! |
40 005 554 |
Undecorated Low Nose |
- |
40 005 577 |
40 005 555 |
Undecorated High Nose |
- |
40 005 578 |
40 005 556 |
Southern Pacific (Gray/Scarlet) |
9072 |
40 005 579 |
40 005 557 |
Southern Pacific (Gray/Scarlet) |
9108 |
40 005 580 |
40 005 558 |
Southern Pacific (Gray/Scarlet) |
9151 |
40 005 581 |
40 005 559 |
Erie Lackawanna (Gray/Maroon/Yellow) |
3602 |
40 005 582 |
40 005 560 |
Erie Lackawanna (Gray/Maroon/Yellow) |
3607 |
40 005 583 |
40 005 561 |
Erie Lackawanna (Gray/Maroon/Yellow) |
3614 |
40 005 584 |
40 005 562 |
Burlington Northern (Green/Black) |
6478 |
40 005 585 |
40 005 563 |
Burlington Northern (Green/Black) |
6505 |
40 005 586 |
40 005 564 |
Burlington Northern (Green/Black) |
6536 |
40 005 587 |
40 005 565 |
Pennsylvania (Brunswick Green) |
6112 |
40 005 588 |
40 005 566 |
Pennsylvania (Brunswick Green) |
6144 |
40 005 589 |
40 005 567 |
Pennsylvania (Brunswick Green) |
6180 |
40 005 590 |
40 005 568 |
Norfolk & Western (Black/White) |
1730 |
40 005 591 |
40 005 569 |
Norfolk & Western (Black/White) |
1757 |
40 005 592 |
40 005 570 |
Norfolk & Western Bicentennial (Red/White/Blue) |
1776 |
40 005 593 |
40 005 571 |
NYS&W (Black/Yellow) |
3612 |
40 005 594 |
40 005 572 |
NYS&W (Black/Yellow) |
3618 |
40 005 595 |
40 005 573 |
NYS&W (Black/Yellow) |
3632 |
40 005 596 |
40 005 574 |
Denver & Rio Grande Western (Black/Orange) |
5318 |
40 005 597 |
40 005 575 |
Denver & Rio Grande Western (Black/Orange) |
5325 |
40 005 598 |
40 005 576 |
Denver & Rio Grande Western (Black/Orange) |
5331 |
40 005 599 |
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