SD45's

[nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org]

SD-45 story in TRAINS has to be as interesting story on a current operation
as I have ever read. I watch large numbers of both CSX and NS everyday but
noting compared to 11 units on a 100 car movement; 14,300 horses at work and
the crews must wear Scott Airpaks to survive the tunnels, WOW. Tough
workforce !! The Pokey is tough but not that tough and that is not taking
anything away from what I consider as "heavy" operations on the Pokey.

Oakie G Ford
IRONTON, OH






----- Original Message ----- 
From: <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
To: "NW Mailing List" <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 9:16 AM
Subject: Re: SD45's


> The short answer is that a number of SD45s were sold to other railroads.
The best source of data is Bob Bower's monumental work: "All Time Roster:
N&W Diesels", sold thru The Commissary. In the meantime, here is a list of
railroads that ran ex-N&W SD45s at one time or another: Wiscinsin Central,
Montana Rail Link, Paducah & Louisville, National de Mexico, Springfield
Terminal, Wheeling & Lake Erie, and Southern Pacific.  I may have missed
one. In addition, several were in various lease fleets for awhile. Some of
those assignments were via leases from equipment dealers.
>
> I don't know how many are running today, except that I do know that
several are still on the Montana Rail Link, having arrived via Wisconsoin
Central: ex-N&W 1701 (MRL 386), 1718 (387), 1724 (388), 1744 (389), 1745
(349) and 1746 (348). At one time or another I have photographed them in
recent years on MRL. It is hard to know at any point in time just how many
are running, and where they are running. MRL leases some of these units on a
short time basis to other roads and some are shut down when business slows.
>
> A sidelight: this past October at twilight one evening I watched (too dark
to photograph) two BNSF SD70MAC road engines, assisted by NINE MRL SD45s, at
least one of which was ex-N&W, lift a westbound coal train up the east slope
of Mullan Pass at Austin, Montana. There is a big double loop at Austin such
that the entire train could be seen stretched out on the hill. All power was
in Run 8 and the train was doing maybe 10 MPH. AWESOME sounds from the 45s!
Took me back to the 1960s on N&W and Southern....
>
> By the way, see the current issue of Trains for a feature on the SD45 on
MRL.
>
> Bill McClure
>
>
>
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