WC SD45 #7495 is back in service for now....

[coborn35]

From ORERAIL:
It is my understanding is that the Lake Superior Railroad Museum (the place myself, Kale and James work/volunteer at) has a
"disposition hold" on WC SD45 7495 should CN take it out of service
soon. This is the last ex-NP SD45 still working on CN and the museum
would like to add it to its collection. The LSRM, given its healthy
collection of equipment from the NP and Missabe, could be considered
the official rail museum for those two railroads.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=146716

 

The only problem with this, is of course, fuel cost, re painting, storage room, etc. We may lease it out to help it repay for itself if we do indeed get it. Of course, CN wil strip it of everything: horn, bell, numberboards, seats, lights, etc, so there will be some work to do.

[EJE818]

That would be great! 3 have been saved by DMVW and at least 21 have been saved by NRE. The more saved the better I say! I wonder if anyone has a interest in saving DWP SD40 5905, the last DWP engine in existance.

[coborn35]

That would be great! 3 have been saved by DMVW and at least 21 have been saved by NRE. The more saved the better I say! I wonder if anyone has a interest in saving DWP SD40 5905, the last DWP engine in existance.

If anyone, it would be us, but since we are not interested, guess not.

[Lord Atmo]

we need an NP one back indeed. though i still miss 6620. i'm not as hopeful these days.

[coborn35]

Werent you the one crying to save one of these?

[Andrew Falconer]

Fully restored GN and NP SD45 Locomotives will be an impressive accomplishment in a world where locomotives are so easily scrapped.

[coborn35]

Also, you have to consider how good of relations we have with the GNRHS. I wonder how many railfans will wet their pants at the thought of: SOO Steam #2719 Triple Header with GP30 #700 and FP7 #2500, Great Northern doubleheader led by GN SD45 #400, Hustle Muscle and GN NW5 #192 followed by 3 or 4 GN passenger cars, and finally NP train, led by NP SD45 #? and followed by at LEAST two of the museums BRAND NEWLY repainted Northern Pacific cars.

I honestly dont think (now remember this is all hinging on IF we get the unit) that it would be repainted for a couple years until our 1.2+ million roof project goes through, but im sure the NPHS would just love to help us preserve a NP SD45.

[Lord Atmo]

Werent you the one crying to save one of these?

i wanted 6620 saved. but people were sick of hearing me say "six six two oh" all the time. so i started saying "one of the SD45s". but i really meant 6620

no i do support the salvation and display of a WC SD45 in all honesty. they're all neat, but i'm just upset this didnt happen when 6620 could have been one that was saved

[coborn35]

Werent you the one crying to save one of these?

i wanted 6620 saved. but people were sick of hearing me say "six six two oh" all the time. so i started saying "one of the SD45s". but i really meant 6620

Well that sucks. I believe I saw the radiator section of that unit cut off the body waiting to be scrapped.

[Anonymous]

Hey, quick question. Not being from the area I be missing something, but whats the big deal about SD45s?

There are pretty crappy engines, pretty much everybody who bought them hated them. I can think of a bunch of active engines I would liked saved over the SD45s. I'll admitt, I did drive like an hour to Butler once to see them on B&P but that was just because I was sick of NS Dash-9s one weekend.

[CMSTPP]

Hey, quick question. Not being from the area I be missing something, but whats the big deal about SD45s? There are pretty crappy engines, pretty much everybody who bought them hated them. I can think of a bunch of active engines I would liked saved over the SD45s. I'll admitt, I did drive like an hour to Butler once to see them on B&P but that was just because I was sick of NS Dash-9s one weekend.

Where do you get your information? All the WC engineers I know say they loved running them...

[Anonymous]

Well, for one, there was over 1,200 built and now there are, what, a couple dozen running (compared to other products from that era, ie SD40-2)? That should be a big red flag.

Also, the engine was a huge gas guzzling monster that was so poorly designed it often ripped its own crackshaft apart. Despite what the engineers say, its the number crunchers that decide if an unit is a sucess or not, and the SD45 was not.

[Lord Atmo]

well, yes SD45s were fuel guzzlers, but you forget, WC modified theirs after buying them from BN and ATSF. all i remember is they lowered the RPM. Alec knows more about this than i do. but the WC SD45s were very good locomotives. and for several years, only WC and MRL even still ran SD45s. so that also makes them rare and unique machines to go fan. and cmon. an SD45 in that neat maroon and gold paint scheme is just plain cool. when's the last time YOU saw an SD45? hmmm?

[Anonymous]

I qoute myself from like three post ago; " I'll admitt, I did drive like an hour to Butler once to see them on B&P but that was just because I was sick of NS Dash-9s one weekend."

Thanks for proving my point, the reason they are so are to find is because the railroad's hated them and got rid of them as fast as they could. What few are left have been downgraded, rebuilt big time and forced onto Class II lines that will take anything they can get.

Also, by your logic, since I've never seen a GE Super 7, that should also be worthy of restoring, even thought it was a totally unremarkable unit in every sense. What sense does that make?

What more, Corborn stated in this first post the unit would restored either in the NP scheme (which would be cool) or something in that era, so the whole comment about it looks cool in the WC colors (it does look nice it them BTW) still doesn't, like your other comments, answer my question.

Its just in my mind, you restore examples of revoultionary or milestone units, not second rate failures that would set up the trend that would lead to EMDs fall from the number one producer in the country

[Lord Atmo]

*groan*... you're not getting it. the SD45 was popular among RAILFANS. and WC lowering the RPM made them a lot like SD40-2s. they were good-running units after WC got through with them (the lowering of the RPM also put the crankshaft issue to rest). but the fact that railfans loved them so much is reason why they should be preserved and not super 7s. i never heard much of a fanbase for those at all