Western Railroad Discussion > 20 Cylinder Diesels

Are there any 20-cylinder diesels on the Arizona & California, or has their SD45-2 been derated?

How about the Trona's SD45-2s? Have they all been derated?

Are there any operable 20-cylinder diesels still in California, other than the occassional leased SD45-2 that sometimes shows up on the BNSF?

Thanks in advance,

Carl

Not what you're looking for, but there is an HLCX SD45 that's been through Davis a couple times in the last week.

BNSF doesn't have SD45s anymore?

Ted in Davis

How about BNSF 6515 taken at Mojave July 15, 2005
Dennis

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BNSF does have SD45-2s however! Not sure if they are 20 cylinder, i don't think they are.

Hello all,

Sorry, the ex-Trona, exx-ATSF SD45-2's are rebuilt to SD40-2 specs with 16-645's.

The BNSF, ex-ATSF SD45-2's are 20-645's, however.

Ron

http://rlehmer.50megs.com/photos/

Rail1 Wrote:
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> BNSF does have SD45-2s however!


And they sound soooo good at full throttle, nothing better than a twenty cylinder concert by EMD.


TCS - yes, they are.

At least three FP45's survive: ATSF 98 (ex-5948, ex-108) runs occasionally at Orange Empire Ry. Museum in Perris CA. There's one at Barstow, east of the restored ATSF depot, and (I think) one at Illinois Ry. Museum. Operational status of the last two not known. In June, OERM did a simulated mail pickup with 98 pulling ATSF 60, a restored RPO car and some other heavyweights.

Rail1 Wrote:
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> BNSF does have SD45-2s however! Not sure if they
> are 20 cylinder, i don't think they are.


Yes, they are 20 cylindered.

The Iron Horse

Did the CN/WC FP-45 (last privately purchased mainline passenger locomotive in revenue service, albeit freight) go to scrap?

IRM's is not operational. For one thing there's an air compressor cylinder missing (the piston is hanging out of it) and I think the last time I looked one power assembly on the engine was missing a cylinder head so who knows what else.

CarlLaFong Wrote:

> Are there any operable 20-cylinder diesels still
> in California, other than the occassional leased
> SD45-2 that sometimes shows up on the BNSF?

A&C has locomotives witn SD45 bodies and SD45-2 bodies, but I'm pretty sure the innards are all 16 cylinder. The SD45-2's Trona had were also rebuilt to 16-cylinder machines. They are no longer on the Trona roster, and an on-line roster suggests all their present power is 16-cylinder too.

If preserved units like the FP45's count, add SP SD45T-2 6819 at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. If it's not operational, it's probably pretty close, though getting to *hear* it run may be a challenge.

In the last couple of weeks I have seen at least 2 of the ex-Trona engines in consists with some leasing co.'s reporting marks and the Trona Ry. very quickly painted out. ,Andy

Still plenty of 20-cyl. 645s floating around LA Harbor in tugboats...also there are a couple of Edison-owned 20-cyl. EMD 645s purring away at Pebbly Beach on Catalina Island providing electricity to the city of Avalon.

You did say "diesels" without mentioning "locomotives."

Alco251 Wrote:
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> Still plenty of 20-cyl. 645s floating around LA
> Harbor in tugboats...also there are a couple of
> Edison-owned 20-cyl. EMD 645s purring away at
> Pebbly Beach on Catalina Island providing
> electricity to the city of Avalon.
>
> You did say "diesels" without mentioning
> "locomotives."

Funny you should mention Pebbly Beach. The opportunity arose for me to get a tour less than two weeks ago now. I only saw two engines up close; a 16-cyl. 645 and a 16-cyl. 710. They also have a pair of 567's based on what the foreman said. Inside the plant building is a very old Fairbanks Morse engine they have cleaned up as a museum piece of sorts. While everything is still in place, it hasn't been used in many years.

They keep talking about an underwater cable being installed from the mainland that would effectively make the Pebbly Beach facility obsolete. Not sure about the timeframe of such, probably within the next 10 years though.

How about the SD80MAC locomotives with their 20 cylinder 710 engines? I also wouldn't mind seeing a tier 2 SD80ACe, it would be GREAT!!! (Wouldn't mind a 16 cylinder GEVO either)
They'd provide lots of horsepower. Would look great in red and silver.

Alco251 Wrote:
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> Still plenty of 20-cyl. 645s floating around LA
> Harbor in tugboats...also there are a couple of
> Edison-owned 20-cyl. EMD 645s purring away at
> Pebbly Beach on Catalina Island providing
> electricity to the city of Avalon.
>
> You did say "diesels" without mentioning
> "locomotives."

Funny indeed, my local power supplier has 18 V20-645E8 diesels. The 4 located on the outskirts of the town where I live were purring magnificently yesterday as the company coped with record power demands. Last summer they purchased 4 V20-645 gen-sets from a closed Merck Pharmaceutical Plant where they were backup power supply.

FECSD40-2 Wrote:

> How about the SD80MAC locomotives with their 20
> cylinder 710 engines?

Has an SD80MAC ever made it to California?

Alco251 Wrote:
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> Still plenty of 20-cyl. 645s floating around LA
> Harbor in tugboats...also there are a couple of
> Edison-owned 20-cyl. EMD 645s purring away at
> Pebbly Beach on Catalina Island providing
> electricity to the city of Avalon.
>
> You did say "diesels" without mentioning
> "locomotives."

of course, it never goes anywhere near California, but there's a boat on the
great lakes named "Buffalo" that has a pair of 3600HP 20-645 blocks in it built
in the early 70's.

csxt4617 Wrote:
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> Alco251 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Still plenty of 20-cyl. 645s floating around
> LA
> > Harbor in tugboats...also there are a couple
> of
> > Edison-owned 20-cyl. EMD 645s purring away
> at
> > Pebbly Beach on Catalina Island providing
> > electricity to the city of Avalon.
> >
> > You did say "diesels" without mentioning
> > "locomotives."
>
> of course, it never goes anywhere near California,
> but there's a boat on the
> great lakes named "Buffalo" that has a pair of
> 3600HP 20-645 blocks in it built
> in the early 70's.

About half of the currently active US Flagged Ore Boats are powered by 20 cylinder EMDs.

There are a few in Oregon, all ex-SP and 20 cyl. This one was in transition, had the logo but not its new number. The other three are GWI orange, BTW.

Roustabout out

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