my ESPEE MODELERS ARCHIVE

California's Railroad to the U.S. 1861 - 1996

Southern Pacific SD45

class series delivered EF636-1 8800 - 8844 8-9/66 EF636-2 8845 - 8893 2-4/67 EF636-2 8894 - 8934 4-6/67 EF636-3 8935 - 8963 2-5/68 EF636-4 8982 - 9001 12/68 - 2/69 EF636-4 9002 - 9007 2/69 EF636-4 9008 - 9030 2-3/69 EF636-4 9031 - 9036 4/69 EF636-4 9037 - 9051 3/69 EF636-5 9069 - 9103 3-4/69 EF636-6 9104 - 9123 10-12/69 EF636-6 9124 - 9151 12/69 - 3/70
SD45 #8818 notice there is no recess for the brakewheel in the rear of this first order SD45. These units came with the 'normal' ratchet handbrake in the side of the nose. This unit is also interesting in that it has been fitted with Farr air intake shields and exhaust fins, noted as being very rare. This equipment more commonly seen on GP38-2's assigned to snow service over Donner.

356 units delivered

317 units to SP

8800	8801	8802	8803	8804	8805	8806	8807	8808	8809
8810	8811	8812	8813	8814	8815	8816	8817	8818	8819
8820	8821	8822	8823	8824	8825	8826	8827	8828	8829
8830	8831	8832	8833	8834	8835	8836	8837	8838	8839
8838	8841	8842	8843	8844	8845	8846	8847	8848	8849
8850	8851	8852	8853	8854	8855	8856	8857	8858	8859
8860	8861	8862	8863	8864	8865	8866	8867	8868	8869
8870	8871	8872	8873	8874	8875	8876	8877	8878	8879
8880	8881	8882	8883	8884	8885	8886	8887	8888	8889
8890	8891	8892	8893	8894	8895	8896	8897	8898	8899
8900	8901	8902	8903	8904	8905	8906	8907	8908	8909
8910	8911	8912	8913	8914	8915	8916	8917	8918	8919
8920	8921	8922	8923	8924	8925	8926	8927	8928	8929
8930	8931	8932	8933	8934	8935	8936	8937	8938	8939
8940	8941	8942	8943	8944	8945	8946	8947	8948	8949
8950	8951	8952	8953	8954	8955	8956	8957	8958	8959
8960	8961	8962	8963	SSW-»
	«-SSW	8982	8983	8984	8985	8986	8987	8988	8989
8990	8991	8992	8993	8994	8995	8996	8997	8998	8999
9000	9001	9002	9003	9004	9005	9006	9007	9008	9009
9010	9011	9012	9013	9014	9015	9016	9017	9018	9019
9020	9021	9022	9023	9024	9025	9026	9027	9028	9029
9030	9031	9032	9033	9034	9035	9036	9037	9038	9039
9040	9041	9042	9043	9044	9045	9046	9047	9048	9049
9050	9051	SSW-»
								«-SSW	9069
9070	9071	9072	9073	9074	9075	9076	9077	9078	9079
9080	9081	9082	9083	9084	9085	9086	9087	9088	9089
9090	9091	9092	9093	9094	9095	9096	9097	9098	9099
9100	9101	9102	9103	9104	9105	9106	9107	9108	9109
9110	9111	9112	9113	9114	9115	9116	9117	9118	9119
9120	9121	9122	9123	9124	9125	9126	9127	9128	9129
9130	9131	9132	9133	9134	9135	9136	9137	9138	9139
9140	9141	9142	9143	9144	9145	9146	9147	9148	9149
9150	9151	SSW-»				«-SSW

see the SP/SSW SD45 photos for more/extra images

Notes:

• 8817 wrecked parts used to rebuild 9123
• 8857 wrecked and rebuilt as 8892
• 8908 wrecked and rebuilt as 9136

2 units made it into Kodachrome paint - 9092, 9098.

SP started to receive SD45's in late 1966, 8800 - 8844, these first order units were delivered with one small snowplow on the front and SP's trademark signal lights. The handbrake was in the nose.
EMD changed the dimensions on the traction motor blower bulge, reducing it by three inches. Some units have the smaller width bulge, 8823 for example.
EMD also changed the length of the traction motor air duct, making it shorter. This resulted in four short handrail stanchions at the rear, instead of three. This first order may have had the shorter duct.

As well in 1967 EMD changed to high mounted (or outboard) brake cylinders. Some units may have received these, photo's show a mix of high and low on the same truck sideframe.
Rear numberboards were not applied to any of the SD45's...

SP second order 8845 - 8893 and third order SD45's 8894 - 8934, arrived with L shaped engineers windows, larger snowplows (some with plows both ends) and fuel fillers both ends of the fuel tank; which resulted in the air reservoirs being moved forward.
Possibly still with low mounted brake cylinders.

As well EMD changed the handbrake position from a left front short hood lever, to the right rear long hood brake wheel. These second order units look to be the first with the rear handbrake.

Third order 8935 - 8963 units evidently came with all the previous options, plus snowplows both ends as witness SD45 #8950.

Fourth order 8982 - 9051 units evidently came with all previous options, plus these units started the change to two equipment access doors under the cab, another SP trademark, and an external radiator sight glass.
Except... EMD introduced dynamic brake vents in 1969.
and evidently #8992 saw the introduction of a different radiator screen. Details Assocciates do 'early' (2714) and 'late' (2715) screens (grills) in HO Scale.

9069 - 9151, the 5th and 6th order SP SD45's appear to be the same as the previous 4th order units.

One interesting modification to SP SD45's, was the fitting sheet metal 'shrouds', to 12 SD45's, to test the 'Tunnel Motor Radiator' theory.

another variation was the fitting of Farr snow shields and exhaust fins on 8818 as shown at the top of the page.

Additional information supplied by Bruce Conklin.