FP45
From RailroadfanWiki
The EMD FP45 is a six axle, 3,600 HP diesel-electric locomotive built in 1967 for the Atchinson, Topeaka & Santa Fe (ATSF) Railway and the Milwuakee Road (MILW). The locomotive was a cowl version of the EMD SDP45 and featured a wide nosed, two window cab that was a precursor to the more modern North American Safety Cab. Power for the FP45 was provided by a 20 cylinder EMD 645E-3 engine rated at 3,600 horsepower. A steam generator located in the rear of the unit (later removed) provided steam heat.
In the mid 60's, Santa Fe was still commited to it's passenger service and wanted a new locomotive to replace it's aging 40's and 50's era F units. The railroad liked the SDP45, but they wanted a locomotive that looked like it should be at the head end of the Super Chief, not just a freight unit with a steam generator. EMD developed the FP45 as a result, a full cowl version of SDP45. While not as elegantly streamlined as earlier F units, the FP45 presented a cleaner overall look than a conventional freight unit. Unlike previous F units like the F7, the cowl on the FP45 was not an intergeral part of the locomotive body, it was just cowl cladding. Underneath, it was just an SDP45 in a different shell. Santa Fe ordered 9 units, numbers 100-108. Milwuakee Road expressed interest in the type and order 5 units, numbers 1-5, without dynamic brakes for use on it's Hiawatha passenger trains.
Santa Fe's units arrived in December of '67 and January of '68, wearing the railroads attractive red and silver "Warbonnet" paint scheme. They made a grand showing pulling the innaugural runs of the Santa Fe's premium Super C Los Angeles-Chicago TOFC train, burning up the mainline at 90 mph in some locations. They then settled into pulling such famed Santa Fe passenger trains as the Super Chief, Grand Canyon and Texas Chief. After Amtrak assumed passenger operations in April of 1971, the FP45's were gradually repainted into the freight "Blue Bonnet" yellow and blue scheme and renumbered into the 5940 series. They still were regulars on Amtrak trains on the ATSF as late as 1973. Milwuakee Road's units were delivered in the Union Pacific style "Armor Yellow" paint, due to MILW's passenger partnership with the UP. They were nearly identical to ATSF's, but they lacked dynamic brakes. After MILW ceased passenger service, they were repainted into MILW's standard orange and black freight scheme.
Their passenger careers over, the Santa Fe converted the engines to more conventional freight machines. The steam generators were taken out, and their split fuel/water tanks were converted to hold just fuel. The gyra lights above the cab were removed gradually, and the engines were re-geared for lower speeds (this was done in the late 70's/early 80's, after the Super C had been discontinued). During the 1980's, Santa Fe began "remanufacturing" the FP45's, thoroughly overhauling them mechanically and cosmetically. It is said that once remanufactured, ATSF changed the designation from FP45 to "SDFP45" or "FP45u". (Generally speaking, railfans and most ATSF employees reffered to the units as FP45's until they were retired) When the Santa Fe-Southern Pacific merger began taking shape, all but one of the FP45's were repainted into the red and yellow SPSF "Kodachrome" paint scheme. Once the merger failed, they were repainted into the blue bonnet.
In 1989, Santa Fe's new president, Michael Haverty, decided it was time for something big. He made a splash in the railroad world by reintroducing Santa Fe's famed "Warbonnet" paint scheme (this time dubbed "Superfleet", differing from the old warbonnet in that instead of small "Santa Fe" in roman text along the long hood, "Santa Fe" was spelled out in large red lettering across the engine compartment doors) on locomotives, and the FP45's were the first locomotives to wear it. They were briefly renumbered to their original 100 series numbers, but the order for EMD GP60M's in the 100 block led the FP45's to be renumbered into the 5990 series for a brief stint, then finally being assinged numbers 90-97. For a while the FP45's were the stars of the new Superfleet, pulling premium intermodal trains, heading executive specials and even assisting ex ATSF 4-8-4 #3751 on her first run after restoration. But with the arrival of more Superfleet locomotives, such as GP60M's, GP60B's and SD75M's from EMD and 8-40BW's, 8-40CW's and 9-44CW's from GE, the FP45's began to fall out of favor. After the FRA mandated in 1995 that all locomotives leading a train traveling above 20 mph must have ditch lights, the FP45's never lead trains, as they were never equipped with ditch lights. They were gradually retired as mechanical failures did them in, the last (#90) being retired by Santa Fe sucessor Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) in 2000.
Today 6 FP45's remain. All of Milwuakee's units were scrapped following that railroads bankrupcy in the late 1970's. ATSF #91 was sold to Wisconsin Central in 1995 and became their #6652. After the merger of the WC into Canadian National in 2004, it was sold to Larry's Truck and Electric and scrapped in 2005. What would have been #94, the #5944, was destroyed in a wreck in Texas in 1981 and was scrapped. #96 was involved in a runaway on Cajon Pass in 1994 and was also scrapped. The remaining 6 were donated to museums across the country, with one currently in operating condition. Their dispositions are as follows:
- ATSF #90, Oaklahoma RR Museum in Oklahoma City, OK - ATSF #92, Illinois Railway Museum in Union, IL - ATSF #93, Great Plains Transportation Museum in Wichita, KS - ATSF #95, Western American RR Museum in Barstow, CA - ATSF #97, Age of Steam RR Museum in Dallas, TX - ATSF #98, Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, CA, which is operational and is available for "Engineer for an hour" programs
Not every locomotive has a detailed write up like this. The FP45's were truely unique machines, and deserve an in-depth look at their long and vivid careers. Long live EMD cowls! -Jonathon Leese, avid FP45 fan
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