Hey all, I'm looking to do up a Kato SD45 to look like a rebuilt unit from the late 80s to early 90s. The light package removal is simple enough (assuming I can find the parts), but what about Horn location and AC. Most pictures I've seen show no roof AC on the units and the horns at the front, but I've seen a few in photos and in person that have the horns mounted to the back and cab roof AC. When would these have been added or is it a specific series they were added on?
SP's SD45Rs, which were numbered 7400-7566, were rebuilt by SP in the 80s, and had full light packages front and rear (with the exception of the last handful of units), and the horn up front on the number board housing. None had cab A/C while under SP ownership. http://espee.railfan.net/spsd45r.html On the other hand, many of SP's SD40M-2s, rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen in the 1990s, and numbered 8574-8706, were rebuilt from secondhand SD45 "core" units, and had their horns mounted on the long hood, and received cab A/C as part of the rebuild process. Note that they only had a standard high-mounted headlight, and ditch lights mounted on the walkways; no SP light packages. http://espee.railfan.net/spsd40m-2.html FWIW, they're technically no longer SD45s, since their as-built, 3600hp, 20-645 prime movers were replaced by 3000hp, 16-645 prime movers as part of the rebuild process, along with other external changes here and there.
Well then, that saves me money on parts. Do you know when the red light was removed? Also, I know some of the tunnel motors got AC. Why didn't the SD45s?
SP started removing the red and dual Gyralights from their power in the mid-80s, around the time of the SPSF debacle; the popular theory is that ATSF management influenced SP thinking at the time, and since ATSF didn't believe in signal lights, off they came. As for T-2s and AC, the first few orders of SD45T-2s came without it, while the final SP and Cotton Belt orders did; all SP/SSW SD40T-2s came with the feature. I've never heard the reason why the SD45R rebuilds didn't get AC as part of the rebuild package; my only guess, and only a guess, would be maybe it was a cost issue. FWIW, aside from a single SD9E, none of the other power SP rebuilt in-house...SD40Rs, GP35E/Rs, SD35E/Rs, etc. were retrofitted with it. The SD9E that was retrofitted was a one-off, and for whatever reason, never repeated.
It's surprising given where these units ran. I live in Roseville. The idea of a Roseville summer with no AC is frankly unbelievable.
I can agree. I lived 17 years in California, most of it in the Sacramento area and there could be consequtive weeks in a row with temperatures over 100 degrees in the summer. Yes, dry heat at 10 to 15 % humity but still hot enough to fry an egg on the roof of the loco in the heat of the day.
Dunno about why they wouldn't retrofit A/C, especially considering some of the areas they operated in, as you guys have pointed out. Only other thing I can think of is that they figured there were enough A/C equipped units on the system that they could put in the if temps dictated it. Otherwise, open the windows, and wedge the front and rear cab doors open to get some airflow going.:tb-biggrin:
