PREORDER Athearn ATH19089 N F45 Locomotive, MRL #393

PROTOTYPE AND BACKGROUND INFO

By the early 1960’s the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) was at a big disadvantage. Their 567 engine, in use for over 20 years, had reached it’s peak at 2,500 horsepower in a turbocharged 16-cylinder version. EMD released a new 645 engine in 1966. The most powerful locomotive using this series of engine was the SD45, powered by a 20-cylinder turbocharged 645E engine producing 3600 horsepower. EMD then offered the V20 645E engine in the SDP45 in a standard hood configuration and longer frame to occomodate the steam generator needed for passenger service. The EMD SDP45 was a good passenger locomotive, but to the Santa Fe Railway it did not look the part. EMD therefore designed a lightweight “cowl” body to cover the locomotive, though it did not, as in earlier cab units, provide any structural strength, which remained in the frame. The cowl provided sleeker looks, better aerodynamics at speed, and allowed the crew to enter the engine compartment en route for diagnostics and maintenance. After sponsoring the development of the FP45 passenger locomotive, the Santa Fe requested a similar freight locomotive from Electro-Motive. Where the FP45 was an SDP45 wrapped in a full-width Cowl carbody, the new F45 was essentially an SD45 given the same treatment.

Montana Rail Link F45s 392 and 393 were acquired from Wisconsin Southern in April of 1994 and started life as Burlington Northern being part of the only order they placed for F45s. When they arrived at MRL they were patched and ran as MRL 1002 and 1003 before being repainted. The W or “roaring lion” scheme is the only paint scheme that both these unit wore with MRL 393 being painted in March of 1997 so it could be leased to sister company I&M Rail Link. MRL 392 lasted a bit longer in its former paint scheme and was repainted in May of 2000. Both units are unique in their spotting features (as many of the MRL units were due to their previous heritages and where they were painted). These units are represented as they looked between the painted dates listed above and 2006 when more reflectors were added and they were permanently sidelined. MRL 392 was scrapped in the summer of 2014 while MRL 393 met the same fate much earlier in 2007.