Trains Magazine Newswire is reporting that Canadian National Railway has just retired Illinois Central SD40 No. 6071, Electro-Motive Division's prototype SD40, built in January 1966. The loco, which came to IC via predecessor Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, was built on a slightly shorter SD35 frame, and is therefore an anomaly not necessarily an ideal candidate for preservation.

But this is definitely the last call for an SD40, and coming soon after the SD40-2........ my lists show two SD45's and a UP SDP35 in preservation, and one SD40, B&O 7402, at the B&O Railroad Museum..............

Actually B&O 7402 is an SD35, but Sandy's point is still valid

I'm a big fan of second generation diesel preservation. While there are many of these beasts still sticking around, they are rapidly disappearing as well, and I'm glad people are keeping their eyes on them.

I thought so........... I have two websites to correct, and that leaves me with............ NO SD40's/SD40-2's preserved that I can tell.............

I would suggest one for Altoona--after all, the model became synonymous with Horse Shoe Curve pushers.............

I hope someone trys to preserve the prototype to one of the most popular diesels.

Sandy, what SD-45's are you refering to, VMT has 2, N&W Bicentennial unit # 1776, and and ex EL SDP-45 whose number I don't remember. Plus, doesn't the Lake Superior Museum (or is it MTM) have a GN SD-45? I'd love to see an N&W SD40-2 preserved in Roanoke, and maybe a high nose Southern unit go to Spencer, as they were some of the last EMD's bought by both roads before the 1982 merger. Fortunately, most of them are still serving their original function for NS right now.

In addition to the SD-45's listed above by Gary, there are the 2 former Wisconsin Central units, 7525 at IRM, and another at Duluth.

Jeff

A few more EMD Forties & Forty Fives to add to the preserved list.

* Amtrak 644, SDP40F - Portland, Oregon.
* Canadian Pacific 5500, SD40 - Revelstoke Railway Museum in Revelstoke, BC Canada.
* Union Pacific 9950, SD40-2 - Western American Railroad Museum in Barstow,CA.
* Southern Pacific 6819, SD45T-2 - California State Railroad Museum.
* Denver & Rio Grande Western 5371, SD40T-2 - Which has been set aside for preservation / donation by Union Pacific.
* BNSF 6327, SDP40 (Ex. Great Northern 325). Which has reportedly been donated by BNSF to the Minnesota Transportation Museum in St. Paul,MN.



The SD45 at Duluth is the Wisconsin Central 7495, former Northern Pacific 3617.


Daniel

One of the EL SD45p's still exist?

My notes scribbled in my Second Diesel Spotter's Guide show SD45 EL 3607/CR 6072 at the St. Louis Co. Museum of Transport, shown here in 2004:

http://www.railfan.net/lists/erielackph ... C00001.jpg

and with a better-than-Scranton-looking Big Boy in 2006:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.p ... 8&nseq=133

According to ScottyChaos' EL survivor list at http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychao ... Survivors/ , another EL SD45 survives as an Altoona test bed unit (ex-EL 3632), while a couple ex-EL SDP45's and SD45-2's may survive, including EL SDP45 3639/CR 6670/NW 6670 in the "dead storage" outside line at Roanoke/VMT.

There's yet another ex EL SDP45 extant. This one was last reported in Pittston Jct, PA at RMDI. Its a rebuilder/scrapper at the former Lehigh Valley yards. Still in faded CR blue, it had served in Mexico at some point.

Joshua

Joshua, unless someone actually says "I saw that loco last week" or something similar, consider that loco gone. I deal with a couple folks from RMDI, and last I heard all their "big locos" got scrapped while scrap prices were still high last year; this included a couple ex-CR gray C32-8's, as I recall.

I hate to feed the rumor mill, but I heard that SDP was "at the bottom of the list" of things to get torched, because they do recognize the significance of it.

I'm only hoping that the CRHS can get a decent location and hit the lottery before they get all the way down to her.

There are still 90 PRR and PC SD40's in service! (not SD40-2's)
none preserved yet though..
many rebuilt of course, but there are probably still a few in fairly original condition.
pretty impressive for 43 year old units!
(the PRR SD40's were built in 1966)

And 36 PRR SD45's still in service..
these were the PRR's last new units..
delivered just before the PC merger in 1968.
also none yet preserved.

http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychao ... /index.htm

Scot

Friends,

Just got an e-mail from my RMDI associates confirming that, yes, the EL SDP45 is still there at Pittston, basically intact............. maybe the Delaware-Lackawanna would like to branch out into non-Alco/MLW power?