# What is this, parked near my home?



## BobT (Mar 27, 2021)

I am not good with diesel I.D.s, but saw this parked a few miles from home. Wondering what it is. Looks newly painted.


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## MidwestMikeGT (Jan 4, 2021)

Does it look like an SD45T-2 or maybe an SD40T to anyone else?


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## BobT (Mar 27, 2021)

Should have mentioned this on the Norfolk and Southern in Knoxville, TN.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

SD40-2


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## BobT (Mar 27, 2021)

OilValleyRy said:


> SD40-2


Thank you very much....

Any idea what the silver box on the roof is? Looking at photos of SD40-2s, I don't see that on others.


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## Mannix (10 mo ago)

BobT said:


> Any idea what the silver box on the roof is?


Air conditioning unit ?


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## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

BobT said:


> Should have mentioned this on the Norfolk and Southern in Knoxville, TN.


Hi Bob:
I guess you and I are neighbors. I saw it last evening coming across Beverly but was too tired to stop and take a photo. Parked at the old steel mill. 
Last year I saw a huge buck standing on the main on the side closest to the Y. 
I live in Villa Gardens off Tazewell Pike. 
Dan


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

The white box is an air conditioner. Just ahead of that are two antennas FYI, what appears to be a rare lollipop style on the engineers side, and a Sinclair type over the Brakeman’s side. That unit began as a BN unit. Lollipops may have been more common on that road.


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## BobT (Mar 27, 2021)

prrfan said:


> Hi Bob:
> I guess you and I are neighbors. I saw it last evening coming across Beverly but was too tired to stop and take a photo. Parked at the old steel mill.
> Last year I saw a huge buck standing on the main on the side closest to the Y.
> I live in Villa Gardens off Tazewell Pike.
> Dan


Well hey there, Dan. We are up on the ridge, corner of Ridgemont and Barbara.


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## BobT (Mar 27, 2021)

OilValleyRy said:


> The white box is an air conditioner. Just ahead of that are two antennas FYI, what appears to be a rare lollipop style on the engineers side, and a Sinclair type over the Brakeman’s side. That unit began as a BN unit. Lollipops may have been more common on that road.


Nice....Thank you....
I grew up in the Chicago 'burbs. Used to walk to school along the Burlington tracks. But I knew even less about diesels back then.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.J._Corman_Railroad_Group


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## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

BobT said:


> Well hey there, Dan. We are up on the ridge, corner of Ridgemont and Barbara.


Literally walking distance. We walk Beverly Acres all the time. I’ll PM you later. Right now we are welcoming brand new granddaughter so I’m taking care of her older brother (6 yo). That’s why I was tired lol. Have a great weekend.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

MidwestMikeGT said:


> Does it look like an SD45T-2 or maybe an SD40T to anyone else?


No it does not. It's normal standard SD40-2


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## MidwestMikeGT (Jan 4, 2021)

cv_acr said:


> No it does not. It's normal standard SD40-2


Many thanks! What are the visual distinctions between the two, please? I am pretty new in this and learning.


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## Ron045 (Feb 11, 2016)

Well worth the investment of 45 minutes...


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

MidwestMikeGT said:


> Many thanks! What are the visual distinctions between the two, please? I am pretty new in this and learning.


The "T" indicated "tunnel" radiators which are very distinctive and not really mistakable for anything else:

See here:



Canadian Freight Railcar Gallery - GEXR 3054



That's an SD45T-2.

Look at the rear end. Instead of three fans mounted on the top of the body, above the radiators, with the air intakes at the top of the sides like a "normal" EMD design, the air intakes are down at the bottom and there are no visible fan mountings on the roof, just one large grill, as the fans are mounted _below_ the radiator grills and blow air up through them, instead of pulling the air through like a normal SD.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

MidwestMikeGT said:


> Many thanks! What are the visual distinctions between the two, please? I am pretty new in this and learning.


The SD45 had “fluted” or angled outward radiator grilles at the rear. A very distinctive design that was only done on the SD45 series.
Example photo link of SD45 angled radiators

To add to cv_acr’s info with some detailed photos; 
SD40T-2s and SD45Ts were almost identical, except in the number of access doors and such. 

















You can see the rooftop grilles cv_acr mentions. And at the bottom is an open set of louvers, with the fans relocated inside. 
The design was for long tunnels where exhaust hung near the ceiling. Moving the fans lower reduced the amount of exhaust drawn in for cooling, thereby lessening overheating inside mile long tunnels i.e..


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

OilValleyRy said:


> The SD45 had “fluted” or angled outward radiator grilles at the rear. A very distinctive design that was only done on the SD45 series.
> Example photo link of SD45 angled radiators


The SD45-2 did not however. It had standard air intakes/grills, and can be distinguished from an SD40/SD40-2 by having a longer radiator with widely spaced fans. 

Also, the SD40/SD45 and SD40-2/SD45-2 shared a frame, but the SD45 has a larger and longer engine so the body is longer. These leaves the SD40/SD40-2 with distinctive long walkways at each end of the engine, since they have a shorter body on the same frame.



OilValleyRy said:


> To add to cv_acr’s info with some detailed photos;
> SD40T-2s and SD45Ts were almost identical, except in the number of access doors and such.


Very similar, except the 45 is longer, which can be noted by the door pattern as you said.

The 40 series had a 16-cylinder 16-645E3 engine generating 3000 HP, while the 45 series had a 20-cylinder 20-645E3 generating 3600 HP.


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## Ken4Sports (Feb 24, 2019)

Ron045 said:


> Well worth the investment of 45 minutes...


A joy to watch.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Ron045 said:


> Well worth the investment of 45 minutes


Indeed. It should be shown at every high school graduation ceremony. 

As Thomas Jefferson said, "It seems the harder I work, the more luck I have."


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

At one time Athearn produced a (IIRC) a GP-38 with his paint scheme and logo. It might have been another locomotive, but they aren't available except on the 2nd hand market now.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

Microscale makes the decals.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

MichaelE said:


> At one time Athearn produced a (IIRC) a GP-38 with his paint scheme and logo. It might have been another locomotive, but they aren't available except on the 2nd hand market now.


There's a couple of NIB 38s and GP7Us on fleabay now.


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## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

This line is now part of the Knoxville and Cumberland Gap Railroad. I guess we will be seeing a lot of red and gray now. We used to live In Corryton. That line and the one through Clinton have some great scenery. 








R.J. Corman to operate NS branches in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia (updated) - Trains


WASHINGTON — Short line holding company R.J. Corman plans to operate 154 miles of Norfolk Southern branches through a combination of acquisitions and leases in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. R.J. Corman’s Knoxville & Cumberland Gap Railroad will acquire 112 miles of NS lines, including the...




www.trains.com


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## Oomowmow (10 mo ago)

Very informative discussion. I didn't contribute, (I did take it for an SD40-2), but I learned a lot, thanks!


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