The FP45 diesel was a passenger locomotive first produced in 1967 at the request of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. Only 14 units were made, nine for AT&SF and five for the Milwaukee Road. By the early 1980s, all but one were out of service or scrapped. Six survive in museums today.
The first MTH RailKing version of the FP45 was available in 2005. CTT last reviewed it in 2010 with that version having Proto-Sound 2.0. The 2024 release has Proto-Sound 3.0 and an onboard DCC/DCS decoder. It’s available in seven paint schemes.
The engine measures 18½” long. It scales out very closely to 1:48 scale, which would be 18.03” according to the prototype length. I can’t quibble about such a small difference. It weighs 4 lb. 11 ounces.
The paint is crisp and nicely applied. Even the intricate areas on the WSOR logo are even and clean. I noted a tiny bit of feathering of the black paint on the nose, but you have to look pretty closely to see it.
The underside of the engine has the usual slots to turn the sound and smoke unit on and off.
On the track
I tested the engine first with the Z-4000 transformer in conventional mode. There can be up to a 60-second delay from the time you apply power to when the engine responds. It took about 18 volts of power before the engine responded with startup sounds. I could use the bell and horn. I also tested it using our Lionel ZWL, but could only make the bell ring.
To take advantage of all the engine’s features, you need to use MTH’s DCS system, either via the remote control or the app. (For more on the DCS system, see my review of the MTH Shay.) I tested with both the remote and the app. The FP45 ran smoothly with no issues.
The model has a drawbar pull of 39 ounces. That’s equivalent to 117 free-rolling freight cars on straight and level track.
The sound system in this engine is fantastic! The quality has come a long way in this hobby. I especially liked the brake squeal when reducing the speed or stopping.
An oddity I encountered is that the classification lights blink during operation. Classification lights in the prototype are steady on. I reached out to MTH for clarification and did not receive a response, so I’m not sure if this is what MTH intended or if it’s a glitch with the engine. (If anyone owns this engine, please reach out at editor@classictoytrains.com with your feedback.)
The MTH website says this engine will operate on O-31 curves. Our CT&T layout has O-42 curves and, while it had no trouble navigating those, I wouldn’t try anything tighter than O-31 given the engine’s truck size. It might navigate those curves, but it won’t look great while doing so. The wider the curves the better!
This is a solid engine with a great sound system. It would make a worthy addition to your diesel fleet.
Thanks to Sommerfeld’s Hobbies for the loan of this engine for testing.
MTH RailKing EMD FP45 diesel locomotive
Wisconsin & Southern (30-21220-1)
Features: Proto-Sound 3.0, O-31 curve operation, onboard DCC/DCS decoder, 2 remote-controlled Proto-Couplers, operating ProtoSmoke diesel exhaust, 2 engineer cab figures
Roadnames: Burlington Northern, Daylight Locomotive & Machine Works, Great Northern, Montana Rail Link, Santa Fe, Susquehanna, Wisconsin & Southern
Price: $429.95
Website: mthtrains.com
