If the unit had an undoing, it was its high-maintenance 645-series prime mover – a 20-cylinder engine with large radiators. Many railroads tallied the cost of maintenance of this engine compared to the 3,000-horsepower prime mover of the SD40, and the orders began to shift to the SD40-series locomotives. (More than 4,000 SD40s in all variations were sold.) Still, the SD45 is a rugged freight hauler, and, no matter what part of the country you live in, chances are an SD45 or two rumbled through your town at some time. You can still find these bruisers in service on railroads such as the Wisconsin Central.
The O gauge RailKing version of the SD45 is a nice downsizing of this classic second-generation diesel. As with the RailKing E8 outfit (CTT, October 1999), this is a good-looking model, reduced in size for smaller-radius operation but done so in proportion so it looks more balanced than earlier RailKing engines such as the SD60 and Dash-8.
We examined the no. 30-2153-1 Pennsylvania RR version of the SD45; it is also available in Union Pacific. The tooling is very well done, and the simple Brunswick green paint scheme is smoothly applied.
You will notice the abundance of Pennsylvania RR keystones and wonder what gives? In the final days of the Pennsy, with the creation of Penn Central on the horizon, the road decided to save costs by simply painting the engines and then slapping keystone decals all over the place. You were just as likely to find an engine with two decals as you were to find one with four or more.
The RailKing engine has die-cast trucks and couplers and metal handrails. The level of detailing is respectable yet basic. There is plenty of simulated hatch and hinge detail, but the roof is a bit sparse. There is no cab interior, although the cab is illuminated.
The headlight isn’t directional. The sound system offers brake squeals, engine revs, and the usual array of idle and acceleration sounds. The bell and horn were loud and clear, and the freight yard sound feature was fun.
The engine delivered typically good performance. From our testing, we gauged the low speed average at 12 scale mph while the high speed average was 127.4 scale mph. The 4-pound, 6-ounce engine chalked up a solid 2 pounds of drawbar pull. This is more than 120 modern, free-rolling pieces of rolling stock on straight and level track.
The real SD45 is a hardy, powerful freight hauler and a welcome addition to many a prototype fleet. In O gauge, this SD45 is a welcome addition to the RailKing fleet.
