In 1968, fairly early in the intermodal freight revolution that was to sweep American railroading, the Santa Fe inaugurated the Super C.
This was a premium-priced intermodal express train that hauled trailers and containers between Chicago and Los Angles in roughly 40 hours for the posted tariff rate, plus a $1,500 premium for the high-speed service.
In the 1960s, the railroad, famous for its classic warbonnet-painted passenger F units, wanted a modern replacement that was at least a bit aerodynamic.
Always eager to please a good customer, the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors developed the six-axle FP45 passenger locomotive, and a freight-only version called the F45. Both were based on the SD45.
The result was a locomotive that reduced wind resistance, was easy to clean (the Santa Fe was really into tidy locomotion), and provided safer access to the engine compartment for crew members who needed to check something while hurtling down the iron.
The sheathing didn’t add to locomotive’s structural integrity, so this type of locomotive was dubbed a “cowl unit,” rather than a “cab” unit like an F3.
Electro-Motive built 14 FP45s for the Santa Fe and the Milwaukee Road, along with 86 F45s for the Santa Fe and the Great Northern and its successor, Burlington Northern.
At present, Montana Rail Link rosters four F45s, but their operational status is uncertain.
Opening the box
In spite of this being dubbed a cowl unit, I always think of the FP45 as “Cab Unit: The Next Generation.” This RailKing scale model has its origin in MTH’s Premier line of 1997, and it is a scale-sized unit.
A handful, this O gauge FP45 measures 18 inches long from coupler to coupler. It should not be confused with some of the smaller diesels once offered in the RailKing line.
The pilot is very basic, with the main detail point being safety tread on the front steps for the brakeman. The steps to the front platform are smooth, as is the front deck.
The front and rear handrails have safety chain, and you’ll find add-on handrails heading up to the pilot and on the nose. There are cast-in grab irons on the face of the nose. There is a cast-in outline of a light on the snout, but it is solid and non-functional.
The cab is also basic. The windshields have wiper arms cast into the clear pane. The interior has two crew figures, but also a pretty visible shield hiding the motor.
The cab roof has a headlight, marker lights, and illuminated number boards.
The three side doors on the fireman’s side and the two doors on the engineer’s side have add-on grab irons.
The cast-in body detail is satisfactory. For me, highlights include the nice cast-in screens along the upper sides of the shell and the topside exhaust fans. These are cool because they are see-through, yet they have solid blades as part of the screen.
There are some nubs along the roof that puzzled me for a moment. Then it dawned on me that these represented lift rings, but at the time the tooling was originally made not that long ago fine scale lift rings were just a crazy dream.
The rear of the unit has a cast-in door (with a porthole) and lights just above the door. There are cast-in grab irons leading up to the roof.
The fuel tank is a great hunk of metal, and it’s set much higher above the rails than placed on the prototype.
The tank also has some cast-in detail, and you’ll find red paint accents on the fuel sight gauges.
The paint application was smooth, and the lines between the colors – the silver to black to yellow to red transitions – were clean and neat. The few bits of nomenclature (“sanitary water,” “Lift here,” and “62-15 Gear Ratio”) were all clear and readable.
On the test track
The MTH FP45 has two can-style motors. Only two of the axles on each truck are powered, and the third axle on each truck is flangeless to permit tight O-31 diameter operation. The second axle of each truck mounts wheels with traction tires.
Each truck has a coil coupler and also mounts a single power pickup, approximately 8¼ inches away from the next truck’s roller.
The model has both ProtoSound 2.0 and a smoke unit. The style of the screen will require a steady hand with the dropper to avoid spilling smoke fluid on the shell.
Smoke output was very good. Controls for both smoke output and the sound system’s volume are located on the frame, behind the lead truck.
Our low speed-average in command mode was 4.5 scale mph, while our conventional-mode low-speed average was 6.3 mph. Our high-speed average was 71.1 scale mph. Drawbar pull was 2 pounds, 2 ounces.
The MTH RailKing FP45 is a solid, value-priced locomotive. It may lack the finer scale-like details of more recent models, but it has the bells and whistles of ProtoSound 2.0 in an affordable package. For a model that stands out when compared to most diesel-era locomotion, get down to your MTH retailer to check it out.
Price: $299.95 (no. 30-2909-1)
Features: O-31 operation, two can-style motors, coil couplers, ProtoSound 2.0, smoke unit
