Motive Power Resources of Minooka, Ill., refurbished the units. The company did a complete shop overhaul, with main bearings replaced in the 16-cylinder EMD 645 engines, along with replacement of wiring and the control stand.
”Wisconsin winters are rough on locomotives, we want to make sure we have an excellent work environment for our crews and locomotive reliability is part of it,” said Progressive Rail president and owner Dave Fellon. “I love it and they just plain look cool.”
The Wisconsin Northern operates over 40 miles of track from Norma, Wis., north of Chippewa Falls, to Cameron, Wis. This was part of the Chicago & North Western Railroad’s Itasca Subdivision which once ran to Superior, Wis.
CLARIFICATION: The locomotives are best categorized as SD45R units. An earlier version of this story referred to them as SD45s. Feb. 20, 2018. 1:22 p.m. Central time.
SD 45’s are my favorite engines. They always looked sharp.
That loco looks sharp! I’d like to see Progressive Rail expand their operations in Northern Wisconsin if CN puts any of the former Wisconsin Central lines up for sale.
You just got to love it when a CEO says his locomotives to look cool!
Miss those Wisconsin Central SD45’s.
I wouldn’t say that they’re “best categorized as SD45R units”. They no longer have their 20-645 inside. It has been standard practice for decades to relabel such conversions, including in the pages of Trains through the years. For instance if it was updated with Dash 2 electronics when repowered, it would be designated as a SD40-2 or SD40-2M. They’ve never kept their SD45 designation, until apparently now.
Is there supposed to be a photo? I’m not getting one.
As always, I am glad when these old diesels are given a new life. Mr. Fellon is right, SD-45’s do look cool.
Always good to see Any SD45’s & they chose a very nice paint scheme!
What is the heritage of these two Wisconsin Northern SD-45r’s? Ex SP?
Pretty blue paint scheme on the locomotive shown here.
Progressive Rail is a class act.
No photo for me either. Maybe an oversight?