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F45 Technical Data

The F45 – and all of EMD’s “45” series locomotives, such as the SD45 – is powered by the 20-645E3 prime mover. It’s a two-stroke diesel with intake ports in the cylinder walls and four exhaust valves per cylinder. Because two-stroke engines need a way to blow air through their cylinders - a process called scavenging - most 645s have a gear driven turbocharger with an overrunning clutch. At slow speeds, the gears drive the turbocharger, producing the characteristic jet-like whine of these engines. Above notch 6 of the locomotive’s 8-notch throttle, the turbocharger is driven by the force of the exhaust gases.

The 645 prime mover (numbered for its cubic inches per cylinder) was built in V-8, V-12, V-16 and V-20 configurations, in both normally aspirated (Roots blower) and turbocharged versions. It enjoyed a long production run from 1966 to 1992. A rugged and reliable engine, thousands of 645s are still in service around the world in locomotives and in marine and stationary applications and heavy mining trucks.

The 645's basic design dates to 1938, when the 567 prime mover first hit the road; it was one of the first diesel engines designed specifically for locomotives. And that same basic design is still in production today: the 710G-T2 prime mover of EMD’s current model, the SD70ACe.

GN 400 “Hustle Muscle”

Photo copyright Bill Christopher

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