SD40 - MagnumMacKivler/RLCPT2 GitHub Wiki
Image copyright Alan Gaines
The SD40, introduced in 1966, was EMD's first 6-axle offering to use the turbocharged 16-645E3 prime mover. An improvement over the prior SD35, the SD40 sported 3000 horsepower and an AR10 Alternator instead of the DC generators found on earlier EMD models. While the electronics and trucks were upgraded in the ubiquitous SD40-2, the prime mover and main electrical gear remained unchanged. The SD40, often incorrectly referred to as the "SD40-1," sold over 1200 units.
The passenger version of the SD40, called the SDP40, featured a steam generator at the rear end of the carbody. The SDP40 also had a top speed of 95 miles an hour for higher speed, but lighter passenger trains compared to standard freight trains. Former SDP40s have a rectangular addition to the end of the body, compared to the triangular edge the standard freight unit hoods have. SDP40s were also a low cost locomotive that had passenger additions to a freight unit, and could easily be converted back into a freight locomotive at the end of passenger operations for most railroads in the 1970s.
Great Northern (now patched Burlington Northern), SDP40 9854 is now on freight service in Seattle, Washington in May of 1970. Photo credit Roger Lalonde
PT-Specific Information
| General Info | - |
|---|---|
| Prime Mover | EMD 16-645E3 |
| Horsepower | 3000 |
| Truck Type | EMD Flexicoil C |
| Axles | 6 |
| Traction Motors | 6 |
| Minimum Weight | 368,000 lbs |
| Maximum Weight | 410,000 lbs |
| Model Base Speed | 65 MPH |
| Top Speed | 65, 71, 77, 83, 89, or 95 MPH (2) |
| Electrical System | - |
|---|---|
| Generator Max Current | 6000 Amps |
| Max Traction Motor (TM) Current | 1500 Amps |
| Max Continuous TM Current | 1050 Amps |
| Traction Motor Type | DC |
| Factor of Adhesion | 25% |
| Transition Mode | Automatic with selector |
| Transition Groups | 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1 (3) |
| Transition Shunts | 1, 0.67, 0.53, 0.40, 1, 0.67, 0.53, 0.40 (3) |
| Generator Transition | No |
| Traction Control | APR + Sand |
| Dynamic Braking (DB) Mode (if used) | Mechanical Blowers |
| DB Max Current | 700 Amps |
| DB Max Continuous Current | 700 Amps |
| Blended Braking | No |
| Miscellaneous | - |
|---|---|
| Head-End Power (HEP) | No |
| HEP Power Consumption | N/A |
| HEP Standby/Run Mode | N/A |
| Load Ramp Speed | 2 Amps/Tick |
| TM Overload Protection | No |
| Starter Mode | Manual Primer, Manual Start |
| Air Brake Schedule | 26-L |
| Compressor CFM | 255.1 (WBO @ 904 RPM) |
| Main Reservoir Volume | 35 Cubic Feet |
Notes
(1): SDP40s were weighed to 360,000lbs fully loaded minimum, 387,000 max stock (393,000 with modification to axles)
(2): Only SDP40s were offered with 89 or 95 MPH gearing, though it would be fully possible for an SD40 to have either.
(3): Later-built SD40s had a simplified transition setup: Groups 2, 1 / Shunts 1, 1