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Spotting Features of the Sixteen 1968 SD45's...
Rio Grande's second and final order of SD45 diesels began arriving in March 1968. The second batch
totalled 16 examples numbered #5325-5340. SD45's #5325-5336 were built under EMD order #7085, while the 5337 thru 5340
were EMD order #7106.
The first of Rio Grande's second order of SD45's is #5325 delivered
in March 1968, just over a year after the first ten were on property. Seen above in this September 1979 Craig Conway
image, this SD-45 and its sister sport the "small flying" Rio Grande lettering. Note the bell located below the frame
in front of the fuel tank on the fireman's side of the 5325. The trailing SD45 features a Re-rail Frog hanging from
the frame over its rear truck.
Above and below are a pair of shots of #5325 sitting in Pueblo, Colorado in the early '80s (Joe Munson photo).
These shots provide a good view and understanding of the placement of the stripes on the rear of Rio Grande's SD45s.
Notice the slight wrap around of the stripes from the end to the long hood of the unit. The units front and rear pilot
area is solid "Grande Gold" in color. There is no rear plow.
Take a look at #5325, the first of the second order group, and tell
me what's wrong with it? The trucks show low-brakes that were a reported feature exclusive to only Rio Grande's first
ten (5315-5324) SD45s. As seen on #5318, trucks did get swapped and mixed during service visits. The earliest
image of #5325 that I've located is dated 1974 and it had low-brakes in that pic too.
One month short of its first birthday, Rio Grande applied the "large billboard" scheme seen above to SD45
#5326. This Tony Madieros photo taken in San Jose, California shows this unit in its later days of service.
On the point of a Kaiser Steel Union Pacific-Rio Grande coal train in late 1977, is #5328 at Frost, California
near Cajon Pass (Steve Schmollinger photo).
The Utah Rails website includes in its notes that Rio Grande SD45's #5329 and #5333 were involved in a wreck
near Crater, Colorado. Crater is on the Craig branch and the wreck is reported as happening in December 1968.
Both units are said to have made a trip back to EMD for repair and were back on D&RGW rails in September '69 sporting
the new "large billboard" scheme. Though trips to EMD do often return diesels with modifications or updated details,
no outward appearance change is found on these two wrecked-and-repaired SD45s.
Above is #5331 crossing Tennesse Pass at Pando, Colorado in 1975. (Larry Todd photo). Delivered
to the Rio Grande in the spring of '68, this like many SD45s on the roster got the "large billboard" updated paint in early
1969 when less than a year old. The quick modification to the lettering to include the larger Rio Grande is thought
to have been done for these units because they served in an important Union Pacific-Rio Grande Kaiser Steel coal train
service that operated between Colorado and California.
Notice the area surrounding the headlight on the unit's nose. Research appears to prove that all D&RGW
SD45 models have "Grande Gold" paint matching the striping color in this area. This is not the case on all Rio Grande
diesels. Some geeps for example feature a black background for the nose headlight bracket area and others have it painted
orange. Again, it appears that whether dressed in the as-delivered "small flying" Rio Grande scheme or in the later
"large billboard," all SD45's include orange paint on their headlight brackets.
Here's another good "down on" shot, this time though we're viewing the second Rio Grande SD45 scheme featuring
the "large billboard" lettering (Joe Munson photo). The "large billboard" scheme included the Rio Grande name breaking
up the nose stripes in a solid black rectangle written in "Grande Gold."
Note the radiator and dynamic brake fans on this unit. Rio Grande's second set of SD45 models featured
the wire spoked top fans when new. This example appears to have gotten a re-conditioned "button top" housing as
a replacement for its forward dynamic brake fan.
Before the Rio Grande applied any weathering, here's #5338 just starting out its life. Pictured in
Cicero, Illinois on the Burlington being delivered from EMD to the Rio Grande. This Fred Ziebe photo is dated March
24, 1968. Note the front pilot is solid orange; the "F" denoting the unit's front just behind the first stanchion on
the frame sill; the EMD builder's plate above on the sill above the center of the front truck.
Traveling through Red Canyon between Kremmling and Bond is the last of Rio Grande's 26 EMD SD45's #5340
in this July 1976 Craig Conway photo. The "large billboard" Rio Grande paint includes not only the big name on the long
hood, but also features Rio Grande across the unit's nose. The 5340 was not delivered with this scheme in March '68.
All D&RGW SD45 models arrived from La Grange with the "small flying" Rio Grande scheme. Rio Grande
did begin modifiying the paint on certain SD45s with only a few months of their delivery. Information shows
that Rio Grande first applied the "large billboard" scheme to SD45's #5336 and #5337 in August of 1968.
Rio Grande's second group of SD45's feature smaller snow plows in
comparison to the size of the plows featured on the initial ten units. Compare the plow on the SD45 above with one in
the #5315-5324 series.
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