ScaleTrains HO Scale: Rivet Counter - EMD SD45 - DCC & Sound - Santa Fe
With countless railroad, road number, and era specific details, the Rivet Counter HO Scale SD45 is the definitive model of this ground-breaking high horsepower locomotive. First built in 1966, the SD45 served numerous Class I railroads and eventually secondhand owners and shortlines. While no longer used by Class 1 railroads, some SD45s and SD45 carbodies remain in service today with shortlines and regionals.
Road Number Specific ScaleTrains
Era: 1970s, Series ATSF 5530-5589 (Ex-1830-1889), built 10-12/66, Phase Ib1
Road numbers 5536 and 5588
Lost-wax brass Leslie S-3L-R horn; mounted center rear of number board housing
Large Sinclair Excalibur “ice skate” antenna (communications) mounted on dust bin
Lettering and data placement variations
Road numbers 5549, 5571 and 5579
Lost-wax brass Leslie S-3L-R “Low Profile” (#25 and #31 chimes swapped); mounted center rear of number board housing
Large Sinclair Excalibur “ice skate” antenna (communications) mounted on dust bin
Lettering and data placement variations
Road number 5563
Lost-wax brass Leslie S-3L-R horn; mounted center rear of number board housing
Can type antenna mounted on dust bin
Lettering and data placement variations
All Santa Fe SD45s include
Operating LED-lit Prime PM-8901 Stratolite Beacon
Operating LED-lit tricolor (red, green, and white) flush-mounted class lights with raised gasket
Operating LED-lit ground lights
Front and rear MU hose retainer grab irons
Front and rear early small deck extension
Pivoting front and rear drop steps
“Short” stepwells with see-through steps
“Early” (“X”) pattern walkway treadplate
Rectangular walkway lights (non-operating)
Latched battery box doors with narrow louvers
Cab sub-base doors with stiffener rib
81” low short hood with plated-over handbrake location
Standard EMD high headlight in numberboard housing
Early straight grabs and “flipped” nut-bolt-washer (NBW) mounting on nose front and top
“35-Line” cab with standard front windshields
Small mirror mount fore of the cab side windows, both sides
Standard EMD sunshades and long sunshade tracks
No cab vents
Standard electrical cabinet seam and bolted alternator door
No ECAFB
Early (smooth) blower duct housing
Early (short forward taper) extended-range dynamic brakes with retrofitted cooling vents and “T” vent on top of roof
Chickenwire-pattern radiator intake grille mesh
Photoetched spiral ring grilles with center disk
Long walkway duct (three short stanchions)
Front and rear straight uncoupling levers with loop handles and four inner and two outer brackets
Handrail set with pilot face mounted outer end rail stanchions
3-hose MU hose clusters with silver gladhands
Early (angled) deck-mounted MU receptacle
Short “nub-bottom” pilot face
Tall jacking pads with holes
Sill-mount EFCO button
Frame-mounted bell
Salem air filter (accordion style)
4,000-gallon fuel tank with single fuel filler, single vertical fuel gauges, and round fuel gauge on both tank sides
Detailed Flexicoil (low-mount brake cylinder) trucks with Hyatt bearing caps and sanding lines and brackets
Speed recorder second axle, left side
ACI plate mounted to blower duct on left side and rear cab step kickplate on right side
Rivet Counter SD45 Locomotives Also Feature
Fully assembled
Multiple road numbers
Printed and LED-lighted number boards
Operating LED-lit ground lights
Scale sectioned walkway treadplate
Underbody frame rail with separate plumbing and traction motor cables
Accurate hood door and long hood details
Inertial air intake grilles without drip rails
Separately applied dust bin and exhaust stack
Accurately profiled dynamic brake housings
See-through dynamic brake intakes with resistor grid
Detailed cab interior with separate floor, rear wall, seats, and standard AAR control stand
Sliding cab windows
Factory-applied wire grab irons, wire lift rings, windshield wipers, horns, coupler cut levers, trainline hoses with silver gladhands, sand hatch covers, and much more
Semi-scale coupler buffer equipped with durable metal semi-scale Type “E” knuckle couplers
Directional LED headlights
All-wheel drive
All-wheel electrical pick-up
Motor with 5-pole skew-wound armature
Dual flywheels
Printing and lettering legible even under magnification
Operates on Code 70, 83 and 100 rail
Packaging safely stores model
Color matched to Tru-Color Paint colors whenever possible