EMD DDM45

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EMD DDM45
Power type Diesel-electric
BuilderGeneral Motors Electro-Motive Division
Build date1970 - 1976
AAR wheel arr.D-D
Gaugem
Power output3,600 hp
LocaleSouth America

The EMD DDM45 is a narrow gauge diesel-electric locomotive built by EMD. It has eight axles in two trucks, giving it a D-D wheel arrangement. The name means a D-D locomotive, M for meter gauge (the rails are a meter apart), 45 series. They were built for service in South America. The Estrada de Ferro Vitória a Minas (EFVM) bought several in the early 1970s in order to expand their locomotive roster. The EFVM needed the most powerful single-engined locomotive available, and the SD45 represented the highest-rated model that EMD had to offer at the time.

However, a big locomotive such as an SD45 with its three-axle trucks wasn't readily adaptable to the EFVM's narrow gauge trackage. The smaller traction motors of the meter gauge locomotive were unable to handle the full current capacity from the 3,600 HP prime mover. And so, EMD proposed the meter gauge version of the Flexicoil-D four-axle trucks, similar to those found under the domestic EMD DD35, EMD DD35A and EMD DDA40X locomotive model, creating the DDM45 in the process. The additional 2 traction motors of this design allowed full power to be used.

Roster of DDM45s:

Order number Build date Serial numbers Country Railroad Numbers Quantity
711197-711208 February 1970 - May 1970 34671-34682 Brazil Vitoria a Minas 801-812 12
711441-711448 April 1970 - May 1970 36303-36310 Brazil Vitoria a Minas 813-820 8
711871-711880 March 1971 37278-37287 Brazil Vitoria a Minas 821-830 10
712613-712621 March 1973 - May 1973   Brazil Vitoria a Minas 831-839 9
713096-713119 January 1974 - July 1974   Brazil Vitoria a Minas 840-863 24
713726-713735 April 1976 - May 1976   Brazil Vitoria a Minas 864-873 10
748027-1 to -10 May 1976 - June 1976   Brazil Vitoria a Minas 874-883 10