EMD DDM45

EMD DDM45

Power type	Diesel-electric
Builder	General Motors Electro-Motive Division
Build date	1970 - 1976
AAR wheel arr.	D-D
Gauge	1 m
Power output	3,600 hp
Locale	South 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