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  • 645 Engine question

  • Discussion of Electro-Motive locomotive products and technology, past and present. Official web site can be found here: http://www.emdiesels.com/.
Discussion of Electro-Motive locomotive products and technology, past and present. Official web site can be found here: http://www.emdiesels.com/.

Moderator: GOLDEN-ARM

 #1316864  by keyboardkat
 
The SD45 required a 20-cylinder 645 prime mover to crank out 3600 hp. Later, EMD stumbled with the 50 series when it tried to squeeze 3500 or 3600 hp out of a 16-cylinder 645. There were problems with premature engine wear, among other things, which caused a number of roads to derate the 50 series locomotives. But MPI's MP36 series of passenger locomotives uses, I understand, a Czech-built version of the 16-cylinder 645 rated at 3600 hp, and I haven't heard of any complaints or problems with the engines. How did they achieve this?
 #1317883  by v8interceptor
 
keyboardkat wrote:The SD45 required a 20-cylinder 645 prime mover to crank out 3600 hp. Later, EMD stumbled with the 50 series when it tried to squeeze 3500 or 3600 hp out of a 16-cylinder 645. There were problems with premature engine wear, among other things, which caused a number of roads to derate the 50 series locomotives. But MPI's MP36 series of passenger locomotives uses, I understand, a Czech-built version of the 16-cylinder 645 rated at 3600 hp, and I haven't heard of any complaints or problems with the engines. How did they achieve this?
Higher RPM's and improved components. The current license holder for the 645 series engine (for OEM engines) is actually GE who bought the line from Wabtec (the improves 645 was actually developed by Morrison Knudsen).
 #1318042  by DutchRailnut
 
not aware of any 645's running at higher speed than 900 rpm just as originals did.
 #1318222  by chrisf
 
v8interceptor wrote: Is this table not accurate then?:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140722194 ... d/history/

I don't know where the author of the original article got the information so I can't vouch for it...
There's a lot of posts around saying that the 645F ran at up to 950 RPM but I also didn't find what seems like an original source for that information.
 #1319288  by mxdata
 
EMD 645F3 Engine Maintenance Manual 1st Edition April 1978, bottom of page 0-5.

954 RPM.

MX