EMD SD75M/SD75I

EMD SD75M
BNSF SD75M No. 8231
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) Model SD75M, SD75I Build date 1994 – 1996 Total produced 280 (76 SD75M, 204 SD75I)
Specifications Configuration: ​  • AAR C-C Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Prime mover EMD 16-710G3 Cylinders 16 Transmission diesel electric
Performance figures Power output 4,300 horsepower (3,200 kW)
Career Operators Burlington Northern Santa Fe[1] Numbers BNSF 200–201, 203–208, 210–217, 219–221, 223–224, 226–228, 231–275, renumbered from 8200–8275. NS 2800–2806. Disposition In service as of 2019, CN units to be rebuilt as SD75IACCs; NS units retired

The EMD SD75M and EMD SD75I are a series of similar diesel-electric locomotives produced by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between 1994 and 1996. The series is an improvement and extension to the EMD SD70 series, which further is an extension to the EMD SD60. These locomotives were built as a response to General Electric's Dash 9-44CW. By increasing the output of the 16-710-G3 engine from 4,000 to 4,300 horsepower (3,000 to 3,200 kW), the SD75 was a reality. The "M" in the model designation is the style of the cab, in this case the North American style cab.

The "I" model has an "Isolated Cab", or a "WhisperCab" in EMD speak, which reduces noise and vibration in the cab. This type of cab is recognized by a seam separating the nose and cab components. This seam is the rubber that damps vibration and cuts down on noise, because the cab is not attached directly to the frame on the unit. This was the last model that used the "I" designation in the model name; all further units had the isolated cab, but the model designation continued to use the "M". Buyers included Canadian National, the largest buyer with 175 units (now 173), Burlington Northern Santa Fe with 26 (now 24), and Ontario Northland Railway with 6 (now 5).

Both models use the HTCR radial truck and are mounted on the 72-foot-4-inch (22.05 m) frame. This M model only sold 76 units and was not as popular as the SD70. The biggest buyer of this model was the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, now Burlington Northern Santa Fe, with 51 units; an additional 25 were delivered in early 1996, during the merger process. The Santa Fe's SD75Ms were the railroad's last new locomotives, with the last new unit, number 250, built in August 1995.^[2]

Mainly built for a special request from Santa Fe/BNSF, the SD75Ms are slightly more powerful than SD70Ms, having horsepower ratings between 4,300 hp (3,200 kW) & 4500 hp. They are almost identical to SD70Ms, but can be distinguished by the added bulge below the inertial air-intake on the right side of the unit.

In September 2014, Norfolk Southern purchased 7 SD75Ms via National Railway Equipment Company.^[3] They were retired by 2020.