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HISTORY OF THE EMD 645 AND
710
The Electro-Motive 645 and 710 series
diesels are used in many modern tugs as well as a wide variety of
other marine propulsion and generating applications. Both engine
series are two-stroke cycle 45 degree Vee diesel engines using unit
fuel injection systems, the model name is the swept displacement
of each cylinder of the engine expressed in cubic inches. The 645
series engine has a cylinder bore of 9-1/16 inches and a stroke
of 10 inches, and was built in 8, 12, and 16 cylinder "normally
aspirated" (roots blower) configurations and in 8, 12, 16,
and 20 cylinder turbocharged versions. The 710 series engine also
has 9-1/16 inch bore, but with 11 inch stroke, and was introduced
in the 1980s as an enhanced fuel economy and reduced emissions engine.
The 710 is only built in turbocharged versions, with 8, 12, 16,
or 20 cylinders, and has been produced with mechanically controlled
fuel injection as well as electronic injection systems. Both engine
series were in production simultaneously from 1983 through the late
1990s, the 645 series has now been discontinued.
The 645 and 710 series are the successors
to the EMD 567 series engines, first built in 1938, which were used
in many railroad applications and are still quite common in marine
service. The 567 series engines have 8-1/2 inch bore with 10 inch
stroke. The 567 series went out of production following the introduction
of the 645 series engines in 1966.
Electro-Motive dates back to the
1920s, when it was established as a designer of gas-electric railroad
passenger cars in Cleveland, Ohio. It was acquired by General Motors
in 1930 along with the neighboring Winton Engine Company. It became
the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (EMD), a major builder
of diesel locomotives and marine engines. After seven decades under
GM control, it recently became an independent company, Electro-Motive
Diesel, with manufacturing facilities in La Grange, Illinois and
London, Ontario.
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Above: A 16-645 Marine Engine at La Grange in the
1960s. Notice the deep sump oil pan required on most marine installations
to allow for the rolling of the vessel when operating in heavy seas.
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Above: Following its use in testing, the First EMD
710 Series Engine was painted in Pontiac GTO metallic blue and was
used for many years as a show engine. When it was on display at
boat shows the oil pan was usually not shown, since it really was
a locomotive engine, not a marine engine, and did not have a deep
sump oil pan.
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Above: Electro-Motive had a curious history in the
marine industry. The EMD engines were originally designed for railroad
locomotive use, while Cleveland Diesel Division of GM built the
marine diesel engines. At the beginning of World War Two, there
was a shortage of marine engine building capacity, and EMD engines
were installed in three U.S. Navy fleet tugs. The installation was
highly successful, and resulted in their being awarded the contract
for more than 2400 engines for U.S. Navy LST vessels (as shown in
the background above). In the postwar years Electro-Motive took
market share away from Cleveland Diesel and eventually absorbed
them.
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Above: An EMD 20-cylinder 645 series engine is prepared
for installation at a shipyard. Sitting next to the engine is the
Falk reverse reduction gear.
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Above: Two EMD 20 cylinder 645 series marine engines
are show in the engine room of a vessel that has a combining reverse
reduction gear, both engines drive one propeller shaft. The 20-645
was a very popular marine engine for installation in new construction
vessels from its introduction in 1966 through the release of the
subsequent EMD 710 series engines in the 1980s.
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Images courtesy of Electro-Motive Diesel
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