The first SD75ACC locomotives have arrived on CN property and are now in service.
Rebuilt from SD75i units built between 1996 and 1999, CN ordered 175 examples of the 4,300-hp DC traction product, with about 170 remaining in the fleet in 2024. So far, the first batch of units do not include the prior 4,000 HP SD70i order from 1995 where 26 total were delivered to CN.
The SD75ACC’s major feature is a change from DC to AC traction, with modernized control and electronic systems replacing original equipment. The locomotives retain their EMD 16-cylinder 710 power plant and 4,300-hp rating, and largely retain their external appearance. In the works for a few years and first noted in the CN’s 2023-2024 Grain Plan for 30 modernized SD75i locomotives, the 2024-2025 Grain Plan now sites the number of units being converted at 33. Other sources indicate the order is for 50, and it’s highly likely that after the order is proven successful, additional rebuilds may be optioned, given that CN has well over 100 more cores available for the SD75ACC program.
