Southern Pacific SD45T-2 6809, seen here in the company of SD9s and GP9s in Anaheim, California, on January 30th, 1989, rolled out of EMD's factory in Illinois in February 1972 as SP 9167. It was upgraded at SP's Sacramento Shops in May 1987, at which point it was renumbered. Along with the mechanical upgrading, these units also lost their distinctive SP oscillating lights and received, in anticipation of the merger with the Santa Fe, rooftop beacons (although by the time most of these T-2s were upgraded, the ICC had already denied the SPSF merger).
