The DD in the name means that it has eight axles in two trucks, giving it a D-D wheel arrangement, while the M stands for the meter-gauge track it was to operate on, and the 45 represents the EMD SD45 that the engine was derived from.

They were built for service on the Estrada de Ferro Vitória a Minas (EFVM) in Brazil.

However, a large locomotive like an SD45 with its three-axle trucks was not readily adaptable to the EFVM's meter gauge trackage.

The smaller traction motors of the meter gauge locomotive were unable to handle the full current capacity from the 3,600 hp (2,700 kW) prime mover.

EMD proposed using a meter-gauge version of the Flexicoil-D four-axle bogies, similar to those found under the domestic DD35, DD35A and DDA40X locomotive models.