From the parts list the only parts which it could be are The Thermostat Control, Thermostat Safety, and two different Resistors.
Unless something very weird has happened to a thermostat I cannot see it taking this long to reset.

I assume that the resistors are either good or bad not working intermitently.
Yes you are correct. Also I do not believe they are directly involved with the motor itself but are used with the timer.

If there is an internal thermal protect then you must be sying that the motor may be on its last leg. Is this a correct assumption ???
Yes. This is the most common cause of what you describe. Though as I said earlier the 45 minutes does seem excessive.
You could run it till it stops then quickly open the unit up and check how hot the motor is.

If it is the motor I would seriosly look at getting a new machine.
Seems like many of the parts for this unit are obsolete so being able to fix it in the future is becoming iffy.

Already checked out the parts list and ordered Safety Thermostat. Thermostat Control no longer available from Appliance Parts Pro. Not sure what other parts to try and order or where else to go. Unit may as old as 20 years.

aspenandy

Here are your parts
Replacement parts for GE DDP1280CAW | AppliancePartsPros.com

Sounds like the motor is overheating and tripping it's internal thermal protect.
Though 45 minutes does seem like a long time for it to reset.

Try turning the drum by hand should turn fairly easily. Perhaps someting is jamming it causing a motor overload.

Open the unit up and check/clean the motor, perhaps it is clogged solid with lint.