EMD F40PH

The EMD F40PH emerged directly from Amtrak's dissatisfaction with its earlier motive power acquisitions. When Amtrak began operations in 1971 it inherited a collection of aging and mechanically mismatched diesel locomotives from the private railroads. To modernize its fleet, Amtrak ordered 150 EMD SDP40F units, which entered service beginning in 1973, and supplemented these with 25 GE P30CHs in 1975. Both types proved problematic, with the SDP40F in particular suffering weight distribution issues that contributed to a series of derailments in the mid-1970s. Facing an urgent need for reliable short- and medium-distance power, Amtrak placed its first order for 30 F40PHs on May 8, 1975, and the first unit entered revenue service on April 9, 1976. The unusually severe winter of 1976 to 1977 accelerated the F40PH's rise to prominence when Amtrak was compelled to press its new HEP-equipped Amfleet coaches into long-distance service, and the F40PH with its integrated head-end power system proved the natural companion for that equipment. As confidence in the SDP40F continued to erode, Amtrak pursued a creative solution in the spring of 1977 by trading 40 of those locomotives back to EMD. The prime movers and other key components were transplanted into F40PH frames, producing a rebuilt variant designated the F40PHR. Amtrak eventually accumulated 132 locomotives through this trade-in program, and when combined with new production orders between 1975 and 1988 and the acquisition of six units from GO Transit in 1990, Amtrak's F40PH fleet reached 216 locomotives, the largest such fleet in the country. Commuter railroads also embraced the type enthusiastically. Chicago's Regional Transportation Authority, the forerunner to Metra, was the first commuter operator to order F40PHs, eventually acquiring 115 units across several orders through 1992. The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority took 18, Caltrain purchased 20, New Jersey Transit acquired 17, GO Transit operated 6, and VIA Rail in Canada ordered 59 units. EMD's total production run reached approximately 449 locomotives before the program concluded. Amtrak began transitioning away from the F40PH in the early 1990s with the introduction of GE's Genesis series locomotives, and the last Amtrak F40PHs were withdrawn from regular service around 2001, with their final scheduled assignment reportedly being on the Maple Leaf in December of that year. Twenty-two former Amtrak units were retained as non-powered control units rather than retired outright. VIA Rail continued to rely on the F40PH for its long-distance services well into the 21st century, undertaking a comprehensive fleet refurbishment program between 2007 and 2012 at a cost of approximately 100 million Canadian dollars. That program updated the locomotives with separate head-end power generators, overhauled engines, additional safety equipment, and fresh paint in VIA's contemporary livery scheme. The type's longevity in Canadian service achieved a degree of cultural recognition when a depiction of an F40PH hauling VIA's flagship train The Canadian was featured on the reverse of the Canadian ten-dollar bill in the Frontier series. A total of 473 units were built across the full production span from 1975 to 1992.

The F40PH was derived from EMD's GP40-2 freight road switcher and shared that locomotive's turbocharged 645E3 engine, a V16 two-stroke water-cooled diesel developing 3,000 horsepower at 893 RPM. Power was transmitted through a main traction generator to four DC traction motors arranged in a B-B wheel configuration, with each motor driving a pair of axles. The standard gear ratio of 57:20 permitted a maximum speed of 103 miles per hour, though some Amtrak examples were geared at 56:21 to achieve 110 miles per hour. The locomotive measured 56 feet 2 inches in length and weighed approximately 260,000 pounds. The first 30 production units carried a 1,500-US-gallon fuel tank, while all subsequent locomotives were equipped with an enlarged 1,800-US-gallon tank. Beginning with the F40PH-2 variant introduced in 1985, the prime mover was uprated to 3,200 horsepower, and many earlier units were subsequently modified to match that output. A defining characteristic of the F40PH for passenger service was its head-end power system, which generated three-phase AC electricity at 480 volts to supply heating, lighting, and air conditioning throughout the train consist. Early production units drew HEP directly from the prime mover, requiring the engine to maintain a constant 893 RPM at all times regardless of throttle position, which gave these locomotives their characteristically loud idle. Later variants and many rebuilt examples instead used a separate small auxiliary diesel engine at the rear of the carbody to power the HEP alternator independently, allowing the prime mover to vary its speed normally and producing a noticeably quieter idle. The full-width cowl carbody, from which the F designation derived, distinguished the F40PH visually from EMD's hood-unit freight locomotives, and the designation's remaining letters indicated its 40-series lineage, passenger service role, and head-end power capability respectively.