EMD F40PH
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The EMD F40PH is a four-axle B-B diesel-electric
locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...
built by
General Motors General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on
Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
's short-haul passenger routes, it became the backbone of Amtrak's diesel fleet after the failure of the EMD SDP40F. The F40PH also found widespread use on commuter railroads in the United States and with
VIA Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...
in Canada. Additional F40PH variants were manufactured by Morrison-Knudsen and MotivePower between 1988 and 1998, mostly rebuilt from older locomotives. Amtrak retired its fleet of F40PHs in the early-2000s in favor of the GE Genesis, but the locomotive remains the mainstay of VIA Rail's long-distance trains; a depiction of the locomotive hauling '' The Canadian'' is featured on the reverse of the Frontier series Canadian $10 bill. The F40PHs are still a common sight on many other commuter railroads throughout the United States. In addition, Amtrak has kept 22 of its F40PHs in use as non-powered control units.


Background

Amtrak inherited an aging and mechanically incompatible fleet of diesel locomotives from various private railroads on its startup in 1971. The most modern locomotives remained in private hands for freight service, or to operate the various
commuter Commuting is periodically recurring travel between a place of residence and place of work or study, where the traveler, referred to as a commuter, leaves the boundary of their home community. By extension, it can sometimes be any regular o ...
services which, by law, did not pass to Amtrak. To replace these Amtrak ordered 150 EMD SDP40F locomotives, which began entering service in 1973. These were supplemented by 25 GE P30CHs which entered service in 1975. The SDP40F was a troubled design; problems with weight distribution led to a series of derailments in the mid-1970s. Meanwhile, the poor
truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...
design of the P30CH (and the electric GE E60CP) curtailed further orders of that unit when Amtrak found itself needing more short- and medium-distance power in the spring of 1975.


Design

The design of the F40PH was based on the EMD GP40-2 freight road switcher locomotive and shared that locomotive's
turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
EMD 645E3 V16 cylinder, two-stroke, water-cooled
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...
( prime mover). The prime mover developed at 893 RPM. The main (traction) generator converts mechanical energy from the prime mover into electricity distributed through a
high voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...
cabinet to the traction motors. Each of the four traction motors is geared to a pair of
driving wheel On a steam locomotive, a driving wheel is a powered wheel which is driven by the locomotive's pistons (or turbine, in the case of a steam turbine locomotive). On a conventional, non-articulated locomotive, the driving wheels are all coupled t ...
s; the gear ratio determines the maximum speed of the locomotive. A standard F40PH has a gear ratio of 57:20, permitting a maximum speed of . Some Amtrak F40PHs were delivered with a 56:21 gearing for . The first 30 locomotives were built with a fuel tank. Subsequent units were built with a tank. Beginning with the EMD F40PH-2, introduced in 1985, the prime mover developed . Many of the original F40PHs were updated to match that output. The locomotives were long. A standard F40PH weighs . For passenger service the F40PH has another electrical alternator, the head-end generator. The HEP unit generates three-phase AC power at 480 V (500 kW on the first order, 800 kW on later units) for lighting, heating and air-conditioning the train. Originally, F40PHs powered the HEP alternator from the prime mover. As a result of that, the train had to be at a constant 60 Hz frequency, and the prime mover had to turn at a constant 893 RPM while supplying head end power (even standing still, with the throttle in idle). Power to the traction motors was controlled by varying the field excitation of the main (traction) generator. On some later versions of the F40PH (and on many rebuilt F40s), a second small auxiliary diesel engine at the rear of the locomotive powers the HEP alternator. In these engines, the prime-mover speed varies in the usual way. They can be identified by the diesel exhaust at the rear of the locomotive and by their quiet idle. Remaining F40s, with the constant-RPM prime movers, are noticeably louder. In the initial design the battery box and air reservoirs were located forward of the fuel tank. In locomotives manufactured after 1977 these were relocated behind the tank. The battery box returned to its original location in the F40PH-2. The F40PH-2s delivered to
Caltrain Caltrain (reporting mark JPBX) is a commuter rail line in California, serving the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley (Silicon Valley). The southern terminus is in San Jose, California, San Jose at the Tamien station with weekday r ...
incorporated
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...
-style headlights. The designation "F40PH" stood for the following: "F" for the full-width cowl carbody, "40" as the locomotive is part of EMD's 40-series (based on the GP40-2 freight locomotive), "P" for passenger service, and "H" for head-end power.


History

Amtrak ordered its first 30 EMD F40PHs on May 8, 1975. The first of the new locomotives entered service on April 9, 1976. Amtrak intended the locomotives for short routes such as the '' San Diegan'' in California and
Northeast Corridor The Northeast Corridor (NEC) is an electrified railroad line in the Northeast megalopolis of the United States. Owned primarily by Amtrak, it runs from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C., in the south, with major stops in Providence, Rhod ...
services in the then non-electrified route portion between
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and
Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. The long-distance routes were protected by the then-new EMD SDP40F, described by J. David Ingles in late 1975 as the "stars of Amtrak's long-distance trains". However, two events led to a major change in thinking within Amtrak regarding the EMD SDP40F. The first event was a sharp decline in the mechanical reliability of the EMD SDP40F, including several derailments. The second event was the unusually harsh winter of 1976–1977, which sidelined many of Amtrak's aging steam-heated coaches. Amtrak suspended numerous routes and pressed the new HEP-equipped Amfleet I coaches, designed for short runs, into service. The F40PH, with its built-in HEP generator, was the natural choice to haul these coaches. As problems with the EMD SDP40F mounted, Amtrak adopted the F40PH as its long-term solution nationwide for diesel engine service. In the spring of 1977 Amtrak traded 40 EMD SDP40Fs back to EMD. Components including the prime mover were installed into an EMD F40PH frame. The 40 rebuilt locomotives, designated F40PHR, were identical to new-build EMD F40PHs, incorporating the larger fuel tank and more powerful HEP generator which had become standard. Amtrak ultimately acquired 132 F40PHRs in this manner — which combined with new orders between 1975 and 1988 and with the purchase of six GMD F40PHs from GO Transit in 1990 — led to a fleet of 216 locomotives, the country's largest fleet. The first commuter rail operator to order F40PHs was Chicago's Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), a forerunner to
Metra Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...
, who ordered 74 between 1977 and 1983. Metra ordered 41 more between 1988 and 1992. Other agencies who bought the F40PH included the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) (18),
Caltrain Caltrain (reporting mark JPBX) is a commuter rail line in California, serving the San Francisco Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley (Silicon Valley). The southern terminus is in San Jose, California, San Jose at the Tamien station with weekday r ...
(20), GO Transit (6), New Jersey Transit (17), and
VIA Rail Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail), is a Canadian Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight ...
(59). Finally, the rail construction firm Speno ordered four. In total EMD built 449 locomotives, including the F40PHR trade-ins. The F40PH performed well for Amtrak: at the start of the 1990s only four had been retired due to wrecks. The locomotive was at the center of Amtrak's advertising. ''
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'' magazine estimated that on average, each F40PH traveled as many as a year. Amtrak began replacing the F40PH with the GE Dash 8-32BWH in 1991, the GE P40DC in 1993, and the GE P42DC in 1996. All were retired by 2001 with the arrival of the last P42DC, and their last regular assignment was on the ''
Maple Leaf The maple leaf is the characteristic leaf of the maple tree. It is most widely recognized as the national symbols of Canada, national symbol of Canada. History of use in Canada By the early 1700s, the maple leaf had been adopted as an emblem by ...
'' in December 2001. The Panama Canal Railway acquired several ex-Amtrak F40PHs for both freight and passenger service; the 480V head-end power matched the voltage used by the refrigeration in Maersk Sealand containers. The EMD F40PH has continued to serve VIA Rail into the 21st century: between 2007 and 2012 VIA refurbished its entire fleet for CAD$100 million. The rebuild program included separate HEP generators, overhauled engines, a third headlight addition, cab reconditioning, additional safety horns at the front, and repainting into the newer VIA scheme. Rebuilt locomotive No. 6403, pulling the ''
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
'' through the
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, was included on the back of the redesigned Canadian ten-dollar note in 2013 (The actual 6403 was later renumbered to 6459.) As of 2018, VIA has 53 such EMD F40PH locomotives in service. VIA started another round of rebuilding for 39 F40PH-2D locomotives in 2024, with the goal of extending their lifespan to 2035. These F40PH locomotives are now supplemented by GE P42DC locomotives delivered in 2001 and by Siemens SCV-42 locomotives delivered in 2023.


Variants

The longevity of the F40PH has led to numerous conversions, rebuildings, and remanufacturings. In some instances new locomotives were assembled using EMD components. Several transit agencies lengthened their locomotives to include a separate HEP generator. These were designated F40PH-2C and F40PH-CAT where
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and
Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...
generators were used, respectively. The F40PH-2C was considerably heavier than the standard design, weighing . The F40PH-2D, employed by Via Rail, had special customizations for operating in Canada, including ditch lights. Metra's last 30 locomotives, designated F40PHM-2 (now rebuilt as F40PHM-3), were built with a sloped cab similar to the experimental EMD F69PHAC. The streamlined appearance acquired the nickname " Winnebago." Speno's four locomotives, designated F40PH-2M, were delivered without
turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into th ...
s, limiting power output to . The five EMD GP40 locomotives Morrison-Knudsen rebuilt for Tri-Rail in 1988 were designated F40PHL-2. Progress Rail rebuilt 41 Metra units with remanufactured engines, rebuilt traction motors and microprocessor traction control. These have been designated the F40PH-3. The MBTA's dozen F40PHM-2C locomotives were built new using EMD components, as were the six F40PH-3C locomotives of the Altamont Commuter Express built by MotivePower.: "12 BTA F40PHwere built in 1992 and 1993 by Boise-based MK Rail using EMD primary components": "In the 1990s, MK Rail/Motive Power Industries' Boise Locomotives constructed F40PH-3Cs ..These use most of the same fundamental components of the EMD-built locomotives" The MBTA's F40PH-2C and F40PHM-2 locomotives were later rebuilt by MotivePower into F40PH-3C locomotives starting in 2019. As Amtrak's F40PH fleet was replaced by newer GE Genesis-series locomotives, Amtrak converted a number of the retired units into
baggage Baggage, or luggage, consists of bags, cases, and containers which hold a traveler's personal articles while the traveler is in transit. A modern traveler can be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions, tr ...
/ cab cars. Colloquially known as "cabbages" (a
portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of "cab" and "baggage"), and officially known as Non-Powered Control Units (NPCUs), these units had their diesel engines, traction motors, and main alternators removed, as well as a large roll-up door installed in the side (allowing the former engine compartment to be used for baggage). Amtrak converted 22 locomotives into cabbage cars between 1996 and 2007. Each converted unit was renumbered by prefixing "90" to its original number. In 2011, Amtrak converted F40PH No. 406 (later renumbered 90406) to an NPCU to enable push-pull operation of Amtrak's 40th-anniversary exhibit train; in addition, a HEP generator was installed to supply auxiliary power. However, unlike other NPCUs, it resembles an operational F40PH externally. Some F40PHs found their way into freight service, after suitable modifications. The F40M-2F, which runs on the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad and formerly the Canadian American Railroad, was regeared for a maximum speed of and given an enlarged fuel tank. It was also fitted with a door, platform, and steps at the front. One unit, 450, was acquired by Western Maryland Scenic Railroad in 2018. In 2023-2024, Rolling Stock Solutions, an American locomotive leasing company, rebuilt several F40PH locomotives for leasing to commuter rail operators and dubbed them the F40PH-4C. These feature a remanufactured Tier 0+ prime mover ( EMD 16-645E3B) and a separate Tier 4 HEP generator, as well as microprocessor controls. The first of these locomotives, numbered "1001", was unveiled in Boston in mid-October 2024.


Original owners

Electro-Motive Division manufactured 475 F40PHs of all types between 1975 and 1992. The orders for GO Transit and VIA Rail Canada were built by General Motors Diesel (GMD), the company's Canadian subsidiary. Morrison-Knudsen (M-K) and its successor MotivePower (MPI) remanufactured another 31 locomotives between 1988 and 1998.


Preservation

Three ex-Amtrak F40PHs have been preserved: * Ex-Amtrak 231 at the Nevada Southern Railway. It is owned by Dynamic Rail Preservation. * Ex-Amtrak 281 at the California State Railroad Museum * Ex-Amtrak 307 at the North Carolina Transportation Museum Two Coaster F40PHM-2C locomotives have been preserved: 2103 at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum and 2105 at the Southern California Railway Museum. In October 2024, the Southern California Railway Museum began fundraising in hopes of preserving a non-rebuilt Caltrain F40PH-2 locomotive.


See also

* List of EMD locomotives * List of GMD Locomotives


Notes


Footnotes


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * *


External links


EMD F40PH Data Sheet

Via Rail EMD F40PH-2D Operator's Manual
(in French) {{Green Locos F40PH F40PH Amtrak locomotives F40PH Via Rail locomotives Passenger locomotives Diesel–electric locomotives of the United States Railway locomotives introduced in 1975 B-B locomotives Standard-gauge locomotives of Canada Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States American Passenger Locomotives