The EMD SDP40F was a six-axle 3,000 hp (2.2 MW) C-C diesel–electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD) from 1973 to 1974. Based on Santa Fe's EMD FP45, EMD built 150 for Amtrak, the operator of most intercity passenger trains in the United States. Amtrak, a private company but funded by the United States government, had begun operation in 1971 with a fleet of aging diesel locomotives inherited from various private railroads. The SDP40F was the first diesel locomotive built new for Amtrak and for a brief time they formed the backbone of the company's long-distance fleet.
EMD SDP40F No. 629 with the San Francisco Zephyr in 1978.
No. 551 at Newhall Yard in San Jose, California, with the Coast Starlight in 1975. The later SDP40Fs were distinguished from the first 40 by lower-profile cooling fans.
An EMD E8 on the Coast Starlight in 1974. Amtrak planned to replace its E-units with the SDP40F
EMD F40PHR with an SDP40F on the head of the Southwest Limited 1981. The SDP40Fs time with Amtrak was drawing to a close
The EMD F40PH is a four-axle 3,000–3,200 hp (2.2–2.4 MW) B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on Amtrak'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 in Canada. Additional F40PH variants were manufactured by Morrison-Knudsen and MotivePower between 1988 and 1998, mostly rebuilt from older locomotives.
Amtrak No. 315 F40PHR on the eastbound California Zephyr at Tunnel No. 17 near Newcastle, California in 1995
Metra EMD F40PHM-2 No. 206 near Stuart Field in Chicago, Illinois
Amtrak EMD F40PHR No. 257 leading the Coast Starlight at Agnew in 1980, followed by a pair of EMD SDP40Fs
Rebuilt VIA Rail F40PH-2D No. 6434 leading the Canadian near Jasper, Alberta in 2011, with an original unit following