SDP40F Diesel Locomotive

Prototype Information

The EMD SDP40F came onto the scene in 1973 as Amtrak’s first new diesel locomotive, built to replace outdated passenger power. Using the SD40-2 as a base, EMD gave it a 3,000-horsepower 16-645E3 engine and a longer frame to fit a steam generator for heating passenger cars.

Amtrak ran 150 units, but derailment issues on freight-owned tracks cut their careers short. By the late 1970s, Amtrak started phasing them out in favor of the F40PH. Many ended up with Santa Fe, which rebuilt them into SDF40-2 freight haulers.

Short-lived in passenger service but crucial to Amtrak’s early operations, the SDP40F still made its mark.