EMD SDP40F

An EMD SDP40F while in Amtrak service. Note that these locomotives were equipped with steam generators, used to power heating and cooling equipment on passenger trains up to the 1970s, prior to the use of Head End Power.
Power type	Diesel-electric
Builder	General Motors Electro-Motive Division (EMD)
Model	SDP40F
Build date	June 1973 – August 1974
Total production	150
AAR wheel arr.	C-C
Gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm)
Length	72 ft 4 in (22 m)
Width	10 ft 4 in (3.1 m)
Prime mover	EMD 645E3
Cylinders	V16
Top speed	95 mph (152.9 km/h)
Power output	3,000 hp (2.2 MW)
Locomotive brakes	straight air, dynamic
Train brakes	air
Locale	United States

An EMD SDP40F is a 6-axle diesel locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division beginning in 1973 for Amtrak service. Power was provided by an EMD 645E3 16-cylinder diesel prime mover, which generated 3000 tractive horsepower (2.2 MW). Image File history File links SDP40F.jpg Summary An EMD SDP40F while in Amtrak service. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Head end power (also known as hotel power) is a method of providing electricity to the carriages of a train, usually the passenger carriages of a long distance hotel train. ... Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The AAR wheel arrangement system is a method of classifying locomotive (or unit) wheel arrangements that was developed by the Association of American Railroads. ... Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... A foot (plural: feet; symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter, symbol mm) is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... For the philosophical/theological concept of a prime mover (that is, a self-existent being that is the ultimate cause or mover of all things), see cosmological argument. ... The EMD 645 is a line of diesel engines built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. ... A piston and cylinder from a steam engine A cylinder in an internal combustion engine is the space within which a piston travels. ... A V16 is an internal combustion engine in V configuration, having 16 cylinders. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... A locomotive (from Latin loco motivus) is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train, and has no payload capacity of its own; its sole purpose is to move the train along the tracks. ... Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... Acela Express in West Windsor, NJ Amtrak Cascades service with tilting Talgo trainsets in Seattle, Washington Amtrak train in downtown Orlando, Florida Amtrak (AAR reporting marks AMTK and AMTZ) is the brand name of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, created on May 1, 1971 as the United States intercity passenger... The EMD 645 is a line of diesel engines built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. ... A piston and cylinder from a steam engine A cylinder in an internal combustion engine is the space within which a piston travels. ... The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ...

These locomotives were Amtrak's first series of locomotives built new. Eventually, Amtrak acquired 150 of the model over a two year period. While based on a standard freight locomotive design, the ubiquitous SD40-2, and mechanically reliable, several derailments occurred in which the "hollow bolster" truck design became suspect as a probable cause. Substantial testing by both Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration, never definitively discovered the source of the continued derailments. These issues ultimately led Amtrak management to adopt the F40PH as their standard model, based on the proven design of the GP40-2 freight locomotive. The railroad worked out a deal with EMD to trade-in the SDP40Fs in on the F40PH over a period of years. A limited number of SDP40Fs were fitted with HEP gear. A Montana Rail Link SD40-2. ... The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) was created in 1966 as a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation to promote safe, environmentally sound, successful rail transportation. ... The General Motors Electro-Motive Division model F40PH is a 3000 horsepower (2. ... An HO scale (1:87) model of a GP40-2, painted as Chessie System GM50. ... Head end power (also known as hotel power) is a method of providing electricity to the carriages of a train, usually the passenger carriages of a long distance hotel train. ...

As the F40PHs increased in number on the Amtrak system, the SDP40F was gradually withdrawn from service. The last revenue run of an SDP40F under Amtrak took place in 1985. In an unusual move for modern railroading, 18 were traded by Amtrak to the Santa Fe Railroad in 1984 to be reconditioned for use as freight locomotives, in exchange for 43 smaller locomotives for use by Amtrak as yard switchers. Both railroads benefited from the exchange. The units Santa Fe acquired had a reliable service record. The last run of an SDP40F took place in 2001; the units were all officially retired in 2002. Most were scrapped between 2002 and 2004. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Rail stubs | Defunct railroad companies of the United States | Arizona railroads | California railroads | Colorado railroads | Illinois railroads | Iowa railroads | Kansas railroads | Louisiana railroads | Missouri railroads | Nebraska railroads | New Mexico railroads | Oklahoma railroads | Texas railroads ...

O

References

• Pinkepank, Jerry A. (1973). The Second Diesel Spotter's Guide. Milwaukee, WI: Kalmbach Publishing Co.. ISBN 0-89024-026-4.
• Santa Fe SDF40-2s. Santa Fe Subjects. Retrieved on May 1, 2006.

May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Amtrak Photo Archives