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The EMD F59PH is a four-axle B-B diesel-electric
The F59PHI is a variant with a fully enclosed streamlined carbody. The first nine units were purchased by
locomotive
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division
Progress Rail Locomotives, doing business as Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), is an American manufacturer of diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive products and diesel engines for the rail industry. The company is owned by Caterpillar through its sub ...
from 1988 to 1994. A variant, the F59PHI, was produced from 1994 to 2001. The F59PH was originally built for GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...
commuter operation in the Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
region. Metrolink in Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
also purchased a fleet for its 1992 launch. The streamlined F59PHI was designed for Amtrak California
Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak commuter rail routes in Californiathe ''Capitol Corridor'', the ''Pacific Surfliner'', and the ...
intercity service. A total of 72 F59PH and 83 F59PHI locomotives were built.
F59PH
Between May 1988 and May 1994, 72 F59PH locomotives were built for two commuter transit railroads:GO Transit
GO Transit is a regional public transit system serving the Greater Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, Canada. With its hub at Union Station in Toronto, GO Transit's green-and-white trains and buses serve a population of more than seven millio ...
of Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
and Metrolink of Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The locomotives had a turbocharged EMD 12-710G3A, a 12-cylinder, two-stroke Diesel engine
A two-stroke diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses compression ignition, with a two-stroke combustion cycle. It was invented by Hugo Güldner in 1899.Mau (1984) p.7
In compression ignition, air is first compressed and heated; ...
(prime mover
Prime mover may refer to:
Philosophy
*Unmoved mover, a concept in Aristotle's writings
Engineering
* Prime mover (engine), motor, a machine that converts various other forms of energy (chemical, electrical, fluid pressure/flow, etc) into energy o ...
). Head end power
In rail transport, head-end power (HEP), also known as electric train supply (ETS), is the electrical power distribution system on a passenger train. The power source, usually a locomotive (or a generator car) at the front or 'head' of a train, p ...
was supplied by a separate diesel generator.
GO Transit began retiring its F59PH locomotives in 2008 in favor of newer MPI MPXpress
MPXpress is a series of diesel-electric passenger train locomotives designed for commuter rail service. The locomotives are built by MotivePower, a subsidiary of Wabtec. To date, MPI has offered five main variants: MP36PH-3S, MP36PH-3C, MP40PH- ...
locomotives. Most were purchased by other operators including Exo
Exo ( ko, 엑소; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean-Chinese boy band based in Seoul formed by SM Entertainment in 2011 and debuted in 2012. The group consists of nine members: Xiumin, Suho, Lay, Baekhyun, Chen, Chanyeol, D.O., Kai ...
(10 locomotives), Metra
Metra is the 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 242 stations on 11 rail lines. I ...
(3), NCDOT (11) for use on the ''Piedmont
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'', and Trinity Railway Express
The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) is a commuter rail line in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It was established by an interlocal agreement between Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Trinity Metro. Each transit authority owns a 50% stake in ...
(7). Five of the NCDOT units were rebuilt into cab control units without prime movers.
Seven Metrolink units were rebuilt as F59PHR. The non-rebuilt Metrolink locomotives were retired by 2020. Five of those were purchased by NCDOT in 2018.
F59PHI
The F59PHI is a variant with a fully enclosed streamlined carbody. The first nine units were purchased by Caltrans
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an Executive (government), executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the Government of California#State agencies, cabinet-level California State Tran ...
for use on Amtrak California
Amtrak California is a brand name used by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Division of Rail for three state-supported Amtrak commuter rail routes in Californiathe ''Capitol Corridor'', the ''Pacific Surfliner'', and the ...
services and entered service in 1994. It was the first locomotive in the United States which met California's stringent emission standards
Emission standards are the legal requirements governing air pollutants released into the atmosphere. Emission standards set quantitative limits on the permissible amount of specific air pollutants that may be released from specific sources over ...
. Like the F59PH, the F59PHI is equipped with a secondary electrical generator – rated between – for HEP. A total of 83 locomotives were built, most for commuter rail and Amtrak corridor services on the West Coast.
Two F59PHI locomotives were built in 1995 for Philip Morris Companies to haul the ''Marlboro
Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (now separate from Altria) outside the US. The largest Marl ...
Unlimited'', a custom built luxury train to carry winners of a Philip Morris sweepstakes around the country. After Philip Morris cancelled the train, the units were stored, then, sold to Metrolink in 1998.
Some units are still in service with the original owners, while others have been retired. The 21 ex-Amtrak units were sold to Metra in 2018.
Notes
References
* * {{Higher speed rail B-B locomotives F59PH F59PH Passenger locomotives Diesel-electric locomotives of the United States Diesel-electric locomotives of Canada Railway locomotives introduced in 1988 Amtrak locomotives Standard gauge locomotives of Canada Standard gauge locomotives of the United States