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Home > Archives > SDP40F locomotive No. 529, 1970s.

SDP40F locomotive No. 529, 1970s.

Color manufacturer's photograph showing a side view of SDP40F locomotive No. 529.

SDP40F locomotive No. 529, 1970s.
Above is a manufacturer's photo for SDP40F locomotive No. 529; it wears the Amtrak Phase II paint scheme introduced in 1975. The first locomotive built expressly for Amtrak, the SDP40F was a six axle diesel-electric unit that sported a 3,000 horsepower engine. It was built in 1973 and 1974 by the General Motors Electro-Motive Division. Since many passenger rail cars were still heated via steam, the SDP40F included two steam generators and a water tank. Within a decade, most of these locomotives were replaced with F40PH models that could operate more easily with the new and refurbished fleet of all-electric passenger cars.