Diesel of the Day 7/21: EMD F40PH
14Today we have another passenger diesel, one that was very common at one point and did its job very well: the EMD F40PH. This diesel was built between 1975 and 1992, and anyone traveling with Amtrak throughout the 80s and 90s will recognize them. A total of 475 were built, the majority for Amtrak, though several other passenger and commuter railroads also bought them. They are distinctive, with their full-width carbodies and angular noses. These are internally essentially a passenger version of the GP40 diesel, using the same 16-645E3 16-cylinder two-stroke turbocharged engine producing 3,000 horsepower, but with HEP (Head-end power) added to supply electricity to the passenger cars. They proved extremely successful all over the Amtrak system, and weren’t replaced until the early 2000s when the new GE Genesis (P42DC) diesels arrived. Many F40s still ply the rails for Chicago’s Metra commuter rail, VIA Rail Canada, and others, with more sold into freight service on smaller railroads. Today, the photo shows Amtrak F40PH number 253 heading up the San Diegan train in Fullerton, California, in 1993.
- 5 comments, 16 replies
- Comment
Did the engines built in the 70’s have to deal with emissions and whatnot?
@therealjrn Nope! Emissions regulations didn’s start to come into meaningful effect until the early 2000s with the EPA ‘Tier’ system. Older diesels are also usually exempt. We are now up to Tier 4, and it’s really starting to stifle diesel engine development and reliability. Several classic designs that worked very well have been discontinued because the level of particulate and NOx emissions the EPA wants to see is unrealistic.
@PooltoyWolf @therealjrn Same reason we can’t have reasonable small diesel cars and trucks in the US despite their popularity in much of the rest of the world. The EPA, or the bureaucrats within it in charge of such things seem to be dead set against them and impose draconian requirements.
@duodec @therealjrn Another reason diesel cars haven’t proliferated here is the recent higher cost of the fuel. It’s more expensive here now than it used to be.
@PooltoyWolf @therealjrn Yes, and for a large number of reasons, though the improved fuel economy that can be produced at least partly offset the increased cost; competing demand for refinery production, winter heating oil, transport costs, etc.
However you can point to .gov and the EPA for at least part of that too. Unless something has changed since I last checked, federal taxes on OTR diesel (diesel taxed for on road use) are higher than on gasoline. Some states also put higher taxes on diesel (according to this Pennsylvania is the worst) which exacerbates the price difference. Plus the mandate to use low sulfur diesel (and later ultra-low sulfur diesel) increased refining costs, and also increased wear and tear and maintenance costs on many OTR diesel fuel systems that existed before.
@duodec
https://www.taxadmin.org/assets/docs/Research/Rates/mf.pdf
Here’s a page the shows the taxes, by state, for gasoline, diesel, and gasohol fuels.
Yes, diesel fuel takes it in the shorts in virtually every state. And yes, PA is the worst offender. (It baffles me how the state with the highest fuel taxes can have the worst roads, but that’s a whole 'nother episode of Oprah to get in to.)
On top of this, Uncle Same takes his cut: $0.18 on gas, but $0.24 on diesel.
Woo! I hoped you’d do this one. F40PHs take me to work and back home each day on the Metra.
@fibrs86 They are still excellent locomotives. One day I’ll get to go to the Windy City and ride behind one! I’m too young to have enjoyed them on Amtrak.
@fibrs86 @PooltoyWolf
These are the engines I remember on the Chicago & Northwestern, predecessor to Metra
at downtown Union Station (I think).
@compunaut @fibrs86 Fantastic view of some classic F units!
@PooltoyWolf
Here’s Metra’s paint job.
It’s hard to tell but this train is running ‘backwards’ (and it’s going pretty fast). Metra trains don’t turn around. They run backwards towards downtown and forwards out to the suburbs. This way when they are sitting in the station idling the engine is away from the main portion of the station.
@fibrs86 Have you seen the new scheme yet? Its pretty sharp!
@fibrs86 SunRail down here operates the same way, though with a cab car on the rear, rather than a second diesel. We call it ‘push-pull operation’.
@PooltoyWolf The Jimmy John’s engine?
@fibrs86 I didn’t even know that was a thing! Nice wrap
I was referring to this scheme:
These became a popular meme format lol
“ALL HAIL THE POWER OF THE F40PH”
@BigTaco Some of the videos are hilarious.
@Bszamd This is like porn to me.
Big engines