EMD F59PH
North American diesel locomotive class
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The EMD F59PH is a four-axle 3,000 hp (2 MW) B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division from 1988 to 1994. A variant, the F59PHI, was produced from 1994 to 2001. The F59PH was originally built for GO Transit commuter operation in the Toronto region. Metrolink in Southern California also purchased a fleet for its 1992 launch. The streamlined F59PHI was designed for Amtrak California intercity service. A total of 72 F59PH and 83 F59PHI locomotives were built.
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- F59PH: 1988–1994
- F59PHI: 1994–2001
| EMD F59PH and F59PHI | |||||||||||||||||
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 Top: F59PH operated by Amtrak on the Piedmont Bottom: F59PHI operated by Amtrak on the Capitol Corridor | |||||||||||||||||
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Design
Based on the GP59, the locomotives had a turbocharged EMD 12-710G3A, a 12-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine (prime mover).[4] Head end power was supplied by a separate diesel generator.[5]
The F59PHI is a variant with a fully enclosed streamlined carbody.[6] Like the F59PH, the F59PHI is equipped with a secondary electrical generator – rated between 500 and 750 kW (670 and 1,010 hp) – for HEP.[7]
History
Between May 1988 and May 1994, 72 F59PH locomotives were built for two commuter transit railroads: GO Transit of Toronto and Metrolink of Los Angeles.[8]
GO Transit began retiring its F59PH locomotives in 2008 in favor of newer MPI MPXpress locomotives.[4] Most were purchased by other operators including Exo (10 locomotives),[9] Metra (3),[10][11] NCDOT (11) for use on the Piedmont,[12][13] and Trinity Railway Express (7).[14] Five of the NCDOT units were rebuilt into cab control units without prime movers.[15]
Seven Metrolink units were rebuilt as F59PHR. The non-rebuilt Metrolink locomotives were retired by 2020.[16] Five of those were purchased by NCDOT in 2018.[17] Metrolink donated F59PHR No. 851 to the Fullerton Train Museum in January 2026.[18]
The first nine F59PHI units were purchased by Caltrans for use on Amtrak California services and entered service in 1994.[6] A total of 83 locomotives were built, most for commuter rail and Amtrak corridor services on the West Coast.[19] Two F59PHI locomotives were built in 1995 for Philip Morris Companies to haul the Marlboro 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 before being sold to Metrolink in 1998.[20][21] 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.[22]
Original owners
A total of 72 F59PH and 83 F59PHI locomotives were delivered. Most were built at the General Motors Diesel facility in London, Ontario. Super Steel in Schenectady, New York, handled assembly of some units.[23][2][24][25][16]
| Railroad | Model | Quantity | Road numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMT | F59PHI | 11 | 1320–1330 |
| Amtrak | F59PHI | 21 | 450–470 |
| BC Transit | F59PHI | 5 | 901–905 |
| Caltrans | F59PHI | 15 | 2001–2015 |
| GO Transit | F59PH | 49 | 520–568 |
| Metrolink | F59PH | 23 | 851–873 |
| F59PHI | 12 | 874–881; 884–887 | |
| NCDOT | F59PHI | 2 | 1755; 1797 |
| North County Transit District | F59PHI | 2 | 3000–3001 |
| Philip Morris | F59PHI | 2 | 0001–0002 |
| Sound Transit | F59PHI | 11 | 901–911 |
| Trinity Railway Express | F59PHI | 2 | 569–570 |
| Total | 155 |
