EMD F59PH Series Locomotives
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- Builder: Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (EMD)
- Total Built, as of 2002: 146
- Locomotive Type: Diesel-Electric
- Typically Used On: Passenger trains, usually commuter.
[edit] F59PH
The F59PH was the first in the "F59" Series of locomotives. They were built from 1988-1994. GO Transit of Toronto, Canada designed the engine, and General Motors' Electro-Motive Division, or EMD, built them. 72 F59PHs were made. There was a front and rear platform, and a "comfort" cab design, much like Canadian diesels before it, such as the SD40-2W locomotive designed for the Canadian National Railroad.
The F59PH is still used today, mainly on commuter railroads. The railroads that own and operate F59PH locomotives are:
- GO Transit, Toronto, Canada
- Metrolink, Los Angeles, California
- Trinity Railway Express, Dallas, Texas/Fort Worth, Texas
[edit] F59PHI
The F59PHI is the second of the "F59" series of locomotives. It is the "California" F59 because it was first used on the Amtrak California routes. Just like the F59PHs before them, the F59PHIs were built by EMD, and 74 have currently been made, beginning in 1994.
The main difference between the two engines is that the F59PHI has a streamlined nose and isolated cab. The engineers must enter the cab from one of the 2 side doors instead of a door on the nose of the engine. The rear platform was left on the model, however. Along with the 4 front headlights (2 main lights and 2 ditch lights) on the locomotive, 2 front red lights in between the ditch lights were installed, illuminated during a time when the engineer is controlling the train from a cab car and the engine is pushing the train from behind.
Most of the F59PHs are used in California. However, some other railroads use them as well. Some of the railroads that use the F59HPI include:
- Amtrak California, California
- Amtrak Cascades, Cascade Mountains
- The Coaster, San Diego, California
- Metrolink, Los Angeles, California
- The Sounder, Seattle, Washington
- Trinity Railway Express, Dallas, Texas/Fort Worth, Texas
- West Coast Express, Vancouver, Canada
- Agence Metropolitaine de Transport (AMT), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- North Carolina Department of Transportation, North Carolina
