The Lionel F40PH is a great model of a locomotive that has quietly become one of the true diesel success stories in railroad history.
The F40PH saw construction in various phases by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division between 1975-92. Its purpose was initially short-haul passenger service for Amtrak. This mission was quickly revised to add long-distance duty due to the failure of another EMD engine, the SDP40F. All told, 475 of the model were produced by EMD and Canadian subsidiary General Motors Diesel.
The Lionel F40PH
Amtrak ran the F40PH into the new millennium until the debut of the GE P40DC Genesis locomotive. It retains a significant number converted to combination cab-control/baggage duty. Dubbed “Cabbage” cars, these unpowered units are distinguished by a roll-up door on the side. Lionel is offering models of these, too.
Trains.com subscribers can watch the Lionel Legacy F40PH and “Cabbage” run.
The EMD product wasn’t solely for the National Rail Passenger Corp.; it also saw extensive long-haul service with VIA Rail Canada. In some cases, the locomotive continues to serve in its original short-haul role with North American commuter agencies. Chicago’s Metra, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA), Caltrain, New Jersey Transit, and Toronto’s Go Transit have all been significant users. Rebuilt units haul passengers to this day.
A testament to the versatility of the model, some have even toiled in freight duty. The Alaska Railroad still has a couple of F40PHs on its active roster. The Panama Canal Railway acquired 10 ex-Amtrak units and continue to use them in dual service.
Checking out the model
My unit is painted for the latter, and if it looks familiar, it’s because Ferrocarril de Panama, or Panama Canal Railway, is owned by entities including Kansas City Southern. It’s not terribly common for trains in a country to run coast-to-coast across only one railroad, but these locomotives do! As you might guess, the line parallels the Panama Canal just under 48 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific.
The latest Lionel version features the full spread of control options from Bluetooth, to Legacy, or conventional. Units have a fan-driven smoke unit, LED lighting, flashing strobe lights, inset ditch lights, and emergency lights when appropriate.
These engines are 14¾ inches long and feature Kinematic pilots. They do require O-54 curves to navigate a layout.
Perhaps kind of basic looking from the front, the detailing around the trucks and fuel tank shouldn’t be overlooked. Piping and air tanks are very well done. The paint lines are crisp and warning signs are legible.
There’s more
It’s rare when a model is delivered and has a feature that wasn’t listed when the product was cataloged. The F40PH’s fall into this category, with a detailed interior that includes illuminated instrument panels! While not something the operator can readily see while the locomotive is running at speed around a layout, it’s a really neat add-on. The “office” also has engineer and fireman figures.
These engines MSRP at $629.99. Lionel’s 2022 Volume I catalog has six models of the F40PH in Amtrak paint schemes: a Phase III in two numbers (Nos. 2233711, 2233712); Phase IV (2233721, 2233722); Phase V (2233730); and a veterans tribute unit (2233740). The manufacturer also offers CSX Business Train units with three engine numbers (2233751, 2233752, and 2233753); as well as the Rio Grande Ski Train with two engine numbers (2233761, 2233762). The Panama Canal Railway version is a custom run from METCA and is available on its website.
Get more O gauge action on the Chris’s Trains & Things channel on YouTube.
I recently bought a Phase3 AmTrak one.
It does navigate 036 curves and turnouts with no problems!