Amtrak Photo Archive
an unofficial site

the SDP-40F Locomotives #500-534

When Amtrak started, almost everything it inherited was tired. One of the first new equipment purchased were new, state of the art locomotives.After all. if failed, locomotives would be sold, but what would you do with new passenger cars if Amtrak failed. A three thousand horsepower locomotive, based on the popular SD-40 was built new for Amtrak by EMD in 1973-74. Unfortunately these new locomotives were plagued by derailments most were traded in. Some parts were reused on the FP-40PHR.

By 1980 there were only 68 left on the roster. A few ended their Amtrak service in work train service
In 1984 Eighteen were sold to the Santa Fe and after changing the trucks, used them for many years - 17 were in service in 1999.

Around Thanksgiving 2001, the big units started moving into storage at Kansas City and Barstow for the final time. After another half year in storage, all 17 remaining SDF40-2's were retired on May 2, 2002. In August, BNSF began moving the units to Topeka to be harvested of useful parts.

One, ex-Amtrak 644, ex-ATSF 5266, BNSF 6976 has been preserved in Portland Oregon.

 

18 went to Santa Fe. ATSF picked up 18 of the SDP40Fs in exchange for 25 CF7s and 18 SSB1200s.
All but one survived long enough to receive BNSF numbers:

BNSF 6961 (ex-ATSF 5251, exx-Amtrak 511)
BNSF 6965 (ex-ATSF 5255, exx-Amtrak 526)
BNSF 6962 (ex-ATSF 5252, exx-Amtrak 615)
BNSF 6967 (ex-ATSF 5257, exx-Amtrak 622)
BNSF 6968 (ex-ATSF 5258, exx-Amtrak 628)
BNSF 6972 (ex-ATSF 5262, exx-Amtrak 629)
BNSF 6963 (ex-ATSF 5253, exx-Amtrak 630)
BNSF 6974 (ex-ATSF 5264, exx-Amtrak 632)
BNSF 6969 (ex-ATSF 5259, exx-Amtrak 633)
BNSF 6971 (ex-ATSF 5261, exx-Amtrak 634)
BNSF 6964 (ex-ATSF 5254, exx-Amtrak 635)
BNSF 6970 (ex-ATSF 5260, exx-Amtrak 638)
ATSF 5263 (wrecked/scrapped before BNSF renumbering; ex-Amtrak 639)
BNSF 6966 (ex-ATSF 5256, exx-Amtrak 640)
BNSF 6960 (ex-ATSF 5250, exx-Amtrak 643)
BNSF 6976 (ex-ATSF 5266, exx-Amtrak 644)
BNSF 6977 (ex-ATSF 5267, exx-Amtrak 645)
BNSF 6975 (ex-ATSF 5265, exx-Amtrak 649)

for more on the final phase of the Amtrak SDP story, visit Evan Werkema's excellent
site about the ATSF SDPs

After the page loads, click on the image or engine number to view a larger image.
White sections are newest additions

   SDP #  Location & Information  DATE   PHOTO CREDIT
500  unknown location
delivered June 29,1973		    from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
 500 Saginaw TX
train #15 Southbound		  May 30 1974 from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
500  probably California  June 1974  R.E. Lehmuth
500   probably California  June 1984  R.E. Lehmuth
 500  back at EMD waiting to be stripped of parts for a F-40   from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
  501  unknown location
delivered June 20, 1973		  June 26, 1973  R.R. Harmen

 502

 Chicago IL

 June 1973

  from the
collection of
JL Hunt
502  probably California  Jan 1976  R.E. Lehmuth

502

 Fullerton CA

 June 1977

 Bill Hakkarinen
502  delivered June 20,1973  November 1978  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
502 Los Angeles CA
LAUT		  September 1980  R.E. Lehmuth
502  Chicago IL  July 1973  from the
collection of
JL Hunt
503 Los Angeles CA
LAUT		 July 2,1973  Kent Anderson
503  Raton NM  Jan 4, 1974  Bruce Barrett
503  Raton NM  June 23, 1973  R.R.Harmen
503  Cleburne TX  April 10,1977 James Holder
504  San Diego CA  August 1973  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
 504  Raton NM  August 1973  R.R.Harmen
504  Salt Lake City UT Oct 12, 1974 unknown
505  Raton NM  June 23, 1973  R.R.Harmen

505

 Ft Worth TX

 August 1976

 Gary Morris
506  Raton NM  June 23, 1973  R.R.Harmen
507  Chicago IL April 2, 1977 Raymond Lackemyer
508    August 1973  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
.

509

sold to EMD early 1981
as their test bed #218
  

 Paul Hunnell
 510  Ft Worth TX   August 6, 1973  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep

510  probably California    R.E. Lehmuth
510 San Diego California    R.E. Lehmuth
 511  Chicago IL  April 5, 1980  Mike Abalos

 511

 Chicago IL
became ATSF 5251 after being sold to ATSF retired and scrapped 2002
by BNSF

 July 23, 1985

 Paul Hunnell
 512 Ft Worth TX
leading the southbound
Lone Star		   May 28, 1974  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
512  Fullerton CA  March 1975  R.E. Lehmuth
    521 and AMTK 512 with the "Lone Star" departing Houston, Texas,  October
31, 1976. 		  Bryan Flint
512  Las Angeles CA
 LAUT		  September 1980  R.E. Lehmuth

512

 Cleburne TX
on the Lone Star
yes, it does snow in Texas!

 January 1978

 Gary Morris
 512 Chicago IL Sept 24, 1979  Glen Beans
513  Raton NM  June 3, 1974  R.R.Harmen
513    September 1973  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
513  Denver CO  May 12, 1979 John Tudek
 513      from the
collection of
Albert Phleep

 514

 Pasadena CA

 July 4, 1973

 from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
514  unknown  July 21,1983  R.E. Lehmuth
514  Los Angeles CA
 LAUT		  February 1976  R.E. Lehmuth
515    August 1973  R.E. Lehmuth
 515  Ft Worth TX
#16 northbound		 December 28, 1973   from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
515 Ft Worth TX
#16,103s		  May 22, 1979  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
516    April 1979  R.E. Lehmuth
516  Fort Worth TX  November 5 1977  Mel Lawrence
518  Chicago Area?  September 2, 1973  George Cockle
518  Fullerton CA  December 22, 1974  Dick Leonhardt
519  Chicago IL  April 2, 1976  James Claflin
 519 Ft Worth TX
train #15 southbound		    May 9, 1976  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
 519 Ft Worth TX
train #15 southbound		 May 30, 1976  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
 519 Ft Worth TX
train #15 southbound		 May 30, 1976  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
 519 Ft Worth TX
train #15 southbound		   May 30, 1976  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
519  Rosenburg TX
at Tower 17 on the
eastbound Sunset Ltd		  November 1979  Gary Morris


 520 Ft Worth TX  Aug 6, 1973  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
 520 San Dieago CA   October 3, 1973 from the
collection of
Jim Hebner 
520  Chicago IL  Sept 18,1976  Paul Hunnell
521  Barstow CA  March 24,1974  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
522  Chicago IL Sept 1, 1973  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
 522 Joliet IL Aug 16, 1977   from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
523 Chicago IL Aug 31, 1973   from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
523  Saginaw TX
leading the Lonestar
southbound		  May 29, 1974  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
523  Fullerton CA March 1975  R.E. Lehmuth
523 California?  January 1979  R.E. Lehmuth
524  La Junta CO  August 11,1979 R. Green
525  Chicago Area  September 14,1973  George Cooke
 525 Temple TX
southbound Lone Star		  March 1976  Gary Morris
525 California?   June 1978 from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
526 California?   August 1981  R.H. Lehmuth
526  Fort Worth TX    Joseph Testagrose
526 Barstow CA?      from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
527 Los Angeles Union Station
In helper service on with the Transcontinental Steam Excursion pulled by 4449 in American Freedom Train scheme		  May 1977  Steve Mahan
 528  Fort Worth TX
northbound		  August 25, 1973   from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
528  probably California  April 1976  R.H. Lehmuth
   529  Chicago IL
Archer Ave		 September 1974   David Wagner

530  unknown   unknown  from the
collection of
Albert Phleep
 530 Houston TX
on the Sunset Ltd at West Jct		  May 1978  Gary Morris
530  Houston TX
Tower 26 - The eastbound Sunset Limited on the Southern Pacific coming off the
passenger main near the Hardy St. Shops. The SP line to Shreveport
starts at the long gone Tower 26 on the right.		 June 1978    Gary Morris
 531  sold/traded in to EMD
became EMD 268		    
 532  Seattle WA  Sept 28, 1974  Claude Prutton
533  Seattle WA  April 1976  George LaPray
 no photo yet  534      


SDP 575-649 now located here

 

In 1984, 18 were sold/swapped to the AT&SF for SBB1200s and CF-7s

 Amtrak #  ATSF #     Amtrak #  ATSF #
 511  5251    633  5259
 526  5255    638 5260
 628  5258    643 5250
 632 5264    649 5265
 635 5254    622 5257
 640  5256    630 5253
 645  5267    634 5261
 615  5252    639 5263
 629 5262    644 5266

They were rebuilt at the ATSF San Bernardino Shops Jan-May 1985 and placed into service

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Contributions welcome and credited.

Most of the photos on this site are from original photos/slides or submissions. Some photos are from the web - I have tried to get permission to use on all of them, but a few may have slipped through. Please, let me know if that has happened.

 

 

This archive was first accessed August 1996
Updated May 12, 2007