page_title: EMD AEM-7
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: EMD AEM-7 / Background
caption_attribution_description: English: Amtrak X995 (a repainted Swedish Rc4) at Wilmington Shops during testing in 1976. The AEM-7 was based on the Rc4 design.
context_page_description: The AEM-7 is a twin-cab four-axle 7,000 hp B-B electric locomotive built by Electro-Motive Division and ASEA between 1978 and 1988. The locomotive was a derivative of the Swedish SJ Rc4 designed for passenger service in the United States. The primary customer was Amtrak, which bought 54 for use on the Northeast Corridor and Keystone Corridor. Two commuter operators, MARC and SEPTA, also purchased locomotives, for a total of 65.
  Amtrak ordered the AEM-7 after the failure of the GE E60 locomotive. The first locomotives entered service in 1980 and were an immediate success, ending a decade of uncertainty on the Northeast Corridor. In the late 1990s, Amtrak rebuilt 29 of its locomotives from DC to AC traction. The locomotives continued operating through the arrival of the final Siemens ACS-64 in June 2016. MARC retired its fleet in April 2017 in favor of Siemens Chargers, and SEPTA retired all seven of its AEM-7s in November 2018 in favor of ACS-64s.
context_section_description: Amtrak assumed control of almost all private sector intercity passenger rail service in the United States on May 1, 1971, with a mandate to reverse decades of decline. Amtrak retained approximately 184 of the 440 trains which had run the day before. To operate these trains, Amtrak inherited a fleet of 300 locomotives (electric and diesel) and 1190 passenger cars, most of which dated from the 1940s–1950s.
  Operation on the electrified portion of the Northeast Corridor was split between the Budd Metroliner electric multiple units and PRR GG1 locomotives. The latter were over 35 years old and restricted to 85 mph (137 km/h). Amtrak sought a replacement, but no US manufacturer offered an electric passenger locomotive. Importing and adapting a European locomotive would require a three-year lead time. With few other options, Amtrak turned to GE to adapt the E60C freight locomotive for passenger service. GE delivered two models, the E60CP and the E60CH. However, the locomotives proved unsuitable for speeds above 90 mph (145 km/h), leaving Amtrak once again in need of a permanent solution.
  Amtrak then examined existing European high-speed designs, and two were imported for trials in 1976–77: the Swedish model Rc4 1166[8] (Amtrak number X995), and the French model CC 21000 Nr. 21003 (Amtrak number X996). Amtrak favored the Swedish design, which became the basis for the AEM-7.
caption: Swedish Rc4 1166 imported and repainted in Amtrak's livery for evaluation. This locomotive performed well and would become the basis of the AEM-7.
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