GE Genesis Series

"That locomotive back there in the roundhouse is Amtrak's newest, it's their pride and joy. It's called Genesis and guess what? They're going to pull it out of roundhouse, put it on the turntable, put it on the track, and guess who gets to drive it? Hahaha, Engineer Dave!" -Engineer Dave in There Goes a Train
The General Electric "Genesis" is a series of passenger diesel locomotives produced by GE Transportation, a subsidiary of General Electric, between 1992 and 2001. A total of 321 units were manufactured for various railroads including Amtrak, Metro-North Railroad, and Via Rail.
Only three models of the Genesis series locomotives were built, those being the P40DC, P42DC, and P32AC-DM. Amtrak's Genesis series locomotives were the official replacement for their older EMD F40PHs, which were all eventually retired from service in 2002. However, as of today, Amtrak's Genesis series locomotives are slowly being replaced by the new Siemens ALC-42 Chargers.
==History==
In the late 1980s, Amtrak was looking for a new diesel locomotive: one with an extended range and being able to withstand the tight clearances of the Northeast, as well as being more fuel-efficient, lighter, and faster than the existing EMD F40PH. Two manufacturers, EMD and GE, responded. GE was ultimately awarded the contract to build an initial 64 diesel units and 10 dual-mode locomotives.
GE partnered with Krupp for the design of the lightweight bodyshell. However, the final design wasn't able to be determined on time; GE would ultimately build 20 fewer units of the new design, and instead build 20 3,200 hp units based on their existing line of four-axle Dash 8 freight locomotives. These locomotives are the P32-8WH units and are currently in service as switchers and backup units.
The final design was revealed in 1993, as the "Genesis" initially named the Amtrak Monocoque Diesel - 103 MPH/AMD-103, later be redesignated the P40DC/Genesis. GE built 44 P40 units for Amtrak, some of which were sold to New Jersey Transit and the Connecticut Department of Transportation, while many have undergone refurbishment and reactivated by Amtrak (after being mothballed and stored in 2005). The remainder are still in storage with Phase IV colors.
On introduction, Amtrak engineers were perplexed by the new/different horn button, which was difficult to "quill/bleed" 1 or the 2 trumpets, but eventually found a way to make it work.
The second variant came 2 years later, as the AMD-110 Dual Mode/Hybrid locomotive, later redesignated the P32AC-DM/Genesis. While similar looking to the P40DC, this locomotive had AC motors, capability to operate as a diesel or from 3rd rail, and was geared for a maximum speed of 110 MPH.
Later that year, the final variant was introduced; Amtrak requested an order for 120 diesel-powered units, but faster and more powerful than the P40DC. This came to be the P42DC, the primary locomotive for Amtrak outside the Northeast Corridor today.
Amtrak would return to GE to order 86 more P42DCs and 8 more dual-mode P32AC-DMs. Metro-North, a commuter railroad operating in New York and Connecticut, ordered 32 P32AC-DM units for operating trains into New York's Grand Central Terminal. The final Genesis units produced by GE were 21 diesel units for VIA Rail of Canada in 2001.
==Design==
Unique to the Genesis locomotives is their height, being 1f167/0m356 shorter than the F40PH; the P32AC-DM sub model also has retractable 3rd rail shoes, enabling service into Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station. This made the Genesis the only Amtrak locomotive able to operate on all Amtrak routes. 
These locomotives are equipped with four-stroke engines, distinguishing them from the two-stroke engines used in EMD locomotives. The Genesis units are fully computerized, automatically controlling all on-board functions, enhancing reliability, and reducing maintenance requirements. For instance, the computers can automatically adjust the power plant's output in response to overheating or low oil pressure, ensuring continued operation. 
All Genesis locomotives can provide head-end power (HEP) to the train from an alternator or inverter powered by the main engine, with a maximum rating of 800 kilowatts (1,100 hp). This capability allows each unit to supply HEP to up to 16 Superliner railcars. The P40DC and P42DC locomotives can supply 60-hertz head-end power either from the HEP alternator (at 900 rpm) or the traction alternator (at 720 rpm) in standby mode. In the latter case, traction power is not available. The P32AC-DM locomotive uses an HEP inverter and can vary its prime mover's speed to provide both traction power and HEP, as well as idle to provide HEP for lighting and air-conditioning without traction power.
To create the Low Profile Streamlined body, GE + Krupp developed the Monocoque design. The aerodynamics give it 22% more fuel efficiency, better crew safety (being classified as a "safety-cab" like with modern freight diesels) & also produces 25% more power than the F40PH, which influenced Amtrak's decision to replace the latter with the Genesis.
A disadvantage of the Monocoque body is costlier repairs after minor grade crossing collisions, resulting in bolt-on nose cones being installed on all active units. 
==Models==
The Genesis series includes three models built by General Electric: the P40DC, P42DC, and P32AC-DM.
===P40DC:===
The P40DC, known as GENESIS Series I or Dash 8-40BP (originally AMD-103 or Amtrak Monocoque Diesel - 103MPH), was the first model in the Genesis series, built in 1993. Operating in a diesel-electric configuration, it generates 4,000 horsepower at 1047 rpm, with power output reduced to 3,550 hp in HEP mode. The P40DC can reach a maximum speed of 103 mph. It was succeeded by the P42DC in 1996. A notable feature of the P40DC and P32AC-DM is a hostler stand at the rear, offering increased visibility and reversing capabilities. Additionally, it features two strobes above the cab and an emergency flasher, which were removed during overhauls. Replacements, leasing, and overhauls of P40DC locomotives have shaped their disposition.
=== P42DC:===
The P42DC, part of GENESIS Series I, succeeded the P40DC, boasting an engine output of 4,250 horsepower and a maximum speed of 110 mph. The P42DC can provide traction power or HEP, with tractive efforts and specifications that enhance its performance. It is primarily used on long-haul and higher-speed rail services by Amtrak and Via Rail Canada, to be gradually replaced by Siemens ALC-42 Charger locomotives.
===P32AC-DM:===
The P32AC-DM, a part of GENESIS Series II, is used by Amtrak and Metro-North. It can operate on power from its onboard diesel engine or a third rail electrification system. Equipped with GE's GEB15 AC traction motors, it offers a maximum speed of 110 mph. It is distinctive for its use of alternating current and can operate from overhead catenary electrification. The P32AC-DM is employed on services running north from New York City, where emissions restrictions necessitate the use of non-diesel locomotives. Replacement locomotives are planned for Metro-North's service.
==Specs==
*P32AC-DM/AMD-110/Genesis: 3200 hp/2400kw Diesel GE.12v7FDL or 3RLE.650v, GE.B15 AC Motors
*P40DC/AMD-103/Genesis: 4000 hp/3000kw Diesel GE.16v7FDL, GE.752 DC Motors
*P42DC/Genesis: 4250 hp/3183kw Diesel GE.16v7FDL, GE.752 DC Motors
*Head-End Power/HEP: 1067 hp/800kw480v3p60h For 16 Coaches Max
*Dimensions Max: 121t7Gros/3m048Wdth/4m368Hgth/21m03LgthCoupled
*Axles: BoBo/4Power, Krupp.1m435Gage/1m016Diam/2m743Base/13m17Axis Bogie
*Speed Max: 110 MPH/177 KPH
*Couplers: Janney/AARF/APTF/InterLock
== Spotting Differences==
All Genesis sub models appear identical at first glance, but there are differences.
* P40DC: This locomotive is nearly identical to the P42DC even after rebuild, although differences include: 
**A Hostler's window at the rear of the locomotive (although it has been removed in recent Amtrak rebuilds).
** Flashing lights above the cab (removed in Amtrak rebuilds).
**One can easily tell the difference between a P40DC and P42DC by simply looking at the number; all P40DC locomotives are in the 800 series, while P42DC locomotives are numbered between 1 and 207.
*P32AC-DM: This locomotive has a number of differences compared to a P42DC:
**Additional equipment on the trucks, for 3rd rail shoes.
**A quieter idle (due to its use of a static inverter for HEP generation, instead of the alternator-based design of the P40s and P42s).
**Taller, but shorter, radiator intake vents.
**Hostler's window similar to the P40DC.
** No rear access door.
**The pentagonal, clear headlight shields remained fitted through the mid-2010s while the straight diesel models had mostly been converted during repaint, collision repairs or overhaul. Metro-North units are now the only units to retain their shields. Locomotive engineers complained about poor headlight range and aim, as the covers diffracted the headlight beam upward.
**Rear communications, HEP, and MU receptacles are placed lower than on the DC units.
**A unique 3rd rail shoe.
**Emergency access hatches on the nose of the locomotive. (Amtrak's lacked the emergency access hatch until 2018-2019)
**Amtrak's P32s are numbered in the 700 series.
==Rebuilt and Upgraded P40DCs==
By 2007, NJ Transit's P40DCs had been upgraded to P42DC standards (minus the speed difference). The conversion work from 4000 hp to 4250 hp was done by readjusting a lay shaft in the prime mover. They have since been sold to CDOT.
Amtrak later rebuilt 15 of its P40DCs like NJ Transit did (along with a re-gearing of the motors for 110 MPH service) at Beech Grove shops as part of a project funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. They are now essentially P42DC units. All 15 units that have been rebuilt have been returned to service. The only difference between these locomotives and actual P42DCs are that the upgraded P40DCs still feature mechanical air brake controllers, which make them more suitable for the Auto Train and other trains that only require a single locomotive. The P42DCs and P32AC-DMs have electronic brake control valves instead.
==Accidents and incidents==
*Amtrak P40DCs 807, 819, and 829 were wrecked and scrapped. 819 was wrecked in the Big Bayou Canot accident on September 22, 1993, and 807 and 829 were wrecked in the Bourbonnais, IL accident on March 15, 1999.
*Amtrak P42DCs 143 and 149 were wrecked in Wendover, UT in September 2001 and have been scrapped.
*Metro-North P32AC-DM 225 was involved in the Spuyten Duyvil derailment on December 1, 2013. It was rebuilt by Altoona Works and returned to service.
*Amtrak 161 was repainted in Phase I to take the place of 156. 156 suffered severe damage in a grade crossing collision in March 2020 and remains out of service. 156 was numbered with 1971-2011 to commemorate the 40th anniversary while 161 wears the "Amtrak50" emblem.
*Amtrak 130 was repainted in Phase II to take the place of 66. 66 suffered a buckled frame in a grade crossing collision in February 2016. Two people were injured in the collision, and 66 remains out of service. 66 was numbered with 1971-2011 to commemorate the 40th anniversary, and 130 retained the 2011 numbers.
*Amtrak 181 was involved in the DuPont, WA derailment on December 18, 2017.
* Amtrak P40DCs 833, 834, 836, 838, and 840-843 were leased to Metro-North in 2005, and subsequently sold to the Connecticut Department of Transportation in 2008 for use on Shore Line East trains. They have also occasionally substituted on Hartford Line trains after that service began on June 16, 2018. Engines 834 and 841 were sent to Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops in August 2018 for overhaul and are still there as of October 2020.
*Amtrak P40DC 811 was involved in the Silver Spring, MD accident on February 16, 1996. It was repaired and returned to service in 1999.
*Amtrak 8 was destroyed in a rear-end collision with a freight train in South Chicago, IL in November 2007.
*Amtrak 47 was destroyed in the February 2, 2018 Cayce, SC Silver Star collision in which the Amtrak conductor and engineer perished.
*Amtrak 49 suffered severe damage from a collision with a truck in near Osceola, IA.
* Amtrak 102 struck a rock slide in Northfield, VT and derailed down a ravine on the Vermonter on October 5, 2015. The crew survived, but the locomotive was written off.
*Amtrak 128 was destroyed in a grade crossing collision with a truck trailer on February 1, 2012. The unit derailed and overturned, but the engineer survived.
*Several units burned in engine compartment fires in the first decade of the 21st century. Amtrak 3, 10, 24, 50, 78 and 207 were rebuilt and returned to service. Units 49, 70, 141 and 178 were damaged beyond economical repair. Engine compartment fires may burn so hot that they de-temper or partially melt the steel frame members, which cannot be safely repaired. Diesel fires require firefighting foam to extinguish, or they will keep re-igniting. Once the structural steel reaches a certain temperature, it loses its ability to bear loads. The integrated and compartmentalized fuel tank design unique to the GE Genesis design is much more resistant to puncturing in a derailment, but it is also time-consuming and dangerous to repair. Fires may be caused by crankcase explosions, connecting rod failure/piston ejection, unit fuel injector separation, fuel line fitting leaks, or numerous other issues.
*Amtrak #816 & 41 were involved in a train wreck in Keenesburg Colorado in 2024.
==Trivia==
*Despite the fact that the GE Genesis locomotives were primarily built for long-distance operations, VIA Rail uses these locomotives exclusively on its Quebec City-Windsor Corridor routes, where their additional speed and power is required to keep schedules.
*Several Latin American railroads have experimented with Genesis Series locomotives for passenger service, but for simplicity's sake they still prefer their original ALCO RS Series and EMD GP Series locomotives.
*The P32-8BWH (or B32-8BWH) was once also known as being part of the Genesis series because of its obvious name, and the Genesis series once being part of the Dash 8 series (as stated above). Yet, the P42DCs displaced the P32-8BWH from passenger service, and the locomotive itself became a unique passenger variant of the B40-8W.
*Amtrak P42DC 32 was the final P42DC, and final Genesis of all Genesis series locomotives, to wear the original variant of Amtrak's Phase III paint, designed specifically for the Genesis locomotives.
* As delivered, the P40DC and first order P32AC-DMs had stripes which faded away toward the rear of the units. This graphic design proved costly to maintain, so P42DCs were delivered with solid stripes
*Amtrak has 3 original non-heritage Genesis paints: Phase III, Phase IV, and Phase V.
*During Amtrak's 40th anniversary celebration, five P40DC/P42DC units were painted in commemorative schemes to replicate Amtrak's previous paint schemes. The units painted were 156 (Phase I), 66 (replaced by 130; Phase II), 145 (Phase III, early), 822 (Phase III, late), and 184 (Phase IV). These units were assembled alongside (standard Phase V) 148 in a staged photo in Washington, DC in May 2011.
**As of 2023, 184 has been repainted into standard Phase V, and locomotives 156 and 822 are out of service. 164 was eventually repainted into Phase IV as 184's replacement, minus the 1971-2011 decals.
*Amtrak 108 was repainted in a new Phase VI livery in June 2021 in a scheme matching that of upcoming ALC-42s 300 and 302-305. 108 also wears "Amtrak50" emblems.
*Amtrak 100 was painted in an exclusive US Postal Service scheme to commemorate the centennial and millennium events, which occurred during 1999-2000. After spending twenty years in Phase V, 100 was repainted in a 50th Anniversary commemorative "Midnight Blue" livery in May 2021.
*Amtrak 189 wore "The Heartland Flyer's Big Game Train" stickers on either side to promote the Oklahoma vs. Texas football game. The stickers were applied in 2013, but was repainted in 2016 without the stickers reapplied. A smaller version of the stickers are applied on P42DC 157, and (formerly) P42DC 50. As of late 2019, 189 sports the smaller stickers, similar to those used on 50 and 157.
*Amtrak 160 was released in August 2021 wearing a 50th Anniversary livery which duplicated the as-delivered 1991 scheme worn by the P32-8BWH units in the 1990s.
*Amtrak 203 was released from overhaul in January 2022 wearing an Operation Lifesaver 50th Anniversary scheme
* Amtrak P40DCs 833, 834, 836, 838, and 840-843 were leased to Metro-North in 2005, and subsequently sold to the Connecticut Department of Transportation in 2008 for use on Shore Line East trains. They have also occasionally substituted on Hartford Line trains after that service began on June 16, 2018. Engines 834 and 841 were sent to Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops in August 2018 for overhaul and are still there as of October 2020.
*Amtrak P40DCs 808, 810, 812, and 820 were rebuilt with P42DC specifications in Beech Grove, IN, renumbered 4800 to 4803, and sold to New Jersey Transit in 2007. The engines were later resold to ConnDOT in 2016, and were sent to Amtrak's Beech Grove Shops in August 2018 for overhaul. These units are still there as of October 2020.
*Amtrak P40DCs 809, 814-818, 821-824, 830-832, 835, and 837 were rebuilt to P42DC specifications in Beech Grove, IN, and returned to service between 2010 and 2011 with funding from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 ("Stimulus funds") and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (USDOT TIGER) grants.
*Amtrak P40DC 801 was featured in There Goes a Train.
*Amtrak 42 was painted in a special paint dedicated to US Military veterans. At that time, the number also commemorated the age of the railroad in 2013.
* Amtrak owns and operates eighteen P32AC-DMs numbered 700 to 717. These units are exclusively operated on trains which run through the Empire Connection tunnels on the west side of Manhattan due to a city law banning exhaust emissions there. P32AC-DMs typically run to and from Niagara Falls, Rutland and Albany-Rensselaer, including the New York section of the Lake Shore Limited. As of 2018-2019, they have been retrofitted with escape hatches on the nose of the locomotive.
*Metro-North operates a fleet of P32AC-DMs numbered 201 to 227. Engines 228 to 231 are owned by ConnDOT, and are painted in a New Haven Railroad heritage scheme, which once operated over some of MN's trackage. Several of their former NH FL9 units were also painted back into their original scheme, besides rebuilt units such as their BL20GHM and GP40-3H units.
*VIA Rail's P42DCs are classed EPA-42a (GE Passenger A-unit, 4250 hp, first series [a]) by Canadian National.
*Most of VIA's P42DCs are equipped with the standard K5LA horn, as well as an additional "Canadian" K5LLA emergency horn. The oddball of the fleet is engine 917, which (along with its green paint) is equipped with a Nathan K3L horn instead of the usual K5LA.
*From May 22, 2009 to November 1, 2009, 2 P42DC units, numbers 71 and 157, were dressed for Disney's "A Christmas Carol" train tour, a special train that showed Disney & HP's traveling multi-media exhibit about the 3D animated film "A Christmas Carol" starring Jim Carrey.
==Media==
*Gallery
==References== 
*http://web.archive.org/web/20110717194014/http://www.vergarastudio.com/pdf/GE_Genesis_Locomotive.pdf
*http://web.archive.org/web/20190725110222/https://www.banksofthesusquehanna.com/traffic/genesis
*http://wikivisually.com/wiki/GE_Genesis
*http://web.archive.org/web/20170331195916/https://www.vtwi.org/102999Osceola/102999Osceola.html
*Book: The Complete Book of Locomotives written by Colin Garratt, published by Hermes House. .
*Book: The Encylopedia of Trains And Locomotives, published by Barnes And Noble Publishing
Category:Diesel locomotives
Category:GE locomotives
Category:Passenger locomotives
Category:Four-axled diesel locomotives
Category:Amtrak locomotives
Category:American locomotives
Category:GE Dash 8 Line
Category:Higher-speed rail
Category:EPA Tier 0
Category:VIA Rail locomotives
Category:Built in 1992
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Category:Cab forward locomotives
Category:New Jersey Transit Locomotives