Rapido Trains HO 85503 - GE P32AC-DM Diesel Locomotive "Amtrak" #709 (Phase III, silver, red, white, blue, gray)

• Road Name: Amtrak
• Road Number: 709
• Product Line: Rapido Trains HO
• Scale: HO Scale
• Catalog: Rapido Trains January 2025

Features:

• Newly tooled from blueprints and measurements • Many unique dual-mode underbody components • Krupp-MaK High Speed Bolsterless Truck with third rail shoe detail • Piping detail never seen before on a Genesis model • ATC/Cab signal under-pilot detail (ACSES box) • P32AC-DM rounded grille over rear radiator • Nose and rear HEP plugs • Operating headlight, ditch lights, and marker lights • Step lights • Separately applied wire grabs • Semi-scale metal knuckle couplers • MoPower capacitor system for uninterrupted • DCC power DC/Silent (21-pin DCC Ready) or DC/DCC/Sound - ESU LokSound V5 Decoder • Suggested minimum radius: 22” Amtrak-specific features: • Unique antenna array • Original and retrofitted nose options • Short air tanks • Third rail shoes disengaged Two schemes on the initial run, but everyone loves Phase III!

Overview:

Dual-powered locomotives are nothing new to New York passenger operations. Since the early 1900s, the main concern was diesel emissions inside the tunnels that led to Grand Central Terminal and Pennsylvania Station. In the mid-1990s, Amtrak® was looking to replace their aging fleet of EMD FL9s with a modern dual mode diesel. Enter the GE P32AC-DM “Genesis” Series II locomotive. Amtrak® would order 18 of these units for their Empire Service® operations. These locomotives have worn a number of schemes from Phase III, Phase IV, Phase V and now back to a Phase III variant, funded by the state of New York.