Dual-powered locomotives are nothing new to New York commuter operations. Since the early 1900s, the main concern was diesel emissions inside the tunnels that led to Grand Central Terminal and Pennsylvania Station. Metro-North and Amtrak were looking to replace their aging fleet of EMD FL9s with a modern dual-mode diesel. Enter the GE P32AC-DM “Genesis” Series II locomotive in the late 1990s, which saw Amtrak order 18 of these units. The P32AC-DM designation may be a mouthful, but it is an acronym for: Passenger, 3,200 horsepower, Alternating Current, Dual-Mode. The P32AC-DM is the dual-mode cousin to the similar diesel-only P40 and P42DC passenger locomotives. 

The P32AC-DMs still make their living on Empire Service® out of Penn Station to Albany-Rensselear, as well as services to Toronto and Montreal. These locomotives have worn a number of paint schemes throughout their careers: Phase III, Phase IV, Phase V and the current Phase III Empire Service®. One of the most notable spotting features of the current day fleet are the emergency nose doors. These were applied around 2018, when Amtrak temporarily rerouted services to Grand Central Terminal during work inside of Penn Station.

THE RAPIDO P32AC-DM LOCOMOTIVE 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, ditchlights, 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

Amtrak-specific features:

• Unique antenna array
  
• Original and retrofitted noses
  
• Short air tanks
  
• Third rail shoes disengaged/lifted