A Revolutionary Commuter Workhorse

In the mid eighties, GO Transit was looking to replace its aging locomotive fleet with a specially designed locomotive that could meet the growing demands for service across the Greater Toronto Area. The locomotive needed to be able to quickly accelerate while pulling up to 10 of the new Hawker-Siddeley/UTDC BiLevel coaches, and to save on fuel, power them with a separate HEP generator.

In close consultation with GO Transit, GMD developed the F59PH. Equipped with a turbocharged 12-cylinder two-stroke diesel prime mover (12-710G3A), a full-width North American comfort cab, with HEP provided by a smaller 600hp GM 8-cylinder diesel.

In 1988, GMD delivered the first sixteen F59PH units to GO Transit. They were numbered 520 to 535 and given a class designation of GCE-430g. Over the next 6 years, GMD delivered an additional 33 units to GO Transit, with some improvements, including a larger fuel tank and different rear grille arrangement. In 1994, the final four units were delivered to GO, but were very quickly sold to Dallas’ Trinity Railway Express by the cash-strapped Ontario government. Other surplus locomotives were leased to West Coast Express in British Columbia and Metrolink in California.