6 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. AEM-7 916 in Washington Union Station in 1997: Chao-Hwa Chen ( Chaohwa at English Wikipedia )· Public domain
- 2. Amtrak 943 with a Metroliner at Seabrook, MD, November 12, 1987: Roger Puta· Public domain
- 3. AEM7AC 939: Chao-Hwa Chen ( Chaohwa at English Wikipedia )· Public domain
- 4. JPBX 929 EMD AEM-7 Caltrain dllu: Daniel Lu ( User:dllu )· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 5. MARC AEM7s at BWI: Ryan Stavely· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 6. SEPTA AEM7: Adam E. Moreira· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The EMD AEM-7 is a twin-cab four-axle B-B 7,000 hp (5.2 MW) electric locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Division (EMD) and ASEA between 1978 and 1988. It is a derivative of the Swedish SJ Rc4 designed for passenger service in the United States. Amtrak purchased 54 for use on the Northeast Corridor and Keystone Corridor while commuter operators MARC and SEPTA purchased four and seven for a combined total of 65.
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 48 years ago, in 1978.
- Top speed is 1.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- At full speed it would cover Amsterdam–Utrecht (≈ 40 km) in 12 minutes.
- 5.2 MW is about 61 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 15.5 m long: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 38 years (1980–2018).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1978–1988
- in service from
- 1980
- retired
- 2018
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 65
- kind
- Electric
- traction
- electric
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- builders
- ASEA, Electro-Motive Diesel
- operators
- Amtrak, MARC, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
- top speed
- 201 km/h
- power
- 5.2 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- Overhead line:, 3 Amtrak's 60 Hz traction power system, 25 kV 60 Hz AC, 3 Electrification of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad…
- wheel arrangement
- Bo'Bo'
- length
- 15.5 m
- nicknames
- Toasters; Meatballs
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q987382, Wikipedia: EMD AEM-7 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.