EMD's generally still load faster than GE's I remember when Amtrak was starting to get the
P40/42's and they were mixed with F40's and they would start out of the station with the F40
second in the consist and the F40 would be trying to push the P40 out of the way. You
could almost hear the F40 yelling "go damn-it." P40,P42's were not reliable when they were
first delivered and the F40's had to carry the load all too often. According to an Amtrak
hogger friend I have, old and tired F40's were still more reliable than the GE's ever have been (particularly in winter) and the Chargers....they may never be reliable. NP eventually
started the practice of putting an SD-45 ahead of two GE's and found that to be pretty effective and balanced until the GE's started having reliablility issues. Crews liked the tighter cabs and control stands in the SD-45's and GE's pulled better at slower speeds and
the SD-45's picked up at higher speeds. Overall, the consist could make it over the division
at a higher average speed than three GE's could make.