History
In the mid-1970s. Amtrak began to look for a successor to the Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electric locomotive and ordered 26 General Electric E60 units. Unfortunately, the E60s proved unable to safely achieve speeds over 90 MPH leaving Amtrak without a practical replacement for the GG1. Amtrak then turned to existing European high-speed designs. Two European locomotives were brought over for a series of trials in 1977. One was a French CC 21000 class given number X996, and the other was a Swedish Rc4, X995. Amtrak favored the Swedish design, which became the base for the AEM-7. Amtrak first ordered 30 AEM-7s in 1977 (Order Number: 776073), then ordered an additional 17 AEM-7s in 1980 (Order Number: 806004).
Read more about this topic: EMD AEM-7
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—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)
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“Culture, the acquainting ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus with the history of the human spirit.”
—Matthew Arnold (1822–1888)