America’s $40 Million Train Disaster: The Locomotive Too Dangerous to Go Fast

America’s $40 Million Train Disaster: The Locomotive Too Dangerous to Go Fast.

In the middle of the 1970s oil crisis, America rushed to save passenger rail with a brand-new electric locomotive. What it got instead was one of the most infamous failures in railway history.

The E60 was meant to replace the legendary GG1 and lead a new era of high-speed rail on the Northeast Corridor. Built in haste by adapting a heavy freight locomotive, the E60 promised 120 mph performance—but test runs revealed violent instability that damaged track and terrified crews.

After derailments and alarming test data, federal regulators stepped in and permanently restricted its speed, turning America’s flagship electric locomotive into a national embarrassment. Yet the story didn’t end there. The very weight that doomed the E60 at high speed made it unstoppable on heavy trains, earning it a second life as one of Amtrak’s most powerful workhorses until its final withdrawal in 2003.

This is the story of a rushed decision, a political gamble, and a locomotive that failed at speed—but survived through brute strength.

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