Description
The Rapido 519501 is an N scale GMD F59PH in the Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) scheme, road number #3107 — DC/DCC/Sound with a factory-installed ESU LokSound decoder. ACE's purple, white and blue scheme — the look of the Altamont Commuter Express between Stockton and San Jose, where the F59PH handled the climb over Altamont Pass.
In the mid-1980s GO Transit needed a locomotive that could accelerate quickly with ten new BiLevel coaches behind it, and GMD built the F59PH to that brief: a 3,000 hp turbocharged 12-710G3A prime mover, a full-width North American comfort cab, and a separate 600 hp GM 8-cylinder engine for head-end power so the main engine never has to idle high to keep the train lit and heated. GO took 49 of them, Metrolink ordered 22 more for Los Angeles, and as GO retired its fleet in the mid-2000s the units scattered to commuter agencies across North America. This is the first F59PH ever offered in N scale — scaled from field measurements and blueprints, with a unique F59PH body, separate wire grab irons, full underbody piping, and working headlight, ditch lights and red marker lights. Because the F59PH's open front stepwells leave nowhere to hide a light pipe, the working ditch lights sit slightly closer together than prototype; a non-working, prototypically spaced anti-climber and ditch-light assembly is included in the box for display.
Model features: Unique F59PH body scaled from field measurements and blueprints · Separate wire grab irons · Incredible underbody detail including separate piping · Working headlight, ditch lights and marker lights · Lit American-style red marker lights · Interchangeable prototypically spaced non-working ditch-light anti-climber included · Factory-installed ESU LokSound DCC/Sound decoder with accurate F59PH sounds — runs on DC and DCC.
📦 Preorder details:
Expected arrival: Fall 2026 (see Rapido's delivery schedule for the latest dates).
25% deposit required at checkout, balance charged when the product arrives.
Preorder cancellation: 7 days from order date; deposit non-refundable after that.
Browse more from Rapido, see the full Rapido N F59PH run, or see all preorders. Ships from Oakville, Ontario. Contact us for special orders.