The secondhand market for the Gennies hinges on the relative ease of which they can be kit-upgradeable into Tier 4 locomotives. The MBTA's new HSP-46 locos are built with GE GEVO-12 prime movers, the same exact model GE AC traction motors as the P32AC-DM, and GE alternators lightly evolved from what's in the Gennies. It is essentially "P46AC" power inside an MPI carbody and trucks. And GE and MPI purposefully designed it that way to enable kit upgrades to older power. GE has a huge market dominance in components, and sees that as its highest-margin opportunity in the passenger market vs. building complete locomotives (where it nets its highest margins peddling in freight-land). And MPI has gotten into the gut-and-rebuild business cleanrooming old but fully serviceable carbodies and trucks into brand new modern locomotives (like the
MP32PH-Q, a standard MP36 engine and cab that inhabits like a hermit crab the shell of a gutted GP40WH-2).
It's pretty clear where this is headed. The HSP-46 package is primed to hit the market as an upgrade kit. MPI has proven it can do a successful kitting job on old EMD product with more conservative MPXpress guts, with them likely attempting more of the same the more dispersal Geeps, F40PH's, F59PH's, etc. (whichever models are most appropriate) they can get their hands on. But the GE hegemony under the hood on the HSP-46's is tailor-made for Gennie upgrade kits. And I believe GE did indeed float that idea to Amtrak as a Gennie remanufacture option before the Charger order was placed and made the national options on the Siemens product more or less the only locked-in path for the future of the diesel fleet. If the monocoque carbodies are in good shape--and they generally are--the Gennies *should* (this, of course, has yet to be proven definitively...but with GE being the primary designer it should nonetheless) be the easiest make of all to kit. The Gennie carbody keeps the weight down, such that a P40 or P42 kitted to HSP-46 spec should not need to weigh any more than a P32 (which is 6K lbs. heavier than the others) in the same frame. Lighter than it would weigh in the new (and pretty heavy) MPI carbody the HSP-46 has, with a target range equal or within weight tolerance of the existing monocoque design. Update the cab and the computers, but otherwise it's the same traction that's been proven to work for 2 decades in the P32's, and a more or less stock GEVO prime mover that's kicking the freight market's butt right now.
If Amtrak drains the Charger options that's a bare minimum of 200 P42 and P40 units (probably more, but assume a worst-case attrition rate of carbodies too beat-up for remanufacturing suitability or necessary to scrap for parts) that can be remanufactured for re-sale into "P46AC" Tier 4 next-gen Gennies at lower price point for commuter rail buyers than buying a make with all-new carbody. And be able to float a kitting offer to VIA Rail when it needs to rebuild its P42's, since they're not exactly flush with enough cash to make buys of new power an easy thing to swing.
Again...all speculation until it's attempted. But that's what the 2 partners behind the HSP-46 design see as the real paydirt behind their efforts. GE as the component supplier, MPI as one of the second-source vendors that actually performs the kitting retrofit. It sure wasn't the pain and suffering of dealing with the MBTA's procurements that got their attention to tag-team up on that design collaboration. I would not be surprised if, at conclusion of the T's HSP-46 order and first-year warranty period, GE either takes a spare P42 still in their own possession or go to Amtrak and buy up 1 or 2 good-condition units stored at Beech Grove to do up their demonstration unit on the kitting. Amtrak will be happy to oblige, because if they're intent on eventually draining the Charger options for a total diesel fleet replacement they get way better resale value on the P42's and P40's as units with 20+ years more operating lifespan in remanufacture vs. razorblade fodder. I mean, it's not like they are ever going to hold onto those things for future-consideration NPCU conversions. Three-fifths of the current NPCU's are going into storage when the bi-level corridor cars replace them with proper cab cars and lower-level baggage areas on every route but the Cascades and Downeaster. Once the P42's have done their obligatory 2-3 post-retirement years in contingency storage they're outta there and it's just the off-cycle procurement P32's lingering on a few more years.
