The locomotive was designed for extremely high horsepower needs, such as pulling heavy coal and ore trains.

[3] The AC6000CW was designed at the height of a horsepower race between the two major locomotive manufacturers, Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois with the SD90MAC, and GE Transportation of Erie, Pennsylvania with the AC6000CW, in the early to mid 1990s.

GE built 106 AC6000CWs for Union Pacific, but with the older, proven 7FDL engine installed, rated for 4,400 hp (3,300 kW).

These units were originally intended to be converted to the 6,250 hp (4,660 kW) 7HDL engine after some problems with the 7HDL were solved, but the conversion never occurred.

The rest were either sold off to leasing company Progress Rail Services (PRLX), the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad (WNYP), or scrapped.

[4] On June 21, 2001, all eight of the Australian mining company BHP Billiton's Mount Newman railway AC6000s worked together to set the world record for the heaviest and longest train.

[10] GECX #6002 (ex-Union Pacific #7511) was donated by GE to the Lake Shore Railway Museum in North East, Pennsylvania in 2022.

[11] The Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway has created their "Engine Room 87" out of the scrapped husk of former PRLX 656/CSX 666 for the US Open special train.