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 Metra F40C No. 605 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheEMD F40C is a 6-axle 3,200 horsepower (2.4 MW)diesel-electriclocomotive built byGeneral Motors Electro-Motive Division in 1974 forcommuter service inChicago. EMD only built 15 locomotives; the decline of the 6-axle design for passenger service led to the adoption of the 4-axleEMD F40PH as the standard passenger locomotive in the United States.[1] Along with a small fleet of HEP-equippedEMD SD70MAC locomotives operating on theAlaska Railroad, the F40Cs were the last six-axle passenger locomotives in daily service in mainlandNorth America until the delivery of Metra's firstSD70MACH in 2022.
As of March 2022, all but one of the F40Cs has been retired, though none are operating. They were replaced by theMPI MP36PH-3S in 2003–2004. Locomotives 600-609 and 613 were the first to be retired in 2003 and had their road numbers unregistered with theFederal Railroad Administration. They were all retired before 2007. No. 610 was unregistered in 2004 and was sent to National Railway Equipment inDixmoor, Illinois. It was scrapped on September 24, 2020.[2] The only F40Cs that remain are Nos. 611 and 614. No. 611 is currently stored in Metra's Western Avenue rail yard, while No. 614 has been preserved and has been sent to theIllinois Railway Museum for restoration.
The F40C is derived from theEMD SDP40F; besides the shorter length, the primary difference between the two is the substitution of a 500-kilowatt (670 hp)HEP generator for the SDP40F's twin steam generators. It is powered by a16 cylinderEMD 645E3B, producing 3,200horsepower (2,390 kW). It uses the same frame as theEMD SD40-2, giving it an overall length of 68 feet 10 inches (20.98 m).[3]
In the early 1970s, theMilwaukee Road operated two commuter rail lines in Chicago: theMilwaukee District North Line to Fox Lake via theCanadian Pacific'sC&M Subdivision, and theMilwaukee District West Line to Elgin via the CP's Elgin Subdivision. The operation of these lines was subsidized by local transit agencies. In 1974, two local agencies, the North West Suburban Mass Transit District and the North Suburban Mass Transit District funded the acquisition of 15 F40Cs for use on the Milwaukee lines.[4] The locomotives were numbered 40-54, and were passed toMetra on the latter's creation in the 1980s, being renumbered to 600-614, but they continued to operate on the ex-Milwaukee lines.[5]
The F40Cs were withdrawn from regular service with the arrival of newMPI MP36PH-3S locomotives in 2003–2004.[6][7] Twelve were sold to locomotive leasing corporations Helm Leasing and one toNational Railway Equipment. The remaining two, Nos. 611 and 614, were retained and stored atWestern Avenuerailyard. Both were reactivated in January 2005 after problems with the MPI MP36PH-3Ss.[8] In 2005,Kansas City Southern signed a contract with Helm Leasing to use 12 for nine months.[9]
In the spring of 2009, Nos. 611 and 614 were returned to revenue service on both of Metra's ex-Milwaukee Road commuter lines. This was done while the oldest units in Metra'sEMD F40PH fleet were being rebuilt. Towards the end of 2016, with many F40PH-2 and F40PHM-2 locomotives being sent out for rebuild, there was an increased likelihood that 611 and 614 would be put back into service, but this never came to be.
Currently, No. 611 is left to fill the roles of locomotives that have broken down or are being rebuilt. Despite this, it has not seen regular service since 2012. Metra at one time did have plans to rebuild both remaining F40Cs to test new prime movers and control packages, but due to a lack of bidders, this plan has been put on hold indefinitely.[10] No. 611 continues to remain stored in Metra's Western Avenue rail yard, while No. 614 was donated by Metra to theIllinois Railway Museum in February 2025. Plans call for No. 614 to eventually be restored back to operating condition.[11]
