Metra F40C 611/614 Status

Hi Mike,

Sorry to hear its so wet there. We had a big storm blow through yesterday while I was coming home. Luckily it ended right before I got off the train.

Western Ave. yard is located about 2 miles northwest of Chicago Union Station on Metra's NCS and Milwaukee North and West lines. Amtrak Hiawatha service trains and the Empire Builder also go by this location without stopping.

I used the following in MapQuest;

W Grand Ave & W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60612

Yes, they are both "west" bound and intersect. One runs diagnal.

I have been to the location during the day. I would not go in the evening or at night. Nor would I venture farther south or west from there. If you get there, I would look around and then head back east.

Hope this helps.

F40Cfan

Many thanks for your help, I can see where you are talking about now.

This is on my list of things to do however I may just try a shot from a passing train !!!!!

Yes we have had a bit of rain with last Monday being very bad, my local station was flooded with water passing through like a river,water was up to the rail tops.

I had a shot in the local paper & 3 others are on there web site

http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/2007/06 ... photos/13/

Hope the link works if not but please cut & paste as I am sorry to say I am not sure how to add a link.

Thanks again for the help & hope its ok going off topic a little Mike

Hi Mike,

Glad to help. You may want to try a shot from the front door of an inbound train. However, that'll only work in rush hour as these cars are generally closed other times. You could also try from the same place on an outbound train.

The link worked great. Nice shot. Thanks.

Hope you have a nice trip. If you want any other info, I'll be happy to supply it if I can. You can send me a message offline.

An excellent tribute to the F40C's, courtesy of Youtube. 614 puts in a cameo appearance...


http://youtube.com/watch?v=R0UgdyMx3DI& ... ed&search=

I spoke to a Metra employee today and there is a REMOTE and I stress REMOTE chance that they might fire up the 600s for service.

Apparently the 400s are having a lot of problems. Two are currently down on the MILW and one on the ROCK. Water is getting into the main generator compartment. Water is also getting into the electronics and shorting them out. Additionally, the decks are beginning to rust.

There is a concern about using the 600s, though. When Amtrak rebuilt the leads into Union Station, they made number 3 main kind of tight. That's where the derailment took place not so long ago. An excursion train had some equipment with 3 axle trucks and spread the rails slightly.

Bring them on, They are needed, they are like Ken Taylor and George Welch, needed in the right area at the right time, If the 400s are breaking down. Metra needs the engines, By the way Ken Taylor and Welch are two AAF pilots that managed to get into the air on December 7th and Tangle with Aichi 99s over Pearl harbor.

F40CFan wrote:There is a concern about using the 600s, though. When Amtrak rebuilt the leads into Union Station, they made number 3 main kind of tight. That's where the derailment took place not so long ago. An excursion train had some equipment with 3 axle trucks and spread the rails slightly.

Then it could be wise to restrict them to the North line; between CUS & A2, MDN and Amtrak trains are usually routed on either MT1 (outbound) or MT2 (inbound). West and NC traffic generally use the aforementioned MT3 (the south main) in both directions, with outbounds being more common during the evening rush.

No doubt, this winter has been tough on equipment everywhere, and if it continues, Metra may need these old soldiers to pinch hit for awhile. But if they do return, the North line is probably the best choice anyway, since the longer distances between stations will allow them to "stretch their legs" a bit...

The way I understand it, the decks are the same as the frame.

If the north leads are tight, could they be used on RI or HC and have the newly-spare four axle power brought to MILW lines?

I think because of the way they were funded, they can only run on Milwaukee Road lines. I could be wrong.

F40CFan wrote:I think because of the way they were funded, they can only run on Milwaukee Road lines. I could be wrong.

That's the way it was in the original purchase agreement by RTA predecessor NWSMTD (which still exists), but Metra actually owns the units today; so theoretically, they can now be assigned anywhere. I know the Rock has six-axle restrictions north of Gresham, and while HC is a possibility, the lead to Joliet yard via the wye might be a bit tight. But with the way Metra does things, it's very likely they'll just stay put on the Milw/NCS district...

Thanks for the clarification. There must still be some restrictions though, as Metra had to keep at least two of them on the property even after they were all taken out of service.

F40CFan wrote:Thanks for the clarification. There must still be some restrictions though, as Metra had to keep at least two of them on the property even after they were all taken out of service.

Metra bought 611 & 614 from NWSMTD in the late 90s (don't remember the exact year), and were refurbished. The others were leased from the same agency, and right up to the time they were taken out of service, all of them were lettered for "Northwest Suburban Mass Transit", which appeared in small letters in white with an arrow on the fireman's side, as shown here: http://railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=133191&nseq=10

611 & 614 still have the lettering as well, even though they're owned by Metra...

Once all of the newer MP's arrived on the property, Metra declined to renew the lease, and returned them; eventually sold to Helm by NWSMTD. Because the two remaining units were rebuilt with federal funds, they had comply with a rule that stipulates the units must remain in service (or at least stored serviceable in this case) for at least 10 years...

Thanks for that explanation.

Nice picture. I noticed that it must be the original Metra repainting, before the hatchet job. The stainless steel panels are intact, with the Metra sign bolted on. Also all of the Metra signs have "Metropolitan Rail" under the Metra logo. You only see it on the earlier signs. The Western Avenue station sign still has it, but its the only one I've noticed.