Metra Locomotive Assignments And Maintenance

Last known image of 401, taken mid summer at 47th Street during 7400 rehab project press release.

*Image © Metra

Also, 405 is in shop at Western Ave.

115 has found its way to MD, leading 2241 yesterday.

Also yesterday, 425 somehow was deemed unusable after having no working brakes at Elgin. 425 was set out at Elgin to not interfere with the morning rush. 2222's train was sent out to Elgin to pick up 425. 425 was placed second behind 120. On the way back to Western Ave. the crew made a stop at Bensenville Yard to pick up 102, which had some kind of post rebuild work done. Triple header, would have been some sight to see.

So how was the morning rush covered with 425 out of service? We have no spare on the MD-W; unlike the MD-N with its late rush-hour double-header leaving a spare locomotive in Fox Lake overnight, Elgin has ten trains with ten locomotives. There were no Metra alerts for the MD-W yesterday morning so presumably all ten ran on something close to on-time. I can only assume a light engine move was made out to Elgin in time for 2218 (the last of the ten to depart).

There are two spare units, but Metra chose to store them.

metraRI wrote:Also yesterday, 425 somehow was deemed unusable after having no working brakes at Elgin. 425 was set out at Elgin to not interfere with the morning rush. 2222's train was sent out to Elgin to pick up 425. 425 was placed second behind 120. On the way back to Western Ave. the crew made a stop at Bensenville Yard to pick up 102, which had some kind of post rebuild work done. Triple header, would have been some sight to see.

As if once wasn't enough, the same thing happened today, again with 425. 122 and train went out to Elgin to pick up 425, again on the way back they stopped at Bensenville. This time to pick up 110.

Their is an E8 Iowa pacific locomotive on the west end of the west yard At B-17. Loco 515

Someone told me a few weeks ago that 401 got into some mishap near the Metra/BNSF coach yards and the frame is bent on it, and that it's going to be out of commission for quite some time. Whether or not this is true is unknown, but that could explain why 401 has been MIA for as long as it has.

A rare appearance tonight on HC.. 921/914 are running with a double header. 107 & 109 with 3 cars, should be a speed rocket.

Yep, that equipment is definitely overpowered... odd that they would assign it to a short set like that.

Just saw 405, facing north, being pulled by Metra switcher 8 from CUS-N south to CUS-S. It looks like a Western Ave. yard switcher had brought the 405 and I think cab car 8404 from Western and left them on 23 while 8 put a cab car on 21 to go back north. Switchers exchanged and headed back to from where they came.

Continuing from the F40C thread..

F40CFan wrote: Perhaps they should rebuild the MPs into something that resembles a reliable locomotive.

From how it sounds, they will be making them into something similar to the MP36PH-3C's which every other agency with MP36's have. The C variant has been said to be more reliable.

Hopefully the refit will work out and Metra will be able to do the rest of the MoPo fleet.

metraRI wrote:Continuing from the F40C thread..

F40CFan wrote: Perhaps they should rebuild the MPs into something that resembles a reliable locomotive.

From how it sounds, they will be making them into something similar to the MP36PH-3C's which every other agency with MP36's have. The C variant has been said to be more reliable.

I hope that's true, since we are stuck with most of them on the Milwaukee lines.

102 has gone south, running on HC Thursday... going to SWS Friday. 111 has taken the place of 102 on HC. 115 lead 101 on the MD-N double yesterday.

Any updates out there?