Metra issues RFP for Locomotives.

Metra issues RFP for new Locomotives.
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/m ... ves--53600" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

https://metrarail.com/about-metra/newsr ... er-engines" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Get ready for F59PHIs.

Unknown if they are ex Amtrak-Ca or Cascade service F59's

BSH: Probably both. Good move here by Metra for more locomotives.

Were there any more former GO Transit F59s available in the market to supplement the three
that they already have?

MACTRAXX

If METRA ever buys new,figure on F125's from Cat/EMD,built in state to boot.

MACTRAXX wrote:BSH: Probably both. Good move here by Metra for more locomotives.
Were there any more former GO Transit F59s available in the market to supplement the three
that they already have?
MACTRAXX

GO bought 49 F59PH locomotives, 8 of them (557-564) were rebuilt in 2011 for continuing GO service. GO has bought 67 MP40PH-3C locomotives entering service since 2008. GO is buying 17 new MP54AC locomotives, and as these enter service they plan to retire their last 8 F59PH locomotives.
So that means 41 F59PH locomotives ordered by GO have been retired by GO so far.
AMT has bought 10
MERTA has bought 3 from AMT
Metrolink has leased 3 from RB Railway Group to go the 20 they bought directly from the manufacture.
NCDOT has bought 6 to refurbish as locomotives, and another 4 or 5 to be turned into cab cars.
TRE has bought 8
RB Railway Group has bought 12.
Math double check = 49-8-10--6-5-8-12 = 0

AMT has 7 and RB Railway Group has 9 remaining, to go with the last 8 still in GO service, that might be becoming available soon. The METRA, TRE, and NCDOT units will be staying where they are for a long time, and METRA would like more. Metrolink will be using theirs for a while, but are getting new locomotives soon and theirs may become available soon.

And I didn't account the F59PHI locomotives in service.

electricron wrote:

MACTRAXX wrote:BSH: Probably both. Good move here by Metra for more locomotives.
Were there any more former GO Transit F59s available in the market to supplement the three
that they already have?
MACTRAXX

GO bought 49 F59PH locomotives, 8 of them (557-564) were rebuilt in 2011 for continuing GO service. GO has bought 67 MP40PH-3C locomotives entering service since 2008. GO is buying 17 new MP54AC locomotives, and as these enter service they plan to retire their last 8 F59PH locomotives.
So that means 41 F59PH locomotives ordered by GO have been retired by GO so far.
AMT has bought 10
MERTA has bought 3 from AMT
Metrolink has leased 3 from RB Railway Group to go the 20 they bought directly from the manufacture.
NCDOT has bought 6 to refurbish as locomotives, and another 4 or 5 to be turned into cab cars.
TRE has bought 8
RB Railway Group has bought 12.
Math double check = 49-8-10--6-5-8-12 = 0

AMT has 7 and RB Railway Group has 9 remaining, to go with the last 8 still in GO service, that might be becoming available soon. The METRA, TRE, and NCDOT units will be staying where they are for a long time, and METRA would like more. Metrolink will be using theirs for a while, but are getting new locomotives soon and theirs may become available soon.

And I didn't account the F59PHI locomotives in service.

It’s time to account for all 83 F59PHI locomotives...
Amtrak purchased 21 (Surfliners and Cascades being purchased by Metra)
California DOT purchased 15 (Amtrak California)
Metrolink purchased 14
Sounder purchased 11
AMT purchased 10
NCTD purchased 7
West Coast Express purchased 5
NCDOT purchased 2
TRE purchased 2
??? Math = 21+15+14+11+10+7+5+2+2= 87 ???, not 83

I also didn’t account for all 73 F59PH locomotives built either.
GO initially purchased 49 and Metrolink purchased 23.
??? Math= 49+23=72 ???, not 73

So the 73 and 83 F59 locomotive purchases reported by Wiki are confusing to say the least.
Therefore, likely sources of more used F59 locomotives that might become available soon that Metra could buy are 15 PHIs from Amtrak California, and the last 8 PHs from GO. The remaining 9 PHs from RB Railway Group are potentially available now.

I don't know about the California 59's but the Cascade 59's are really tired. I travel by Cascade a few times a year, and timekeeping is pretty crummy between CN getting them out of Van on time and the 59's holding up for 8 hours after that. I've also seen a lot of Gennies running around the PNW on account of the 59's being tired.

Did Chicago just buy a bunch of junk? Interested to see others' opinions here.

They've slowly been cycled through some sort of maintenance that's taken them off the corridor via the Builder (probably to Beech Grove) and they've been doing a lot better lately, though SC-44s are on about half the trains now. 467 is still wrecked and probably at Beech Grove, but I doubt fatally, as it simply turned on its side a bit. 463, a Surfliner unit, made its way up here via Chicago and is now running on one of the sets. Rumor is it is here for PTC training.

Backshophoss wrote:If METRA ever buys new,figure on F125's from Cat/EMD,built in state to boot.

I think that plant is on its last legs. They haven't even built locomotives there in years.

Over half of it is just gone. They knocked lots down when production moved to London. I believe some of it is light warehousing and some of it is now literally a hole in the ground for the local quarry. Given the current Illinois/Cook/Chicago business climate, it wouldn't surprise me to see Cat pick it all up and drop the leftovers in Muncie at the plant. There has been a very visible exodus of manufacturing out of Illinois in the last five years. Lots of the heavy industry near Clearing Yard has moved to Hammond/East Chicago and lots of the lighter industry out by O'Hare has moved to SE Wisconsin.

Is there a reason they are looking at used instead of new Chargers? Other than money.

Believe the first Amtrak-Ca F59 is on the way to METRA,AMTK 456 was dead in tow on #3(31) at ABQ, 3rd out on the head end.

Oops, I posted this in the Locomotive Maintenance string. There are three F59PHIs at Western Ave. 470 is one of them. I'll try to get the other numbers later.

The other two are 467 and 468. They are from Washington in Amtrak Cascades livery.