Metra F40PH Rebuild Program

I don't know, but they must be lean on extra power as there hasn't been a protection engine at CUS for weeks.

The protector has been on track 23.

bones wrote:The protector has been on track 23.

Ah ha, they were hiding it on me. Thanks.

Strange place to put a protect unit...

101 is the next unit out, caught it in Blue Island today.

I'll keep an eye out for it at Western Ave.

F40CFan wrote:I'll keep an eye out for it at Western Ave.

Won't see it there anytime soon... on its way to Progress
103 is the most recent delivered to Metra, last reported on RI. No sign of it all week.

Saw 103 on the break-in train this morning at CUS. Its MU'd with a 200, I think it was 211.

216 is out and about on its own now.

Stumbled across this today on flickr:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2756/431 ... 5bb1_b.jpg

Its intersting to me that after getting completely new cabs that Metra didn't "upgrade" very much... most specifically the ditch light 'boxes', as other railroads had gotten rid of while rebuilding thier F40's in the past.

I want that.

They're seriously fabricating whole new cabs copying the original design?

Here's the photo, with caption: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tennken943 ... pool-metra

Said caption reads: "Sitting at the back shop at NRE in Dixmoor is the cab of an unknown F40PH donor. Although the engines are being rebuilt at Progressive in Mayfield, Ky. New cabs and fuel tanks are built here and trucked down south."

What is probably going on here is the cabs are being pulled off the locomotive, shipped to NRE Dixmoor, modified/upgraded, and then sent back to Progress Rail. It's possible that cab won't get put back on the locomotive it came from, which might explain why the ex-Amtrak #216 came back with standard-issue Metra marker and ditch lights - maybe that's a Metra nose on that unit.

I noticed a circular sticker or decal on the side of 216 near the back above the RTA logo. Its smaller than the RTA's and multi-colored. Does anyone know what it is? I haven't been able to get close enough to see it. None of the other rebuilds seem to have it.

I have not seen it, but someone I have talked to said there is a "recovery.gov" sticker on some units... My guess that is it.

That looks like it could be it. Thanks.

I spotted 216 at CUS on Thursday morning - that is indeed the decal in question.