Metra Locomotive Assignments And Maintenance

There is a UP business train running on the North West UP line today going up to Harvard.

101 has replaced 109 on HC.

Staying at a relatives house by the MDNL by Round Lake, and in fact saw F40 120 Tuesday, MP36 413, 415, and 425 the last couple of days! I did venture by Round Lake Beach, but didn't see anything on my quick passing! I know this is not Metra, but I did see CN SD70-2, and SD60 on their east west line, but don't know the name of the sub! It runs past IL-60 near Vernon Hills only because I'm from Long Island Rail Road Territory, and other areas within the New York Metropolitan Area!

215 will be the metra loco sent to Franklin Park Railroad Daze tomorrow.

215 was indeed there. Spoke to the engineer, he said its a good locomotive, fast and stops well. He compared it to a corvette.

While there, an IHB genset passed towing 124 into Bensenville yard.

Metra210 wrote:

busfan2847 wrote:It is on the UP. I was on a train powered by it three times in January and once in April on the UP-NW

Hmmmm, ok. Maybe I need to spend more time by the UP-W if I want to catch 148.

148 is definitely on the UP. It was just pushing train number 646 on the North West line into the city.

Metra210 wrote:

busfan2847 wrote:It is on the UP. I was on a train powered by it three times in January and once in April on the UP-NW

Hmmmm, ok. Maybe I need to spend more time by the UP-W if I want to catch 148.

148 is definitely on the UP. It was just pushing train number 646 on the North West line into the city.

416 has returned to the Milwaukee District after running solo for a week or so on RI...so my guess is it was sent there because of a power shortage.

After a short time running solo, it appears 405 is once again out of service...reason unknown.

...have the 400's gone
Oh where oh where can they be?

I have not observed a #400 MP-36 unit out here in the "Land of the Buringtons" in "quite a spell".

Either I'm no longer at trackside "right time" or they have been reassinged away from BNSF.

Anyone?

Gilbert B Norman wrote:...have the 400's gone
Oh where oh where can they be?

I have not observed a #400 MP-36 unit out here in the "Land of the Buringtons" in "quite a spell".

Either I'm no longer at trackside "right time" or they have been reassinged away from BNSF.

Anyone?

400's have been off BNSF for over a year now... not sure if this is a permanent move or if they will return after having HEP work done.

Loco 216 broke down in Schaumburg while pushing in 2724. They got it going until Wood Dale. It broke down there and was pushed back to Elgin by 2723.

metraRI wrote:400's have been off BNSF for over a year now... not sure if this is a permanent move or if they will return after having HEP work done.

Mr. Rock Island, is the HEP work you note some kind of fleet wide upgrade arising from a design deficiency, or just maintenance to a now ten year old locomotive?

Whether or not the deterioration of BNSF service is attributable to the 400's absence, service today is the poorest I have seen in the thirty four years I have now lived in "The Land of the Burlingtons". A neighbor I know well recently "gave up" and has now resumed driving to work in Wrigleyville a year after moving out here from Humboldt Park to be in our high ranked school districts (cheaper than private school for three). I can't take my daily walk along the BNSF without hearing "attention METRA commuters....." There is no longer such a thing as an on-time midday train. How often does one hear on morning radio traffic reports "METRA BNSF delayed account 'signal problems', 'equipment issues', and a new one: 'manpower shortage''?

The fare increase, while only half the impact for us Seniors, is simply to attain parity with other rail systems. The fare level remains considerably lower than that in the New York area. That METRA has become some kind of political cesspool is simply "well what's new...this is Illinois", but the deterioration in METRA service is. While having little personal impact on me (last trip into town was Apr 2; next will be July 14), I have friends and neighbors out here who still have to work to put the bacon and beans on the table - and indeed it impacts them.

They dumped the 400s on the MILW/NCS and replaced them with the Winnebagos that were assigned there. Now we have even more break-downs on those lines.

402 and 405 have been MU'd together quite a bit lately. Maybe Metra found that by combining the two of them they can come up with a marginally reliable locomotive.

F40CFan wrote:They dumped the 400s on the MILW/NCS and replaced them with the Winnebagos that were assigned there. Now we have even more break-downs on those lines.

Hello and good morning,
Is this actually true? From which line did the F40Ms come from, and to which line did the MP36s go? My best guess as of right now is the Rock Island District, because I do not see the MP36s returning to the BNSF Line anytime soon. Shocking!

In summer of 2012, a deal was made that F40PHM-2's 209-212 would be sent to BNSF in exchange for MP36's 401-405.