The EMD F40C is a 6-axle
diesel-electric locomotive
A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...
built by
General Motors Electro-Motive Division in 1974 for
commuter service in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
. EMD only built 15 locomotives; the decline of the 6-axle design for passenger service led to the adoption of the 4-axle
EMD F40PH
The EMD F40PH is a four-axle B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on Amtrak's short-haul passenger routes, it became the backbone of Amtrak's ...
as the standard passenger locomotive in the United States. Along with a small fleet of HEP-equipped
EMD SD70MAC locomotives operating on the
Alaska Railroad
The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad that operates freight and passenger trains in the state of Alaska. The railroad's mainline runs between Seward, Alaska, Seward on the southern coast and Fairbanks, Alaska, Fairbanks, near the center of ...
, the F40Cs were the last six-axle passenger locomotives in daily service in mainland
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
until the delivery of Metra's first SD70MACH in 2022.
As of March 2022, all but one of the F40Cs has been retired, though none are operating. They were replaced by the
MPI MP36PH-3S in 2003–2004. Locomotives 600-609 and 613 were the first to be retired in 2003 and had their road numbers unregistered with the
Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce railroa ...
. They were all retired before 2007. No. 610 was unregistered in 2004 and was sent to National Railway Equipment in
Dixmoor, Illinois. It was scrapped on September 24, 2020. The only F40Cs that remain are Nos. 611 and 614. No. 611 is currently stored in Metra's Western Avenue rail yard, while No. 614 has been preserved and has been sent to the
Illinois Railway Museum
The Illinois Railway Museum (IRM, reporting mark IRMX) is the largest railroad museum in the United States. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area at 7000 Olson Road in Union, Illinois, northwest of downtown Chicago.
Overview
...
for restoration.
Design
The F40C is derived from the
EMD SDP40F
The EMD SDP40F is a six-axle AAR wheel arrangement#C-C, C-C Diesel–electric transmission, diesel–electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Diesel, Electro-Motive Division (EMD) from 1973 to 1974. Based on Santa Fe's EMD ...
; besides the shorter length, the primary difference between the two is the substitution of a
HEP generator for the SDP40F's twin steam generators. It is powered by a
16 cylinder EMD 645E3B, producing . It uses the same frame as the
EMD SD40-2
The EMD SD40-2 is a AAR wheel arrangement#C-C, C-C diesel–electric locomotive built by Electro-Motive Diesel, EMD from 1972 to 1989.
The SD40-2 was introduced in January 1972 as part of EMD's ''EMD Dash 2, Dash 2'' series, competing against t ...
, giving it an overall length of .
History
In the early 1970s, the
Milwaukee Road
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...
operated two commuter rail lines in Chicago: the
Milwaukee District North Line
The Milwaukee District North Line (MD-N) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois and its northern suburbs, running from Union Station to . Although Metra does not refer to any of its lines by color, the timetable accents for the Milwa ...
to Fox Lake via the
Canadian Pacific
The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...
's
C&M Subdivision
The Chicago and Milwaukee Subdivision (commonly referred to as the C&M Subdivision or C&M Sub) is a railway line running between Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is mostly dispatched by Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (thro ...
, and the
Milwaukee District West Line
The Milwaukee District West Line (MD-W) is a Metra commuter rail line in Chicago, Illinois, and its western suburbs. Metra does not refer to any of its lines by a particular color, but the timetable accents for the Milwaukee District West line a ...
to Elgin via the CP's Elgin Subdivision. The operation of these lines was subsidized by local transit agencies. In 1974, two local agencies, the North West Suburban Mass Transit District and the North Suburban Mass Transit District funded the acquisition of 15 F40Cs for use on the Milwaukee lines. The locomotives were numbered 40-54, and were passed to
Metra
Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...
on the latter's creation in the 1980s, being renumbered to 600-614, but they continued to operate on the ex-Milwaukee lines.
The F40Cs were withdrawn from regular service with the arrival of new
MPI MP36PH-3S locomotives in 2003–2004. Twelve were sold to locomotive leasing corporations Helm Leasing and one to
National Railway Equipment
National Railway Equipment Company is an American rail transport, railroad equipment rebuilding, leasing, and manufacturing company, headquartered in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. NREC sells new and rebuilt locomotives to railroad companies worldwide, ...
. The remaining two, Nos. 611 and 614, were retained and stored at
Western Avenue railyard
A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or ...
. Both were reactivated in January 2005 after problems with the MPI MP36PH-3Ss. In 2005,
Kansas City Southern signed a contract with Helm Leasing to use 12 for nine months.
In the spring of 2009, Nos. 611 and 614 were returned to revenue service on both of Metra's ex-Milwaukee Road commuter lines. This was done while the oldest units in Metra's
EMD F40PH
The EMD F40PH is a four-axle B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on Amtrak's short-haul passenger routes, it became the backbone of Amtrak's ...
fleet were being rebuilt. Towards the end of 2016, with many F40PH-2 and F40PHM-2 locomotives being sent out for rebuild, there was an increased likelihood that 611 and 614 would be put back into service, but this never came to be.
Currently, No. 611 is left to fill the roles of locomotives that have broken down or are being rebuilt. Despite this, it has not seen regular service since 2012. Metra at one time did have plans to rebuild both remaining F40Cs to test new prime movers and control packages, but due to a lack of bidders, this plan has been put on hold indefinitely. No. 611 continues to remain stored in Metra's Western Avenue rail yard, while No. 614 was donated by Metra to the
Illinois Railway Museum
The Illinois Railway Museum (IRM, reporting mark IRMX) is the largest railroad museum in the United States. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area at 7000 Olson Road in Union, Illinois, northwest of downtown Chicago.
Overview
...
in February 2025. Plans call for No. 614 to eventually be restored back to operating condition.
Notes
References
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{{EMD cab and cowl
C-C locomotives
F40C
Metra
Milwaukee Road locomotives
Passenger locomotives
Diesel–electric locomotives of the United States
Railway locomotives introduced in 1974
Standard-gauge locomotives of the United States