EMD F40C
| Industry | Locomotive manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1922 |
| Parent | General Motors |
The EMD F40C is a six-axle diesel-electric locomotive manufactured by General Motors’ Electro-Motive Division in 1974, designed specifically for commuter rail operations in the Chicago area. Production was limited to just 15 units, as the market for six-axle passenger locomotives was shrinking, leading to the preference for the four-axle EMD F40PH as the predominant standard across the United States. Together with a small group of HEP-equipped EMD SD70MAC locomotives serving on the Alaska Railroad, the F40Cs represented some of the final six-axle passenger locomotives regularly operating on the North American mainland until Metra introduced SD70MACH models in 2022.
By March 2022, nearly all F40Cs had been phased out and replaced by MPI MP36PH-3S units between 2003 and 2004. The first to be retired were units numbered 600–609 and 613, which were deregistered by the Federal Railroad Administration prior to 2007. Unit 610 was deregistered in 2004 and subsequently scrapped in September 2020 after being transferred to National Railway Equipment in Dixmoor, Illinois. The only remaining locomotives are Nos. 611 and 614; No. 611 is held in storage at Metra’s Western Avenue facility, while No. 614 has been preserved and relocated to the Illinois Railway Museum for restoration work.
Design
The F40C’s design derives from the EMD SDP40F, but it features a shortened frame and substitutes the SDP40F’s dual steam generators with a head-end power (HEP) generator. It is equipped with a 16-cylinder EMD 645E3B prime mover delivering , mounted on the same frame used by the EMD SD40-2, resulting in a total length of .
History
In the early 1970s, the Milwaukee Road operated two commuter rail lines serving Chicago: the Milwaukee District North Line extending to Fox Lake via Canadian Pacific’s C&M Subdivision, and the Milwaukee District West Line reaching Elgin through CP’s Elgin Subdivision. These routes received financial support from local transit authorities. In 1974, funding from the North West and North Suburban Mass Transit Districts enabled the purchase of 15 F40Cs for these services. Initially numbered 40 through 54, these locomotives were transferred to Metra during the 1980s and renumbered as units 600–614, continuing their operation on former Milwaukee Road lines.
The introduction of MPI MP36PH-3S locomotives between 2003 and 2004 led to the retirement of most F40Cs from regular duty. Twelve units were sold to leasing firms Helm Leasing, while one was acquired by National Railway Equipment. Two locomotives, Nos. 611 and 614, were retained and stored at Metra’s Western Avenue yard but were reactivated in January 2005 due to reliability problems with the MPI MP36PH-3S fleet. Later that year, Kansas City Southern leased twelve F40Cs from Helm Leasing for a nine-month period.
In spring 2009, Nos. 611 and 614 resumed revenue service on Metra’s ex-Milwaukee Road lines while older EMD F40PH locomotives underwent rebuilding. By late 2016, as additional F40PH-2 and F40PHM-2 units entered overhaul, there was speculation about bringing these F40Cs back into service; however, this did not materialize.
Currently, No. 611 remains as a reserve unit for locomotives undergoing repairs but has not been regularly operated since 2012. Efforts to modernize both F40Cs with new prime movers and updated control systems were halted due to a lack of interested contractors. No. 611 continues to be stored at Western Avenue, whereas No. 614 was donated to the Illinois Railway Museum in February 2025, where it is slated for restoration aimed at returning it to operational status.