F40C in Dixmoor?

I didn't notice this until I got home but, does this look like the back end of a F40C? I shot this over the the NRE lot in Dixmoor this morning.

I'd say the red paint on top of the unit is a dead giveaway...

That is the back end of 610 that one was not sold to Helms and never went to East St. Louis. NRE brought this unit and it has been there ever since.

Here's a question - how did you get in there to take pictures? I've always heard those facilities owned by NRE and other lessors are pretty non-tolerant of any railfan activity.

Actually, I took this photo thru the fence, and being a weekend nobody was around anyway. I do not advise trespassing.

I read somewhere that the HEP unit imploded a few years ago.
I do not know if this is true or made up.
http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=747308

Aren't these originally Milw Road units? If so has there been talk of preserving one somewhere?

They were never funded or painted for MILW - they were bought by RTA or similar predecessor for use on MILW commuter lines. No freight or LD service was ever handled by these F40C's to my knowledge. However, the earliest paint scheme - for NWSMD - was light blue, yellow nose, and a MILW box-logo under the cab windows.

I believe the one at Dixmoore had an HEP fire before it was retired.

As information, when built, these units had an HEP generator unique to this model only. The shaft off the rear of the engine connected to the generator on one end, and the air compressor connected to the back end. During their second overhaul at Metra, we added HEP gear boxes and genrators that were identical to those on the F40PH units so as to standardize inventory.

They had Milwaukee Road logos applied after they were built, and a few had blue "THE MILWAUKEE ROAD" lettering just above the rear end of the frame . Milwaukee kicked in the Budd cars they owned when the North Suburban Mass transit District (West Line, 13 units) and Nortran (North Line, 2 units) were formed, both of whom funded the purchase. Nortran folded into the RTA, NWSMTD may still be around--if it is, it is a redundant govenment agency since there is RTA and Metra.

While never used in freight service, the upper 27 point recpt. was wired for freight as compared to the lower ones which were wired for passenger.

TNT

I believe the one at Dixmoore had an HEP fire before it was retired.

As information, when built, these units had an HEP generator unique to this model only. The shaft off the rear of the engine connected to the generator on one end, and the air compressor connected to the back end. During their second overhaul at Metra, we added HEP gear boxes and genrators that were identical to those on the F40PH units so as to standardize inventory.

They had Milwaukee Road logos applied after they were built, and a few had blue "THE MILWAUKEE ROAD" lettering just above the rear end of the frame . Milwaukee kicked in the Budd cars they owned when the North Suburban Mass Transit District (West Line, 13 units) and Nortran (North Line, 2 units) were formed, both of whom funded the purchase. Nortran folded into the RTA, NWSMTD may still be around--if it is, it is a redundant govenment agency since there is RTA and Metra.

While never used in freight service, the upper 27 point recpt. was wired for freight as compared to the lower ones which were wired for passenger.

TNT

The locomotive in the picture is Metra 610 which did catch on fire in service on the West Line, in Itasca.

Tadman wrote:They were never funded or painted for MILW - they were bought by RTA or similar predecessor for use on MILW commuter lines. No freight or LD service was ever handled by these F40C's to my knowledge. However, the earliest paint scheme - for NWSMD - was light blue, yellow nose, and a MILW box-logo under the cab windows.

I never saw yellow on these units. They were blue with white trim. The nose was white with orange safety stripes.

The silver paneling went almost all the way to the rear which was painted silver to match. They looked nice with the stainless coachs, before Metra vandalized them to put their name on the back.

As stated below, "The Milwaukee Road" was painted on the lower back of the unit on the white trim. The unit number was painted in blue on the silver paint just behind where the paneling ended.