Metra F40PH Rebuild Program

I meant the prime mover, Progress Rail is owned by Caterpillar. It looks like they re-power units using Cat engines.

I cannot imagine Metra repowering with CAT engines after they went out of their way to get the MP36 order equipped with out-of-productions 645 power units instead of 710 like every other MP-series. Metra is the serious carrier I've ever seen with respect to commonality of parts and generally conservative equipment design. I think my kids will see EMD-powered locomtives and stainless bilevels in 2040.

Tadman wrote:I think my kids will see EMD-powered locomtives and stainless bilevels in 2040.

The only way your children will see EMD-powered locomotives in 2040 is if EMD offers a new passenger locomotive or there are F40PH/F40Cs still active. The MP uses an EMD-design 645, built by a Polish company contracted out by GE. They do not sound like real 645s. I've been at Clinton St. when the locomotives are being shuttled to Western Ave. with the HEP off. I hear both of them idling and cycling up. No comparison. They may be close at idle, but thats where it ends.

Metra should have bit the bullet and ordered 710s, maybe then the MPs would be slightly decent. If that happened, your children would really see an EMD-powered locomotive in 2040.

I don't know if there will be any solid answer to this question, but multiple people have asked and it has not been answered. Will the F40PHs out for rebuild be coming back in their regular paint scheme, or will they receive the new one given to the 400s?

I have heard a rumor that one has been painted in the new scheme

As of last week it was reported that the first unit was complete, and just needed paint. Another report has been that 102 is expected back next week... no idea how credible this is, time will tell.

metraRI wrote:As of last week it was reported that the first unit was complete, and just needed paint. Another report has been that 102 is expected back next week... no idea how credible this is, time will tell.

Glad other people knew about that. I heard that 2 days ago but didnt want to mention anything until it was certain ( didnt want to get anyones hopes up). Cant wait to see them !

so, by new paint scheme, is this 'new' like the one on the Mp's or is it something totally new? the blue is pretty bland these days, the only paint scheme more dull would be MARC or NJT!!

Oh man. I hope they don't stick the new paint on the old units. F40s are too angular for it. Even the new paint on the MPs is kinda lame, like they developed it before they knew what the locomotive was going to look like. Metrolink and GO Transit did a far better job of adapting their old colors to the new locomotives.

they would look good if it had something interesting, like sounder, or railrunner.. or anything..

Metra could easly bring the old RTA scheme back with the new MP colors.... personally, I dont want to see them back in the same old thing, but nothing can be really confirmed until the first unit arrives.

byte wrote:Oh man. I hope they don't stick the new paint on the old units. F40s are too angular for it. Even the new paint on the MPs is kinda lame, like they developed it before they knew what the locomotive was going to look like. Metrolink and GO Transit did a far better job of adapting their old colors to the new locomotives.

I think it was bones who had a simulation of what the "new" Metra scheme would look like on an F40PH. It actually wasn't all that bad.

Something along the lines of this wouldn't be so bad:

I think it is very good, maybe even better than the MoPo's. In my oppinion the problem with this scheme on the MP's is that the yellow stripe doesn't follow the locomotive's curves very well, mainly because of the angle it is applied. It also makes the front look somewhat clownish. I think the stripe works better with the angular shapes of the F40PH.

Nice job. Maybe you could move the smaller Metra logo on the side to directly under the window, then add the village name underneath...