Metra donates F40C to IRM.

NJDixon · **Joined:** Mon Dec 06, 2021 4:36 pm **Posts:** 365

"The Illinois Railway Museum would like to express its gratitude to Metra for the donation of F40C locomotive 614, which is expected to arrive at the IRM site in Union soon. This unique and distinctive six-axle passenger diesel served for decades in Chicago commuter service, operating over the Milwaukee Road lines of what today is the Metra commuter rail system. It is the only one of its kind in preservation. IRM hopes to restore the engine to restoration and operate it for the public over the museum’s demonstration railroad.

Metra 614 was built in May 1974 as Milwaukee Road 54. The F40C design was unique to the North Suburban and North West Suburban Mass Transit Districts, which supported commuter service over the Milwaukee Road lines north and west of Chicago to Fox Lake and Elgin. The F40C is a six-axle, six-motor locomotive with a “cowl” design intended purely for passenger service. The locomotives sides were sheathed largely in stainless steel to match the Milwaukee Road’s bi-level commuter coaches. They were also equipped with head-end power (HEP) as built. Only 15 F40C locomotives were built, all in 1974 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors at the EMD plant in McCook, Illinois.

Metra 614, or METX 614, was used in daily service on the Milwaukee Road North and West lines until 2004, when it was removed from active service. It and identical F40C number 611 were returned to service in 2009. In 2012, Metra permanently retired METX 614 and put it into storage at Western Avenue. In December 2024, Metra contacted IRM and offered METX 614 to the museum for historic preservation. The locomotive needs various missing components replaced, notably turbocharger, aftercoolers and ducts, radiators, diode banks, and some other small items."

https://www.irm.org/in-the-news/metra-donates-f40c/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIlcg9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVZn1YNM0blFMPsbs9inTgIeU1MMdmrIW_6VmeCmo8I7GXZ473B97Ndccw_aem_0Yz3yYWcHC2YncI2mnfwjQ

Overmod · **Joined:** Thu May 24, 2012 1:37 pm **Posts:** 2492

PRAISE BE TO THE LORD!

p51 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 21, 2025 7:01 pm

https://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=725081
Here she is back in the day...

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2876

https://www.facebook.com/IRMDieselShop/ ... EDLqCCsS7l
"IRM Diesel Shop is at Illinois Railway Museum.
February 25·
A few images of the Metra 614 delivery from Sunday. Union Pacific 711 (with an IRM rules qualified pilot) enters the interchange track, passes the East Union depot and delivers the METX 614 to yard 2.
All images: February 23, 2025"

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Thu Mar 19, 2026 11:54 am

And now the OTHER F40C gets preserved, headed to Silvis and giving them their first HEP loco:

https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/he ... t-america/

Great. a doubleheader between 3985 and 611................

PMC · **Joined:** Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:55 pm **Posts:** 2876

Here's what 611 looked like as delivered as 51 in Milwaukee Road lettering, Ron Hawkins photo: