The EMD F40C is a 6-axle diesel locomotive

Diesel locomotive

A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...

 built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between March and May 1974 for commuter service. It is powered by a 16-cylinder

Cylinder (engine)

A cylinder is the central working part of a reciprocating engine or pump, the space in which a piston travels. Multiple cylinders are commonly arranged side by side in a bank, or engine block, which is typically cast from aluminum or cast iron before receiving precision machine work...

 EMD 645E3B, which can produce 3200 hp. It uses the same frame as the EMD SD40-2

EMD SD40-2

The EMD SD40-2 is a C-C locomotive produced by EMD from 1972 to 1989.The SD40-2 was first introduced in January 1972 as the mid-range offering in EMD's six-axle "Dash-2" series, competing against the GE U30C and the MLW M630...

, giving it an overall length of 68 in 10 in (20.98 m). All 15 examples were ordered by a publicly funded agency to provide for upgrading of service over Milwaukee Road lines west and north from Chicago to Elgin and Fox Lake Illinois. The units later became a part of the Metra

Metra

Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...

 locomotive fleet when that agency came to oversee heavy-rail commuter service in Northeast Illinois. All units of the type were withdrawn from regular service with the arrival of new MP36PH locomotives in 2003-2004. Thirteen locomotives were sold to locomotive leasing corporations, although units 611 and 614 were retained and kept on the property in the Western Avenue railyard.

In the spring of 2009, units 611 and 614 were placed back into revenue service on both of Metra's ex-Milwaukee Road commuter lines. This is being done to cover schedules while the oldest units in Metra's EMD F40PH

EMD F40PH

-Amtrak NPCU Conversions:In later years, as Amtrak's F40PH fleet was being replaced by the newer GE Genesis-series locomotives, Amtrak converted a number of the retired units—generally ones with major mechanical problems limiting their value in the resale or lease marketplace—into "Non-Power...

 fleet are off the property being rebuilt. Along a small fleet of HEP-equipped EMD SD70MAC locomotives operating on the Alaska Railroad

Alaska Railroad

The Alaska Railroad is a Class II railroad which extends from Seward and Whittier, in the south of the state of Alaska, in the United States, to Fairbanks , and beyond to Eielson Air Force Base and Fort Wainwright in the interior of that state...

, the F40Cs are the last six-axle passenger locomotives in daily service in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

.

The locomotives were ordered in two batches, EMD order numbers 73612 (13 locomotives) and 73689 (2 locomotives). They were all named in Metra service.

Serial	Build date	MILW road #	Metra road #	Name
73612-1	Apr 1974	51	611	Village of Ontarioville Ontarioville Ontarioville is a small neighborhood within the village of Hanover Park, Illinois.It lies just south of U.S. Route 20 , at the intersection of County Farm Road and Ontarioville Road...
73612-2	Apr 1974	52	612	State of Illinois Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
73612-3	Apr 1974	40	600	Village of Bartlett Bartlett, Illinois Bartlett is a village located in both Cook County and DuPage County, Illinois. A small parcel on the western border is in Kane County. The population was 36,706 at the 2000 census. A 2002 recount gave the village a population of 37,304. In 2007 another recount gives the village a population of 41,500...
73612-4	Apr 1974	41	601	City of Elgin Elgin, Illinois Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
73612-5	Apr 1974	42	602	Village of Bensenville Bensenville, Illinois Bensenville is a village located primarily in DuPage County, Illinois, with a small section near O'Hare International Airport in Cook County, Illinois, overlapping into the city of Chicago. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 20,703. Bensenville is home to the Edge Ice Arena, home of...
73612-6	Apr 1974	43	603	Village of Schaumburg Schaumburg, Illinois Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
73612-7	Apr 1974	44	604	Village of Elmwood Park Elmwood Park, Illinois Elmwood Park is a village bordering the northwest side of the City of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 25,405 at the 2000 census. The community has long maintained a large Italian-American population, with a more recent influx of Polish-American and Hispanic...
73612-8	Apr 1974	45	605	Village of Hanover Park Hanover Park, Illinois Hanover Park is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The population was 38,278 at the 2000 census...
73612-9	Apr 1974	46	606	Village of Itasca Itasca, Illinois Itasca is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,302 at the 2000 census.In 2009, BusinessWeek rated Itasca as the 'Best Affordable Suburb' in the state of Illinois...
73612-10	Apr 1974	47	607	Village of River Grove River Grove, Illinois River Grove is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,668 at the 2000 census.-Geography:River Grove is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of ....
73612-11	Apr 1974	48	608	Village of Roselle Roselle, Illinois Roselle is a city located in DuPage County and a small portion in Cook County Illinois in northeastern Illinois. It was first incorporated in 1922 and can correctly be relegated to a bedroom community — that is, a community that largely consists of residential zoning in both income streams...
73612-12	May 1974	49	609	Village of Streamwood Streamwood, Illinois Streamwood is a village of Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 39,497 at the 2006 census. It is a suburb of Chicago.Streamwood, along with Bartlett and Hanover Park, is one of the three communities that make up the so called "Tri Village" area...
73612-13	May 1974	50	610	City of Wood Dale Wood Dale, Illinois Wood Dale is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,535 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wood Dale is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:...
73689-1	May 1974	53	613	Village of Round Lake Round Lake, Illinois Round Lake is a village in Lake County, Illinois.- Geography :Round Lake is located at .According to the Lake County GIS Mapping Application , the village has a total area of 14.69 square kilometers .-Major Streets:* * Belvidere Road* Big Hollow Road/Round Lake Road/Railroad Avenue/Main...
73689-2	May 1974	54	614	Edward F. Brabec