With increased ridership will Metra revive the 600 series F-40C?

[EMDF40CFAN]

With gas prices the way they are will Metra revive the F-40C's to give increase service capacities?  It could be the quickest way to add capacity to an already stressed service.  I know they have several still sitting in the yards of scrap companies.  They have already started buying back old commuter cars to increase passenger capacities but you will hit a point where more cars will not work due to station size and engine capacity. 

EMDF40CFAN

[blue streak 1]

maybe they could be the second loco idiling with units that ae suspect giving a better chance of completing a trip.

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

I would find it quite unlikely.  They were pretty much replaced by the MP36's and would share a lot of the same operating restrictions.  Also, it would probably take a fair amount of time in somebody's shop to return them to operating conditions.  Metra's equipment pool has been stretched pretty tight over the last several years but I don't think that there's enough money in the current budget to enlarge by all that much.

[Wdlgln005]

How many "regular" F40's are in the fleet? Could Metra find a useable ex-Amtrak unit and add it to the fleet? AFAIK there ought to be enough 645 supplies to keep them running.

[CB&QBryan]

Metra does keep 2 600 series F40Cs stored and ready for operations at its California Ave Yard.  There has been some rumors floating around that they would get the call, but barring any further MP36 failures, they will stay in storage.  Metra is currently in the process of sending its F40 fleet down to VRE for rebuilding.  Its being done a few at a time, but there will still be enough units to cover the schedule. 

[trainfan1221]

I remember reading that the F40C was a good unit, essentially a passenger and cowled version of an SD40-2, that was tainted with the same reputation as the SDP40Fs though they actually had nothing to do with them.

[Stevo3751]

Since quite a few SD40-2s are starting to be retired on the UP and BNSF rosters, wouldn't Metra keep them out of service? The SD40-2s are starting to become SD45s compared to the Evolution Series. They are also probably aging.