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Metra F7A

Metra is to the commuter rail system in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the largest commuter rail networks in the United States, operating 242 stations spread across 11 different lines. There are four 'hub' stations in the centre of Chicago that are used by Metra services:

Chicago Union Station
Ogilvie Transportation Centre
Chicago La Salle Street
Chicago Millenium Station

Out of the eleven lines on the network, three are electrified. The non-electrified lines are as follows:

BNSF Railway:
Chicago Union Station to Aurora (37.1 miles)

Heritage Corridor:
Chicago Union Station to Joliet (37.1 miles)

Milwaukee District/North Line:
Chicago Union Station to Fox Lake (49.74 miles)

Milwaukee District/West Line:
Chicago Union Station to Elgin Big Timber Road (40.02 miles)

North Central Service:
Chicago Union Station to Antioch (52.91 miles)

Rock Island District:
Chicago La Salle Street to Joliet (46.8 miles)
This line has two routes. One goes via Brainerd, while the other goes via 103rd Street Washington Heights.

South West Service:
Chicago Union Station to Manhattan (40.8 miles)
No. Not the same Manhattan in New York City.

Union Pacific North Line:
Ogilvie Transportation Centre to Kenosha, Wisconsin (51.61 miles)
Some services terminate at Waukegan, Illinois.

Union Pacific Northwest Line:
Ogilvie Transportation Centre to Harvard (63.16 miles)
This is by far the longest line on the network. There is also a 7.59 mile long branch from Pingree Road to McHenry.

Union Pacific West Line:
Ogilvie Transportation Centre to Elburn (43.8 miles)

The BNSF Railway is the busiest line on the network, with an average weekday ridership of 65,300. The least used line is the Heritage Corridor, which only operates on weekday rush hours. This line has an average weekday ridership of just 2,600.

The electrified lines are run under the name 'Metra Electrics'. There are three lines that make up this network, all starting at Chicago Millenium Station:

Blue Island Branch:
18.91 miles to Blue Island

Main Line:
31.5 miles to University Park

South Chicago Branch:
13.04 miles to South Chicago

The rolling stock used on the electrified lines goes by the name of 'Highliner 2'. These units - built by Nippon Sharyo and Sumitomo from 2005 to 2016 - replaced the original Highliner cars of 1971. These were built by the St. Louis Car Company, and operated from 1971 right through to 2016. The new Highliner 2 units are basically just self-propelled versions of the NS 'Gallery' cars, which are used by Metra's diesel locomotives.

The diesel locomotive fleet is made up of the following types:

EMD SW1
EMD SW1200
EMD SW1500
EMD F40C (only two examples are still with Metra)
EMD F40PH-2
EMD F40PH-3
EMD F40PHM-2
EMD F40PHM-3 (rebuilt F40PHM-2's)
EMD F59PH (ex-AMT, now Exo)
EMD F59PHi (ex-Amtrak)
MPI MP36PH-3S (to be converted to MP36PH-3C)

At a staggering 80 years old, the SW1's are the oldest locomotives in Metra's fleet. The youngest engines are the MP36PH-3S's, built in 2003 and 2004. The SW1, SW1200 and SW1500 locomotives are used for shunting/switching duties, while the rest of the fleet are used in passenger service. On a side-note, the SW1200 was the basis for the LWT12, otherwise known as the Aerotrain. Sadly F40PHM-2 No. 205 was wrecked in a derailment in March 2018, and was scrapped on sight.

The livery carried by my reskin is the new 'Lightning Bolt' livery. This was first applied to the F59PH and MP36PH-3S locomotives, and - more recently - the F40PH-3 and F40PHM-2 locomotives as they come out of overhaul. The rebuilt F40PHM-2's are being redesignated as F40PHM-3's. Currently the rebuilt F40PHM-3's are 188, 192, 194 (the first rebuild) and 200.

There is - in fact - a preserved F7A in Metra's blue livery. This is number 308, and she is owned by the Illinois Railway Museum. The number carried by my livery is 218, which carries on from the highest numbered F40PH-3, which is 217.