The first of five MPI units for the soon to begin Northstar commuter line in suburban Minneapolis, number 501, is sitting on one of the yard tracks mixed in with the normal BNSF yard power at Eola yard in Aurora, IL as I write this. I saw #501 this afternoon up close but since I did not have my camera with me I am including the publicity photo of her below…she’s a real beauty!
Do they have the goofey couplers on them like other commuter trains?
They have relatively conventional tightlock couplers. You might be thinking of Tomlinson or other similar coupler types found on electric MU cars.
Standard couplers as noted above, but wait until you see the paint job on the units pilot with its colorful stripes!
Didn’t Railfan and Railroad or Trains have drawings of the paint scheme recently. Does look nice.
BTW this is “heavy” rail commuter train service that will head north from DT Minneapolis. My part of the Metro area is scheduled to get similar heavy commuter rail…in 2030. [sigh] O well I’ll only be 71 then, might make it.
Has that engine left Eola Yard yet? If it is still there I will be down there tommorow hunting it down for photos!
We had one of those units go through Proviso a few weeks back. I can’t remember…could it have been the 500, or did 501 come back to town for some reason?
It will be interesting to see if the cars it pulls will go with these locomotives as well as other commuter agencies (the New Mexico Rail Runners are truly inspired!).
501 was in Chicago for the display section of the RSA show as part of MPI’s exhibit.
Not sure if the unit is still at Eola, but if I can get by there today I will report back.
It is still there. When I got to Eola it was sitting in front of two BNSF GP38-2s, then put coupled the yard power in front of it and tied them down, so it looks like 501 is going to be there for a bit.
Robby, I get to Eola quite a bit…do you by chance drive a black pick up truck?
No, I’m usually there in a red Hyundai Sonata, and I am usually there anytime between noon and the Metra rush. I have seen the person in the black pickup that you mention though.
Yes, they did have drawings. The real thing looks really cool! It looks exactly like the paint scheme in the drawing. There was one at Proviso a few weeks ago, but I think it was in primer paint if I remember correctly. I think it was the 500, 501 is the first one to be painted I believe. I hope they get matching commuter cars, then that will really be worth getting photos of! The engines are extremely colorful
Robby, the unit I saw at Proviso was in the same full paint job pictured above.
It must’ve been 501 then. Speaking of 501 here it is!
I’m glad I got this photo when I did because 501 is now buried deep inside Eola Yard mixed in the middle of two sets of yard power! Keep your eyes peeled for it if you are at McClure Road the next few days.