Hmmm. Maybe there *is* a use for E/F units if any unscrapped/unrebuilt remain - and if the need isn't filled by F40s - Cabbages. Or at least cab cars that look like locos and perform like one in a wreck. Could we be going there if the Metrolink lawsuits end up making cab cars (at least the Bombardiers) unusable? I don't know of any convenient wyes for Metrolink to use near Simi Valley or Lancaster, or places to build one either.

As far as runnable E/Fs are concerned, the need for those is pretty much filled by the business-train versions that were modernized several years back for several RRs. They're special occasion locomotives, so a few can be kept around by the big RRs and run only as much as the advertising budget can afford - like big steam. The money is made by equipment that's more practical.

Another Hmmm ... could the rear-vision problem be fixed the way some buses, RVs, and SUVs do it? Add a TV camera that can be used in reverse? Even my Dad's Prius has one.