Metro-North Locomotives Get a Vintage Makeover

This year, MTA Metro-North Railroad is celebrating its 40th anniversary! The rail line first went into operation on January 1, 1983. To mark the occasion this summer, Metro-North has been rolling out rebranded locomotives wrapped in vintage colors and designs. The first two cars in this Heritage Series are already riding the rails, with more to come.

On August 14th, Metro-North’s locomotive No. 201 hit the tracks with a new-old, blue and yellow color scheme. The design pays homage to Conrail, Metro-North’s predecessor which operated the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven Lines for MTA from 1976 to 1982. Workers at Metro-North’s White Plains Shop applied the vinyl wrap design which features Conrail’s colors, name, logo, and a special 40th anniversary Metro-North logo. You can see this locomotive running on the northern Hudson and Harlem Lines and the New Haven Line’s Danbury and Waterbury Branches.

Another train car, locomotive No. 208, is sporting silver, blue, and red in a nod to Metro-North’s original design. This color scheme appeared on the railroad’s historic FL9 locomotives from 1983 until the last of those locomotives was retired in April 2007. In addition to the No. 201 and No. 208 locomotives, more train cars wrapped in vintage designs will be released. You can check out a video of the 40th-anniversary train here. Let us know if you spot one!

Want to learn more about the history of Metro-North? The New York Transit Museum has a new exhibit, Metro-North at 40, currently on view inside the New York Transit Museum Gallery & Store at Grand Central Terminal. You’ll find the exhibit in the shuttle passage on 42nd Street and Park Avenue, next to the Station Master’s Office. The exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 10am to 7:30pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm.

Next, check out 10 fascinating Secrets of the Metro-North Railroad