Metro-North Railroad Celebrates Its 40-Year History of Public Service by Honoring Predecessors

MTA Metro-North Railroad locomotive 201, GE P32AC-DM, in Conrail heritage livery at the Harmon Locomotive Shop on Friday, Aug 11, 2023. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Metro-North Railroad has rebranded a second locomotive with special colors and designs as a Heritage Series to highlight the railroad’s 40 years of service to the public.   

Skilled craft workers at Metro-North’s North White Plains Shop applied a vinyl wrap to Metro-North’s locomotive No. 201 that pays tribute to Conrail, the railroad which is Metro-North’s immediate predecessor.?The train will make its debut on the Hudson Line Monday, Aug. 14, departing the Croton-Harmon station at 7:31 a.m., and arriving at Grand Central Terminal at 8:26 a.m. 

“There is no better way to evoke Metro-North’s roots than to bring back some of the classic colors of our predecessor railroads,” said Metro-North Railroad President and LIRR Interim President Catherine Rinaldi. “We are proud of our history and looking forward to debuting the other Heritage Series-wrapped locomotives later this year.” 

In March 2023, Metro-North received special permission from Conrail to apply its colors, name, and logo to one of Metro-North’s locomotives. The design of the wrap mimics the paint scheme applied to older FL9 locomotives that Conrail operated for the MTA over the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven Lines from 1976 to 1982.   

Metro-North’s locomotive No. 201 is one of 31 P32ACDM models the railroad uses to provide service on the northern Hudson and Harlem Lines and the New Haven Line’s Danbury and Waterbury Branches.  

The first rebrand in the series was locomotive No. 208, which made its debut in May. Skilled craft workers at Metro-North’s North White Plains Shop applied the vinyl wrap with the colors of silver, blue and red to pay homage to Metro-North’s original design. The design was created upon the railroad’s founding in 1983 for the railroad’s historic FL9 locomotives and worn by them until the last was retired in April 2007. 

Additional locomotives will be wrapped in the heritage liveries that were worn by predecessor railroads. The wrapped locomotives will remain in service for the foreseeable future.