Metro-North Railroad Unveils Seventh Locomotive from Heritage Series

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad unveiled its seventh rebranded locomotive as part of a Heritage Series to highlight the railroad’s 40 years of service to the public. Unlike the previous six rebrands which wrapped the engines, the rebranding of locomotive No. 203 was painted by Metro-North employees in the North White Plains Paint Shop.

Locomotive #203 was overhauled and repainted to replicate a paint scheme applied by the MTA in 1979 on a group of seven Conrail dual-mode diesel-electric locomotives. They were the first to sport the “MTA Central” scheme, with a silver aluminum-painted car body with a blue stripe, since the locomotives were intended to operate on the former New York Central’s Hudson & Harlem lines. These original locomotives were transferred from Conrail to Metro-North upon that railroad’s inauguration on Jan. 1, 1983, and continued in service for nearly another 20 years before being succeeded in the early 2000s by the currently operating locomotives.

Employees got a first look at the locomotive today and is expected to make its inaugural passenger service run on Friday, June 20. All Heritage Series locomotives are in service on Metro-North’s Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines, and can be seen on any train that normally operates with the railroad’s dual-mode diesel/electric locomotives.