By: Jonathan Burgos-
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) of the state of New York celebrates the Heritage Series which debuted back in May of 2023 to celebrate the 40 years of Public Service and honor the railroads that independently operated commuter rail services along the lines that now mainly make up Metro-North: the Hudson Line, Harlem Line and New Haven Line. They unveiled there sixth train with a special design that was used until 1954 along the then New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, usually referred to as the New Haven Railroad.
Dedicated workers at Metro-North’s restored Genesis-model dual-mode P32AC-DM locomotive No. 222 over the course of several months and wrapped the train in an olive green and a dandelion yellow vinyl, the paint scheme employed on New Haven Railroad locomotives until 1954. The restored train will make its debut run February 28th departing Danbury station at 7:51 a.m., and arriving at Grand Central Terminal at 9:55 a.m.
Metro-North Railroad President Catherine Rinaldi ” The Heritage Series honors and educates Metro-North customers about the railroad’s rich history,” she also goes to say ” We hope our customers enjoy the addition of the vintage colors of the then New Haven Railroad and that the new locomotive sparks some curiosity about the predecessor railroads that paved the way for Metro-North.”
The last commemorative locomotive expanded upon the originally envisioned Heritage Series, wrapping engine No. 214 to pay tribute to the Metro-North workforce. The fourth locomotive hit the rails in March 2024, and paid tribute to Penn Central. The third train paid tribute to New York Central. The second paid tribute to Conrail the railroad which is Metro-North’s immediate predecessor. The first ever train paid tribute to Metro-North’s original design.
Keep and eye out as all six wrapped 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.