Metro-North 40th Heritage Wraps

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mtaphotos ... 330276354/

MetroNorth just posted this flickr.

Last Wednesday (Nov 29), I was in Harlem at 125th Street to railfan Metro-North. My goal was to capture some heritage units in action. While I was unsuccesful in that quest and nearly froze my hands solid, I enjoyed myself.

Anyways, I noticed one P32AC-DM in particular had a rather nasty looking paint job. Unit 203.
Video Here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6J7qp-yJgo

After seeing this I had two questions:
1) What happened here? Is it just decay or something with the paint? I don't recall this unit being involved in an accident.
2) I don't have anything but hearsay from a few comments I saw on the web, is 203 slated to become a heritage unit?

At this point, I'd like for 203 to become a heritage unit, to "repair" it's horrid paint job at the moment. As for if it becomes the Penn Central or Metro-North unit. Who knows? Besides, it hasn't been publicly confirmed that 203 is in the running. So, I'm more than understanding if those in the know would rather not answer my 2nd question. It just seemed like good food for thought. You might not believe me given I asked the question, but I don't want a spoiler

I also did 211 based on an Athearn P40...

NortheastTrainMan wrote: ↑Fri Dec 08, 2023 9:11 pm At this point, I'd like for 203 to become a heritage unit, to "repair" it's horrid paint job at the moment.

From what I was told - because I said 203 would be a good candidate for the same reason you think it would be - it wouldn't be a good candidate because of its horrible condition - apparently the wraps are unforgiving if there's body rot and bondo can only do so much. 201's paint was pretty crappy before wrapping, but 203 is a whole other animal.

@GirlOnTheTrain Wow! That's some pretty interesting info. I'm not familiar with how paint jobs or wraps work for locomotives. Learning 203's condition is so bad, that it may actually be ineligible for a wrap is crazy!

In other news, well. For all I know, it's possible that No. 217 may be the one selected for the Penn Central wrap.
My source? Someone commenting on my YouTube video. Given I don't have any connections, I'll sit tight and believe it when I see it.

Thanks for painting the picture for me. Aside from railfanning, lighthearted puns are a pastime of mine .
In all seriousness, thanks for sharing. I appreciate it. Looks like it's a wrap (or not) for 203. Ok I'm done for real this time .

Quick question, but it is determined that the heritage program will only be done with wraps? Because regarding the locomotive 203, it seems like it would be a candidate for a Penn Central paint job. That is to say, Penn Central's paint scheme was not exactly complicated. Layer of black/DGLE paint, the words PENN CENTRAL in Eurostyle Bold and the mating worms logo in white. Of course, with the P32s being planned for replacement with the new New York specific variants of the Siemens Chargers, Metro North may have decided to let 203 continue as-is and not repaint it at all. And I think wraps are cheaper than repaints, if the bodywork is up to par.

I wonder if MN will have a heritage wrap/paint scheme on the upcoming Charger locos.

NortheastTrainMan wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02, 2024 6:29 pm For all I know, it's possible that No. 217 may be the one selected for the Penn Central wrap.
My source? Someone commenting on my YouTube video. Given I don't have any connections, I'll sit tight and believe it when I see it.

What it will be is up for debate, but I'd bet money on 217 being the next one. It's been banished to the NWP paint shop for the last several months

What do y’all think it’s going to be:

A) MTA blue and yellow with mating worms.

B) 13D “dip” black with mating worms and Eurostile font.

C) One of the “discolored” versions of option A.

B if only because A and C are too close to Conrail.

I'd rather have something like this if we're gonna do a beat up heritage scheme.

I think that version's already been done - I recall seeing photos of one of the NH-painted P32's with a Penn Central logo under the cab window...

Everyone - After looking at many FL9 photographs one word stands out for their past color schemes: VARIETY
www.rrpicturearchives.net/locoList.aspx?mid=369
Metro-North and their predecessors alone have PLENTY of interesting variations for heritage units...

I found it interesting that the Conrail unit with the white lettering on the yellow front end IS correct -
(even though it was historically a BAD color contrast) and would have been much more readable had
CONRAIL lettering in BLUE had been used instead back in the day...

I found a number of interesting photographs that I would like to link - starting with this PC black unit:
www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5489520
PC FL9 #5015 - Other black PC unit FL9
photos found were 5000, 5011 and 5040 as examples...

I plan to add some more FL9 pictures to this topic in subsequent posts...MACTRAXX

GirlOnTheTrain wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 10:30 am B if only because A and C are too close to Conrail.

I'd rather have something like this if we're gonna do a beat up heritage scheme.

G/T - Following my previous post - I agree with you for what a Penn Central FL9 heritage unit can be...

That photograph of PC FL9 5001 heading north with four cars on an Amtrak train to Albany shows how RATTY
a percentage of Penn Central's FL9 fleet was during the PC years...The most identifiable landmark in this photo
is the Henry Hudson Bridge up above...This made me think of getting away from the City and how interesting
a dutch-door ride northbound along the Hudson River would have been on a hot humid summer day on this
(provided that the train crew allowed it) train back when these older Amtrak car types were in use...

On an added note the photographer is the late Tom Nelligan who once was a member of Railroad.Net...
He posted under his own name and not a screen alias such as many of us here do...I remember that TN
was a co-author of rail books - one example being the soft-cover book "Trains of the Northeast Corridor"
along with Scott Hartley; 96 pages black and white; Color cover photo of then-new Amtrak AEM7 #915
(now preserved at the RR Museum of Pennsylvania) Publisher-Quadrant Press NYC; June 1981.

In about five weeks Railroad.Net will mark 20 years since its "revival" on March 11-12, 2004 - and for
that matter tomorrow (February 7) marks 19 years since I joined up...1.5 million posts (later in 2024)
along with reaching 100,000 topics (Late 2024-2025?) speaks for itself...MACTRAXX

jamoldover wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 6:24 pm I think that version's already been done - I recall seeing photos of one of the NH-painted P32's with a Penn Central logo under the cab window...

Someone putting a sticker under a window doesn't count. It needs to be done PROPERLY.

Everyone - From my photograph review of FL9 units these are good examples of heritage color schemes -
From my notes this is the first group that I found:
PC FL9 #5050 - 3/10/1974 - Brewster, NY
www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4797270
FL9s #5058 and #5030 - 6/1/1976 - Brewster, NY
www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3195092
FL9 #5035 - 9/15/1974 - New Haven, CT
www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=4797267
FL9 #5020 - 5/25/1981 - M CENTRAL Color scheme
www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1940005
FL9 #5024 and #5000 - with SEMTA cars - Crugers, NY - 3/13/1984
www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=5563137
FL9 #5037 with former SEMTA (Detroit) coaches - 4/9/1984
www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1182011
I will post a second group (due to the limitations of my device) in my next post - MACTRAXX