Heritage Series Celebrates Metro-North’s 43 Years of Public Service by Honoring Predecessors and Employees with Wrapped Locomotives
View Photos and Video of Locomotive No. 250
MTA Metro-North Railroad today announced a ninth locomotive has been rebranded with special colors and designs as part of its Heritage Series, which highlights the railroad’s 43 years of public service. The wrap applied to locomotive No. 250 is inspired by the colorful locomotives of the United States bicentennial and celebrates America’s 250th anniversary.
“Through our Heritage Series, we’ve celebrated the history and legacy of Metro-North Railroad,” said Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek. “Locomotive 250 gives us the opportunity to go further—honoring not only our own story, but the broader history of the United States. It’s a meaningful way to connect our railroad’s past and present to this important national milestone.”
The design blends past and present, featuring an American flag formed from the text of the Declaration of Independence and historic symbols drawn from early American coinage, including the “We Are One” emblem from Benjamin Franklin’s Fugio cent—the first officially authorized U.S. federal coin—and a heraldic eagle design inspired by the Bowed Liberty dollar coin.
“It is thrilling to see the launch of a special locomotive to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States," Revolutionary Westchester 250 President Constance Kehoe. "We encourage everyone to stay in touch and attend the many commemorative events in Westchester and the Hudson Valley during this special year 2026.”
The design also features the logo of America250, the bipartisan, congressionally established organization tasked with leading the nation’s celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
A limited-edition commemorative pin featuring Locomotive No. 250 will be available for purchase in the Grand Central Gift Shop, located in the Graybar Passageway in Grand Central Terminal.
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.
Metro-North's Heritage Series Locomotives
The eighth commemorative locomotive, No. 216 honors veterans, and featured a textured American flag and military patch design.
The seventh commemorative locomotive No. 203 was unveiled in June 2025, painted in a silver and blue scheme applied to seven Conrail diesel-electric locomotives by the MTA in 1979.
The sixth commemorative locomotive, No. 222, debuted in February 2025 and was wrapped in an olive green and a dandelion yellow vinyl, the paint scheme employed on New Haven Railroad locomotives until 1954.
The fifth commemorative locomotive expanded upon the originally envisioned Heritage Series, wrapping engine No. 214 to pay tribute to the workforce featuring 2,000 pictures of past and present Metro-North workers to form four larger images of prominent landmarks along each of Metro-North’s rail lines.
The fourth commemorative locomotive, No. 217, hit the rails in March 2024, and paid tribute to Penn Central, formed in the 1968 merger of the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroads, which also absorbed the New Haven Railroad in 1969.
The third commemorative locomotive paid tribute to New York Central, the predecessor railroad that built and operated Grand Central Terminal and the Hudson and Harlem lines. Metro-North’s locomotive No. 211 made its debut run in NYC’s stylish lightning-stripe paint scheme on the Hudson Line on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023.
The second commemorative locomotive paid tribute to Conrail, the railroad which is Metro-North's immediate predecessor. Engine No. 201 made its debut on the Hudson Line on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. The design of the wrap mimics the paint scheme applied to older FL-9 dual-mode locomotives that Conrail operated for the MTA over the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven Lines from 1976 to 1982.
The first rebrand paid homage to Metro-North’s original design. Locomotive No. 208, which made its debut in May 2023, was wrapped in silver, blue and red vinyl. The design was created upon the railroad’s founding in 1983 for the railroad’s historic FL-9 locomotives and worn by them until the last was retired in April 2007 after 51 years of service.