Electric Charger Meets Employee Appreciation. On the night of Thursday, March 20, 2025, MTA Metro-North Railroad/Siemens SC42-DM MNCW 301 successfully tested on the Danbury Branch to Danbury, Connecticut in the rain. Seen in front of the former Danbury Union Station at The Danbury Railway Museum, the "Employee Appreciation/40th Anniversary" unit, MNCW 214, was parked on Track 6S after coming up on Train 1848 earlier in the evening, making for a nice combo shot.
Though similar to the all diesel design of the SC-44 and ALC-42, these locomotives also had to go to the testing center in Pueblo, Colorado for full evaluation before delivery to Metro-North. The locomotives are much quieter than their predecessors, and also significantly more fuel efficient while providing more power. While the (present) GE P32AC-DM fleet changes from electric to diesel mode around the Harlem-125 Street Station, MNR has stated that this locomotive is designed to operate on third rail to the Croton Harmon area, where electrification ends.
A continuously growing album of photos that IMHO reveal the awesome and seldom-seen beauty of the railroad world from the dimming of day to dawn's early light! From dusk to dawn, trains roll on! (I'm still finding gems of sunset-to-sunrise surprises!)
