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MBTA debuts train design to honor historic New England railroad, with more on the way
The Boston and Maine Railroad train, complete with a vintage maroon and yellow design, will begin service on the Commuter Rail this week.
The MBTA is refurbishing some commuter rail trains with a special paint job to honor historic train lines that previously dominated New England.
A train with the Boston and Maine Railroad’s emblem of a minuteman and the company’s maroon and yellow design will begin service on the commuter rail this week, a spokesperson for the transit agency said. The railroad company emerged as a leader in the region over an approximately 150-year history.
The Boston and Maine train is one of three with special designs to honor historic passenger train companies. By the end of the year, two additional trains honoring the New Haven Railroad and New York Central Railroad will hit the rails, the MBTA said.
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Rick Kfoury, the president of the Boston and Maine Railroad Historical Society, said the new design “serves as a daily reminder to the general public of the Boston and Maine’s massive contributions to New England sociology, economy, and culture since the 1830s.”
At its peak, the Boston and Maine Railroad covered more than 2,300 miles of tracks from its hub in Boston, linking hundreds of cities all around New England, according to the society. Its principal shops were in North Billerica and Concord, New Hampshire.
“Seeing the Minuteman emblem appear once again in revenue service on the former Boston and Maine System helps to introduce the story of the B&M to new generations,” Kfoury said in a statement. “It is wonderful to see an accurate historical tribute paid by the modern day stewards of the Route of the Minuteman.”
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The designs honor “the passenger railroads that laid the foundation for today’s Commuter Rail network,” the MBTA said in a statement.
One trainwatcher caught the Boston to Maine train on the lines in Middleborough, according to a YouTube video.
The three specially painted trains are the last three of 37 locomotives to reenter service following an overhaul, the MBTA spokesperson said. Beginning in 2019, F40 trains, originally put into service between 1987 and 1991, were refurbished to “like-new” condition, according to Commuter Rail operator Keolis.
The refurbished trains also got additional upgrades including remote monitoring and diagnostics, forward-facing and cab cameras, and modern brake and control systems, the MBTA said.
The New Haven train may be orange or red, and the New York Central car could be navy blue, according to images of the historic trains and reproductions.
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