2024 Holiday Trains in the Tri-State Area: NJT, Metro North, CSAO

Описание: Late for sure, but given how busy I've been up until now, better late than never. A compilation of some of the holiday trains ran in NJ, NY, and CT to celebrate this past holiday season.

NJT Railmen for Children: operated by the Railmen for Children organization, a coalition of NJ Transit employees, the annual train ran up the Main Line this year from Hoboken to Harriman and back with heritage units 4210 (Erie) and 4101 (NJDOT) in charge. I chased it between Lyndhurst and Sloatsburg for the westbound run, and caught it going through Suffern for the eastbound.

Metro North Employee Holiday Train: one of two holiday specials ran by Metro North, this one being a non revenue train touring the system between major facilities for a couple weeks. This year's consist utilized two of the railroad's heritage/special interest P32s, 211 (NYC) and 214 (employee appreciation). I shot the train in Peekskill and Scarborough.

Conrail Santa Train: only the second annual run, Conrail Shared Assets' North Jersey division operates a train decked out with lights out of Oak Island, west down the Lehigh Line, back east down the Port Reading Secondary to Port Reading, then up the Garden State Secondary back to Oak Island. This train had both NS's Conrail heritage ES44AC, 8098, and NJT's new Conrail heritage geep, 4208, as well as a borrowed Comet V, two decorated flatcars and a Conrail caboose.

Metro North Holiday Lights Train: a new addition to the holiday festivities for 2024, MN introduced an 8-car set of M8s with lights around the edges of each car. With color-changeable lights, the train was properly decorated for both Christmas and Hanukkah. I saw the train twice on two separate days, at Dobbs Ferry on the Hudson Line with red and green lights, and less than a week later at Milford on the New Haven Line, lights blue and white this time around.

Enjoy!