The Train of Many Colors (sometimes abbreviated as TOMC) is one of the New York Transit Museum's nostalgia trains used for A Division excursions, which is made up of cars that were formerly used on Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) lines. The name comes from the fact that the cars are painted in many varying schemes from different eras.
During the 2004 Subway Centennial, some of the cars were used for regular service on the 42nd Street Shuttle route. In addition, the cars may be used to commemorate a special occasion (e.g. the opening of Citi Field in Queens).
Some of the cars are housed in the New York Transit Museum when not used for excursions (R12, R15, R17, and R33S). Others are stored at the 207th Street Yard.
The Train of Many Colors was used as the holiday train in 2022 running from Chambers Street to 137th Street–City College.
List of cars and colors The "Train of Many Colors" fleet consists of 19 cars painted in various schemes, as listed below: not all of them run at the same time.
ModelBuilderCar numbersLiveryEra usedR12American Car & Foundry5760Two tone gray with orange stripesOriginal, when newR156239Maroon with tan stripeOriginal, when newR17St. Louis Car Company6609MaroonOriginal, when newR339010–9011Silver with blue stripe ("Platinum Mist")1971–early 1980s9016–9017Watermelon/"Tartar" red with yellow handlebarsOriginal, when newTuscan/"Gunn" red with silver roof ("Redbird")1986 to retirementR33S9306–93081964 World's Fair aqua blue and white ("Bluebird")Original, when new9310Tuscan/"Gunn" red with silver roof ("Redbird")1984 to retirementR361984 to retirement
References
New York City Transit Subway Centennial press release, describing two museum trains that ran in 2004 in route service. New York City Transit's 'Train of Many Colors'
External links