Metro-North Railroad HO Scale Models

Metro-North Railroad traces its origins to a collection of commuter rail services that began operating in the New York metropolitan region as early as 1832, when the New York and Harlem Railroad commenced service in Manhattan. Over the following decades, the various lines that would eventually constitute the Metro-North network passed through the hands of several prominent railroads, most notably the New York Central Railroad, which controlled the Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven lines and used Grand Central Terminal as its primary hub in the city. By 1969, Penn Central, formed through the merger of the New York Central and the Pennsylvania Railroad, had absorbed these commuter operations along with much of the northeastern rail network. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority acquired the Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven lines from Penn Central around 1972, though Penn Central continued to operate them under contract until its collapse prompted a broader reorganization of northeastern railroading. When Penn Central declared bankruptcy, the federal government created Conrail in 1976 to absorb most of Penn Central's freight and commuter rail functions. Conrail briefly assumed operation of the MTA's commuter lines north of New York City, but this arrangement was always understood to be temporary. On January 1, 1983, the MTA took direct control of these operations and formally established the Metro-North Commuter Railroad Company, giving the system its current identity and its reporting mark of MNCW. At its founding, Metro-North inherited not only the core lines east of the Hudson River but also a mandate to coordinate with NJ Transit for service on the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines west of the river, an arrangement that has continued through the present day. Metro-North today operates five active lines and three branches covering more than 385 route miles and serving 124 stations across New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. The three principal lines east of the Hudson River, the Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven lines, all terminate at Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan, while service to New Haven is operated under contract for the Connecticut Department of Transportation and uses electrified trackage shared with Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. The railroad carries approximately 264,000 passengers on an average weekday, making it the second busiest commuter railroad in North America, behind only the Long Island Rail Road, which is also operated under the MTA umbrella. Metro-North's significance to the region is difficult to overstate, as it provides a critical link between New York City and its densely populated northern suburbs, relieving pressure on highways and connecting communities in Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland, and Orange counties in New York as well as Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut.