California museum receives first Metrolink locomotive

Blue and white diesel locomotive pulling bi-level commuter cars. Museum receives first Metrolink locomotive. — Metrolink No. 851, an EMD F59PH, was the first locomotive on the roster for the Los Angeles-area commuter rail service. On Aug. 20, 1992, Metrolink ran a special train from Los Angeles to San Bernardino, Calif., showing off their new equipment before the start of service over the San Bernardino line. This was the original paint scheme as developed by a design student from Pasadena. No. 851 was recently donated to the Fullerton Train Museum. Kevin Cavanaugh

FULLERTON, Calif. — Metrolink, the Los Angeles-area commuter rail service, has donated its first locomotive to the Fullerton Train Museum for preservation. The locomotive, No. 851, began life as an EMD F59PH, but was rebuilt to an F59PHR. It was delivered to the museum on Jan. 25, where it will be on static display.

The first class of 23 Metrolink locomotives wore Nos. 851-873. These were all EMD F59PH models with 19 units — Nos. 851-869 — ordered in 1992, and four additional units — Nos. 870-873 — added in 1993. Metrolink ordered its F59PHs with red marker lights on the nose and an additional red marker centered above the cab’s three-panel windshield.

In 2010, No. 851, along with Nos. 852, 856, 861, 868, 870, and 873, was rebuilt into an F59PHR, which included a Tier 2 upgrade of its prime mover. Metrolink retired all of its F59PHR locomotives in 2020, replacing them with EMD F125s. Then in 2020, No. 851 was returned to service. The unit was again retired — for a final time — in 2024 with no indication of its disposition at the time.

No. 851 was retired wearing a basic white with black roof paint scheme. When delivered, the locomotive had a blue and white-stripped scheme, which according to the report “The Metrolink Story — How It All Began,” was designed by Gretchen Barnes, a student at the Pasadena (Calif.) School of Design. The rail line’s board of directors asked the school to host the competition in order to create the paint scheme and a logo. Barnes won $1,000 for her efforts in 1991.

Metrolink began operations on Oct. 26, 1992. The heavy rail passenger system serves six Southern California counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego. The system is the third largest in the U.S., covering 437 route miles. It recorded 184 million passenger miles in 2023.

The Fullerton Train Museum, presented by the Southern California Railway Plaza Association, sits next to the city’s Metrolink-Amtrak station. The museum features a small, but growing collection of rail cars representing the glory days of passenger travel and the railroads native to Southern California.

For more information on the Fullerton Train Museum, visit its website.

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