"Testing BL20GHMs at Po-Town"
On the night of October 26th, 2022, Metro-North Railroad's BL20 Test Train is seen arriving into Poughkeepsie station after a shakedown run on the Hudson Line. The test train, composed of newly rebuilt Brookville BL20GHM's 111, 112 and two shoreliner coaches, made several trips on the Hudson originating from the railroad's Croton Harmon Shops. These "shakedown" test trains put the locomotives through their paces and allow the mechanical department to make modifications where needed before final release into revenue service.
The 111 & 112 were originally BL20GH locomotives built by Brookville Equipment Corporation in 2008. Several years of fluctuating performance and reliability resulted in Metro-North contracting Motive Power Industries (MPI) to rebuild the whole 12-locomotive fleet (6 owned by MNR, 6 owned by CDOT). 111 & 112 are the first of Metro-North’s to be completed. The rebuild mainly consists of swapping out the MTU-Detroit Diesel 12V4000 for a more reliable Cummins prime mover, numerous component upgrades and a fresh coat of paint.
