Metra unveiled a specially painted locomotive this month to pay tribute to those who have served and continue to serve in the U.S. military.
The locomotive is running through several south and southwest suburbs before transitioning to lines that go through the west and north suburbs, the transit agency said.
The train operated on the Rock Island Line for the past two weeks and was set to transition to the Milwaukee District west line Monday, according to a Metra spokesperson.
Metra initially planned for the train to shift to the BNSF line, which runs from Chicago’s Union Station to Aurora, before moving to the Milwaukee District lines in December and to the Union Pacific lines in January. The agency’s spokesperson said he believes Metra still plans to run the locomotive on the BNSF line.
The Rock Island line travels between Chicago and Joliet, with stops in several south and southwest suburbs, including Joliet, New Lenox, Mokena, Hickory Creek, Tinley Park, Oak Forest, Midlothian, Robbins and Blue Island. The Milwaukee District lines connect Chicago to Elgin in the west and Fox Lake in the north.
Cmdr. Mike Rowan from Tinley Park American Legion Post 615 said Wednesday he had not seen the veterans locomotive, but appreciates the effort to recognize veterans. The locomotive stops at the 80th Avenue Metra station while running on the Rock Island line, which is next to the Gen. Patrick E. Rea Veterans Plaza where the village hosts the annual Veterans Day ceremony.
“I certainly would appreciate that they would take the time and the money to outfit a train like that,” Rowan said.
Metra held a luncheon to celebrate veterans and unveil the locomotive earlier this month, according to the transit agency’s Facebook.
“Metra has strong ties to our nation’s armed forces, with more than 300 veterans and reservists currently at work on our railroad,” said Metra Chief Executive Officer Jim Derwinski, a Navy veteran, in a news release announcing the unveiling. “This eye-catching design is another way to express our gratitude for the service of all veterans and for our employees’ continued service to the people of Northeast Illinois.”
The locomotive features a paint scheme with a bald eagle on the front with red, white and blue wings, and blue camouflage and silhouettes of military figures saluting on the sides.
Locomotive 120, which first entered Metra service in 1977, received its new paint scheme during its fourth rehabilitation, the agency said. The design was created by Metra graphic designer Falecia Woods and brought to life by a team led by general foreman Paul Jurlow at Metra’s Kensington Yard Facility paint shop.
“There are certain things that are iconic to veterans, to the military,” Woods said in a video released by Metra last week, detailing the concept. “So when I did my brainstorming, I thought about things like eagles, I thought about flags, saluting soldiers, and I thought about boats and airplanes. I had to try to bring it together in a cohesive way.”
Woods said she worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 17 years, and her father and brother both served.
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