RARE: LIRR MP15ACs Pick Up Metro North Siemens Charger at New Rochelle ft. Astoria (1000th Video)

Sometimes, it's all a atter of great timing. With about an hours notice, I got a heads up that a Metro North SC42DM Siemens Charger would be dropped off at New Rochelle and picked up by the LIRR (with Amtrak crew on board the LIRR equipment) for testing on Long Island! Upon seeing the news, I raced over to New Rochelle where after a few minutes, I eventually saw a BL20GH (111) pull in with the brand new Charger (307) right next to a Providence and Worcester freight train. Some time later, the BL20 is detached and swapped for a pair of LIRR MP15ACs (160 and 168).

After the two MP15s departed New Rochelle for Harold Interlocking with the Charger in tow, I decided to take an uber down to Astoria Ditmars Blvd subway station, a well-known railfanning spot directly underneath the northeast corridor, and also the first spot on Long Island where the new Charger would be traveling to for the first time. Once again, within minutes of arriving Astoria right around midnight, the small lights of the MP15 came into view from the subway platform and the trio of engines passed above.

Even though the shot was completely dark due to the surrounding lighting, I was still the first person to catch a Siemens Charger on Long Island, which was fittingly similar to when I caught the first footage of a Siemens Charger on the Empire Corridor during an Amtrak Charger test run about two years ago. I didn't plan on this video on being a 1000 video milestone, but thanks to a heads up from a friend of mine, I'm now able to celebrate the occasion with one of my greatest catches yet. Thank you all for your support for this channel over the past five years and stay tuned for more types of videos, railfanning and narrated videos alike!