"The 5 Paint Schemes of 105"
Long Island Railroad EMD SW1001 #105 has seen better days as it trails on the Atlantic Branch Rail Reclaim Train at Nostrand Avenue on January 16th, 2021.
The 105 was 1 of 8 SW1001s (100-107) built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division for the LIRR in 1977 for freight, work train & protect use in low/ tight clearance areas through out the railroad's territory. These units came painted in the LIRR's classic blue and white scheme. In 1997, it became 1 of 3 (101,105 & 106) to be leased to the New York & Atlantic Railway for local freight service out of Fresh Pond Yard in Queens.
The 105 & 106 wore NYA paint & reporting marks until both were returned to the LIRR in 2016 with the NYA's acquisition of two Progress Rail PR20B locomotives. As part of the return agreement, the two were hand painted by NYA's Mechanical Team in LIRR's orange & grey "Dashing Dan" scheme, which was originally worn by the railroad's 2 Harold Protect engines (102 & 104). Unfortunately upon return, both engines were immediately sidelined in Morris Park with their other SW1001s. This left the LIRR with only 1 operating SW1001 on their roster, the 100.
After sitting for 2 years the 105 was revived and painted into a one-of-a-kind red, white & blue "Patriot" scheme which lasted all about 24 hours before it was painted over in LIRR's current yellow & blue scheme. Fast forward to 2021. The use of economically priced paint & harsh cleaning products over the years has revealed ALL 5 paint schemes at once;
-LIRR Blue & White
-NYAR "Dark Past" Green
-LIRR "Dashing Dan" Orange & Grey
-LIRR "Patriot/Veterans" RW&B
-LIRR Blue & Yellow (Current)
Will the 105 receive 6th coat? Only time will tell.
