The Metropolitan commuter cars have long been a staple of New York City commuting. These unique railcars have earned their living plying the rails of the northern NYC suburbs, as well as, Long Island for the past 40 years.
In 1984, the Metropolitan cars were built by the now defunct Budd Company for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (Metro-North) and the Long Island Rail Road. The cars were designated M3 (LIRR) and M3A (Metro-North). Both were improvements of the original M1 and M1A designs built for both agencies in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These cars continue to haul commuters everyday on LIRR and Metro-North, albeit in reduced numbers.
The Rapido Trains HO scale Budd M3 and M3A Railcar features: