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About this video: In Mid-September 2023, Hurricane Lee passed by Massachusetts just east of the coast. In preparation for damage that the outskirts of this storm would bring, the MBTA Commuter Rail had several trains ready with locomotives on the inbound ends of trains, instead of the usual position on the outbound end. Some train sets were flipped entirely, while other ones had additional locomotives added to the back of a consist that already had a locomotive on the outbound end. The purpose of having a locomotive on the inbound side of trains during storms is to catch debris that may be on the tracks, as hitting objects such as fallen trees with a locomotive is much safer for any occupants of the cab compared to if a cab car was leading (which are not built as strong and can be damaged easier). On most commuter rail lines, the first train of the day (in the early morning) is an inbound running towards Boston in the direction that a cab car normally leads. With several hours going by between the last train of the night and the first train of the next morning, all sorts of unknown debris and obstructions have the opportunity to gather on railroad right of ways in the dead of night. The extra safety for the crew and passengers by having a locomotive lead is something that the railroad takes seriously. I caught up with some of these trains in Beverly, Hamilton, and Ipswich, MA on the weekend that the storm was near. Trains included are a set with GP40MC 1126 facing inbound + cab car 1632 facing outbound, as well as an additional train with no cab car at all, but instead F40PH-3C 1056 on the outbound end and GP40MC 1120 on the inbound end.