FLUSHING, QUEENS -- As New York Mets fans ring in another season of America's national pastime, the Metropolitan Transit Authority will celebrate opening day with its own tradition: A nostalgia-laced train ride.

The MTA will break out its "Train Of Many Colors" for the annual ride to the Mets' Home Opener at Citi Field on Thursday. The vintage train, whose cars represent different eras of subway history, has made the trip to the baseball field in Flushing Meadows Park for years as part of an opening day tradition.

The Train Of Many Colors is among the New York Transit Museum's "nostalgia trains" still used for occasional excursions. The train's nickname comes from the various color schemes found across its 11 R-33 and R-36 subway cars, which were manufactured between 1948 and 1964.