New York City Subway rolling stock

Missing image
Centennial_Holiday_Shopper’s_Special.jpg

The "Centennial Holiday Shopper's Special", a train of R1 and R9 cars that ran during the Subway Centennial in late 2004.
© 2004 Metropolitan Transportation Authority

The New York City Subway is a large system, and has a lot of rolling stock. Old cars, some from the original companies (Template:IRT and Template:BMT), are preserved at the New York Transit Museum, while others have been sold to private individuals.

Between 1985 and 1989 some of the Template:IRT trains were painted red, giving them the name Redbirds. Most of them were replaced by new, more modern subway trains between 2000 and 2004.

Contents

1 What does "R" stand for?

1 R-type listing

1.1 Notes

2 External links

What does "R" stand for?

Missing image
Train_of_Many_Colors.jpg

The "Train of Many Colors", a train of old Template:IRT cars that ran during the Subway Centennial in late 2004.
© 2004 Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Starting with the Template:IND (NYCS) in 1930, and spreading to the other divisions with unification in 1940, all contract numbers have begun with "R". There is no agreement as to what the "R" in the contract number originally stood for. Various sources claim "revenue," "rolling stock" or "rapid transit".

Revenue in transit equipment parlance means passenger equipment. When carrying passengers such equipment is said to be "in revenue service". However, "R" contracts for the Template:IND (NYCS) included non-revenue equipment from the very beginning. R1 was the contract for the car bodies of the first Template:IND (NYCS) cars and R2 the running gear, but R3 cars were service cars and R8s included a crane car, four flat cars and two money collection cars. Many later "R" contracts were also for non-revenue equipment, such as R23, 30 hopper (ballast carrying) cars for the maintenance of way department.
Rolling stock is another choice, but the nature of rolling stock is that it rolls on rails. R24 and R25 were for wheel truing machines, devices that help keep subway wheels round, R64 was for door operator mechanisms, R129 was for overhead cranes in shops (to lift and move car bodies and other equipment), and so on.
Rapid transit is the only explanation that covers all the equipment purchased as it is all for use in rapid transit, but this is the least popular choice.

R-type listing

	year	division	builder	number of cars	car numbers	year retired	lines currently on	notes
R1	1930-1931	Template:IND (NYCS)	American Car and Foundry	300	100-399	1968-1970	none	singles only
R4	1932-1933	Template:IND (NYCS)	American Car and Foundry	500	400-899	1970-1975	none	singles only
R6	1935-1936	Template:IND (NYCS)	American Car and Foundry, Pullman Company, Pressed Steel Company	500	900-1399	1970-1976	none
R7	1937	Template:IND (NYCS)	American Car and Foundry, Pullman Company	150	1400-1549	1970-1977	none
R7A	1938	Template:IND (NYCS)	Pullman Company, American Car and Foundry	100	1550-1649	1970-1977	none
R9	1940	Template:IND (NYCS)	American Car and Foundry, Pressed Steel Company	153	1650-1802	1972-1977	none
R10	1948-1949	Template:IND (NYCS)	American Car and Foundry	400	1803-1852, 3000-3349	1984-1990	none
R11	1949	Template:BMT/Template:IND (NYCS)	Budd Company	10	8010-8019	late 1970s	none	test trains, rebuilt into R34 cars in 1965
R12	1948	Template:IRT	American Car and Foundry	100	5703-5802	1981	none
R14	1949	Template:IRT	American Car and Foundry	150	5803-5952	1984	none
R15	1950	Template:IRT	American Car and Foundry	100	5953-5999, 6200-6252	1984	none
R16	1955	Template:BMT/Template:IND (NYCS)	American Car and Foundry	200	6300-6499	1986	none
R17	1955-1956	Template:IRT	St. Louis Car Company	400	6500-6899	1988	none	even/odd pairs
R21	1956	Template:IRT	St. Louis Car Company	250	7050-7299	1987-1988	none
R22	1957	Template:IRT	St. Louis Car Company	450	7300-7749	1987-1988	none	even/odd pairs
R26	1959-1960	Template:IRT	American Car and Foundry	110	7750-7859	2001-2002	none	even/odd pairs
R27	1960	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	St. Louis Car Company	230	8020-8249	1988-1990	none	even/odd pairs
R28	1960-1961	Template:IRT	American Car and Foundry	100	7860-7959	2001-2002	none	even/odd pairs
R29	1962-1963	Template:IRT	St. Louis Car Company	236	8570-8805	2001-2002	none	even/odd pairs
R30	1961	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	St. Louis Car Company	320	8250-8569	1993	none	even/odd pairs
R30A	1961	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	St. Louis Car Company	60	8352-8411	1993	none	even/odd pairs
R32	1964	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	Budd Company	300	3350-3649	still in service	Template:NYCS A Template:NYCS C Template:NYCS E Template:NYCS F Template:NYCS N Template:NYCS Q Template:NYCS R Template:NYCS V (sometimes on Template:NYCS B and Template:NYCS W)	even/odd pairs
R32A	1964	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	Budd Company	300	3650-3949	still in service	Template:NYCS A Template:NYCS C Template:NYCS E Template:NYCS F Template:NYCS N Template:NYCS Q Template:NYCS R Template:NYCS V (sometimes on Template:NYCS B and Template:NYCS W)	even/odd pairs
R33	1962-1963	Template:IRT	St. Louis Car Company	500	8806-9305	2001-2002	none	even/odd pairs
R33 WF	1962-1963	Template:IRT	St. Louis Car Company	40	9306-9345	2002-2004	none	single cars, some now in work service, built for IRT Flushing Line
R36	1963-1964	Template:IRT	St. Louis Car Company	34	9524-9557	2001-2002	none	even/odd pairs
R34	see R11
R36 WF	1963-1964	Template:IRT	St. Louis Car Company	390	9346-9523, 9558-9769	2002-2004	none	even/odd pairs, built for IRT Flushing Line
R38	1966-1967	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	St. Louis Car Company	200	3950-4149	still in service	Template:NYCS A Template:NYCS C	even/odd pairs
R40	1968-1969	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	St. Louis Car Company	200	4150-4349 (originally 4150-4249, 4350-4449)	still in service	Template:NYCS B Template:NYCS N Template:NYCS W (sometimes on Template:NYCS D for Yankees Special	even/odd pairs, slanted ends
R40A	1968-1969	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	St. Louis Car Company	200	4350-4549 (originally 4250-4349, 4450-4549)	still in service	Template:NYCS B Template:NYCS N Template:NYCS W	even/odd pairs, slanted ends on 4350-4449
R42	1969-1970	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	St. Louis Car Company	400	4550-4949	still in service	Template:NYCS J Template:NYCS M Template:NYCS Z (sometimes Template:NYCS B Template:NYCS N Template:NYCS W)	even/odd pairs
R44	1971-1973	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT/SIRy	St. Louis Car Company	352	5202-5479 (originally 100-387), 388-435, 436-466 (even numbers only)	still in service	Template:NYCS A Template:NYCS S Rockaway (Rockaway Park)	some in 4-car sets with even numbers on outside, some in 2-car sets with two evens
R46	1975-1978	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	Pullman Company	754	5482-6207 (originally 500-1227), 6208-6258 (even numbers only, originally 1228-1278)	still in service	Template:NYCS F Template:NYCS G Template:NYCS R Template:NYCS V (sometimes Template:NYCS E)	some in 4-car sets with even numbers on outside, some in 2-car sets with two evens
R62	1983-1985	Template:IRT	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	325	1301-1625	still in service	Template:NYCS 3 Template:NYCS 4	5-car sets
R62A	1984-1987	Template:IRT	Bombardier	825	1651-2475	still in service	Template:NYCS 1 Template:NYCS 3 Template:NYCS 7 (Template:NYCS S 42nd 42nd Street)	some singles, some in 5-car sets
R68	1986-1988	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	Westinghouse-Amrail	425	2500-2924	still in service	Template:NYCS D Template:NYCS N Template:NYCS Q ( Template:NYCS S Franklin Avenue) (sometimes Template:NYCS B Template:NYCS W)	cars 2500-2915 in 4-car sets; 2916-2924 are singles used for the Franklin Avenue Shuttle
R68A	1988-1989	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	200	5001-5200	still in service	Template:NYCS N Template:NYCS Q (sometimes Template:NYCS B Template:NYCS W)	4-car sets
R110A	1992	Template:IRT	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	10	8001-8010	2003	was on Template:NYCS 2	R142 prototype
R110B	1992	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	Bombardier	9	3001-3009	2001	was on Template:NYCS A, then Template:NYCS C	R143 prototype, 3-car sets, 67 foot car
R142	1999-2003	Template:IRT	Bombardier	1030	6301-7180, 1101-1250	still in service	Template:NYCS 2 Template:NYCS 4 Template:NYCS 5	replaced the Redbirds
R142A	1999-2003	Template:IRT	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	520	7211-7730	still in service	Template:NYCS 4 Template:NYCS 6	replaced the Redbirds
R142S	2003-2005	Template:IRT	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	80	7731-7810	still in service	Template:NYCS 4	Supplement order for R142 contract, almost identical to R142A
R143	2001-2003	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	212	8101-8312	still in service	Template:NYCS L, ( Template:NYCS M weekends only)	4-car sets, CBTC compatible, first new 60-foot cars in over 30 years
R160A	2006-	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	Alstom	400	R160 A-1: 8313-8652 (4 Car Sets) R160 A-2: 8653-8712 (5 Car Sets)	N/A	Conformed lines on: J,M and Z (4-Car Sets) and G (5 Car Sets)	60 foot cars, new technology (Being delivered)
R160B	2006-	Template:IND (NYCS)/Template:BMT	Kawasaki Heavy Industries	260	8713-8972	N/A	Proposed Lines:B, N, Q , W	60 foot cars, new technology

Notes

All IND/BMT cars are 60 foot long unless noted; all IRT cars are 51 foot.
R44, R46, R68, R68A are 75 feet long
All cars R32 and after are stainless steel.
Air conditioning is standard on all cars R42 and later. R38s 4140-49 and R40s 4350-4549 were also delivered with A/C. R32s and R38s 3950-4139 were rebuilt with A/C.
"Number of cars" is the total number built per model and does not account for cars wrecked, scapped, etc.
Redbirds are R26, 28, 29, 33 and 36.

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