R44
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R44 (New York City Subway car)
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| R44 (New York City Subway car) | |
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 SIR R44's at Saint George Terminal. Notice the repainted bulkheads signifying the SMS process. |
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 Interior of R44 #431 on the Staten Island Railway |
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| In service | 1971–Present |
| Manufacturer | St. Louis Car Company |
| Built at | St. Louis, Missouri, USA |
| Constructed | 1971–1973 |
| Refurbishment | July 1991 – January 1993[1] |
| Scrapped | 2010 (NYCT cars) |
| Number built | 342 |
| Number in service | 63 |
| Number scrapped | 279 (All 278 NYCT cars and 1 SIR car) |
| Formation | 4 car sets |
| Fleet numbers | 5202–5479 (NYC Subway) 388–435, 436–466 (even) (SIRTOA) (cars originally numbered 100–435, 436–466 (even)) |
| Capacity | A car: 72 (seated) B car: 76 (seated) |
| Operator | Staten Island Railway (1973-present), New York City Subway (1971-2010) |
| Depot(s) | Clifton Yard |
| Line(s) served | SIR |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Stainless steel with carbon steel chassis and underbody, with fiberglass end bonnets |
| Car length | 75 ft (22.86 m) |
| Width | 10 ft (3,048 mm) |
| Height | 12.08 ft (3,682 mm) |
| Platform height | 3.76 ft (1.15 m) |
| Doors | 8 |
| Maximum speed | Test: 87.75 mph (141.22 km/h) Service: 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Weight | A car: 88,950 lb (40,347 kg) B car: 84,530 lb (38,342 kg) |
| Traction system | NYC Subway: Westinghouse E-CAM XCA448F propulsion with Westinghouse 1447F motors 115 hp (85.8 kW) on all axles Staten Island Railway: General Electric CAM 17KG192A1 propulsion with GE 1257E1 motors 115 hp (85.8 kW) on all axles |
| Electric system(s) | 600 V DC Third rail |
| Current collection method | Contact shoe |
| Braking system(s) | NYC Subway: Westcode (dynamic and friction), WABCO tread brake unit Staten Island Railway: WABCO RT5C (dynamic and friction), WABCO tread brake unit |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The R44 is a New York City Transit car model that debuted in 1971 and currently operates on the Staten Island Railway.
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Contents
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History
The R44 was the first 75-foot (22.86 m) car for the New York City Subway. It was introduced for the B Division under the idea from New York City Transit that a train of eight 75-foot (22.86 m) cars would be more efficient than one of ten 60-foot (18.29 m) cars. Despite the increase in length, the R44s had eight pairs of doors per car (four on each side) like other B Division cars. As a result, eight 75-foot (22.86 m) car trains have only 64 (32 per side) pairs whereas ten 60-foot (18.29 m) car trains have 80 (40 per side).
To ensure the subway system could accommodate 75-foot (22.86 m) cars, two retired R1 cars (numbered 165 and 192; renumbered XC675 and XC575 respectively) were cut in half, lengthened to 75 feet (22.86 m) and sent to various places around the subway and the Staten Island Railway.[2] It was determined that the BMT Eastern Division (the J/Z, L and M services) would be too difficult to convert to allow 75-foot (22.86 m) length cars, so this was not done.
The R44s were the last subway cars built by St. Louis Car Company, which in 1973 ceased operations after the order was completed.
The R44s came in singles which needed each other to run, much like the "married pairs" of the R26/27/28/30s. These were reassembled after overhaul into ABBA sets of four. A cars are evenly numbered with operator cabs while B cars have odd numbers and no cabs.
The interior design was very different from previous models. The R44s had orange and yellow plastic bucket seats, a feature which would be incorporated into the other 75 footers. The seats were protected from the doorways by faux wood and glass panels. The walls were tan with "wallpaper"[vague] featuring the seals of New York State and New York City. This design continued onto the subsequent R46 cars.
The R44 was the first subway car since the BMT Green Hornet to incorporate a two-note warning tone that sounds immediately before the doors begin to close as the train prepares to leave the station. This has become the signature sound of the New York City subway and is used with later cars.
The R44 also set the world speed record for a subway car. On January 31, 1972, a consist reached a speed of 87.75 mph (141.22 km/h) on the Long Island Rail Road's main line between Woodside and Jamaica. With two motors per car disabled, the train still reached 77 mph (124 km/h). The cars were capable of reach higher speeds, but the length of the test track was insufficient to allow further acceleration.[3]
During the General Overhaul Program (GOH) from 1991–93, the R44s were rebuilt by NYCTA at 207 Street Overhaul Shop in Inwood, Manhattan, Coney Island Overhaul Shop in Brooklyn (cars 5342-5479 and all SIR cars), and Morrison-Knudsen (cars 5202-5341). All cars were given four-digit numbers (they previously had three-digit numbers) except for the SIR cars. The carbon steel blue stripes were repainted silver gray. Some cars (#'s 5228/9 and all SIR cars) had their carbon sections replaced with stainless steel panels. The rollsigns on the sides were replaced with electronic LCD signs, and were completely removed on the SIR cars.
The Staten Island Railway R44 cars are also known as R44 SI, ME-2, or MUE-2. The SIR's 64 R44s are modified to FRA standards for passenger equipment running on a freight road. Cars are numbered 388-466, all single units with couplers (no permanent sets), with 436-466 even numbers only. 388-399 are transfers from the subway system. Unlike the New York City Subway R44s, the SIR R44s retained their original 3-digit numbers and their rollsigns were removed and never replaced. They also retained their original two-note warning tone, unlike the New York City Subway R44s (and R46s), which had their warning tones replaced with ones found in the R62s and R68s.
Car 402 was scrapped after a derailment in December 2008.
From 2009-2010, The R44's had their bulkheads repainted, trucks rebuilt, new dark floors and blue bucket seats installed, and logos updated as part of their SMS (Scheduled Maintenance System) improvement treatment that is designed to extend useful service life. The SIR will then receive overhauled R46s from the main NYCT fleet when the R179s are delivered.[4]
The MTA was planning to replace all R44s with the R179s.[5] However, in light of structural integrity issues found on the New York City Subway cars, surveys were conducted which resulted in the decision to retire them with the rest of the R160s in place of the remaining R32s and R42s. The last train (5378-5381+5426-5429) made its final trip on September 18, 2010 on the A and C trains. After retirement, all cars are either stored out of service or undergoing scrapping.[6][7][8]
See also
- R46 (New York City Subway car) - A very similar model built by Pullman Standard
References
- Sansone, Gene. Evolution of New York City subways: An illustrated history of New York City's transit cars, 1867-1997. New York Transit Museum Press, New York, 1997 ISBN 978-0-9637492-8-4
External links
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