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The R16 was a New York City Subway car manufactured by American Car and Foundry Company. The R16s were assigned to the BMT Eastern Division, although they showed up[weasel words] on the IND Queens and BMT Southern divisions from time to time.[weasel words]
Although thought ugly[weasel words] by many[who?] at the time,[when?] they quickly[weasel words] became the new standard in car design for New York City Transit Authority.[citation needed] Structurally and mechanically, they were larger R15s,[citation needed] but these cars were aesthetically[specify] much plainer[weasel words] then the R15 model. The R16s were neither known for their speed nor their reliability.[clarification needed] The GE cars would often[vague] ignite debris stuck in their cooling grids, causing many[vague] problems.[specify] It is thought[weasel words] by some[by whom?] that the fire that burned down the station at Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue in the late 1970s[when?] was caused by a train of R16s.[citation needed]
The R16s were delivered in 1955, painted kale green.[clarification needed] Two cars[specify] were painted gold for a celebration[specify] in 1955, and some[specify] were painted bright red in the early 1960s.[clarification needed] The whole fleet was given a silver and blue theme[clarification needed] in 1970, and it[clarification needed] kept that paint scheme until the cars were retired. There were two fleets of R16s: Westinghouse (R16WH) equipped cars 6300-6399 and General Electric (R16GE) equipped cars 6400-6499. The R16GEs were replaced by the R46s in 1977, but reactivated due to the R46 truck issues,[specify] and then lasted until 1983. The R16WH cars were replaced in 1987 by the R68 fleet.
Four R16s exist today: 6305 and 6339 at MTA NYC Transit's Coney Island Complex in Brooklyn, 6387 at the New York Transit Museum, and 6398 at the Trolley Museum of New York, Kingston, NY.[1]
[edit] R-16 Specifications
- Car Builder: American Car and Foundry, USA
- Car Body: LAHT carbon steel
- Unit Numbers: 6300-6499
- Fleet of: 200 cars
- Car Length: 60 feet, 21⁄2 inches (18.35 m)
- Car Width: 10 feet (3.05 m)
- Car Height: 12 feet, 15⁄8 inches (3.70 m)
- Track Gauge: 4 feet, 81⁄2 inches (1435 mm)
- Power: 100 horsepower (75 kW) / 4 per car
- Propulsion System: Westinghouse UPC631A; GE MCM 17KG113D1
- DC Traction Motors: Westinghouse 1447C; GE 1240A4
- Brakes: WABCO ME42 SMEE
- Maximum Speed: 55 mph (88.5 km/h)
- Total Weight: GE cars (6400-6499) 84,532 lb, WH cars (6300-6399) 86,270 lb
- Total Seating: 70
- Price per car : USD$ 121,442
[edit] 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 978-0963749284
