R33 World's Fair
| R33 World's Fair (New York City Subway car) | |
|---|---|
 R33 WF 9306, in its original colors, leads the Train of Many Colors through 40 St – Lowery St on a 7 Express run to Mets – Willets Point, April 2008 |
|
 R33 WF 9306 in service on the 7 train |
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| Manufacturer | St. Louis Car Company |
| Built at | St. Louis, Missouri, USA |
| Constructed | 1963 |
| Entered service | 1963 |
| Refurbishment | 1985 |
| Number built | 40 |
| Number preserved | 2 |
| Number scrapped | 2 |
| Fleet numbers | 9306–9345 |
| Capacity | 44 (seated) |
| Operator | New York City Subway |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | LAHT (Low Alloy High Tensile) steel |
| Car length | 51.04 feet (15.56 m) |
| Width | 8.75 feet (2,667 mm) |
| Height | 11.86 feet (3,615 mm) |
| Doors | 6 |
| Weight | 75,122 lb (34,075 kg) (pre-rebuild) |
| Traction system | Westinghouse XCA248E with Westinghouse (WH) 1447C |
| Auxiliaries | Motor-generator and battery set (WH YX304E) |
| Electric system(s) | 600 V DC Third rail |
| Current collection method | Contact shoe |
| Braking system(s) | WABCO, "SMEE" (electrodynamic) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The R33 World's Fair (R33 WF) is a class of 40 single cars for the New York City Subway car built in late 1963. They were made for the "A" Division, but only assigned to the 7 service (IRT Flushing Line) and were based out of Corona Yard. They were used to make 11-car trains with the R36 WF cars, which were built as two-car sets (pairs). They were built by the St. Louis Car Company in St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1964 New York World's Fair.
The first solid train of R33 Worlds Fair's was placed in service on the 7 on September 26, 1963.
These cars were rebuilt "in-house" in 1985 by the Coney Island Shop, but not equipped with air conditioning system and retained their original Axiflow ceiling fans. They were the last New York City Subway car to not have air conditioning. For this reason, they were not used during the summer months due to poor air circulation or air flow and high humidity. The last car # 9309 made its final trip on November 3, 2003 on the 7 service with ten R36 WF cars, marking the end of the Redbirds.
Most R33 WF cars are currently work motors and the number 1 was placed before the former number (i.e. car 9345 became 19345). They are based out of various yards around the system. They handle many tasks and are versatile, doing car moves, trash pickup and yard switching. The only exceptions are 9306, which has been part of the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn since 1976 (the only R33 WF car to not be rebuilt), 9321 and 9339, which were retired and reefed between 2001 and 2010,[1] respectively, and 9327, which is at the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Although the R33/36 WF cars were referred to as Redbirds, the original paint scheme was actually light turquoise blue and white upon delivery. This paint color scheme was used until the mid-1970s when they were painted "Silver/Blue" for the MTA livery. Then they were painted a full white (roof, bonnets, sides were all painted white) in 1981 and 1982 to combat graffiti. The look was abandoned for the famous "Redbird" style. The Redbirds were painted between 1984 and 1989 to a deep maroon red body, black front bonnets and anti-climbers, and silver roof.
See also [edit]
- R36 World's Fair (New York City Subway car) - a married pair version and a very similar model also built by St. Louis Car Company.
Image gallery [edit]
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R33 WF 9309 at Corona Yard
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Cars 9333 (R33 World's Fair) and 9533 (R36 Main Line) are visible on the
platform at Hunts Point Avenue in 2002, shortly before their retirement
References [edit]
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