R36 World's Fair (New York City Subway car)
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| R36 World's Fair (New York City Subway car) | |
 R36 9401 at Corona Yard, Flushing, New York |
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| Manufacturer | St. Louis Car Company |
|---|---|
| Built at | St. Louis, Missouri, USA |
| Constructed | 1963-1964 |
| Entered service | 1964 |
| Refurbishment | 1981-83, 1984-86 |
| Scrapped | 2002-03, 2008[1] |
| Number built | 390 |
| Fleet numbers | 9346-9523, 9558-9769 |
| 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 (2.67 m) |
| Height | 11.86 feet (3.61 m) |
| Doors | 6 |
| Weight | 69,400 pounds (31,500 kg) (pre-rebuild) 72,000 pounds (33,000 kg) (rebuild units) |
| Traction system | Westinghouse XCA248 (cars 9346-9523), General Electric 17KG192 (cars 9558-9769) with Westinghouse (WH) 1447C or, General Electric (GE) 1240A5 DC motors (4/car, 100 HP) |
| Auxiliaries | Motor-generator and battery set (WH YX304E, GE 5GMG 153LI) |
| Power supply | 600 volt DC third rail |
| Braking system(s) | WABCO, "SMEE" (electrodynamic) |
| Gauge | 4 ft 81⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The R36 World's Fair (also known as R36 WF) New York City Subway cars were built in 1963-1964 by the St. Louis Car Company, St. Louis, Missouri. They were in service mostly on the IRT Flushing Line (7 train route) and for the 1964 New York World's Fair. These were the last entirely LAHT bodied (non-stainless) cars built for the New York City Subway.
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[edit] Early history
In 1962, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) ordered 430 cars for the 7 train. This route would run to the World's Fair grounds in Flushing Meadows in Queens. The first 40 cars were singles (R33 World's Fair), with the rest R36 cars. (Single cars were needed since the 7 service runs 11-car trains, and R36's come in only pairs.) The cars were to be painted in a light blue turquoise "Bluebird" scheme (see "Paint Schemes" below) and with large picture windows unlike other IRT cars. Thirty-four R36s were built for the IRT Main Line and had small drop sash windows.
The first R36 cars (9346-9350) arrived in fall 1963, shortly after the R33 WF's first arrived in September. With the fair opening April 12, 1964, R36 cars were being built and delivered in larger quantities. More cars arrived throughout 1964, enough to replace the R12, R14 and R15 on the 7 service by that close of that year.
[edit] The 1970s
Through the 1970s the R36s were the mainstay of the 7 service. The cars kept their original paint until 1972, when some were repainted in the new "Silver & Blue" scheme. Around 1975-78, the entire subway system was covered in graffiti. Most cars had their original paint covered up by then or were given a new white "anti-graffiti" covering by 1982.
[edit] The GOH program and rebuilding
The R36 were the first cars to be rebuilt in the NYCTA's General Overhaul Program (GOH) in the 1980s. This program improved car life by rebuilding older cars and keeping other cars in a state of good repair. A trial rebuild program was done on selected Westinghouse R36 cars in 1981-83. Beginning in late 1984, the other R36 cars were rebuilt at rate of 200 cars per year, with the majority of them done in-house at the NYCTA's main shop at Coney Island, Brooklyn. Other were rebuilt by General Electric in Buffalo, New York and by Amtrak at its Beech Grove, Indiana and Wilmington, Delaware shops. The last remaining cars were sent out for rebuild in mid/late 1985 and by 1986 all cars were fully back in service rebuilt.
[edit] Late 1980s and 1990s
After rebuilding, the 7 service's R36 cars were first repainted in a red scheme starting around 1985-86. At first the scheme, known as "Silver Fox" or "Gunn Red" after NYCT chief David L. Gunn, was a graffiti resistant red that was also easy to clean. By 1989, the Gunn Red would evolve into the Redbird scheme best known to many New Yorkers, with beige interiors, red exterior paint and interior doors and black and silver exterior trim along the car windows, roof and undersides.
In 1999 the R36 cars were the most reliable in the NYCT fleet, with a Mean Distance Between Failure (MDBF) rate of 194,150 miles, despite being 35 years old at the time. While in decent shape mechanically, rust holes were beginning to form in the sides of most of the cars by 2000.
In the 1990s and until mid 2001, cars 9478-9523 usually ran on the 6 service at Westchester Yard in the Bronx. Previously, some R36 WFs had been assigned to the 1 and 3 services in the 1970s.
[edit] Phasing out
In 1998, New York City Transit announced that it would phase out its Redbird cars. The Redbirds — R26, R28, R29, R33 and R36 — would be replaced by modern R142 cars.
Most of the Redbirds (over 1,100) were submerged off the coast of Delaware, New Jersey, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia as artificial barrier and diving reefs.
While the Redbirds on the IRT Main Line were beginning to be retired starting in early 2001, the 7 service was all Redbird until January 2002. That month, a set of R62A's arrived from the IRT Main Line. As R142 sets were delivered, the 3 and 6 services would give up their R62A's to the 7, replacing R36's. R36's were still plentiful in 2002, since R142 delivery was slow that year.
By mid-2003 Redbird sets were dwindling on the 7 service. Only a few sets were running by fall. The last Redbird train ran along the 7 on November 3, 2003, marking the retirement of the Redbird cars.
Since then, some of the remaining R36s have been used on occasion for work service. One pair (9564-65) was transferred to Coney Island in December 2004 for conversion of 9565 to a visitor center at Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens, Queens, but R33 ML 9075 was used instead in January 2005. 9564-65 was subsequently scrapped in early 2008.
[edit] The future
There were uncredited rumors that the R36s would run in service one last time in 2004 on the 7 service for the Centennial of the New York City Subway and the 40th Anniversary of the 1964 World's Fair. Although the R36WF fleet did not make it out for the centennial, 8 R33 MLs did, and were painted in various historical paint schemes. 9400-01 are likely candidates for a Redbird museum train and are currently at Corona Yard.
[edit] The R36 in media and culture
Eight WH cars (9356-57, 9360-61, 9394-95, 9412-13) and two GE cars (9712-13) in addition to one R33 WF (9327) were wrapped and painted in New York Mets colors on October 24, 2000 prior to Game 3 of the 2000 World Series between the Yankees and Mets.
In addition, the R36 cars have made cameo roles in various TV shows and movies. They appear in several scenes in Spider-Man (2002), on The King of Queens and the opening credits of "NYPD Blue". Nicolas Cage rides the 7 in It Could Happen to You (1994). In the 1988 movie Cocktail, Tom Cruise gets off R36 9700 at Vernon-Jackson station. In Willard", Willard is seen boarding a Redbird.
[edit] Paint schemes
The R36 cars have worn many paint schemes since 1964.
- World's Fair Light Blue "Bluebird" (Turquoise blue) (1964-1981)
- NYCTA/MTA Silver & Blue (1972-1981)
- Plain White (1981-1986)
- Red, nickname: "Redbird" (1986-)
[edit] Route assignment history
- Note: Some 9400/9500-series R36s were assigned to the Main Line 1982-88 during the GOH/rebuild program period.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Most cars removed from service in 2002/2003, 4 additional cars scrapped 2008.
[edit] External links
- nycsubway.org - NYC Subway Cars: R33/R36 World's Fair
- R36 photos
- R36 WF technical sheets and drawings
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