R38 (New York City Subway car)
| R38 (New York City Subway car) | |
|---|---|
 Train of R38s on the C service. |
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| Manufacturer | St. Louis Car Company |
| Built at | St. Louis, Missouri, USA |
| Constructed | 1966–1967 |
| Entered service | 1967 |
| Refurbishment | 1987–1988 |
| Scrapped | 2008-2009 |
| Number built | 200 |
| Number in service | 0 |
| Number preserved | 2 |
| Number scrapped | 198 |
| Formation | Married Pairs |
| Fleet numbers | 3950–4149 |
| Capacity | 56 (seated) |
| Operator | New York City Subway |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Stainless Steel sides with Carbon Steel chassis, roof and underbody, with fiberglass top front and top rear bonnets. |
| Car length | 60 ft (18.3 m) |
| Width | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Height | 12.08 ft (3.7 m) |
| Platform height | 3.76 ft (1.1 m) |
| Doors | 8 |
| Maximum speed | 55 miles (89 km) |
| Weight | 77,420 lb (35,117 kg) |
| Traction system | General Electric (GE) SCM 17KG192AE2/H7 propulsion system using General Electric (GE) 1257E1 (115 hp per axle) |
| Braking system(s) | WABCO E2 "SMEE" Braking System, A.S.F. simplex unit cylinder clasp (tread) brake |
| Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The R38 is a New York City Subway car class built in 1966–1967 for the New York City Transit Authority to run on routes previously operated by the IND and BMT. A total of 200 R38 cars were ordered.
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[edit] Description
The cars were arranged in what are known as "married pairs" of two cars semi-permanently coupled together by a linkbar. Like the R32 before them, the R38 had body siding made of stainless steel.
The R38 was the first to have air conditioning. The last 10 cars (4140–4149) were delivered with original prototype Air Conditioning in July 1967. From this point, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) began adopting air conditioning as standard equipment on new cars.
The R38s were similar to the R32s, but had several differences, including a New York City Transit Authority seal on the cab ends, being half-fluted (up to the side windows) instead of fully fluted, and different interior design and number plates.
The R38s were rebuilt by General Electric at its Buffalo, New York facility in 1987–1988. During the rebuilding process, the R38s were fully equipped with air conditioning systems. Prior to rebuilding, the R38 featured curtain route signs on their bulkheads displaying the service bullet and destination similar to the R32. After rebuilding, they received Luminator flipdot signs that displayed the service letter only.
The R160 order has replaced all of the R38 fleet. The last pair (4098+4099) made its final trip on the C train on March 18, 2009 and has now been scrapped.
Cars 4028 and 4029 have been preserved, repainted, and set aside for the New York Transit Museum.
[edit] Popular culture
The scene on a subway train in Coming to America was shot on an R38. Also, the opening scene of the movie Saturday Night Fever shows a train of R38s on the B train. Both scenes show the R38 before it was refurbished.
[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 978-0-9637492-8-4
[edit] External links
- nycsubway.org - NYC Subway Cars: R38
- Car Status/Assignment
- NYCSubway.org - Photo of scrapped R38 Car # 3950
- R16-R38 Rollsign Simulation
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