R40 (New York City Subway car)
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| R40 (New York City Subway car) | |
|---|---|
 R40 Slant northbound A train at Jay Street – Borough Hall  R40 Slant 4320 B train (interior) |
|
| Manufacturer | St. Louis Car Company |
| Constructed | 1967-1969 |
| Entered service | 1968 |
| Refurbishment | 1987-1989 |
| Scrapped | 2008-2009 |
| Number built | 200 |
| Number scrapped | approx. 200 (several preserved for work service, school cars and the New York Transit Museum) |
| Formation | Stainless Steel sides with Carbon Steel chassis and underframes, Fiberglass A-end bonnet |
| Fleet numbers | 4150-4349 (originally 4150-4249 and 4350-4449) |
| Capacity | 44 (seated) |
| Operator | New York City Subway |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Stainless steel |
| Car length | 60 ft 2.5 in (18.4 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 1.625 in (3.7 m) |
| Platform height | 3 ft 9.125 in (1.1 m) |
| Doors | 8 |
| Maximum speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Weight | 77,695 lb (35,242 kg) |
| Power supply | General Electric (GE) SCM 17KG192AE2 propulsion system using GE 1257E1 motors (115 hp per axle) |
| Braking system(s) | WABCO "SMEE" Braking System, A.S.F. simplex unit cylinder clasp (tread) brake |
| Gauge | 4 ft 81⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The R40 was a New York City Subway car built between 1967 and 1969 by the St. Louis Car Company in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the B (IND/BMT) Division. The R40 fleet is numbered 4150 - 4349; cars 4250 - 4349 were originally numbered as 4350 - 4449 until 1970 (cars 4150 - 4249 retained their original numbers). These cars were unique for their 15–degree slanted end, designed by the firm of Raymond Loewy and Associates.
The first incomplete pair of R40s (cars 4350 and 4351) came onto TA property in November 1967 for promoting the Transportation Bond issue on Election Day. In January 1968, the R40 fleet entered service on the F train.
The New York City Transit Authority found great dangers with the slanted design with the lack of handholds for riders walking between cars, the danger of the passenger falling onto the track, and other flaws. Within months, the cars were retrofitted with pantograph gates, which effectively destroyed Loewy's design, but allowed passengers to safely travel between cars.
Between 1987 and 1989 the R40s were rebuilt by Sumitomo in Elmira Heights, New York and were fitted with air conditioning.
In January 2008, pair 4192-4193 were preserved for the New York Transit Museum[1]; this pair was later scrapped. In May 2009, pair 4280-4281 were designated to be preserved instead.
The incoming R160 order has replaced the entire R40 fleet. The last pair (4256-4257) made its final trip on June 12, 2009 in A service with a consist of R40A slants, which were retired the same day. Pair 4162-4163 have been assigned to work service.
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Showing Image 79128". Nycsubway.org. 2007-12-28. http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?79128. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
[edit] Further reading
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: R40 (New York City Subway car) |
- 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
[edit] External links
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