R9 (New York City Subway car)

R9 1802 in passenger service on the V train in December of 2007 for a special holiday event

The R9 was a New York City Subway car which was built in 1940 for the IND and its successors, which included the NYC Board of Transportation and the New York City Transit Authority.

Service History and Preservation

A total of 153 R9 (or "Arnine") cars were ordered from two different manufacturers. Cars 1650 - 1701 were built by American Car and Foundry, while cars 1702 - 1802 were built by Pressed Steel. 150 of the new cars were ordered for service on the new IND Sixth Avenue Line, which opened on December 15, 1940. The Sixth Avenue Line was the second IND Manhattan trunk line (joining the 1932 IND Eighth Avenue Line), and therefore the additional cars were needed for new service. The remaining 3 cars in the R9 contract were ordered as replacements for 3 older IND cars that had been damaged beyond repair as a result of a 1936 collision.

The 153 R9 cars remained the newest part of the IND fleet until the arrival of the R10 cars in 1948. The R9s were used for service on the IND exclusively until 1968, when they were moved to the East New York Yard and used on former BMT routes, specifically the Eastern Division. The fleet of R9 cars stayed intact and in service until being retired from service in 1976 and 1977. The last day of R9 cars in service was March 31, 1977 as the cars made their final run on the J route.

Following their retirement, the majority of the cars were scrapped. However, three have been preserved.

• Car 1689 has been preserved by the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, Connecticut and is being restored
• Car 1801 has been preserved by the New York State Museum in Albany, New York
• Car 1802 has been preserved by Railway Preservation Corp. and has been restored

R-9 Specifications

• Car Builder: American Car and Foundry (1650–1701), Pressed Steel Company (1702–1802)
• Car Body: Riveted Steel
• Unit Numbers: 1650-1802 (motorized single units)
• Fleet: 153 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)
• Total Weight: ~84,575.5 lbs
• Track Gauge: 4 feet, 8¹⁄₂ inches (1435 mm)
• Propulsion System:
• Motors: Westinghouse 570-D5 or General Electric 714-D4, 714-D5
• Motor Power: 190 hp
• Braking System: WABCO Schedule AMUE with UE-5 universal valve, ME-23 brake stand, and simplex clasp brake rigging
• Air Compressor: WABCO D-3-F
• Coupler Type: WABCO H2A
• Total Seating: 56 seats
• Cab arrangement: Half-width operator's cab at each end; conductor controls on exterior

External links

• www.nycsubway.org R9 Page

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