R40 (New York City Subway car)

Queens-bound W train of R40s at 34th Street-Herald Square

The R40 (sometimes referred to as R40 Slant to distinguish it from the later R40M) is a New York City Subway IND–BMT car, built in 1967–69 by the St. Louis Car Company, St. Louis, Missouri. These cars were unique for their 10 degree slanted end, designed by Raymond Loewy of Studebaker fame. The slant design did not work in very well in service, resulting in numerous modifications to the R40 fleet early on in their service life. Some early plans for the R40 fleet involved 5 car sets with slants only on the ends.

The first R40 set was delivered in November, 1967. In April 1968 the first cars went into service on the F service (6 Avenue Local).

The New York City Transit Authority found great dangers with the slant, with the lack of handholds for riders walking between cars, the danger of the passenger falling onto the track and other flaws in the design. All R40 cars were later retrofitted with pantograph gates at the ends. With the poorly conceived slant design, NYCTA had the last 100 R40 cars (R40M) built with a non-slant end similar to the R42. 200 R40A's (100 R40A slants and 100 "R40M") were built with original air conditioning.

In 1987–1989 the R40's were rebuilt by Sumitomo in Elmira Heights, New York.

Currently, R40 cars can be found on the B line. They are also used to provide extra service on the D during construction, games at Yankee Stadium, or the holiday season. They are based at Coney Island Complex yard in Brooklyn and the Concourse Yard in the Bronx.

The R40 cars are numbered 4150-4349. The R40A cars (slant end) are numbered 4350-4449 (100 cars), and the R40M (modified non-slant) are numbered 4450-4549 (100 cars). In January 2008, the R40 pair 4192-4193 was sent to the New York Transit Museum. They will most likely be preserved and moved to a yard. [1]. The R160A/R160B order will replace some or all of the R40 fleet. Some R40s have been retired. R40 cars being prepared for reefing

R-40 "Slants" Specifications

Car builder	St. Louis Car Company, St Louis, MO (USA)
Car body	Stainless Steel sides with Carbon Steel chassis and underframes, Fiberglass A-end bonnet
Unit numbers	4150-4349
Fleet Size	200 (Some retired)
Car dimensions	60 feet, 21⁄2 inches long 10 feet wide 12 feet, 15⁄8 inches high	18.35 m long 3.048 m wide 3.7 m high
Track, standard gauge	4 ft 81⁄2 in	1.435 m
Doorway width (side—clear opening)	4 ft 2 in	1.27 m
Wheel diameter	34 inches	864 mm
Propulsion system	General Electric (GE) SCM 17KG192AE2 propulsion system
DC Traction motors	General Electric (GE) 1257E1
Power (4 per car)	115 horsepower	86 kW
Brakes	WABCO "SMEE" Braking System. WABCO replaced the SMEE designation with the title RT-2 starting with the R-38 contract in 1966. Other than a name change other changes in the brake system include the replacement of the ME-42B brake valve with the ME-43 and the replacement of the variable load valve with a load sensor.
Average car weight (empty)	77,500 lb	35,153 kg
Maximum speed	65 mph	105 km/h (Later Lowered)
Total seated passengers	44
Air conditioning system	Two Thermo King HVAC units each car.
Cab Arrangement	Half-width driver's cab at "A" end, half-width conductor's cab at "B" end
Coupling/Numbering Arrangement	All married pairs.
Price per car (new, 1968)	US$ 111,793

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

External links

• nycsubway.org - NYC Subway Cars: R40