M. Friday 1986

One of New York City's odd but also amusing instances of street naming:

Today at about noon while on the Deegan I-87, I briefly glanced at what I saw was a single R110B car at 207 Street Yard's Track 65 (same track where recent scrap cars left property this year). No clue on car number (Stef on Subchat reports it to be car 3007), but I could tell it was an A-car unit; front cab was facing the 215th Street gate. I assume this is the car...or one of the cars....(?) from the 3001-3003 set that will be heading to Floyd Bennett Field?

Seemed interesting enough to share (if posted elsewhere on here, my apologies) - posted on Subchat member Gold_12th: http://www.subchat.com/readflat.asp?Id=1264549&p=1#1264554

SMS program on R-32, R-42, R-46, R-142A, R-143, R-160 car fleet

"MTA is buying a lot of Westcode products (air brakes, door operator, HVAC components)....

Highlights in the contract:

R46 will undergo a overhaul on air brake and door controls in 2014-2016.

R142A HVAC overhaul now through 2014 and again 2016-2019.

R143 HVAC overhaul 2015-2017

R160 HVAC overhaul now til 2020.

Cost: ~$8 million.

page 176: http://web.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/131216_1030_transit-bus.pdf "

Well I guess either way we can be sure that we will start to see in time fantrips made up of cold war era SMEE's.

Looking forward to that and one with the Redbirds.

That's the news floating around on the net and from what people has personally told me. The train of 'silver colors'.

Or perhaps "The '60s Train"...seeing each car class was built throughout the 1960s. 

Yea the R26,28/29 pairs will be getting work done to them, after R36WF 9586/7 is done, btw they will be redbirds still

Yup, I was told the same as well. R26, R28, R29, R36ML, and R36WF will remain as Redbirds and will be included into the museum collection with the 8 R33ML TOMC cars.

EDIT: I also read there's interest in making a train of R32/38/40/40M/42s as well.

In R110A and R110B news:

According to this post on Subchat : http://www.subchat.com/read.asp?Id=1263521

The R110B cars 3001-3003 are currently in the shop, as they've been chosen to be used by the NYPD at Floyd Bennett Field. They're replacing the R33ML Redbird 9156-57 that used to be there and are now gone (no idea if this will also replace the R32GE pair 3594-95 there, that's for anyone else to find out).

Also in that same thread, regarding the R110A 8006-8010 that was sent recently to 207 Street Yard, it seems only the B-cars (8007, 8008, 8009) will go through the conversion to pump cars at this time. What plans are for 8006 and 8010 are unknown at this time.

Post about the R110A here: http://www.subchat.com/read.asp?Id=1263549

3007-3008 are still paired and parked behind the old R12...it'd take a fair effort to get those cars out, and whoever informed him it was only one car is incorrect.

I drove by the yard on the Major Deegan this morning and, whatever cars that were supposed to be there, weren't there anymore. But after seeing the pictures you posted yeaterday, I realized cars 3001-3003 weren't where they would normally be parked. The question is where they'd be heading to.

For anyone interested, as posted by Stef on Subchat -  http://www.subchat.com/read.asp?Id=1263320

"R188 Car 7843 has arrived on the property at 239th St Yard as per my sources; so I will be looking for a complete set of Cars 7838-43 in a few days."
 

So another set should be here soon. But......

"One which I am not so clear on right now involves the R110B. Have been told one car (3007) has been moved to the track (65) that goes out onto 215th St. Chances are, it's leaving the property."

The second bit seemed more interesting to me. An R110B leaving property? As I understand, these cars can't be scrapped (at least not right now) due to them being purchased by federal money. So this can't be a scrap move. Anyone here have any ideas?

I've noticed the R156 isn't running on the Siemens SITRAC AC propulsion that are quote on quote 'tested and proven' on the R160's. This is why I didn't see R156 6 cylinder diesel electrics pulling alot of cargo. Without weight attached however they can accelerate pretty quickly.

I noticed this too, whenever an R156 is making a move, there aren't many cars in the consists.  I heard they can't pull or push many cars.

I was on the holiday train today and a transit worker who works at 207th St answered many of my questions:

Concerning the preservation of R1 #103;

I just put it in the shop to get repainted

Read somewhere that there was also a bent frame on car 103. They'll be working on it. Hope one day they'll work on the Low-V World's Fair car also at 207th Street. 

Car assignment changes?

Besides the R62As to the and the R188s to the nothing else.

Cool.

CLASSIFIED INFO

R110A set 8006-8010 from 239 St has been moved to 207 St to be converted to pump cars like the other set.

The move was done a couple of nights ago, as per Stef on Subchat - R33ML cars 9010-11 and 9206-07 and a work R33WF made the move. I thought there was a plan to keep two cars (an A-unit and a B-unit) but I guess the plans changed.

 

Repainting of R36WF 9586-9587;

Probably going to be repainted red not blue and white like 9306.

To add, the other Redbird pairs at Concourse Yard are supposedly going to get the same treatment eventually. I think the idea is to send each pair to be fix up one at a time. The R36ML pair outside the museum is also included in this, I believe.

R143 #8277-8280 at 207;

Getting repaired, will take some time

They've been working on that set for ages.

 

R17/R21 @ Concourse;

Probably going to be scrapped at some point later; hoped they could be saved

In my opinion, probably not, unfortunately. They removed their windows, as well as rollsigns (and one number board from the R17)  years ago, and all the elements have gotten into the car. The R21 in particular last I heard, had an anticlimber missing. And someone years ago posted a picture of its interior. It was a big big mess. If anything, they could salvage the cars for parts of something for other preserved cars.

Scrappings?

Nothing being scrapped at the moment

Last cars scrapped - R27 8145 and R30 8463 last October. There are a few other cars that are set for scrap, like R22 7486 at 207th Street and R36WF cars 9582-83 at Unionport Yard, which were vandalized and have a window missing. We'll see what happens.

R179 Car assignment

Not sure yet, possibly the , but problem with the power from LIPA in the Rockaways like the R160s had. Possibly in service to Lefferts, but it would be a problem if the train had to be rerouted.

Hmmm, I thought they fixed that issue?

How would later car orders work out?

Possibly with different power

Sounds vague, but interesting.

Are the R12/R14 @ 207th going to be preserved?

I think so

They are preserved, last I remember hearing.

With the R156s coming will the older locomotives be scrapped?

Probably not, the R156s aren't working out that well , they can't pull that many cars, maybe a few flatbed cars?

Heard this elsewhere also. The overall consensus on these locomotives - they suck.

 

 

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All my comments in Blue. Thanks for sharing!

So I was on a work-related trip to the Transit Museum this afternoon and among checking out the cars, I noticed that R15 car 6239 has a couple of mean dents upper mid-body, one right over the middle door of the car, and the other to the upper right of said door. Also noticed one window was cracked and fixed up with some scotch tape and part of the rubber frame supporting that window was popping out. Check out this photo and see what I mean:

Photo by Nicholas Noel - 5/12/13

Also, the R44 5240 received one of the old school New York City Transit logos, and looks really good on the car. And the French Connection R42 pair look very sharp.

Saturday Night Live sketch done at the New York Transit Museum -

http://www.hulu.com/watch/563307

Perhaps this has been announced elsewhere, but I figured I'd share this here. According to this post on Subchat - http://www.subchat.com/read.asp?Id=1259246

Arnine cars 100, 484, and 1575 left the New York Transit Museum yesterday in preparation for the Holiday Train rides that will be happening soon. In their place, R42 French Connection pair 4572-73 will be put on display.

Get the cameras ready!

Question to you guys who might happen to know:

As you guys know, the last railcars scrapped off NYCT property occured last October 22nd with R27 8145 and R30 8463. Lately, scrapping's come to a standstill, though I noticed that there are a few cars left on property that have been sitting in storage, including:

- a handful of R33WF cars scattered at Unionport Yard and 207th Street Yard

- 4 R36WF cars at Unionport Yard (9582-85)

- R17 6895 and R21 7267 at Concourse Yard

- R22 7486 at 207th Street Yard

Question: what's the timeline for the rest of these cars to go to scrap? Does this have anything to do with the scrapping of cars already off property? Are there other cars not mentioned going to scrap?

Thanks, guys!

Forgot to mention this yesterday, but I saw a full 11-car R62A set passing through Times Square on the Broadway line, heading southbound.

I saw it too but i was at 57 St-7 Av

Now I wonder this - are the Redbirds (specifically the ones from Corona) even being used for these yard moves anymore?

For anyone who missed it today,

The New York Transit Museum's Facebook page posted this picture of inside R42 4572 up today:

Also a correction from them:

"***CORRECTION: The French Connection featured cars 4572-4573 (R42s) under the BMT West End Elevated on 86th Street in Bensonhurst, NOT these R36 cars*** Thanks for your comments!"

Random Observations - 11/5/13

Just got out of a meeting down in Brooklyn and riding the line to get to the Brighton Line to get home. Among the things i saw at Coney Island Yard:

R16 6305 is painted almost completely in silver. Car looks really neat; they didnt get much of the upper roof, though. No painting done to 6339 it seems. A BMT Standard is hooked to the R16s. No pictures, as it was getting pretty dark.

Also, the lone R46 is car 5576. It's no longer a lone car; a B-car was hooked to it. So I assume this car and the rest of the 4-car unit was there for some sort of long term work.

Might be old news to many. In case no one saw this yet....

From the New York Transit Museum's Facebook page:

"Ten years ago today the R36 Redbirds made their last runs in active service. They were brought out for the 1964 World’s Fair but didn’t receive their distinctive red coloring until the 1980s. R36 World’s Fair cars 9586 and 9587 will be coming to the New York Transit Museum soon, pending a new paint job! You may recognize them from the unforgettable car & subway chase scene in The French Connection (although the car numbers were changed for the film)!"

Also being added to the fleet, this BMT Pump Car:

"Say hello to a future member of our collection: The original BMT Pump Car! The left image shows the pump car in 1940, and the right image shows the car now. After layers of paint are removed, the car will be restored to its original maroon color. Pump trains were used after Superstorm Sandy to drain flooded tunnels. Courtesy of New York Transit Museum

Random Notes - For those interested:

R36WF cars 9586-87 were out of the 207th Street Shop today, hooked up to the R42 French Connection pair (4572-73). Looks to have had lots of patch work on the Redbird pair; both cars were covered with sandy-colored patches around them. All stickers were also removed from the cars. So I assume that whatever repairs these two needed are now done and I would suppose they're up for repainting soon. I wonder if the other Mainline Redbirds at Concourse Yard will get this same treatment soon.

No scrappings seem to be taking place at this time still.

So guys, sorry if this has been asked and answered before...I was wondering about something:

Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Location: 207th Street Shop
Car: R-110A (Kawasaki, 1992) 8005
Photo by: Daniel Negron
Date: 2/14/2013

So these cars were being converted to new Pump Cars last February. My question is: what kind of progress has been done so far on these cars, if any since February?

Also, a related but separate question: I read somewhere one car of each, an R110A and R110B is to be preserved. Is that true?

Thanks, guys.
 

Today's scrap notes, 10/22/13:

R27 8145 and R30 8463 have finally left to New Jersey a little before 2pm this afternoon. Four trucks were used: two for the railcars and two for the cars' trucks and other parts. Both cars have been stripped of glass and windows it seems. As a gag, pieces of paper were put on the end rollsign windows of 8145 - New Jersey. Like the school cars that left yesterday, 8463 still had advertisements up inside. Photos of this move will be up tonight.

In other notes, R40 cars 4280-81 and R42 4572-73 have joined up with the Arnines at 207 Street Yard. The R95 Revenue Collection Cars, I did not see their location in the yard (pehaps inside the shop?).

No cars next up on the scrap line at this time.

Today's scrap notes, 10/21/13:

R30 ex. Coney Island School Cars 8424-25 were trucked out of Manhattan today on the way to Newark at about 2pm this afternoon. Photos of this will follow this evening, so keep an eye out for that, folks.

Next up on the scrap line: R27 8145 (terrible!) and R30 8463 - the Pitkin Pair.

They're f**king idiots if they get rid of 8145, that's the only R27 left and it could be linked to 8506, they can't use the other R30s unless they modify them to run with 8506, 8145 would save time because they weren't rebuilt

And it's sad that it could be going. I've always thought that, unless there was a big problem with the car, be it a rusted frame or rotted floor or something dangerous that it cannot be preserved, there's no reason why 8145 can't be saved. Just why it cannot be saved or preserved, is something I would like to know. That's if we ever do know; people closely related to the happenings on the inside might have some sort of knowledge to what's going on, but won't or can't share the reasons, whatever they might be. Either way, it's still unfortunate. Time moves on though...

My way of thinking is this: take the R12/14 combo (5782 and 5871, respectively) at 207th Street Yard for example. Those two cars have sat outdoors for a few decades. About half of that time was spent in the open sea air of Coney Island Yard. They've endured practically all the elements - blizzards, rainstorms, hurricanes, to name a few. Yet these cars are saved for preservation. We have an R10, 3189, that sat immobile but protected from weather inside Pitkin Yard for over 20 years. It got saved for preservation. Why not 8145, which along with 3189, sat protected from the elements for years? What problems does the car have that, not even the Railway Preservation Corp., wanted to preserve it? And why wasn't the New York Transit Museum interested in this car?

At least we have R30 8506. And I'm happy, grateful, and satisfied with the collection we have and of the collections of elsewhere. I'm glad they saved an R44 even. That's why when I visit the museum, I give a donation any way I can so that they can keep going with what they do.  It's only that, adding an R27 to the collection - or any collection for that matter - is a great opportunity: not only it's the only remaining R27, but it's a specimen of Redbird subway cars on the BMT. And it's been a place where employees have gone thought training (no pun intended) to help move this city. It's just unfortunate that 8145 could be leaving us soon and there is an opportunity to save some part of history. Just my $0.02

According to this post on subchat: http://www.subchat.com/read.asp?Id=1254401

"There are those two R30s from CIY waiting for scrap on the dock track. I heard they and that R27 are NOT getting shop time to get stripped of their 2CYs and M.G.s. Very sad the shops aren't as friendly as they used to be"

So it seems they're sending off R27 8145 after all... Unfortunate though, especially since it'll be going off with parts that could go on other preserved cars, like that 2CY compressors and such. Oh well...