Concerning the GOH Program/Rebuilds

[R10 2952]

Just a couple of questions:

-Did the GOH program have an official beginning and an official end? When did it begin and end?

-Which rebuilds were the best/worst? Why?

-What were the main reasons for retiring Phase II R-32s? (Were these the cars that made those leaky brake noises? How did one identify a Phase II?) What about the early retirement of the GE R-32s?

-Why were there such vast differences in the quality of rebuilds (For example, 207th Street-rebuild R-44 versus CI-rebuild R-42)?

-Why were some cars not rebuilt or refurbished (I don't mean cars that were too old (R-10) or too crappy (R-16), but more 'reasonable' possibilities, like R-21/22, R-27/30, R-15, etc.)?

-Why was the cosmetic appearance of certain car classes changed during GOH [specifically, the stainless-steel cars (replacement of bulkheads on R-32/38, replacement of doors and EXP/LOCAL lights on R-40, discontinuation of blue stripe on R-42/44/46, etc.)

-How were the cars that were sent to the shops for overhaul temporarily replaced? (Example: 20 R-36s are sent to overhaul. What takes their place?)

 

I've never really been able to find concrete information on the General Over-Haul program, so I've always been intrigued by it.

[Fan Railer]

Did the GOH program have an official beginning and an official end? When did it begin and end?

 

Generally, GOH took place from 1987-1992.

 

-Why were there such vast differences in the quality of rebuilds (For example, 207th Street-rebuild R-44 versus CI-rebuild R-42)?

 

Quality differences were primarily dependent on the overhauler. for instance, the CI R42s were worse than the Mk R42's because one, CI was undergoing heavy reconstruction, and the team in charge of the overhaul consisted of "rookies" hired from the bankrupt Pan Am. at Coney Island was not able to overhaul them with the quality that MK was able to do. Cost overruns for that project were by 50%.

 

-Why was the cosmetic appearance of certain car classes changed during GOH [specifically, the stainless-steel cars (replacement of bulkheads on R-32/38, replacement of doors and EXP/LOCAL lights on R-40, discontinuation of blue stripe on R-42/44/46, etc.)

 

Cosmetically, it the express/local lights (present on the R32, R38, R40) were seen as redundant electrical equipment, as the passenger should be able to read the side curtains and the line bullet and be able to determine whether or not the train was running express or local. retaining those lights would have ment one more thing for the yard shops to maintain. As for the blue stripe, it would have costed more to keep the blue stripe, since they need to be repainted more often to maintain a decent appearence, as opposed to either getting rid of them (R40-R42) or repainting them grey (R44-R46).

 

-Why were some cars not rebuilt or refurbished (I don't mean cars that were too old (R-10) or too crappy (R-16), but more 'reasonable' possibilities, like R-21/22, R-27/30, R-15, etc.)?

In fact, several R30s were indeed refurbed, but the quality was mediocre, so they ended up being scrapped a little less than 5 years afterword (some brand new propulsion equipment went to the R36 GOH). but otherwise, it was probably not the most cost effective way to go about things, meaning it would have been cheaper to outright replace those cars.

 

-How were the cars that were sent to the shops for overhaul temporarily replaced? (Example: 20 R-36s are sent to overhaul. What takes their place?)

The NYCTA maintains something called a spare factor in the fleet (as in, cars planned to not be in service, just sit in the yard). this factor usually ranges from 10-15% of the fleet. currently, the B division maintains 16.8% spare factor (600 cars, unusually high due to ongoing car replacements), while the A division maintains a 14.7% spare factor (407 cars). both spare factor #'s come from http://www.thejoekorner.com/carassignments/index.html and http://www.thejoekorner.com/cars/cars-current.htm

 

so this way, there are always cars to replace the ones taken out for maintanence or rebuild.

 

as for the other questions, you'd have to ask people more familiar with specific car classes for more detailed answers.

[SubwayGuy]

-What were the main reasons for retiring Phase II R-32s? (Were these the cars that made those leaky brake noises? How did one identify a Phase II?) What about the early retirement of the GE R-32s?

 

A Phase II could be identified by the equipment on the car itself, as well as one little thing that a rider could use to tell them apart if he or she was looking to.

 

R32 Phase I:

GE Master Controller

WABCO brake package

Thermoking AC Unit

Vapor door equipment

Something you could see: Side door cutout key switch located on the inside of the door frame

 

R32 Phase II:

WH Master Controller

NYAB brake package

Stone Safety AC Unit

Midland Ross door equipment

Something you could see: Side door cutout key switch located near the door, on the side of the heater casing closest to the door. It sits in a square "frame" on the side of the heater and beneath the seat.

 

The Phase II's were retired early because of problems with the New York Air Brake package. In a given train, when the T/O attempted to release the brakes, some cars would not release, and others would take a very long time to. Cars taking a while to release could be problematic since they would "drag" and the train would take power and begin to move with the shoes still applied in some places. Not only did this make for an uncomfortable ride with a good deal of bucking, but it will wear out brake shoes and train wheels faster. At the time the decision was made to retire them, there were more than enough other cars to cover the service requirements, so when they went revenue inactive, many sat up in Concourse Yard for a while until they could get them down to 207th for the reef.

 

The pair saved for the Transit Museum is a Phase II pair (3352-3)

[mark1447]

Generally, GOH took place from 1987-1992.

 

 

This is wrong. GOH started in 1984/85 staring with redbirds. I think R33WF was first.

 

 

@R10 I guess the ML R33 were the best, they had A/Cs, Worlds fair 33/36, didnt had these. I wonder if R26/28/29 had ACs too

[INDman]

This is wrong. GOH started in 1984/85 staring with redbirds. I think R33WF was first.

 

 

 

 

Not really, most of the cars that were "GOHed" at that time were only repainted and cleaned, but not fully rebuilt.

[Fan Railer]

Not really, most of the cars that were "GOHed" at that time were only repainted and cleaned, but not fully rebuilt.

 

yes, that's what i was refering to. GOH did begin, but in small terms. the major overhauls and rebuilds took place from 87-92.

[DJ MC]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[Art Vandelay]

While you might not have thought such from riding them, The GOH R36s had AC too. (Actually, the R26-36s recieved A/C years prior to overhaul.)

 

An R36WF with working A/C was about as common as an R32GE.

 

I'd say the best overhaul was either the R38 or R40. They tended to be the most reliable SMEEs post GOH. On the IRT it was either the R26-29 or the R33ML. The R36 overhaul was terrible.

[R10 2952]

Thanks for all the info, guys. On a side note, what can be said, in general, for the R-32 GE? I always thought those cars were great. They were really original, almost like the pre-GOH R-32s. Or an R32/R38 hybrid.