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So were the infamous double letters gone in '79 or '86?


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I remember riding the RR to my father's house as a kid... I was born in 81...

 

so the double lettered lines couldn't have been discontinued in 79 or w/e....

1985/86 sounds about right... whichever one it is.

 

1985 (I think around Sept. if i remember right)was when the double letter retired into NYC subway history.

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Double letters were "officially" ended as of May 1985. But they remained on trains in practice, such as the R10s (CC/HH) until 1989 and also some R27/30s a while longer..

 

Thanks for clearing it up. I think it took until early '86 before the platform signs and station signs at least at the major Manhattan stations replaced the double letters to the current (R)(G)(L) and (C) then the (K).

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  • 3 weeks later...

The 70(EE) was cancelled Friday August 27, 1976. :cry: :sad:

 

While double letters were ended, in 1985, I believe;

 

the 70(AA) became the second (K) train;

 

the 70(CC) became the second (C) train;

 

the 70(GG) became the (G) train;

 

the 70(LL) became the (L) train;

 

the 70(QB) became the (Q) train;

 

the 70(RR) became the (R) train;

 

and the Shuttles went from 70(SS) to (S).

 

The original 70(K) train ran from 1968 to Friday August 27, 1976 while the original C train was the first Concourse Express (the (D) didn't start until November 15, 1940).

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If the more colorful bullets were done away with in 1979 and replaced with the ones we all know and love today, why do I keep reading about the double letters lasting until 1986?

 

That's because two separate events keep getting lumped together. When the NYCTA introduced the Diamond Jubille Edition of the Subway Map in June , 1979 the two surviving independent shuttles ; 42 Street and Franklin Avenue, were re-designated from "SS" to "S". Six routes; AA,CC, GG, LL, QB and RR continued to use double letters. The subway map issued on April 15, 1985 was the last to show the double lettered routes.

 

The next map was issued on May 10,1985 and was the first to show all single letters; AA to K, CC to C, GG to G, LL to L, QB to Q and RR to R. I believe that the effective date of the changeover was May 6, 1986. However since they could not change all the rollsigns overnight it was possible to ride single letter routes before that date and double lettered routes after that.

 

Larry, RedbirdR33

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becuase that's exactly what happened. the map and signae was changed in 79, but the double letters weren't droped till 85.

 

To expand/clarify what irtredbird just said, and to make a minor correction to Kamen Rider's first response... The "colorful bullets" in 1979 and double letters in 1985/6 were two totally separate things. From 1979 to 1986, you had the AA and CC in blue bullets, the QB and RR in yellow bullets, etc. So the maps and signage were changed to reflect the color changes in 1979, then they had to be changed again in 1986 to reflect the end of the double letters.

 

Someone once posted a scan of an early 80's map in a thread here where you could see the current colors with the double letters. If I spot it again, I'll post it here.

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