5 Years Later: Have you guys warmed up to the R160A and R160B?

[R188 7857]

Doubt that.stainless steel that's well taken care will last over 40-50 years without rusting.

 

That ain't real stainless steal. I recently rode on an R160 from CIYD that was tagged and repainted, not washed off. Stainless steal washes off with water and are smooth. R160 uses steel that aren't that smooth. They use carbon steel.

[Queens Surface]

That ain't real stainless steal. I recently rode on an R160 from CIYD that was tagged and repainted, not washed off. Stainless steal washes off with water and are smooth. R160 uses sheet steel I think.

 

It's stainless steel but it's not smooth stainless steel, and you cannot wash off spray painted graffiti, it has to sanded off and then the stainless steel gets buffed.

[VIP]

That ain't real stainless steal. I recently rode on an R160 from CIYD that was tagged and repainted, not washed off. Stainless steal washes off with water and are smooth. R160 uses steel that aren't that smooth. They use carbon steel.

Agreed. Perfect Example Jamaica Cars 9848-9852 , 9343-9347, and 9353-9357

yeah so if they are painting over graffiti, then the R160 Bodies arent Stainless steel. They are good cars though.

[Quill Depot]

The R160's are great! They have nice look! I like ther HVAC. Only disadvantage is that car doesn't use REAL stainless steal. They're already getting rust!

 

It's a NYC subway car. There sopposed to have rust or look old.

[R188 7857]

It's a NYC subway car. There sopposed to have rust or look old.

 

Its "Supposed" yeah, I can't wait till the R188's come. One month after they arrive = tunnel dust. I wish the could wash off the tunnels, but they think they cost too much precious money, when they do some UNUSEFULL things an use their damn money...

[Roadcruiser1]

Alright stop arguing. I will prove things with the NYCSubway.org spreadsheet on the R160's.

 

[R188 7857]

Alright stop arguing. I will prove things with the NYCSubway.org spreadsheet on the R160's.

 

 

SMH :tdown::tdown:, they totally RUINED the R160s by putting this kind of stainless steel on them.. Its sad, really sad. In real life the R160s are GREAT cars, even better with the normal stainless steal.

[LRG]

SMH :tdown::tdown:, they totally RUINED the R160s by putting this kind of stainless steel on them.. Its sad, really sad. In real life the R160s are GREAT cars, even better with the normal stainless steal.

 

Something you're forgetting is the FINISH applied to the R160 cars, as well as the R142 and R143. The R32-R110B cars have a shiny reflective finish whereas the R142s and everything else after have a rough finish that, in my opinion, makes the cars look more dirty.

 

I'm indifferent with the R160s...the only thing I find cool about them are the cabs but other than that, not my cup of tea.

[MattTrain]

R-160 trains are great in my opinion, the FIND displays, the announcements, the acceleration of the trains are great. They may not be the best built subway cars but they get the job done!

[GojiMet86]

I was really excited when these trains came into service. I still like them, and hope that they last a long time.

 

By the way, did anyone here see the "Ultimate Factories" episode of the R160 on the History Channel this morning? It's about one year and a half years old, but it was quite excellent. It showed some footage of the R160 on some test track, and its runs on the Rockaway line.

[JubaionBx12+SBS]

The R-160's have a lightweight feel to then unlike the other crap the B-Division is using. They can also handle huge crowds well. :tup:

[Amtrak7]

The R160's have their flaws, that's for sure. But the FIND and bench seating have made it better suited for today's ridership characteristics.

 

BTW, when were the "ad-screens" on the R143 last updated? Cause I always see a message proclaiming that one can use a credit card at an MVM.

[Roadcruiser1]

GojiMet it's on Youtube.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePnN8gp1Nc4

[Eric B]

Agreed. Perfect Example Jamaica Cars 9848-9852 , 9343-9347, and 9353-9357

yeah so if they are painting over graffiti, then the R160 Bodies arent Stainless steel. They are good cars though.

They're not painting over anything. What you're probably referring to, is the incomplete cleaning job, where you see the white smudge where the graffiti was, or as QSC said, they sanded and buffed.

[R68 Subway Car]

BTW, people putting graffiti on R160s, or any subway car for that matter, angers me. I cannot stand these stupid vandals. They never like anything that is nice.

[Joe C]

The R-160's have a lightweight feel to then unlike the other crap the B-Division is using. They can also handle huge crowds well. :tup:

 

Lightweight they are not,if anything the R32 and R42 are light compared to the R160's.

[JubaionBx12+SBS]

Lightweight they are not,if anything the R32 and R42 are light compared to the R160's.

 

While those cars may be light, the wear and tear those cars have accumalted over decades of service make them feel like a 75 footer while in service. At least the R46 and 68 are spacious inside.

[Fan Railer]

Alright stop arguing. I will prove things with the NYCSubway.org spreadsheet on the R160's.

 

 

This is so outdated, I'm surprised they still HAVEN'T released the new separate spreadsheets with specific information on the subclasses......

[SubwayGuy]

I don't know about all these claims about them lasting 50, 60, 75 years...they're built to last 40 years just like every other railcar. They seem to look like they'll last so long because they're new now, but that's not always gonna be the case. At the same time I don't understand people who can just look at the car and judge that they won't make it past 30 years, as if they can give the car a detailed structural analysis just by riding them.

 

They can't...they're talking out of their ass.

 

Realistically, the technology they have will be out of date at some point, and the cars will begin to suffer structural wear (which will have nothing to do with rust), and they will probably retire sometime at 30-45 years like most other pieces of car equipment.

 

There comes a time when modernizing a fleet and keeping it on a more frequent maintenance schedule is less expensive (including labor costs) then just buying new cars.

[SubwayGuy]

That ain't real stainless steal. I recently rode on an R160 from CIYD that was tagged and repainted, not washed off. Stainless steal washes off with water and are smooth. R160 uses steel that aren't that smooth. They use carbon steel.

 

It's stainless steel but it's not smooth stainless steel, and you cannot wash off spray painted graffiti, it has to sanded off and then the stainless steel gets buffed.

 

R160's use austenitic stainless steel for the car siding.

[traildriver]

I have been riding the 'E' primarily, for many years, and used to love the R32's.

But since they have been replaced by the R160's (I still can't tell an 'A' from a 'B' model:confused:), I have come to really like them as well.

I like the fact that although illegal, I can move from car to car (as opposed to the R46's that have at times been used), if I find it necessary.

I like the seat layout. While the wider doors mean a slight reduction in bench length, The stanchions at the centers neatly define each 'half' as for three persons nominally. And as has been mentioned, the dividers by the doors are comfortable to lean against.

The lighting, for now is nice and bright, Much better than an R46. I like the info displays when programmed correctly. I do miss the colorcoded end signs on the R46 that you could identify much sooner.The cars ride well, though not quite like an R46 with its longer wheelbase. And the A/C works well, especially if you are in the middle section of the car.

I still wonder what that 'squealing' noise is (not flange or brake noise) the cars make when accelerating from a stop...It seems apart from the more linear 'whining' sound of the motors accelerating....B)

[geoking66]

The R160s are great; I've loved them from the start. I'm just hoping they're slightly better maintained than the R143s. I can't help but notice that those seem to have been hit hard by vandalism whenever I use the . That and their announcement volume is always really low.

[2 Train Master]

They're ok to me.I highly dislike the Alstom propulsion it's very annoying and the face isn't very appealing too me(meaning the train has no character).

I like the interior its very roomy but the seats are horrible.It's a smooth ride nice braking and they have decent speed.

They're not my favorite train nor hated by me.But they're getting the job done serving heavy ridership lines.

[chrisliz09]

i love them too they are very nice clean and the AC is good not too cold at all and thats good because i hate it when its too cold, i love the R142 as well they are always good too me

[FlushingExpress]

As far as I'm concerned, the R160's may well turn out to be the worst cars ever purchased by the TA. I hate their screechy brakes and uncomfortable bench seats. I would be shocked if they lasted 30 years, let alone 40 or 50. Pure garbage. Gerald

 

I see we have the first of what may be many R160 haters on this website, FYI, just because you hate their "screechy brakes and uncomfortable bench seats" does not mean they suck. Riders' opinion have no factor as to how long a subway car will remain in service. Structural and mechanical performance are the biggest factors in determine that and the R160s rank supreme in both categories. Therefore, they will remain in service until the middle of the century and by then, some of the members here like you will probably be dead. R160s was the best order made, a huge upgrade over the POS they replaced, and well liked by MTA employees and riders alike.

 

Every line the R160s went to had a huge upgrade because of these cars, whether it would be over the durable, but old R32s and rotting R40Ms on the , fat, dark, and dirty R46s on the , rusted tin can R42s on the , deteriorating R40s and slow R68s on the , and overweight R68As on the .

 

They went on the first because Astoria and Sea Beach riders demanded them after their line ranked worst in the State of the Subways Report Card for three straight years. Now look how great the (N)'s performance has improved since the R160s take over. If you take them away, the line will suffer riders will hunt you down, rip you to shreds, and feed you to their livestock, so get used to it.

 

You want to know what was the worst order in NYCS history? Here is one hint, they only ran on the and Rockaway Park Shuttle.

 

Making the 100% R160s was the best thing to ever happen on the Brighton Line. We are all so happy now except for the miserable ( riders, who continue to suffer with cars that are obese and breaking down more frequently than ever.

 

But since they have been replaced by the R160's (I still can't tell an 'A' from a 'B' model:confused:), I have come to really like them as well.

 

I like the fact that although illegal, I can move from car to car (as opposed to the R46's that have at times been used), if I find it necessary.

 

The one way you can tell the difference between an R160A and R160B is by listening to the doors. R160A doors make a whirling sound when they open and close while R160B doors are silent.

 

Yes, the locked storm doors are one of the reasons 75 footers proved to be a huge drawback in the system and why we will never see one in our system again.

 

It is very great to see that many people on this site love the R160s and are finally appreciating the great service they are providing after seeing so many threads where jealous railfans repeatedly bash those cars for the stupidest reasons.