Favorite BMT/IND Subway Cars

[LRG]

i asked engineers about this when i was an intern.

 

They favored the all red. it gives extra visability alerting other trains of a train ahead of them. and not all colors are visable to passengers especially in various weather conditions.

 

And red is cheaper as well.

[Eric B]

i asked engineers about this when i was an intern.

 

They favored the all red. it gives extra visability alerting other trains of a train ahead of them. and not all colors are visable to passengers especially in various weather conditions.

 

Yeah, but the PA5's are using RGB's in the front, and this for small text, so there's no reason they can't use the color in the front just for one large letter bullet.

 

My avatar is the example of a compromise. Just use the color for the circle/diamond, and use white for the actual letter. White LED's are cheaper than RGB's. And that should avoid the blur of a single color from a distance.

[EE Broadway Local]

Your avatar is very nice, Eric B.

[38th Street Yard]

SMEE's are the best

[Brighton Express]

R46, R160B, R32 for me, but in the end, the R46 wins.

 

Btw I did not bring this back, I just saw it in the top of the news.

[ttcsubwayfan]

R68A. They weren't lemons when they arrived like the 68s were, and I never rode the 68s, so I don't have experience with them.

 

32s would be next.

[Threxx]

R68A. They weren't lemons when they arrived like the 68s were, and I never rode the 68s, so I don't have experience with them.

 

32s would be next.

 

While the R68's were lemons when they first arrived, the R68A brakes are terrible and I have many poor experiences with them.

[ttcsubwayfan]

I'll have to take another ride on them when I'm in the city in October, but they seemed to have decent brakes the first time around.

 

The unit I rode, at least. I'm on my lunch so I can't check which one, but I believe it was a late 50xx.

[ttcsubwayfan]

Just checked the video I took, it was 5061. From what I can recall, the ride was good, no rough braking or anything of the sort.

[6 Lexington Ave]

Where's the R143?

[Metro CSW]

Where's the R143?

Good question.....

[Around the Horn]

where is the R142A?

[ttcsubwayfan]

BMT/IND cars only.

[R188 7857]

R160B, best propulsion in the BMT/IND.

R142A/R188, best propulsion in the IRT.

[realizm]

This was a tough choice I was about to say R44s as during test runs they were able to hit 70+ MPH without governers attached, so I voted for the R160Bs as well because of the traction motor propulsion system in this transit network. Only these cars can hit 60 MPH through the 60th Street tube. R68's or R46's cannot hit speeds like this. Plus the airbag suspension which provides for a smooth ride. I am an avid admirer of the classic SMEE's such as the late R40 slants and the R42's but I got to give these latest NTTs some credit.

[darrylbaniaga38]

Of the Cars that I've been on, here's my list:

 

1. R160A/B Alstom
2. R160B Siemens
3. R46
4. R32
5. R68A/B

[favbusbx13]

R38 used to love hearing them stop at stations extremely loud

[Quill Depot]

I like the look of the R160's from the exterior. The lights are not too bright, nice sound, etc. But interior they lack the warm, comforting feel that the R32's have.

[BSmith]

But keep in mind the R160s have their original interiors. The R32 interior is much different than when it was new. When it was new it had blue walls, blue doors, white and blue tiled floors, different lights with ribs, no a/c except for 4 cars I think (or maybe it was the R38s that had the a/c). The R160 is retro in that the blue color scheme isn't that far away from the aqua blue of the 1960s but more periwinkle added in the blue. The warm interiors I think are in the R44/R46 due to the fake wood paneling and warm yellow/orange/red beige colors used.

 

 

I like the look of the R160's from the exterior. The lights are not too bright, nice sound, etc. But interior they lack the warm, comforting feel that the R32's have.

[BSmith]

My favorite cars are the R44/R46. Lemons but first really quiet trains, modern curved sides, radically different interiors, 75 feet made them special. They've had their day but they were a treat to ride in in the 1980s. The R160s are good, they're pleasant enough to ride in but nothing beats the functionality of the R32s, they handle crowds best of all the cars and they seat a lot too. R68s are just R44s with silver walls for me, nothing special. R40s were cool, inefficient but cool looking due to their huge letter signs when they were new.

[R62AR33]

Mine top 3 are

1.R32

2.R42s they gave alot of good memories on the and

3.R68/As

[RollOver]

R32s all the way. They outlived the R38s and R40s (the entire fleets) and many of the R42s (48/400 cars left) and R44s (63/352 cars left). They have the best old fashion interiors, signages, fully stainless steel exteriors and a front view of the window. The best hosts of those cars are the and routes. But I prefer them being on the for its amazing longest route, Central Park West/8 Avenue/Fulton Street Expresses and wider views across Jamaica Bay and the Rockaways.

 

The R160s would be next.

[realizm]

R32s all the way. They outlived the R38s and R40s (the entire fleets) and many of the R42s (48/400 cars left) and R44s (63/352 cars left). They have the best old fashion interiors, signages, fully stainless steel exteriors and a front view of the window. The best hosts of those cars are the and routes. But I prefer them being on the for its amazing longest route, Central Park West/8 Avenue/Fulton Street Expresses and wider views across Jamaica Bay and the Rockaways.

 

The R160s would be next.

 

Yep. Definitely excellently built cars by Budd Company, to last this long shows the top quality craftsmanship that went into these cars for it's time, 39 years in change these particular stainless steel 60' SMEE's have been hitting the rails and counting. We know the earned nickname 'Brightliners' coined for these cars but I understand T/Os used to call them 'Jack Rabbits' because of the really strong pick up speed. No joke GE 1257E1 or Westinghouse 1447JR traction motors that set the standard for the rest of the SMEE fleets (R38's R40s, R42's etc) up until the introduction of the nex gen R44's. 

 

This very impressive record that the R32's have speaks volumes.

[46Dover]

R46 (current or past?)

[46Dover]

My favorite cars are the R44/R46. Lemons but first really quiet trains, modern curved sides, radically different interiors, 75 feet made them special. They've had their day but they were a treat to ride in in the 1980s. The R160s are good, they're pleasant enough to ride in but nothing beats the functionality of the R32s, they handle crowds best of all the cars and they seat a lot too. R68s are just R44s with silver walls for me, nothing special. R40s were cool, inefficient but cool looking due to their huge letter signs when they were new.

 

I'm with BSmith, when I was young, my subway trips with my grandmother started on Rockaway Ave on the (A)train with the R40s, and when we got a chance to get off at Jay St Borough Hall to the on the R46 cars with the blue stripe, and the strip map on the inside, it was always a welcome sight for me (gosh I sound like such an old timer.....). R46 all the way.

 

Mediator, if you could, please delete my first post. Thanks