20 Years Ago Today (First Revenue Run of the R110As)

[Guest Lance]

Cross-posted from SubChat:

 

June 30, 1993 – The Book of First Runs
This is the first day of revenue operation of the R-110A. The train was placed in service at the 96 Street Station of the IRT Broadway - 7 Avenue Line as a southbound #2 7th Avenue Express. The consist was 8010-9-8-7-6, 8005-4-3-2-1 [N].
The R -110A was a class of ten subway car built by Kawasaki Rail Car in 1992 as one of two New Technology Test Trains (NTTT) to test various types of electrical and mechanical systems for the next generation of subway cars.


Credit were its due department: Consist information comes from the NYB Bullettin of August 1993.

Larry, RedbirdR33

 

Here's a video of the train in action, running from E 180 St to 3 Av-149 St in August of 1993.

 

[Dan05979]

I would wait at 149 GC for that 110A when I had no life.

[pjbr40]

it was fun on the line but didnt get a chance to do the . did i miss much of the ?

[DJ MC]

Riding onboard an R110A is one interesting thing, but how about some cabrides, especially with the R110As going almost 50mph?

 

 

 

 

[Cait Sith]

Never got to ride these as a kid, but I did get to ride the R110Bs at least three times. Its interesting how things have changed from then to now.

[realizm]

Saw it and scoped it out laid up @ Union Turnpike in 1993, but never got the opportunity to ride the set of trains, only had the chance to ride the R110B's on the . Once.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

Never got to ride both A or B R110's

[realizm]

It certainly could not even compare to the NTT's we have today in terms of tech and power, you're not missing much. Understanding that they were preliminary models of research of new train technology that lead to today's R142's, R160's and R188's.

[Minato ku]

The story of the R110A remind me a bit the story of the BOA, a prototype subway train of Paris in test during the between mid 1980's and early 1990's. 

This prototype train was made with body of three cars of a MF77 train that had an accident in 1983.

The BOA had two versions, the second version even run with passengers between the end of 1990 to early 1993. 

 

The name BOA was because it is train that tested the articulation for Paris metro but many other technology that we see on our modern trains come from this experimental train.

 

Unfortunately unlike the R110A, the BOA was abandoned in tunnel for several years and heavily vandalized, so much, that this train was declared unrecoverable.

It was scrapped in summer 1999. 

 

 

 

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

Damm i never rode the R110s but man that R110A sounds like the 1996 stock of the Jubilee line in London

[Grand Concourse]

The only thing I'd like is if they kept at least a b car of the remaining R110A for the museum. I liked the idea of window side seats on an A division train. Horrible for rider flow, but it made it stand out from the standard interior facing row of seats. The same goes for the R110B, I'd like for one of the cars to be put on display at the museum as well.

[Q10 Airport]

I remembered riding one of the 110's years ago. I was fascinated with the automated voice and the xylophone noise for doors closing while I rode on the  . Such fascinations seem silly, but I was only 9 at the time I rode the 110's.

[IRT Bronx Express]

Riding both trains would've been nice...

[NYtransit]

I think the lady who makes the announcments on the R110A sounds much better then the one on the R160