R68 Rollsign Question

[NYCTNostalgia]

I specifically remember as a child when R68/A's ran on the   the R68's always displayed    and R68A's always displayed . So I stumbled upon an image where an R68 or R68A is displaying the   with the correct trunk line color. Were R68/68A roll signs updated in the 1990's, because I can tell by the font that the rollsign was printed before the 2001 changes. 

 

Credit: nycsubway.org

 

Odd (ironically) Rollsign

Typical (ironically) Rollsign

[Eric B]

In the 90's, individual R68 signs (reflecting the 1967 service pattern, but with the 1985 double-letter elimination) would be replaced when damaged, by new signs that reflected the 1986 and 1988 service changes with the   (circle instead of rush hour only diamond) and  , as well as the yellow B and D. Most of the time, even when the new sign was in, they kept it on the round yellow Q for some reason. The 68A's came with the newer signs from the beginning (with the exception of the first eight car set). But back then, they were on the instead of the , so they couldn't take advantage of the correct   sign.

It was in 2001, when they were preparing for the new slew of changes, with the round   (instead of diamond) that they replaced all of the signs with the all new ones.

[Lance]

In 1986 when the 68s were delivered, the rollsigns were based on the services in place from mid-1985. That means the all service had to be shown as the . Oddly enough, the original signs also included the    and even though trains would never run on any of these lines. The 68As would come with the correct route bullet rollsigns presumably because by that point, the MTA knew the would be rerouted up 6th Avenue due to ongoing Manhattan Bridge work. Eventually, the 68s would receive similar signs, replacing both the original route and left-justified destination signs. As Eric B stated above, in 2001, in preparation for the last leg of Manhattan Bridge construction, new signs were ordered with the replacing the old <W>, which was on every B-Division train sign curtain since the late '80s and incidentally remains so on the all the remaining 32s, 46s and a few of the 42s.

 

Side note: Apparently, I did not include a diamond bullet for the route smileys. Will have to correct that at some point.

[46Dover]

I remember seeing a on one of the R68s that ran on the some years back (an error of course).

[NYCTNostalgia]

Thanks guys! Appreciate the help. I never knew existed before the updated R68A roll signs.