R33 (New York City Subway car)
Retired class of New York City Subway car From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Retired class of New York City Subway car From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The R33 was a New York City Subway car model that was built by St. Louis Car Company in 1962 and 1963. The cars are a "follow-up" or supplemental stock for the A Division's R29s and closely resemble them. The cars were also referred to as R33MLs (R33 Main Line) to distinguish them from the R33Ss. A total of 500 cars were built, numbered 8806–9305, and arranged in pairs.
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| R33 | |
|---|---|
An R33 train on the 5 at West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue | |
 Interior of an overhauled R33 car | |
| In service | 1962–2003 |
| Manufacturer | St. Louis Car Company |
| Built at | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Family name | Redbirds |
| Replaced |
|
| Constructed | 1962–1963 |
| Entered service | November 15, 1962 |
| Refurbished | 1986–1991 |
| Scrapped | 2001–2003 (revenue service cars) 2013 (cars used as refuse motors) |
| Number built | 500 cars (250 pairs) |
| Number in service | (42 in work service) |
| Number preserved | 11 |
| Number scrapped | 447 |
| Successor | R142 and R142A |
| Formation | Married Pairs |
| Fleet numbers | 8806–9305 |
| Operators | New York City Subway |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | LAHT carbon steel |
| Car length | 51.04 feet (15.56 m) |
| Width | 8.75 feet (2,667 mm) |
| Height | 11.86 feet (3,615 mm) |
| Doors | 6 sets of 50 inch wide side doors per car |
| Maximum speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Weight | 72,900 lb (33,100 kg) (post-rebuild) |
| Traction system | GE 17KG192AE2/3 (9076–9305 formerly Westinghouse) |
| Power output | Westinghouse 1447JR/GE 1257E1, 100 hp (74.6 kW) per axle |
| Electric system(s) | 600 V DC Third rail |
| Current collector(s) | Contact shoe |
| Bogies | none |
| Braking system(s) | WABCO, "SMEE" electrodynamic |
| Safety system(s) | Emergency brakes |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The R33s entered service on November 15, 1962, and were the first A Division fleet to be retrofitted with air conditioning, being retrofitted between 1972 and 1982. The R33 fleet was overhauled between 1986 and 1991.[1] The R33s were replaced in the early 2000s with the delivery of the R142 and R142A cars, with the last train running on April 20, 2003. After being retired, most R33s were sunk into the ocean as artificial reefs, but several cars have survived.
The R33s were numbered 8806–9305. The cars were referred to as R33MLs (R33 Main Line) to distinguish them from the R33Ss.
The R33s are very similar in appearance to the previous R26s, R28s, and R29s, but like the R29s and unlike the R26s and R28s, the R33s were built by the St. Louis Car Company instead of American Car and Foundry, and permanently paired with link bars (instead of couplers).
The R33s wore several paint schemes during their service lives. They were the second subway cars to feature a bright red paint scheme after the R29s. In 1971–1973, the R33s were repainted into the MTA corporate silver and blue scheme.[2][3] In 1982–1983, they were repainted full white (roof, bonnets, and sides were all painted white) in an attempt to combat graffiti.[1] In 1985, GE cars 8842–8843, 8846–8847, 8848–8849, 8856–8857, 8860–8861, and 8862–8863 were repainted dark green with black front bonnets and anti-climbers, and a silver roof. Finally, between 1986 and 1988, the R33s were repainted into the Redbird paint scheme, with a deep maroon red body, black front bonnets and anti-climbers, and a silver roof.
The first set of R33 cars was placed in service on the 1 train on November 15, 1962. Five hundred cars were built and served on all IRT subway lines.[1][4] In 1972, they became the first A Division cars to be retrofitted with air conditioning when cars 9086/7, 9118/9, 9162/3, 9226/7, 9282/3, & 9294/5 were retrofitted at the 239th Street Yard with a modified version of the Stone Safety Air conditioning unit designed to fit on the smaller IRT cars. By 1982, all R33 cars had received air conditioning. The cars were also rebuilt between 1986 and 1991.
Before they were rebuilt, the R33 cars were grouped as follows:
From 1986 until early 1991, the R33 cars were overhauled and rebuilt by the MTA's 207th Street and Coney Island Overhaul Shops. All cars were refitted with General Electric equipment. Existing General Electric cars received New York Air Brake Newtran brake packages; the former Westinghouse cars received an updated brake package from the Westinghouse Air Brake Company.
After rebuilding, R33 cars served the 2, 4, and 5 trains, and occasionally the 7 train.
In 1996, New York City Transit announced that it would begin phasing out all Redbirds with the arrival of the R142s and R142As, which entered service in 2000.[5] The last train of R33s consisting of pairs 8842–8843, 9090–9091, 9240–9241, 9294–9295, 9302–9303, made its last trip on the 4 route on April 20, 2003.[6]
Most of the retired cars were stripped and dumped into the Atlantic Ocean to form artificial reefs. 21 pairs were painted yellow and black and converted to work service as R161 rider cars RD400–RD441 from 1999 to 2007,[7][8] allowing the retirement of the older R71 rider cars. RD407 (ex-8869) was damaged in a derailment and was scrapped in 2013. RD440–RD441 were further converted into de-icer cars.
The R33 cars not converted into rider cars were saved for various purposes throughout the New York City Subway system. The full list includes:
Car 9075 was previously displayed outside Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens, Queens. The car was retrofitted with swinging doors and converted to a tourist center, but was closed in 2015 due to low patronage.[10] Afterwards, the car was used as a landmark and for movie shoots[11] until it was put up for auction in June 2022.[12][13] The car was finally trucked out of New York City on October 16, 2022.[14]
Other cars were retained for work service until 2013, when they were scrapped. The full list includes:
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