NYC Subway

The New York City Subway System

IRT

The history of the New York City subway system began in 1900, when the Interborough Rapid Transit company began constructing the first underground transit line in the city. That line ran from City Hall in lower Manhattan, to Bronx Park and 230th street in The Bronx. Over the next few years, the IRT expanded into Brooklyn and Queens.

IRT's used shorter, narrower rolling stock compare to the other subway lines in the city. On average IRT cars had a length of 50 feet, and a width of 8'8".

"Hi-V" stock

Type	Composite
Alias	Coppersides
Builder	See Below
Date Built	1903-1904

As Delivered

Modified

Type	Trailers
Road Numbers	2000-2159

Type	Motors
Road Numbers	3000-3339

When the IRT requested bids to build its first subway cars, no car manufacturer had the capability to build 500 all-steel transit vehicles, in the time allowed. Remember, this was 1904. Pullman would not build its first steel sleeping car for another six years. IRT made the decision to design a car of partially wooden construction, with as much fire-proofing and metal structure as possible. The lower sides had copper sheathing, giving these cars theit nickname.

They also spread the construction between four differnt manufacturers, Jewett (60 trailers and 40 motors), St. Louis (60 trailers and 140 motors), Wason (40 trailers and 60 motors), and Stephenson (100 motors)

Once the entire composite fleet came on-property, the IRT began working to replace them with all-steel equipment. That lead them to the remove of the Composites from subway duty, and move them to the Manhattan elevated lines within 10 years of their constrction.

Type	Hi-V
Alias	"Gibbs" motors
Builder	AC&F
Date Built	1904-1908
Road Numbers	3350-3649

Configuration

2-door, as-built

Configuration

4-door, experimental

Configuration	3-door, modified, early
Note	no sill board

Configuration

3-door, modified

Configuration	3-door, MUDC
Note	Multiple Unit Door Control

Named after George Gibbs, the consultant who designed them, the IRT's first class of all-steel rolling stock suplemented the earlier "composite" cars. Since the two types had compatable control systems, the IRT ran mixed trains of Gibbs and Composite cars, in the years before the Composites left the subway.

Mr. Gibbs worked as a mechanical engineer, for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Since IRT and PRR shared many corporate officers, his "moonlighting" for the IRT does not seem surprising.

IRT had no trailers built to the Gibbs design. Once these cars started to arrive, many of the Composite motors got converted to trailers, and these ran in all Hi-V trains. No steel Hi-V trailers would join the IRT fleet until 1915.

Type	Hi-V
Alias	Deck Roof cars
Builder	AC&F
Date Built	1907-1908
Road Numbers	3350-3649

Configuration

2-door, as delivered

Configuration

3-door, modified

The Deck Roof cars represented a transition from the Gibbs cars (designed with two doors per side) and the later Headley types (which came from the manufacturers with three). The Deck Roof cars had two doors per side, as built, but also had the built-in provision to add a third door, if needed. The IRT took advantage of this provision, soon after they took delivery of these 50 cars.

However, these cars never recieved MUDC, and usually appeared on the ends of trains otherwise equipped with all powered doors. The Conductor and Trainman would stand between the Deck Roof and the endmost MUDC cars, and operate the power doors of four cars with one hand and the manual doors of one car with the other.

Type	IRT Standard Hi-V
Alias	Headley (motors)
Builder	See Below
Date Built	1910-1911(motors) 1915(trailers)
Road Numbers	3700-4024(motors) 4223-4514(trailers)

Motor

Trailer

Without sill boards

Manual Doors

MUDC

Type	IRT Standard Hi-V (after City takeover)

MUDC

"Lo-V" stock

When the IRT took over the Steinway Tunnel, whose design had originaly anticipated use by streetcars, they decided instead to use subway cars, specially designed to cope with the steep grades. These cars became known as "Steinways", or "Boilers". They had lower gear ratios for extra power, at the expense of top speed.

Type	IRT Standard
Alias	Steinways, Flivvers, Lo-Vs
Builder	see below
Date Built	1915 - 1925

Motor

Trailer

Configuration	Manual Doors
Road Numbers	4025 - 5652

Configuration	MUDC
Road Numbers	4025 - 5652

Configuration

Manual Doors

Configuration

MUDC

Car #4581

standard cars

Configuration

BMT Shuttle

Type	World's Fair Lo-V
Alias	Steinways
Builder	StLouis Car Co
Date Built	1938
Road Numbers	5653 - 5702

BMT

The Brooklyn and Manhattan Transit started life as a series of steam-powered railroads running from the city of Brooklyn to the then remote seaside resort of Coney Island. Through mergers and aquisitions, these railroads, and Brooklyn's network of elevated lines, eventully came under the ownership of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit company, BRT.

When the now-unified city of New York issued their third and fourth contracts for the construction and operation of the subway system, BRT joined the IRT as an operator of these lines. BRT not only operated new subway lines in Brooklyn and Manhattan, but the "Dual Contracts" also covered conversion of BRT's surface and elevated Coney Island lines to electric operation.

The construction and alteration of the BRT's trackge was partially to blame of the infamous Malbone Street Wreck, in 1918. The aftermath of that wreck left the BRT in bankruptcy until it was allowed to reorganize into the BMT, in 1923.

Heavyweight stock

Name	BMT Type-A/B
Alias	BMT Standard

Builder	AC&F
Date Built	1914
Road Numbers	2000-2099

As Built

Rebuilt 1959-60

Builder	AC&F
Date Built	1915-1918
Road Numbers	2100-2499 (2400-2499 rebuilt)

Builder	AC&F
Date Built	1919
Road Numbers	2500-2599

Builder	Pressed Steel
Date Built	1920-1922
Road Numbers	2600-2899 (2600-2799 rebuilt)

Builder	Pressed Steel
Date Built	1924
Road Numbers	4000-4049

Type A cars had motorman's controls at both ends, and conductor's controls in the middle of the car. Type-B units formed part of 3-unit sets. The end units had one set of motorman's controls, each, and the center unit had conductor's controls.

The earliest cars had their road numbers painted on a plate, with a black background, fastened over the endmost door-pocket windows. Later cars had their numbers painted on the car sides, above these windows.

The first 500 cars had small route and destination signs installed in the center door-pocket windows, while subsequent cars had larger signs in the passenger windows next to the door-pockets.

The AC&F cars had a celestory with angled sides and box ventilators. The Pressed Steel cars had more conventional "deck" rooves, with vent panels in the vertical celestory sides.

Name	BMT Type-D
Alias	Triplex
Builder	Pressed Steel
Road Numbers	6000-6121
Date Built	1925-1928

Appearance as built

Later appearance

Elevated stock

Name	BMT Q-type
Road Numbers	1600ABC-1629ABC
Date Built	1938-1940

Name	BMT QX-type
Road Numbers	1630AB-1642AB
Date Built	1938-1940

Date	1938
Lettering	"BMT Lines"
Assignment	Flushing and Astoria lines

Date	1945
Lettering	"New York City Transit System"
Assignment	Flushing and Astoria lines

Date	1950
Assignment	3rd Avenue Elevated

Date	1958
Assignment	Myrtle Avenue Elevated

Lightweight stock

Type	BMT Multi-Section cars

Type	BMT Pullman Experimetal Multi-Section
Alias	The Green Hornet
Date Built	1934

Type	BMT Budd Experimetal Multi-Section
Alias	The Zephyr
Date Built	1934

Type	BMT Production Multi-Section
Alias	Multi
Built By	Pullman and St Louis Car Co.
Date Built	1936

Type	BMT Lightweight Compartment Car
Alias	The Bluebird
Built By	Clark Equipment Co.
Date Built	1938 & 1940
Road Numbers	8000 - 8005

Bluebird number 8000 was a prototype, and could not operate with the other cars due to incompatable couplers. The BMT could not obtain replacement couplers due to WWII materiel shortages. BMT had planned to aquire 50 Bluebirds, but New York's anti-transit Mayor LaGuardia blocked further purchases as soon as the city took over the BMT in the summer of 1940.

The Zephyr had no couplers, and could only run as a single unit.

Five-section "multis" designated each section A-B-C-B1-A1, while the three-section Bluebirds just used A-B-A1.

"City" cars

The Independent subway system used rolling stock with the same 10-foot width of the BMT's equipment, but only 60' long.

Pre-War cars

Type	R1/4/6/7/9
Date Built	1932 - 1940
Road Numbers	100 - 1802

R1 #100 - 199

R1 #200 - 399

R4 - R9

MTA Repaint

IND's prewar rolling stock the then conventional arrangement of two traction motors per car, in a single truck. This was the standard for early EMUs, because it placed all of the control and propulsion equiment close together.

Postwar cars

Type	R10
Date Built	1948

As Delivered

Repaint, Tartar Red

Repaint, 1964 World's Fair

MTA Repaint

Reapint, Kale Green

Type	R11/R34
Date Built	1949

As Delivered (R11)

Rebuilt (R34)

SMEE cars

Type	R12/R14
Date Built	1948/49

As Delivered

Repaint, Tartar Red

MTA Repaint

Repaint, "Anti Grafiti" White

Type	R15
Date Built	1950

As Delivered

Repaint, Solid Maroon

Repaint, Dark Green

MTA Repaint

Configuration	Single Cars
Types	R17 R21 R22
Date Built	1955-58

As Delivered (R17)

As Delivered (R21/R22)

MTA Repaint (R17/R21/R22)

"Anti Grafiti" white (R21/R22)

Configuration	Maried Pairs
Types	R26 R28 R29 R33 R36
Date Built	1959-64

As Delivered (R26/R28)

As Delivered (R29/R33/R36)

MTA Repaint (R26/R28/R29/R33/R36)

"Anti Grafiti" white (R26/R28/R29/R33/R36)

Kale Green (R33)

GOH "Redbird" Fox Red (R26/R28/R29/R33/R36)

Type	R33S
Date Built	1963

Type	R36WF
Date Built	1964

R33S R36WF

As Delivered

"Anti Grafiti" white

General Overhaul and repaint Fox Red

For a time, the A division (former IRT) used colored stripes under each cars' number plates to designate the yard responsible for maintianing that car. These colors were:

Yard RGB
East 180th St. #000000
239th St. #008000
240th St. #C00000
Westchester #EEEC30
Jerome Ave. #F8AF00
Livonia & 148th St. #0000FF
Corona #B83CD2