R110B (New York City Subway car)

Last updated

R110B
MTA NYC Subway Bombardier Transportation R110B 3009.jpg
R110B cars 3007 and 3009 at the 207th Street Yard
In service1993–2000
Manufacturer Bombardier Transportation [1]
Constructed1992
Entered serviceJune 15, 1993
Number built9 [1]
FormationThree-car sets [1]
Fleet numbers3001–3009
Capacity54 seated 183 standing (A car), 50 seated 175 standing (B car) [1]
Operators New York City Subway
Specifications
Car body construction Stainless steel [1]
Car length67 ft (20.42 m) [1]
Width10 ft (3.05 m) [1]
Height12.08 ft (3.68 m) [1]
Doors8 sets of 50 inch wide side doors per car
Maximum speed55 mph (89 km/h) [1]
WeightTrailer (71,000 lb (32,000 kg))
Motorized (86,000 lb (39,000 kg)) [1]
Traction system GTO–VVVF (GE)
Traction motors GE GEB 7-B 202 hp (151 kW) 3-phase AC 4-pole asynchronous motors
Electric system(s) Third rail,  600 V DC [1]
Current collector(s) Contact shoe
Safety system(s) dead man's switch, tripcock
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge [1]

The R110B (contract order R131) was a prototype class of experimental New Technology Train (NTT) New York City Subway cars built by Bombardier of Canada for service on the B Division services. There were nine cars, arranged as three-car sets. They were designed to test features that would be implemented on future mass-production NTT orders.

Contents

First announced in 1989, the R110Bs were delivered in 1992 and entered service on June 15, 1993, on the A service. An explosion in 1996 forced three cars to be taken out of service, resulting in the remaining six cars to run on the C service. The six cars not affected by the explosion continued to run until 2000, when they were permanently removed from service due to frequent breakdowns and low Mean Distance Between Failure (MDBF) numbers. Five of the nine cars were sent away to various facilities, with the remaining four still on MTA property.

Description

The R110B cars were ordered from Bombardier in December 1989. [1] The R110B was designed to test various new technology features that would eventually be incorporated into the R143 and were not intended for long-term production use.

There were nine R110B cars, numbered 3001–3009. The cars were linked into three-car sets by consecutive numbers. The cab cars are powered with four traction motors each, while the center car of the 3-car set is an unpowered, cab-less trailer. The cars are typical B-Division size, except that they are 67 feet long, a length shared by the BMT Standards and the SIRT ME-1s.

The R110B uses the standard subway train control stand, but with some added computerized features. The layout of the controls is desk-style, with switches, lamps, and a single lever to control traction and braking. A CRT with function keys on either side is used to monitor speed, train status, etc.

The R110B's design is similar to that of the R68 cars now in use on the BMT and IND services, but the ends are more square and use Lexan glass in the windows. Car ends that do not have cabs have an expanse of glass. The seating configuration is the same as in the R68, but the materials are more advanced.

A matte plastic is used that allows scratches, tags, and stubborn graffiti to be buffed out using a light abrasive. The seats have a reduced bucket. Internal surfaces are tan fiberglass and plastic, with accents provided using a plastic mosaic applique. The floor uses linoleum with a pattern of slightly raised and textured squares. The R110B cars have handholds for shorter passengers.

There are rollsign line indicators in the front of the train, LCD destination signs (on windows) and interior strip route guides on top of the ad space, and an LED indication of stops ahead on both sides. Rollsigns were not used on the subsequent New Technology Train orders; however, the R211 order are equipped with front LED signs that are similar to rollsign-equipped trains.

Another new and important feature was the passenger intercom, which could be used for emergencies.

History

During the 1970s and 1980s, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) had made several large orders for subway cars, such as the R46, which had new components added to them. However, because there was not a prototype built first for testing, many expensive retrofits were required. The MTA was in the process of creating the first technologically-advanced subway car since the R44 in the early 1970s. [2] In order to avoid the aforementioned problem, in 1989, the MTA awarded contracts for two prototype test trains, one of which was the R110A (contract R130) for the A Division built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and the R110B (contract R131) for the B Division built by Bombardier Transportation. [3] [4]

These two fleets were called the New Technology Test Trains (NTTTs) and would test features that would be implemented on future mass-production orders, specifically the New Technology Trains. [4] [5] [6] [2] [7] The R110B tested new technology, including AC propulsion with regeneration, microprocessor-controlled doors and brakes, roof-mounted hermetic air-conditioning units, and fabricated trucks with air bags suspension. Passenger emergency intercoms for contacting train crews, passenger alarm strips to press in case of an emergency, improved lighting, glass to see into the next cars and the platform, and computerized announcements were all implemented. [5]

The R110Bs entered service on June 15, 1993, running on the A train.

Incidents

On November 4, 1996, a fire and explosion occurred on car 3006 while the train was in service on the A train. This resulted in set 3007–3009 being permanently taken out of service and cannibalized of parts to repair car 3006 and to keep the other two sets operating. The two remaining sets (3001–3003 and 3004–3006) ran as a six-car train on the C route.

Retirement and current status

Throughout 1999, the remaining R110Bs had been in and out of service for both repairs and additional component testing. The train was permanently removed from service in 2000 due to frequent breakdowns and low Mean Distance Between Failure (MDBF) numbers, and never ran in service again.

After retirement, many of the cars were reused throughout New York City, including:

Cars 3002, 3003, 3007, and 3009 are currently stored at the 207th Street Yard. [8] [9] [10] [11] Plans are unknown for these cars.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockaway Park Shuttle</span> New York City Subway service

The Rockaway Park Shuttle is a New York City Subway shuttle train that operates in Queens. It connects with the A train at Broad Channel station and is the latest iteration of the Rockaway Shuttle services that have been running on the Rockaway peninsula since 1956. This shuttle train provides service to the western part of the peninsula, with a terminus at Rockaway Park–Beach 116th Street. The fully above-ground route operates on trackage that was originally part of the Long Island Rail Road's Rockaway Beach Branch until the mid-1950s. During summer weekends, to eliminate an additional transfer and thus ease beach access, the Rockaway Park Shuttle is typically extended four stations north to Rockaway Boulevard, the southernmost station shared by Rockaway-bound and Lefferts Boulevard-bound A trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R32 (New York City Subway car)</span> Retired class of New York City Subway car

The R32 was a New York City Subway car model built by the Budd Company from 1964 to 1965 for the IND/BMT B Division. A total of 600 R32s were built, numbered 3350–3949, though some cars were re-numbered. The R32 contract was divided into two subcontracts of 300 cars each: R32 and R32A ; the former was paid by the city's capital budget and the latter was paid through a revenue bond. All were arranged as married pairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R142 (New York City Subway car)</span> Class of New York City Subway car

The R142 is the first mass-produced model class of the newest generation or new technology (NTT) A Division cars for the New York City Subway. It was built by Bombardier Transportation in La Pocatière, Quebec, Canada and Barre, Vermont, U.S. with final assembly performed at Plattsburgh, New York, from 1999 to 2003. There are 880 cars numbered 6301–7180 and another 150 cars numbered 1101–1250, for a total of 1,030 cars, all arranged as five-car sets. Together with the R142As, they replaced the Redbird trains, including the R26, R28, R29, R33, R33S, and R36.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R142A (New York City Subway car)</span> Class of New York City Subway car

The R142A is the second order of new technology cars (NTTs) for the A Division of the New York City Subway. These cars were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in the U.S. at Yonkers, New York and Lincoln, Nebraska, and in Japan at Kobe, Hyōgo. They replaced the Redbird trains, including the R26, R28, R29, R33, R33S, and R36. The R142A fleet initially comprised 600 cars, arranged as five-car units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R44 (New York City Subway car)</span> Class of New York City Subway car

The R44 is a New York City Subway car model built by the St. Louis Car Company from 1971 to 1973 for the B Division and the Staten Island Railway (SIR). The cars replaced many R1-R9 series cars, and all remaining 1925 Standard Steel built SIRTOA ME-1 trains, providing Staten Island with a new fleet of railcars. The R44 fleet originally consisted of 352 cars, of which 57 remain in service, all on the Staten Island Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R62 (New York City Subway car)</span> Class of New York City Subway car

The R62 is a New York City Subway car model built between 1983 and 1985 by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Kobe, Japan, for the A Division. A total of 325 cars were built, originally as single units. When the reliability of the fleet improved, they were converted to five-car sets. The cars replaced the remaining R12s, R14s, and R15s, which were all retired by the end of 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Subway rolling stock</span>

The New York City Subway is a large rapid transit system and has a large fleet of electric multiple unit rolling stock. As of November 2016, the New York City Subway has 6418 cars on the roster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Subway nomenclature</span> Terminology of the New York City Subway

New York City Subway nomenclature is the terminology used in the New York City Subway system as derived from railroading practice, historical origins of the system, and engineering, publicity, and legal usage. Important terms include lines, or individual sections of subway, like the BMT Brighton Line; services, like the B, which is a single train route along several lines; and stations, such as Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue, which connects multiple lines and services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R68A (New York City Subway car)</span> Class of New York City Subway car

The R68A is a B Division New York City Subway car order consisting of 200 cars built between 1988 and 1989 by Kawasaki Railcar Company in Kobe, Japan, with final assembly done at the Kawasaki plant in Yonkers, New York. A total of 200 cars were built, arranged in four-car sets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R110A (New York City Subway car)</span> Retired class of New York City Subway car

The R110A was a New York City Subway car model built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in 1992 as a prototype New Technology Train to test various technologies. There were ten cars arranged as five-car sets. They were designed to test features that would be implemented on future mass-production New Tech Train orders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R62A (New York City Subway car)</span> Class of New York City Subway car

The R62A is a New York City Subway car model built between 1984 and 1987 by Bombardier Transportation for the A Division. The cars were built in La Pocatière, Quebec, with final assembly done in Auburn, New York and Barre, Vermont, under a license from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, manufacturer of the previous R62 order. A total of 825 cars were built, arranged as sets of three, four, or five cars per set. The cars replaced the remaining R17s, R21s, and R22s, which were all retired by early 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R68 (New York City Subway car)</span> Class of New York City Subway car

The R68 is a B Division New York City Subway car order consisting of 425 cars built by the Westinghouse-Amrail Company, a joint venture of Westinghouse, ANF Industrie, Jeumont Schneider, and Alsthom. The cars were built in France from 1986 to 1988 and shipped through New York Harbor. Of the cars in the fleet, 416 are arranged in four-car sets while the other nine are single cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R11/R34 (New York City Subway car)</span> Retired class of New York City Subway car

The R11 was a prototype class of experimental New York City Subway cars built by the Budd Company in 1949 for the IND/BMT B Division. A total of ten cars were built, arranged as single units. Originally consisting of 400 cars, only ten R11s were built, due to the cancellation of the Second Avenue Subway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R30 (New York City Subway car)</span> Retired class of New York City Subway car

The R30 was a New York City Subway car model built by St. Louis Car Company from 1961 to 1962. The cars were a "follow-up" or supplemental stock for the B Division's R27s and closely resembled them. A total of 320 cars were built, arranged in married pairs. Three versions were manufactured: Westinghouse (WH)-powered cars, General Electric (GE)-powered cars, and R30As.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R160 (New York City Subway car)</span> Class of New York City Subway car

The R160 is a class of New Technology Train subway cars built for the New York City Subway's B Division. Entering service between 2006 and 2010, they replaced all R38, R40, and NYCT-operated R44 cars, and most R32 and R42 cars. The R160s are very similar to the earlier R143s and later R179s. The biggest difference between the R160 and R143 is the Flexible Information and Notice Display (FIND) system on the R160s in place of static LED maps on the R143s and all A-Division New Technology fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R179 (New York City Subway car)</span> Class of New York City Subway car

The R179 is a class of 318 New Technology Train subway cars built by Bombardier Transportation for the New York City Subway's B Division. Entering service between 2017 and 2020, the cars replaced all remaining R32s and R42s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Rocket</span> Rolling stock of the Toronto subway system

The Toronto Rocket (TR) is the fifth and latest series of rolling stock used in the Toronto subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned and operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the trains were built by Bombardier Transportation in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to replace the last remaining H-series trains, as well as increase capacity for the Spadina subway extension to Vaughan that opened in 2017. They operate in a six-car configuration on Line 1 Yonge–University and a four-car configuration on Line 4 Sheppard. The sets are stored and maintained at the Wilson and Davisville Yards. The first six-car TR train entered passenger service on Line 1 in July 2011, and four-car TR trainsets entered service on Line 4 in May 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R211 (New York City Subway car)</span> Class of New York City Subway car

The R211 is a new technology train (NTT) New York City Subway car being built by Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing for the B Division and the Staten Island Railway (SIR). They will replace two aging subway car models: all R44 cars on the Staten Island Railway and all R46 subway cars. The order is split into three parts: R211A and R211T cars for the subway and R211S cars for the SIR. The R211Ts employ open gangways between cars, allowing passengers to see and walk through the entire length of the train – a feature not present on the subway's other rolling stock. The base order consists of 535 cars, with options for up to 1,077 additional cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Technology Train</span> Family of New York City Subway cars

New Technology Train (NTT) is the collective term for the modern passenger fleet of the New York City Subway that has entered service since the turn of the 21st century. This includes the current R142, R142A, R143, R160, R179, R188 and R211 models, along with the planned R262 and R268 models. Two prototypes, the R110A and R110B, were used to test the features that would be found on all NTT trains today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technology of the New York City Subway</span> Overview of the technology of the New York City Subway

Since the late 20th century, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has started several projects to maintain and improve the New York City Subway. Some of these projects, such as subway line automation, proposed platform screen doors, the FASTRACK maintenance program, and infrastructural improvements proposed in 2015–2019 Capital Program, contribute toward improving the system's efficiency. Others, such as train-arrival "countdown clocks", "Help Point" station intercoms, "On the Go! Travel Station" passenger kiosks, wireless and cellular network connections in stations, MetroCard fare payment alternatives, and digital ads, are meant to benefit individual passengers. Yet others, including the various methods of subway construction, do not directly impact the passenger interface, but are used to make subway operations efficient.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Rapid Transit Car R-110B". Bombardier Incorporated. 1990. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Seaton, Charles (December 6, 2006). "New York City Bringing Rail Into the 21st Century". Metro Magazine . Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  3. ↑ Sims, Calvin (May 9, 1990). "For This Project, Subway Cars Are the Stuff of Dreams". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Transit Cooperative Research Program Report 46: The Role of Transit Amenities and Vehicle Characteristics in Building Transit Ridership: Amenities for Transit Handbook and The Transit Design Game Workbook; PART 2: IMPACTS OF AMENITIES" (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Transportation Research Board, Project for Public Spaces, National Academy Press. 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Gene Sansone (October 25, 2004). New York Subways: An Illustrated History of New York City's Transit Cars. JHU Press. pp. 273–282. ISBN   978-0-8018-7922-7.
  6. ↑ Pierre-Pierre, Garry (January 22, 1997). "After a Few Suggestions, City Presents Subway Cars With Seats of Amplitude". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  7. ↑ "MTA | Press Release | MTA Headquarters | The Train of the Future Now a Museum Piece". www.mta.info. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Showing Image 63068". Archived from the original on 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
  9. ↑ "Showing Image 63064". Archived from the original on 2009-03-06. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
  10. ↑ "Showing Image 63060". Archived from the original on 2007-12-01. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
  11. ↑ "Showing Image 63048". Archived from the original on 2009-02-16. Retrieved 2007-11-11.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.