R21 (New York City Subway car)

Last updated

R21
NYCS R21 route sign.jpg
Graffiti-covered 7132 on the 5
In service1956–1987
Manufacturer St. Louis Car Company
Built at St. Louis, Missouri
Replaced
Constructed1956–1957
Number built250
Number in service(2 in work service)
Number preserved2
Number scrapped246
245 scrapped
1 in storage
Successor R62A
FormationSingle unit cars
Fleet numbers7050–7174 (General Electric)
7175–7299 (Westinghouse)
Capacity44 (seated)
Operators New York City Transit Authority
Specifications
Car body construction LAHT Carbon steel
Car length51 ft 0.5 in (15.56 m)
Width8 ft 9 in (2,667 mm)
Height11 ft 10 in (3,607 mm)
Doors6 sets of 50 inch wide side doors per car
Maximum speed55 mph (89 km/h)
Weight General Electric cars:
77,607 lb (35,202 kg)
Westinghouse cars:
78,604 lb (35,654 kg)
Traction systemWestinghouse 1447C or General Electric 1240A4
Power output100 hp (75 kW) per traction motor
Electric system(s) 600 V DC Third rail
Current collector(s) Top running Contact shoe
Braking system(s) WABCO ME42A
Safety system(s) Tripcock
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The R21 was a New York City Subway car built by St. Louis Car Company from 1956 to 1957 for the IRT A Division. A total of 250 cars were built, arranged as single units. Two versions were manufactured: Westinghouse (WH)-powered cars and General Electric (GE)-powered cars.

Contents

The first R21s entered service on November 7, 1956. The R21s were replaced by the R62As in the 1980s, and the final train of R21s ran on December 30, 1987. Four R21 cars were preserved, while the rest were scrapped.

Description

The R21s were numbered 7050–7299. They were similar to the R17s, except that they featured windows of a slightly different design. The cab doors were mounted the same way as the newer R62 and R62A subway cars; however, this was not repeated on the next order for R22 subway cars, which reverted to the normally mounted cab doors.

There were two versions of the R21: Westinghouse Electric-powered cars (7050–7174) and General Electric-powered cars (7175–7299).

History

The first set of R21s was placed in service on the 1 train on November 7, 1956, replacing most of the IRT "high-voltage" type cars. They ran in service for most of their service lives on the IRT Broadway–Seventh Avenue Line, but some cars were sent to the IRT Lexington Avenue Line in later years.

Retirement

Car 0R714 on display at the New York Transit Museum Money Train (5061295474).jpg
Car 0R714 on display at the New York Transit Museum
Car 7203, rebuilt for use in the film Money Train and numbered 51050 NYCS fake money train.jpg
Car 7203, rebuilt for use in the film Money Train and numbered 51050

The R62A fleet started replacing the R21s in the 1980s, and their final day in revenue service was on December 30, 1987.

The majority of the fleet was scrapped, but some R21s have been set aside for preservation over the years, including:

As of 2016, two other R21s survive as work cars, including:

Car 7267 (renumbered G7267) is currently at Concourse Yard coupled up to R17 6895 (renumbered 36895) and is classified as a garbage motor. The mechanical condition of 7267 is unknown, and both cars have not been moved since 2002. In 2009, both cars were stripped of parts, such as sash windows and rollsigns, and are now awaiting scrapping. [5]

Cars 7234, 7241, 7269, 7276, and 7287 were converted to R71 rider cars after retirement, but were replaced with R161s (R33s converted to rider cars) in the mid-2000s and eventually reefed. [6]

Cars 7055, 7210, 7211, 7243, 7278, 7289, and 7296 were converted to R123 continuous welded rail holder cars for set CCR and overhauled under the R128 program, [7] but were replaced with R157 flat cars in the 2010s and eventually scrapped. [8]

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References

  1. ↑ "Showing Image 75365". Nycsubway.org. October 6, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  2. ↑ "www.nycsubway.org".
  3. ↑ "www.nycsubway.org".
  4. ↑ "www.nycsubway.org".
  5. ↑ "Showing Image 3268". Nycsubway.org. March 15, 2002. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  6. ↑ "www.nycsubway.org".
  7. ↑ "www.nycsubway.org".
  8. ↑ https://new.mta.info/document/25251 page 140

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