R7 (New York City Subway car)

Last updated
R7
New York City Subway Pullman Standard R7A 1575.jpg
R7A car 1575 at 23rd Street on the Holiday Shopper's Special
MTA NYC R7A 1575 interior.JPG
Interior of R7A car 1575
In service1938–1977
Manufacturer American Car and Foundry, Pullman Standard
Built at Chicago, Illinois, USA
Family name R1–9s
Constructed
  • R7: 1937
  • R7A: 1938
Entered service1938–1939
Scrapped1969–1977
Number built250
  • 150 R7s
  • 100 R7As
Number preserved2 (1 R7, 1 R7A)
Number scrapped248 (149 R7s, 99 R7As)
Successor R44 and R46
Formationmotorized single units (Half-width operator's cab at each end; conductor controls on exterior)
Fleet numbers
  • R7: 1400–1549
  • R7A: 1550–1599 (Built by Pullman Standard)
    1600–1649 (Built by American Car Foundry)
Capacity56 (seated)
Operators Independent Subway System
NYC Board of Transportation
New York City Subway
Specifications
Car body constructionRiveted steel
Car length60 feet 2+12 inches (18.35 m) over anticlimbers
Width10 ft (3.05 m)
Height12 feet 1+58 inches (3.70 m)
Platform height 3.76 ft (1.15 m)
Doors8 sets of 45 inch wide side doors per car
Maximum speed55 mph (89 km/h)
Weight84,556 lb (38,354 kg) (ACF), 84,750 lb (38,440 kg) (Pullman), #1575: 82,340 lb (37,350 kg)
Traction system Westinghouse 570-D5 or General Electric 714-D1, 714-D2
Power output190 hp (142 kW)
Electric system(s) 600 V DC Third rail
Current collector(s) Contact shoe
Braking system(s) WABCO Schedule AMUE with UE-5 universal valve, ME-23 brake stand, and simplex clasp brake rigging. WABCO D-3-F air compressor
Coupling system WABCO H2A
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)

The R7 was a New York City Subway car model built from 1937 to 1938 for the city-operated Independent Subway System by two manufacturers under separate orders, the American Car and Foundry Company and Pullman Standard. They were a continuation of the R6 fleet and closely resemble them, except that the R7/As did not include the “CITY OF NEW YORK” lettering on the middle of the car exterior. [1] A total of 250 cars were built, all arranged as single units. Two versions were ordered: the R7, which consisted of 150 cars, numbered 1400–1549, and the R7A, which consisted of 100 cars, numbered 1550–1649.

Contents

The R7s and R7As were used primarily for increased service in Queens and the opening of the Crosstown Line. They served exclusively on all IND lines for most of their service lives, but were also used on the Eastern Division of the BMT Division's J and L lines during their final years. The R44s and R46s replaced the R7 cars, and they made their final runs in 1977. Two cars, one R7 and one R7A, have been preserved, while the rest of the fleet was scrapped.

History

On March 5, 1937, the New York City Board of Transportation opened up bids for 150 cars to be built under the R7 contract. The winning bid for $40,375 per car was jointly submitted by the American Car and Foundry Company (ACF) and Pullman Standard. The Pressed Steel Car Company also submitted a bid, for $40,850 per car. [2] On July 27, 1937, it was announced that the winning bid for 100 additional cars, under contract R7A, went to ACF and Pullman for $41,951 per car. Additional bids were made by Pressed Steel ($42,200) and Bethlehem Steel ($43,100). The increase in price per car was attributed to strikes in the steel industry. [3]

The R7s were built in 1937, and the R7As were built in 1938. [4] [5] They were used for service on the IND exclusively until 1968, when they began to be displaced from the IND by the new R40s and R42s and transferred to the East New York Yard.

Many R7/As were replaced by the R44s. Most other cars ran on the BMT Division's Eastern Division until 1977, when they were finally replaced by the R46s.

Preservation

Following their retirement, all but two cars were scrapped. The two cars that were not scrapped have survived into preservation:

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References

  1. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-04-27. Retrieved 2021-07-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Subway Car Bids Opened". The New York Times. March 6, 1937. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  3. "$41,951 FOR SUBWAY CAR; $1,575 Advance in Bid to City Is Laid to Steel Strike". The New York Times. July 28, 1937. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  4. "Independent Fleet". google.com.
  5. Cunningham, Joseph; DeHart, Leonard O. (1993). A History of the New York City Subway System. J. Schmidt, R. Giglio, and K. Lang.
  6. "nycsubway.org: The Independent Fleet (1932-1939)".
  7. "R-7A Datasheet (1575) from NYCT Revenue & Non-Revenue Car Drawings".

Further reading