R33 (New York City Subway car)

R33 Main Line (New York City Subway car) R33 9010 on the 7 service, in the 1970s two-tone livery, operating for the final game at Shea Stadium. Interior of an R33 Main Line car post-GOH. R26 to R36 interiors are similar to the R33. In service 1962–2003 Manufacturer St. Louis Car Company Built at St. Louis, Missouri Constructed 1962–1963 Refurbishment 1987-1991 Scrapped 2001-2004, 2013 Number built 500 cars (250 pairs) Number in service (42 in work service) Number preserved 11 Number scrapped 447 Formation Pairs Fleet numbers 8806–9305 Operator(s) 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 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 collection method 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)

The R33 ML (Mainline) was a New York City Subway car built by St. Louis Car Company in 1962 and 1963. They were a "follow-up" or supplemental stock for the “A” Division’s R29s and closely resemble them.

History

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][2] In 1972 they became the first "A" division cars to be retrofitted with air conditioning, and 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:

• Cars 8806 to 9075 had General Electric electrical equipment
• Cars 9076 to 9305 had Westinghouse electrical equipment

From 1987 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 on the 2, 4, and 5 trains, and occasionally on the 7 train.

Retirements, scrapping and preservation

In 1996, New York City Transit announced that it would begin phasing out all Redbird cars – the R26, R28, R29, R33, and R36,^[3] with the arrival of the R142 and R142A cars, which entered service in 2000. The final set of R33 MLs made its last trip on the 4 line on April 14, 2003.

Most of the retired cars were stripped and dumped into the Atlantic Ocean to form artificial reefs. Others were refitted and used for various purposes.

• 21 pairs were painted yellow and black and converted to work service as R161 rider cars RD400-RD441 from 1999 to 2004. RD407 was damaged in a derailment and was scrapped in 2013.
• Car 8885 was converted into a rail adhesion car, and is hauled by other cars during the fall season.
• Four pairs (9010–9011, 9016–9017, 9068–9069 and 9206–9207) have been repainted into various vintage paint schemes, and have seen various uses since retirement, mostly on the Train of Many Colors.
• Car 9075 is on static tourist attraction at Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens, Queens and is retrofitted with swinging doors. Its future is uncertain as very few tourists visit the car. It was painted silver in 2016.^[4]
• Pair 8912-8913 is at the Tiffany Street Iron Shops, a training facility for elevated structure workers in Hunts Point, Bronx. This pair was previously involved in a derailment at the 239 Street Yard.
• Pair 9156-9157 was used for police training at Floyd Bennett Field. However, in 2014, the pair was replaced by R110B 3001. They were then moved to Linden Yard after they got replaced. The pair's fate is unknown at this time, though it is possible that the pair would head up to the 207 Street Yard for scrapping.

Other cars were retained for work service until 2013, when they were scrapped.

• Pairs 8812-8813, 8834-8835, 8996-8997, and 9000-9001 were used as refuse storage cars until being scrapped in 2013. They were based from the 38th Street Yard. These cars were replaced with R32s restricted to work service.
• Pair 8888-8889 was used as a refuse train motor. It was based from the Westchester Yard, but in 2011 was mothballed when Westchester Yard stopped using subway cars for work service.

Route assignments

Routes	Years in Service	Cars
1	1962	All cars
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7	1963 – 1966	All General Electric and Westinghouse cars
2, 4, 5, 6	1966	All cars
2, 4, 5	1966 – 1985	General Electric cars
6	1966 – 1988	Westinghouse cars
3	1984 – 1986	Some Westinghouse cars
2, 5	1986 – 2002	Most rebuilt cars
4	1988 – 2003	Some rebuilt cars
7	1989 – 1996	Some rebuilt cars

See also

• R29 (New York City Subway car)
• R36 (New York City Subway car)

Gallery

• 

  R33 roll sign. Shows Bronx Express.

• 

  R33 was painted in various colors for the Train of Many Colors. Example colors of the R33 shown in the image is Bluebird and Redbird.

• 

  R33 9075 is on display at Queens Borough Hall

• 

  R33 interior view. R26 to R36 looks similar.

• 

  R33 9206 on the Train of Many Colors in 2016.

References

1. "www.nycsubway.org". www.nycsubway.org.
2. "www.nycsubway.org". www.nycsubway.org.
3. "NYC Transit prepared for major subway car procurement". Railway age (Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation). 1996-09-01. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
4. Roberts, Georgett; Strum, Beckie (10 July 2015). "Queens tourist center closes because no tourist ever went there". New York Post.