R32 (New York City Subway car)

The R32s are numbered 3350–3949, although some cars were re-numbered outside of this range or to different numbers in this range. They were the first cars to introduce all-mylar route and destination rollsigns instead of the former cotton cloth or linen type rollsigns found on prior rail cars.

The R32 contract was divided into two subcontracts of 300 cars each: R32 (cars 3350–3649) and R32A (cars 3650–3949).[3] The R32As were funded through the proceeds of a revenue bond, while the R32s were paid for out of the 1963–1964 New York City capital budget. The two subcontracts differed with the first 150 R32s having visible bulkhead horns – the last cars to be built with this feature – on R32 cars 3350–3499.[4][5] This feature can be found on the Redbirds, R27s, and R30s, along with various older trains. Another distinctive difference was the interior lighting featuring backlit ad-signs on R32A cars 3800–3949.[6][7]

The R32s were the first mass-produced stainless steel cars built for the New York City Subway. Two previous Budd orders (the BMT Zephyr and the R11s) were limited production and/or experimental orders. The horizontally ribbed, shiny, and unpainted stainless exteriors earned the cars the nickname Brightliners.[8] The use of stainless steel reduced the weight of each car by over 4,000 pounds, when compared to previous models.[9]

A poster from 1964 referencing the R32 order

In June 1963, the New York City Transit Authority contracted with Budd for 600 IND/BMT cars (300 pairs) to replace older equipment (cars that had exceeded the TA's 35-year limit of age), including the BMT D-type Triplex articulated cars and some of the BMT Standards. At the time, this was the largest railcar order ever placed in the United States for subway cars. The cars were ordered for $68,820,000,[9] of which half was provided by New York City and half through the sale of bonds by the New York City Transit Authority.[8] Budd had bid on previous contracts with the NYCTA, but had never won a City contract for a production run of cars until the R32s, as Budd built only stainless-steel equipment, and the TA refused to allow a differential in competitive bids for this higher-quality construction.[10]

Budd won the contract by offering the lowest bid of $114,700 per car. The next lowest bidder came in at $117,900 per car, which was for low-alloy steel cars. Budd introduced stainless steel equipment to the modern New York City Subway system, a plan that was met with limited success.[10] NYCTA allowed a premium for subsequent stainless steel contracts, and all subsequent equipment was at least partly constructed of stainless steel. However, the Budd Company never benefited from the change, as they failed to win further contracts from the NYCTA, and the company has since halted the production of railroad cars.

The R32 cars originally came with blue passenger doors and blue storm doors. The passenger doors of many cars were repainted silver from 1974, as the graffiti epidemic worsened.[11] However, some cars retained or regained blue passenger doors towards the start of the General Overhaul (GOH) program, which replaced all the doors with stainless steel versions.[12]

On August 18, 1964, the NYCTA approved a modification to the 300 R32s already constructed. The modification was required to ensure proper clearance in tunnels. Since the cars were 4,000 pounds lighter than other subway cars when new, they did not sink as low on standard trucks and springs. The modification involved the modification of the body bolster.[13]

A ceremonial introduction trip for the new R32 "Brightliners" cars was held on September 9, 1964, operating from the New York Central Railroad's Mott Haven Yards in the Bronx to Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan.[9] The new cars were then placed into service on the Q on September 14, 1964, after their New York Central's spring-loaded under-running third rail shoes were replaced with gravity-type overrunning subway third rail shoes.[8][9] The R32s were originally assigned to the BMT Southern Division service only, initially on the Brighton Line (Q train) and the Sea Beach Line (N train), but were eventually reassigned to the West End Line (T and TT trains).

Cars 3946–3949 were delivered with Pioneer trucks and disc brakes in 1966. These trucks were replaced with standard trucks in 1976.[14][15][16][17]

In 1974, cars 3700–3701 were sent to Garrett AiResearch's facilities in Los Angeles, California, to test out Flywheel energy storage system equipment. 3700 received energy conservation machinery with batteries and amber-type digital readout indicating the amount of energy used by the equipment, while 3701 remained unmodified. These cars were later tested at the UMTA, and the US Department of Transportation's Testing Facilities in Pueblo, Colorado, for evaluation, and were returned to the MTA in 1976 for in-service testing on all BMT/IND Lines to check the effectiveness of the technology.[18]

Retirement

Retired R32 cars being shipped out to the Atlantic Ocean for reefing

Retired R32 cars awaiting processing at Sims Metal Management in Newark, New Jersey

The R160s replaced most of the R32s in the late 2000s. The ten GE cars were retired first in the summer of 2007. The Phase II R32s followed a year later, from March 2008 until October 13, 2008. Finally, a handful of Phase I R32s were retired from early 2009 until November 2009, when it was decided to retire the NYCT R44s instead. By December 2010, only 232 active cars remained, 222 of which[23] were assigned to 207th Street Yard, operating on the A and C. These had periodically underwent intermittent SMS (Scheduled Maintenance Service, a life-extension program) cycles – at a cost of $25 million – to extend their useful lives.[24][25]

The R179s replaced the remainder of the R32s in the early 2020s. The cars were originally slated for retirement in 2017,[26][27] but the R179s experienced delays in delivery. Subsequently, plans were changed to retain the R32s in order for them to provide a backup fleet and support service increased frequencies until in 2022, when they would finally be replaced by the R211s;[28][29][30] however, by January 2020, it was again decided to retire the R32s with the R179s.[31] With the R179 delivery completed, the R32s were gradually phased out until the last train, consisting of pairs 3488–3489, 3514–3515, 3646–3647, and 3520–3891, made its final trip on the C on March 26, 2020.[3][1] However, in June 2020, some cars were reactivated and transferred to East New York Yard to provide backup revenue service due to the R179s being pulled from service.[32] By July 1, 2020, the R32s re-entered service on the J and Z. Since the R179 cars' re-entry into service in late September 2020, demand for the R32s drastically lowered; the R32s were officially retired when the last train, consisting of pairs 3714–3715, 3924–3925, 3706–3707, and 3889–3888, made its final trip on the Z on October 8, 2020.[33][3]

Most cars retired by the R160s were stripped and sunk as artificial reefs.[34] However, after the reefing program ended in April 2010, retired R32s have been trucked to Sims Metal Management's Newark facility to be scrapped and processed, an action that occurred between April 2013 and October 2013 with several already-retired cars.[35] Meanwhile, the cars retired by the R179s were mothballed and placed into storage system-wide, pending disposition.

Some R32 cars were saved for various purposes throughout the New York City Subway system. The full list includes:

• Phase II pair 3350–3351 – set aside for preservation by the Railway Preservation Corp. This pair is currently stored at the Coney Island Yard.
• Phase II pair 3352–3353 – set aside for preservation by the New York Transit Museum. This pair was the lead pair on the R32s' premiere trip on September 9, 1964. The pair is currently stored at the 207th St Yard.
• GE-rebuilt pair 3594–3595 – being used as NYPD training cars at Floyd Bennett Field.
• Phase I pair 3786–3787 – being used as derailment re-railing training cars at the Coney Island Complex.
• 10 cars that were taken out of revenue service in 2010[3] – now used for work service; six of these cars are based from the 36th–38th Street Yard, while the other four are based from the 207th Street Yard. All cars handle such tasks as providing traction for B Division rail adhesion cars and refuse trains.[3]

The longest-lasting R32s were in service for over 56 years, currently the longest such service life for an R-type subway car, and the second longest such service life in New York City rapid transit operations.[lower-alpha 1][36] They were the last cars built for the New York City Transit Authority – prior to its merger with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 1968 – to remain in service. The R32s had survived well past their specified service life of 35 years; they are the oldest rolling stock since the retirement of the Redbird trains,[9] and the oldest rolling stock of any metro system in North America, as well as some of the oldest rolling stock of any metro system anywhere in the world.[lower-alpha 2][38] The R32s also outlasted the newer R38s, R40s, R42s, and New York City Transit R44s.[38] According to railfan James Greller, they are often cited for their superior durability and craftsmanship, along with the structural reinforcement done to their bodies during the GOH period.

Despite their considerable structural quality, the R32s suffered from low mechanical quality, especially near the end of their service lives. They had the lowest Mean Distance Between Failures figures of the active fleet, as the overhauls they received during the 1988–89 period have all worn out after 29–30 years.[39] Others criticized the R32s for their appearance and lack of comfort; in August 2011, The New York Times called the R32s "a dreary reminder to passengers of an earlier subterranean era", and claimed that "time has taken a toll" on the cars.[38] They had worn-out air conditioning, propulsion, and braking systems, so they were often temporarily transferred to services with mostly outdoor or elevated portions, namely the A, J, and Z.[40][41][42]

An R32 C train with a rollsign for the fictional 0 service leftover from filming for Joker

In the famous car chase scene in the film The French Connection, the chased train of R42s crashes into an R32.

A train of R32s was featured in the 2015 film Bridge of Spies, although the film is set a decade prior to their manufacturing. They were the oldest available rolling stock to form a realistic 10-car train for exterior filming. Interior shots were done with a more period-appropriate R11/R34 from the New York Transit Museum.[43]

Several trains of R32s were featured in the movie Spider-Man: Homecoming, on the J train.

An R32 was featured at Church Avenue station, 18th Avenue station, and Bedford Park Boulevard station for the movie Joker.[44]

• Sansone, Gene. Evolution of New York City subways: An illustrated history of New York City's transit cars, 1867–1997. New York Transit Museum Press, New York, 1997 ISBN 978-0-9637492-8-4

Media related to R32 (New York City Subway car) at Wikimedia Commons

• nycsubway.org - NYC Subway Cars: R32
• Korman, Joe (January 12, 2018). "BMT-IND Car Assignments". JoeKorNer.
• Korman, Joe (November 6, 2016). "New York City Subway Car Fleet June 2010 through November 2016". JoeKorNer.
• R32 Adult Swim Station ID on YouTube