R17 (New York City Subway car)
Encyclopedia
The R17 is a New York City Subway
car class built in 1955. It was one of three car classes purchased in the mid-1950s by the New York City Transit Authority
to replace much of the pre-World War II
IRT
High Voltage (Hi-V) rolling stock, which included the Gibbs cars
, the Deck Roofs
, and the Hedley Hi-V
cars.
, and all single unit cars capable of operating both independently or as part of a longer train
. The electrical components were split between General Electric
(cars 6500-6699), and Westinghouse Electric
(6700-6899). Cars 6800-6809 actually had air conditioning when delivered, but the air conditioning experiment was considered a failure and the cars were refitted with standard axiflow fans between 1962 and 1964. As delivered, R17s came equipped with low running lights at the ends. In 1957, sealed beam headlights were added to the cars.
The R17s were delivered in a maroon paint scheme. Some were repainted bright red ("tartar red") in the late 1960s. All cars received the TA platinum mist/blue paint job starting in 1970. In the early 1980s, they were painted plain white and eventually 16 cars were repainted fox red for 42nd Street Shuttle service in 1985-86. All 16 of the fox red cars were sent to the Flushing Line
to fill in for the R-33 singles
while they were being overhauled. The red R17s were the last to remain in service, running on the 5
route and being mixed with both rebuilt and unrebuilt R26-R33 cars.http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?114716 The last run of the R17s was on February 29, 1988 which was a solid ten car train of fox red R17s that ran on the 5
line.
As delivered, R17s came with very comfortable foam rubber seats. However as time went on, vandals and wear and tear contributed to rapid and frequent damage to the seats, leading the Transit Authority to deem them unsuitable for service. Ultimately they were replaced with hard fiberglass benches similar in feel to the ones in use on New York City subway trains today.
While the cars received the fox red paint scheme like other cars that would go on to be later known as "Redbirds
," that nickname was never given to these cars. The R17 cars themselves did not have any nicknames except from shop and operating personnel who referred to the General Electric
cars (cars 6500-6699) as "Flat bottoms." The name was derived from the large box underneath the car that contained the switch group, resistor
grids, and other propulsion control electrical equipment. Designed to simplify maintenance, in practice the heavy box proved unwieldy. Resistance grids also generate a good deal of heat, and therefore need to be cooled. Typically this is done automatically on a subway car that uses a DC propulsion system, as the grids are exposed and the train's natural movement creates a breeze that ventilates and cools the grids. But since the R17's grids were enclosed in the heavy box, ventilation and cooling would be provided by using the spinning rotor
of the Motor-generator
to act as a fan feeding air into the box. The GE R17s were not the only subway cars with this arrangement. The GE cars in class R16
also had a similar setup, and therefore the "Flat bottom" nickname applies to the GE cars in that class as well for the same reason as above. The nickname never applied to the Westinghouse
cars in either class.
During the course of their careers, two cars (6673 and 6786) were wrecked in 1957 as a result of a collision near Zerega Avenue
, and three cars (6595, 6597, and 6601) were destroyed by fire - at the 42nd Street Shuttle fire at Grand Central in 1964. The majority of the remainder of the fleet has been scrapped since their service lives ended in 1988, although a few cars have been preserved.
The major identifying characteristics of the R17 can all be found in its windows. These include the circular windows on the car end doors, similar to those found on the R15
and the B Division
R11
and R16
. The R17 also features large, rounded rectangle windows on its side doors, similar to those found on nearly every car in today's subway system. While similar to the R16
in outward appearance, as an A Division
car, it is smaller and contains only three doors on each side of the car (instead of four).
The R17, like many older New York City Subway cars built for the A Division, also features two sets of mid-carbody passenger windows on each side. Normally arranged in two pairs of three on the R15
, on the R17 one set of windows on each side contains a rollsign in lieu of a third window. The sign contains three readings arranged vertically on its box - the top two being the train's terminals, and the bottom being the train's route. This window and signbox pattern became the blueprint for the later R21
and R22
, the Redbirds
, and even influenced the design of trains still in service today. The R32
class of subway cars uses a similar rollsign design to that first found on the R17.
. Other surviving cars are listed as follows:
in the 1971 film The French Connection
in a scene where Gene Hackman's character is tailing a heroin smuggler. At that time, the cars were painted in the MTA platinum mist/blue band livery.
R17s can been seen on the 42 Street Shuttle in Ron Howard
's Night Shift
.
The interior of a repainted red R17 operating on the 5
can be briefly seen in the opening credits of Oliver Stone
's Wall Street.
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
car class built in 1955. It was one of three car classes purchased in the mid-1950s by the New York City Transit Authority
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
to replace much of the pre-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
IRT
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company was the private operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the City in June 1940...
High Voltage (Hi-V) rolling stock, which included the Gibbs cars
Gibbs (New York City Subway car)
The Gibbs Hi-V, a New York City Subway car, was built in 1904-05 for the IRT and its successors, the NYC Board of Transportation and the New York City Transit Authority. It was the first all steel subway car ordered for New York City....
, the Deck Roofs
Deck Roof (New York City Subway car)
The Deck Roof Hi-V was built in 1907–08. These cars remained in service from 1907–1958 and were also nicknamed the Battleships. When they were new thy had two doors on each side until the early 1910s when they received another door in the middle on each side...
, and the Hedley Hi-V
Hi-V (New York City Subway car)
The Hedley Hi-V, a New York City Subway car, was built in 1910-1911, which were motor cars and then in 1915 an order for trailers that were numbered 4223-4514. These were the first cars built with center doors...
cars.
Description
There were 400 cars in this class, all built by the St. Louis Car CompanySt. Louis Car Company
The St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887–1973, based in St. Louis, Missouri.-History:...
, and all single unit cars capable of operating both independently or as part of a longer train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
. The electrical components were split between General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(cars 6500-6699), and Westinghouse Electric
Westinghouse Electric (1886)
Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
(6700-6899). Cars 6800-6809 actually had air conditioning when delivered, but the air conditioning experiment was considered a failure and the cars were refitted with standard axiflow fans between 1962 and 1964. As delivered, R17s came equipped with low running lights at the ends. In 1957, sealed beam headlights were added to the cars.
The R17s were delivered in a maroon paint scheme. Some were repainted bright red ("tartar red") in the late 1960s. All cars received the TA platinum mist/blue paint job starting in 1970. In the early 1980s, they were painted plain white and eventually 16 cars were repainted fox red for 42nd Street Shuttle service in 1985-86. All 16 of the fox red cars were sent to the Flushing Line
IRT Flushing Line
The Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, operated as part of the IRT Division and designated the 7 route...
to fill in for the R-33 singles
R33 World's Fair (New York City Subway car)
The R33 World's Fair is a class of 40 single cars for the New York City Subway car built in late 1963. They were made for the "A" Division, but only assigned to the service and were based out of Corona Yard. They were used to make 11-car trains with the R36 WF cars, which were built as two-car...
while they were being overhauled. The red R17s were the last to remain in service, running on the 5
5 (New York City Subway service)
The 5 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....
route and being mixed with both rebuilt and unrebuilt R26-R33 cars.http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?114716 The last run of the R17s was on February 29, 1988 which was a solid ten car train of fox red R17s that ran on the 5
5 (New York City Subway service)
The 5 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....
line.
As delivered, R17s came with very comfortable foam rubber seats. However as time went on, vandals and wear and tear contributed to rapid and frequent damage to the seats, leading the Transit Authority to deem them unsuitable for service. Ultimately they were replaced with hard fiberglass benches similar in feel to the ones in use on New York City subway trains today.
While the cars received the fox red paint scheme like other cars that would go on to be later known as "Redbirds
Redbird trains
Redbird is the name given to 1,410 New York City Subway cars of the following types: R26, R28, R29, R33 Main Line , R33 World's Fair , R36 ML, and R36 WF. These cars were painted a deep red to combat graffiti, which had become a major problem In the late 1970s and early 1980s. The deep red color...
," that nickname was never given to these cars. The R17 cars themselves did not have any nicknames except from shop and operating personnel who referred to the General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
cars (cars 6500-6699) as "Flat bottoms." The name was derived from the large box underneath the car that contained the switch group, resistor
Resistor
A linear resistor is a linear, passive two-terminal electrical component that implements electrical resistance as a circuit element.The current through a resistor is in direct proportion to the voltage across the resistor's terminals. Thus, the ratio of the voltage applied across a resistor's...
grids, and other propulsion control electrical equipment. Designed to simplify maintenance, in practice the heavy box proved unwieldy. Resistance grids also generate a good deal of heat, and therefore need to be cooled. Typically this is done automatically on a subway car that uses a DC propulsion system, as the grids are exposed and the train's natural movement creates a breeze that ventilates and cools the grids. But since the R17's grids were enclosed in the heavy box, ventilation and cooling would be provided by using the spinning rotor
Rotor (electric)
The rotor is the non-stationary part of a rotary electric motor, electric generator or alternator, which rotates because the wires and magnetic field of the motor are arranged so that a torque is developed about the rotor's axis. In some designs, the rotor can act to serve as the motor's armature,...
of the Motor-generator
Motor-generator
A motor-generator is a device for converting electrical power to another form. Motor-generator sets are used to convert frequency, voltage, or phase of power. They may also be used to isolate electrical loads from the electrical power supply line...
to act as a fan feeding air into the box. The GE R17s were not the only subway cars with this arrangement. The GE cars in class R16
R16 (New York City Subway car)
The R16 was a New York City Subway car manufactured by American Car and Foundry Company. The R16s were assigned to the BMT Eastern Division, although they showed up on the IND Queens and BMT Southern divisions from time to time....
also had a similar setup, and therefore the "Flat bottom" nickname applies to the GE cars in that class as well for the same reason as above. The nickname never applied to the Westinghouse
Westinghouse Electric (1886)
Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
cars in either class.
During the course of their careers, two cars (6673 and 6786) were wrecked in 1957 as a result of a collision near Zerega Avenue
Zerega Avenue (IRT Pelham Line)
Zerega Avenue is a local station on the IRT Pelham Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Zerega Avenue and Westchester Avenue in the Bronx, it is served by the 6 train at all times except weekdays in the peak direction...
, and three cars (6595, 6597, and 6601) were destroyed by fire - at the 42nd Street Shuttle fire at Grand Central in 1964. The majority of the remainder of the fleet has been scrapped since their service lives ended in 1988, although a few cars have been preserved.
The major identifying characteristics of the R17 can all be found in its windows. These include the circular windows on the car end doors, similar to those found on the R15
R15 (New York City Subway car)
The R15 was a New York City Subway car built in 1950. Built by American Car and Foundry Company, these cars were somewhat similar to the R12/14 cars. These cars were the first to feature round roofs, porthole door windows, and conductors door operating apparatus controls located inside the...
and the B Division
B Division (New York City Subway)
The B Division is a division of the New York City Subway, consisting of the lines operated with services designated by letters , in addition to the Franklin Avenue Shuttle and Rockaway Park Shuttle...
R11
R11 (New York City Subway car)
The R11 was a class of New York City Subway cars built by the Budd Company in 1949.Because of their expensive price tag - each subway car cost more than $100,000 - the ten R11 cars are frequently referred to as the Million Dollar Train. From 1964-1965, the ten R11 cars were overhauled in the...
and R16
R16 (New York City Subway car)
The R16 was a New York City Subway car manufactured by American Car and Foundry Company. The R16s were assigned to the BMT Eastern Division, although they showed up on the IND Queens and BMT Southern divisions from time to time....
. The R17 also features large, rounded rectangle windows on its side doors, similar to those found on nearly every car in today's subway system. While similar to the R16
R16 (New York City Subway car)
The R16 was a New York City Subway car manufactured by American Car and Foundry Company. The R16s were assigned to the BMT Eastern Division, although they showed up on the IND Queens and BMT Southern divisions from time to time....
in outward appearance, as an A Division
A Division (New York City Subway)
The A Division, also known as the IRT Division, is a division of the New York City Subway, consisting of the lines operated with services designated by numbers and the 42nd Street Shuttle. These lines and services were operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company before the 1940 city takeover...
car, it is smaller and contains only three doors on each side of the car (instead of four).
The R17, like many older New York City Subway cars built for the A Division, also features two sets of mid-carbody passenger windows on each side. Normally arranged in two pairs of three on the R15
R15 (New York City Subway car)
The R15 was a New York City Subway car built in 1950. Built by American Car and Foundry Company, these cars were somewhat similar to the R12/14 cars. These cars were the first to feature round roofs, porthole door windows, and conductors door operating apparatus controls located inside the...
, on the R17 one set of windows on each side contains a rollsign in lieu of a third window. The sign contains three readings arranged vertically on its box - the top two being the train's terminals, and the bottom being the train's route. This window and signbox pattern became the blueprint for the later R21
R21 (New York City Subway car)
The R21 was a New York City Subway car built by St. Louis Car Company in 1956–57. The R21 was similar to the R17, except that it featured windows of a slightly different design. Two different propulsion system were used, Westinghouse and General Electric . The R62A fleet started replacing...
and R22
R22 (New York City Subway car)
The R22 was a New York City Subway car built in 1957 for the IRT division. They were the last single cars built prior to the R33 World's Fairs in 1963-4. The last R22s were retired on December 30, 1987 with the last run being on the with a solid consist of R21/R22 cars...
, the Redbirds
Redbird trains
Redbird is the name given to 1,410 New York City Subway cars of the following types: R26, R28, R29, R33 Main Line , R33 World's Fair , R36 ML, and R36 WF. These cars were painted a deep red to combat graffiti, which had become a major problem In the late 1970s and early 1980s. The deep red color...
, and even influenced the design of trains still in service today. The R32
R32 (New York City Subway car)
The R32 is a New York City Subway car model built in 1964-65 by the Budd Company in Philadelphia for the IND/BMT B Division. These cars were the first mass-produced stainless steel cars built for the New York City Subway. The two previous Budd orders, the BMT Zephyr and the R11 contract, were...
class of subway cars uses a similar rollsign design to that first found on the R17.
Preservation
As of 2011, many R17s survive as work carsWork train
Work train refers to any of a number of rail cars intended for internal non-revenue use by the railroad's operator. Work trains serve functions such as track maintenance, maintenance of way, revenue collection, system cleanup and waste removal, heavy duty hauling, and crew member transport.- Types...
. Other surviving cars are listed as follows:
- Car 6609 was restored in 1976 and is part of the display collection at the New York Transit MuseumNew York Transit MuseumThe New York Transit Museum is a museum which displays historical artifacts of the New York City Subway, bus, commuter rail, and bridge and tunnel systems; it is located in a decommissioned Court Street subway station in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York City...
in Brooklyn. It is fully operational, and runs periodically on museum sponsored "Nostalgia Trains." - Car 6688 is preserved at the Shore Line Trolley MuseumShore Line Trolley MuseumThe Shore Line Trolley Museum, located in East Haven, Connecticut, is the oldest operating trolley museum in the United States. It was founded to preserve the heritage of the trolley car. The museum includes exhibits on trolley history in the visitors' center and offers rides on restored trolleys...
in East Haven, ConnecticutEast Haven, ConnecticutEast Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,189. The town is just 3 minutes from downtown New Haven...
. It is operational and runs frequently during the summer months for rapid transit themed programming. - Car 6895 is currently at the Concourse Yard and hasn't been used for nearly a decade. This car is still classified as a work car and was used on a special trip sometime during the 1990s. It is reported that it may be operational. Its fate is unknown at this time, but if it is to be preserved, it will need to be restored.
The R17 in Cinema
Cars 6671 and 6609 were featured at Grand Central TerminalGrand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
in the 1971 film The French Connection
The French Connection (film)
This article is about the 1971 film. For the British fashion label, see French Connection .The French Connection is a 1971 American crime film directed by William Friedkin. The film was adapted and fictionalized by Ernest Tidyman from the non-fiction book by Robin Moore...
in a scene where Gene Hackman's character is tailing a heroin smuggler. At that time, the cars were painted in the MTA platinum mist/blue band livery.
R17s can been seen on the 42 Street Shuttle in Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
's Night Shift
Night Shift (film)
Night Shift is a 1982 comedy film, one of Ron Howard's earliest directorial efforts. It stars Howard's Happy Days co-star Henry Winkler along with Michael Keaton, in his first starring role, and Shelley Long, who later in the year would star as Diane Chambers in the popular sitcom Cheers. Also...
.
The interior of a repainted red R17 operating on the 5
5 (New York City Subway service)
The 5 Lexington Avenue Express is a rapid transit service of the New York City Subway. It is colored green on station signs, route signs, and the official subway map, since it uses IRT Lexington Avenue Line in Manhattan....
can be briefly seen in the opening credits of Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's Wall Street.
R-17 Specifications
- Car Builder: St. Louis Car CompanySt. Louis Car CompanyThe St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887–1973, based in St. Louis, Missouri.-History:...
- Car Body: Low-Alloy High-Tensile (LAHT) Carbon Steel
- Unit Numbers: 6500-6899 (motorized single units)
- Fleet: 400 cars
- Car Length: 51 feet, 1⁄2 inch
- Car Width: 8 feet, 103⁄16 inches
- Car Height: 11 feet, 10 inches
- Total Weight: General ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Cars: 77887 lb (35,328.9 kg)
WestinghouseWestinghouse Electric (1886)Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
Cars: 79193 lb (35,921.3 kg) - Track Gauge: 4 feet, 81⁄2 inches (1.435 m)
- Propulsion System: General ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Cars: GE MCM 17KG137D1, with 17KC76A1 master controller
WestinghouseWestinghouse Electric (1886)Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
Cars: WH Unit Switch UPC-631B, with XM-179 master controller - Motors: General ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
Cars: GE 1240A4, four motors per car (two motors per truck)
WestinghouseWestinghouse Electric (1886)Westinghouse Electric was an American manufacturing company. It was founded in 1886 as Westinghouse Electric Company and later renamed Westinghouse Electric Corporation by George Westinghouse. The company purchased CBS in 1995 and became CBS Corporation in 1997...
Cars: WH 1447C motors, four motors per car (two motors per truck) - Motor Power: 100 horsepower each
- Brakes: WABCOWestinghouse Air Brake CompanyThe railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
Schedule SMEE with A-1 Application package, J1 relay valve, ME-42A brake stand, and A.S.F simplex unit cylinder clasp brake rigging - Air Compressor: WABCOWestinghouse Air Brake CompanyThe railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
2-C-Y - Coupler Type: WABCOWestinghouse Air Brake CompanyThe railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
H2C - Total Seating: 44 seats
- Total Standing: