R29 (New York City Subway car)
Encyclopedia
The R29 was a New York City Subway
car built in 1962 by the St. Louis Car Company
for the IRT
division (also known as the A Division
). They have very similar appearances to the R26
and 28
cars with the exceptions that they were built by a different company and permanently paired with link bars, not couplers. Four cars (8686, 8687, 8804 and 8805) were tested with G70 trucks. Use of these trucks was discontinued in 1970.
After being rebuilt by Morrison Knudsen in Hornell, New York
as "Redbirds
" in 1985-87, they were split into two groups with different propulsion equipment. The Westinghouse
cars ran on the train alongside the R36 Main Line
and some Westinghouse R36 World's Fair
cars while the General Electric
cars ran the and trains with the R26 and R28 cars.
With the arrival of the R142s
and R142As
, retirement of the R29 fleet began in the summer of 2001. The last train of R29s made its final trip on the 5 train on October 24, 2002.
After retirement, the entire fleet except for pair 8678-8679, which is used for work service and stored at the Unionport Yard, was stripped of all parts and sunk into the Atlantic Ocean
to create artificial reefs.
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 built in 1962 by the St. Louis Car Company
St. 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:...
for the 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...
division (also known as the 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...
). They have very similar appearances to the R26
R26 (New York City Subway car)
The R26 was a New York City Subway car built in 1959 by American Car and Foundry . They were made for the IRT and were the first cars to be built in married pairs, which consists of two cars coupled together at the non-operating end...
and 28
R28 (New York City Subway car)
The R28 was a New York City Subway car built in 1960-61 by American Car and Foundry . They were a "follow-up" or supplemental stock for the "A" Division's R26s and closely resemble. They operated on the IRT in married pairs. The R28 cars were rebuilt during 1985-87 into Redbirds by Morrison...
cars with the exceptions that they were built by a different company and permanently paired with link bars, not couplers. Four cars (8686, 8687, 8804 and 8805) were tested with G70 trucks. Use of these trucks was discontinued in 1970.
After being rebuilt by Morrison Knudsen in Hornell, New York
Hornell, New York
Hornell is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 9,019 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the Hornell family, early settlers. Its current population has not yet been released by the new census....
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...
" in 1985-87, they were split into two groups with different propulsion equipment. 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 ran on the train alongside the R36 Main Line
R36 (New York City Subway car)
The R36 was a class of New York City Subway cars built in 1964 by the St. Louis Car Company, St. Louis, Missouri for the IRT division...
and some Westinghouse R36 World's Fair
R36 World's Fair (New York City Subway car)
The R36 World's Fair New York City Subway cars were built in 1963-1964 by the St. Louis Car Company in St. Louis, Missouri for the IRT division . They were purchased for service on the IRT Flushing Line which was the closest line to the 1964 New York World's Fair...
cars while 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 ran the and trains with the R26 and R28 cars.
With the arrival of the R142s
R142 (New York City Subway car)
The R142 is the model class of the newest generation of IRT cars for the New York City Subway. Built by Bombardier in Plattsburgh, New York and Barre, Vermont from 1999–2002, the fleet, along with the R142A, are the new backbone of the IRT fleet....
and R142As
R142A (New York City Subway car)
The R142A, along with the R142 is the newest generation of cars for the A Division of the New York City Subway.-Background:The R142A is built by Kawasaki and has many of the same features as the R142, built by Bombardier. The main order of 400 R142A cars are numbered 7211-7610; the 120 option cars...
, retirement of the R29 fleet began in the summer of 2001. The last train of R29s made its final trip on the 5 train on October 24, 2002.
After retirement, the entire fleet except for pair 8678-8679, which is used for work service and stored at the Unionport Yard, was stripped of all parts and sunk into the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
to create artificial reefs.