NYC subway icon R32

Speeds were reduced after the 1995 Williamsburg Bridge wreck.

No offense, but I hate the r32 and r40

I like the r160 the most because it is the newest fleet and is on the F line.
The r160 has an automated voice and its a WAY smoother ride

the r32 is noisy, a rough ride, and u can barely ever hear the conductor. Go r160s!

r160 F Train wrote:No offense, but I hate the r32 and r40

I like the r160 the most because it is the newest fleet and is on the F line.
The r160 has an automated voice and its a WAY smoother ride

the r32 is noisy, a rough ride, and u can barely ever hear the conductor. Go r160s!

You'll understand how some of us feel when your R160's are replaced some day by R323's.

Railbus, you're so right. I guess ya' had to be there in the late 1960's to appreciate the R-32's, 40/Slants, etc.

I think every generation goes thru this. In the 1960's when I was 10-12 years old, my parents tried to convince me what fine cars the R-1 thu 9's were then on the E and F lines. But to me they were old junk, just like the above poster feels about the R-32/40's. And so the cycle goes.......

RailBus63 wrote:

de402 wrote:it is indeed sad that the TA is choosing to reef the 32's instead of the 40's first. The 40's are in real bad shape with warping and rust.

As we've seen, things can change in a short time. The last few trains of R40 Slants are finishing up their runs on the A and will be gone within a few weeks, while several hundred R32's remain in service on the A, C, E, F and R.

I rode an R40 slant back on Feb 28th,2009 when I was in NY. This past weekend I was up for the Belmont Stakes and seen a R32,rode an R42,R44,R46,R142 and the R160 which I must say are very nice.

Since the R40 slant is one of my favorites, I was on the 8th Ave line looking for one to ride but no luck so I guess they must be officially done. I was hoping for one last ride but I guess I had that back in Feb.

I liked the original R40 slant's interior with the aqua blue which I thought was nice. When they rebuilt them 20 years ago and had the dark gray seats with yellow, it was ok but I preferred the original aqua. Hopefully, they'll save a couple for the transit museum.

GOOD BYE R40 SLANTS. R.I.P.

Amen to that Septaman............

The Slants last run is today. The R32's will remain for a while longer since the current plan is to replace Jamaica Yard's R40 Mod's and R42's next.

i kind of like the slants. they were a little less noisy than the r42s and had a unique style.

does anybody know when the r42s will be retired? i think they should be retired before the r32s

Correction on a couple of things. I worked for NYCTA in the 1980s. At the time, the only cars that came equipped with field shunts were the R44 and R46 contracts, and the shunts were designed to only activate on cab signal territory (cab signals were planned for the "super express" Queens bypass that was never built). The field shunts were removed when the Queens Bypass was cancelled.

So all NYCTA cars have a top speed of around 45, including the R44/R46 cars from which the shunts were removed.

Also, all 60-foot cars have the same 115 HP traction motors, either GE or Westinghouse. The 75-foot cars have larger motors. I believe, in fact, that the A Division (IRT) cars also have the same traction motors and trucks as the 60-foot cars.

Nellie..........What was the "super-express" Queens By-pass? I don't remember ever hearing about this project.

As to the bypass that never got built - back in the 1960's, subway expansion plans included the Second Avenue Subway, and having the 63rd Street Tunnel run into a "Super Express" line that would bypass the old Queens Boulevard line and run to Glendale along an abandoned branch of the Long Island Railroad with conection to the Archer Avenue extension. However, NIMBYs and financial problems led to that bypass being forgotten, and the 63rd Street Tunnel originally deadending in Long Island City when it finally opened in 1989 until it was connected to the Queens Boulevard line at 36th Street.

A previous poster wrote:No offense, but I hate the r32 and r40
I like the r160 the most because it is the newest fleet and is on the F line.
The r160 has an automated voice and its a WAY smoother ride the r32 is noisy, a rough ride, and u can barely ever hear the conductor. Go r160s!

R160 has 1good thing: it TAKES OFF. Fastest out the gate. The good ends there, PERIOD. BOOOORING! and that starts with the new millenium BS auto announcements {R142 and up}, and includes that infinite loop video touting it's virtues. UGGGH! And I have no use for the controller!

Give me old age and treachery (R32) over youth and hi-tech anyday. not to mention 99% survival rate before being dragged kicking and screaming out to pasture (reefland).And a different voice, different speech pattern, different words and different style of announcing with every trip. Two voices over and over and over and over again. UGGGH! Stand on a platform at Stillwell Ave. during rush hour, listen to every R160 come and go, same voice etc. etc. Nauseating.

And we'll see how smooth the R160's (and their contemporary siblings) ride after 20 years pounding these rails. Not to mention seeing how the tech holds up.

As for R40/42/40m, beauties to look at, but structurally shot, and the cabs leak when it rains (not the r32s) and the R40 seats are legendarily UNcomfortable. And duct tape doesn't cure all, nor does it last forever. But I'll take 'em over the R160 also.

And a heads up to any potential T/O's out there, steer clear of the R143/160's (Go A Div) if you are a southpaw.

So as the days of the R32s fade away, like a snow man on a sunny 40 degree day, I wish I had a magic 8 ball thingy to tell me I'm charging one up for the last time , to savor the moment. It's kind of like shoveling snow in April. It may or may not be the last time for the season, that it's FINALLY over, and Hooray! There's no way to tell. But it would be nice to know for sure.

I rode the 8th Ave. line today. Still all R-44/46's on the A train. R-32's on the "C". And several "E" trains of R-160's.

b/p rupture wrote: R160 has 1good thing: it TAKES OFF. Fastest out the gate.

Looking at some you-tube videos, it appears they reprogrammed the traction computers on at least some of the new technology trains to reduce both the acceleration rates and top speeds to be more in line with the older equipment. Best I could tell based on watching a few videos of the R160s, the new acceleration curve is like this:

0 to:

20 mph: 9 seconds
25 mph: 14 seconds
30 mph: 23 seconds
35 mph: 38 seconds
40 mph: 60 to 65 seconds

top speed on level track: 40 to 41 mph

Granted, this is still faster to any speed than the older equipment is after being neutered with field-shunt removal, but it's still slower than as delivered. IIRC, as delivered the new technology trains got to 40 mph in well under 30 seconds AND topped at 50+ mph (top speed is always traction computer limited with AC motor equipment). Anyone know the reason behind the change other than NYC Transit seems to like slow equipment?