What Happened to Streamlining?

[JayMan]

When the era of the stainless steel cars were coming in (essentially the Budd generation), you had a lot of cars with nice, rounded faces: the R-44, R-46, the R-62 and the R-68, and on the railroads, the M-1/M-3 (which are quite similar to the R-44/R-46) and the M-2/4/6. Now look what we're getting -- the R-142 and R-143 both have flat faces and the M-7 (and soon the M-8) have faces nearly as flat as you can get. I know that in reality the difference likely does little for aerodynamics but what about the ascetic value (IMO, )?

On an interesting note, the R-110A had a nice streamlined face (indeed, in many ways it looks pretty much like a transition between the R-62 and the R-142) -- I wonder why that aspect wasn't kept in the R-142 design?

[7 Train]

All cars R38 (1966-67) and prior (R32, R33, R36 included) dating back to the R15 in 1950 have the standard flat front/arched roof design.

In 1968 the R40 debuted, a radical departure from prior models. It had a slant end (60 degree) at the front. Designed by Raymond Lowery (who did the Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 in the 1930s), the look was intended to give the cars a futuristic, sci-fi look (reportedly inspired by the Studebaker and other cars of the era). When they entered service in January 1968, they had no safety devices at the car ends. After several months, the TA retrofitted the R40's with safety gates and hand hold bars at the ends. The last 100 R40 cars were redesigned with a traditonal, straight end by Sundberg-Ferar. These are R40M cars and are the precursor to the similar R42.

Sundberg-Ferar would design the 770-car LIRR M-1 order, which was being delivering in the late 60s through 1973. Also at the time, the R44 was under development; Sunbderg-Ferar again designed the cars. The R44 cars would have a similar look to the LIRR M-1 cars, both exterior and interior.

The R46 followed, with litthe changes from the R44.

When the R62/62A/68/68A cars were under order in the early 1980s, the NYCT system was in a state of disrepair. The R44/46 cars, then the newest, were not reliable enough to be a basis for the new models. Given with the system condition, the TA opted to go "back to basics" for the R62/68 cars. These cars would based on the R36 chassis, with design and technology dating back to 1964. The R62/62A were built as single cars, with small cabs at each end. The R68/68A would also be singles, but with a large cab at one end and a small and the other (By 1999 the R62s were in 5-car linked sets, R62As either singles or 5-car sets, R68 singles or 4-car sets and R68A in 4-car sets).


The R110A/110B followed in 1992 and although based on the R62 and R68 respectively, they were completely new designs.