Changes to the A and E Lines

It's interesting to see some R-40/40M/42's now running on the A and E lines, for the first time in many years. In fact I caught one this morning, #4508 on the A. What a surprise to once again be able to see out the front on an A-train. This is the biggest change to come to any of these lines in many years.

Where are the R-44/46's going now?

Head-end View wrote:It's interesting to see some R-40/40M/42's now running on the A and E lines, for the first time in many years. In fact I caught one this morning, #4508 on the A. What a surprise to once again be able to see out the front on an A-train. This is the biggest change to come to any of these lines in many years.

Where are the R-44/46's going now?

the R44s are not going anywhere. The R32s at Jamacia were the ones that were reefed. The R32s from Pitken were transfered to Jamacia, and Pitken got the R40/42 transfered out of ENY and CI, displaced by the arrival of the R160s.

I'm happy to have the R44s on the A. There's always been something more elegant about those than the other cars.

Having some of these shift to the C line before reefing would be a welcome sight. To continue seeing 32s and/or 38s on the C line while better cars are retired is an affront to the line, and perhaps the communities it serves.

From what I heard, the C line is slated to get Jamaica's 46s when 160s finally arrive there. That should be 170 some odd 46s sent to Pitkin, It seems always that the A and the C get the sloppy seconds equipment instead of fresh cars like the N and the Eastern BMT Division lines(J,M,Z,L)

Yes, but the C gets THE worst. It's so bad that I would love to see it get some R160s before other lines just to even out the long disrespect.

It seems the local lines often get the oldest equipment. 30 years ago, the last R-1 thru R-9 cars ran on the 8th Ave. local too. I think back then it was called the CC line.

Head-end View wrote:It seems the local lines often get the oldest equipment. 30 years ago, the last R-1 thru R-9 cars ran on the 8th Ave. local too. I think back then it was called the CC line.

Um, not even that long ago. In the 80s I rode some of those (R-9s?) on the way to Far Rock while the A had the R46s. Talk about a difference. You'd think time travel was taking place when changing at Euclid.

Actually the cars running on the C line in the 1980s were the ACF built R10 3000-series, I remember riding one such pair during their last days and they were as loud as the MBTA Red Line 01400s

Ah, thanks for pinning that down.

Just look at the comparison:




The ceiling fans were deafening. I'm still amazed that those ran alongside 46's and 48's...

Radioguy, you hit the nail on the head with your comment about time travel! That's exactly what it was like in 1968, when the first R-40/Slants came into service running side-by-side with those old R-1 - R-9's from the 1930's. And that photo tells the story too, although that's a slightly more modern R-10 from just after World War II.

That bottom picture of the R10 interior was the look it had when it was retirecd in 1989

caught three sets on the e train on november 22