Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the past and present operations of the NYC Subway, PATH, and Staten Island Railway (SIRT).

Moderator: GirlOnTheTrain

 #159082  by Frank
 
Why did they retire the K cars back in 1986-1987?

 #159120  by orangeline
 
I think there were several reasons:
  1. The PA4s were coming online.
  2. The K car braking and power systems were incompatible with PA1-3 series cars and they couldn't be MU-ed with the more modern cars.
  3. They were ≈30 years old and were being used more often for MOW power replacing the pre-WWII vintage "black cars".
  4. There were never that many of them in the pre- or post-PATH takeover, so it was easier to phase them out.
I personally liked riding the K cars, with their soft bench seats, wide sliding doors and their none-too-bright lighting. If memory serves, they were restricted to JSQ-33rd trains by the 70s and 80s.
 #159123  by communipaw
 
I agree with you about the ride of the K cars. I also found them smoother and far more comfortable to ride than the subsequent PA series.

 #160240  by KLCS
 
The K cars were purchased by the PRR or H&M for the joint service?

Did they have A/C?

Were the K cars ever rebuilt or received new components during their lives?

 #160305  by orangeline
 
I think there was a single joint order for about 50 of the cars. The PRR version were called MP52s and had keystone logos and "PENNSYLVANIA" identifying them while the H & Ms K-cars had stylized HM logos and "HUDSON & MANHATTAN" id. In later years they were all called K cars and were numbered in the 1200 series.

If memory serves, some of the cars may have been upgraded and had a/c installed, but non had a/c as original equipment. Chicago's 2000-series L cars from the early 1960's are supposed to be the first class anywhere to have a/c as original equipment.
 #160314  by communipaw
 
I'm pretty sure that the K cars were originally built with airconditioning and that all the K cars were air conditioned.

The air conditioning program was one of the foundations on which Stichman and the H&M were hoping the railroad could be rehabilitated and brought back closer to profitability.

http://www.hudsoncity.net/tubes/gatewaytubepage.html Section 6 Fleet
orangeline wrote:If memory serves, some of the cars may have been upgraded and had a/c installed, but non had a/c as original equipment. Chicago's 2000-series L cars from the early 1960's are supposed to be the first class anywhere to have a/c as original equipment.
 #161084  by Head-end View
 
I too think the K-Class had air-conditioning as original equipment. I read it in a book about the PATH's history. They had it in 1958 when they were brand new, at the same time that the NYC Transit Authority was saying that it wasn't feasible to have air-conditioned subway cars. And the rest is history.................. :-D

 #165269  by MACTRAXX
 
Guys: The 1958 class K cars were air-conditioned-one of the firsts for rapid transit. They had large single doors something similar to the M7 cars used today on the LIRR and MNCR. When they were built,some were owned by the PRR. If you traveled west of JSQ,you had to have a special PRR/H&M ticket for travel to Harrison and Newark. After the PA takeover,this fare was eliminated. These cars had high capacity and soft seats. I recall they were used towards the end on HOB-WTC trains for that very reason in rush hours. When PATH recieved the late 80s Kawasaki cars,the now-pushing 30-year old cars were phased out and retired or rebuilt for work train service. There were not compatible with the PA-1,2 and 3 cars I recall. Observations and memories from MACTRAXX