Gibbs (New York City Subway car)

Gibbs Hi-V
1904 Rendering of an IRT Gibbs Hi-V
Manufacturer	American Car and Foundry
Replaced	1959
Constructed	1904-1905
Number built	300
Number preserved	1
Number scrapped	299
Formation	Singles
Fleet numbers	3350-3649
Operator(s)	Interborough Rapid Transit Company NYC Board of Transportation New York City Transit Authority
Specifications
Car body construction	Riveted Steel
Car length	51 feet 1.5 inches (15.58 m)
Width	8 feet 10 inches (2,692 mm)
Height	12 feet 0 inches (3,658 mm)
Doors	Before 1909-1912: 4 After: 6
Maximum speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Weight	Motor car: ~89,450 lb (40,570 kg) Trailer car: ~
Traction system	Motor car: GE69 ; WH86 , 2 motors per car (both on motor truck, trailer truck not motorized). Trailer car: None
Power output	200 hp (149 kW) per traction motor
Electric system(s)	600 V DC Third rail
Current collection method	Top running Contact shoe
Braking system(s)	Before 1910: WABCO Schedule AM(P) with 'P' type triple valve and M-2 brake stand After 1910: WABCO Schedule AMRE with 'R' type triple valve and ME-21 brake stand
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

The Gibbs Hi-V was a New York City Subway car class built between 1904 and 1905 by American Car and Foundry for the IRT and its successors, the New York City Board of Transportation and the New York City Transit Authority. It was the first all steel subway car ordered for New York City.

Because of the sliding doors which enclosed the motorman's vestibules from the rest of the car compartment, the cars were nicknamed Merry Widows. Early on, they were also known as Battleships, a reference to their second paint scheme where the siding was painted Battleship Grey. However, the nickname did not stick, and was later given to the Deck Roof Hi-V cars, which were painted the same color. Today, references to the "Battleships" are generally assumed to be in reference to the Deck Roof cars, as opposed to the Gibbs cars.

As the Interborough Rapid Transit Company's subway line was the first attempt at an underground rapid transit, the IRT and chief engineer George Gibbs felt compelled to develop a subway car that would be stronger and safer than any previously designed railway cars. This inevitably led them to the conclusion that it would be best to design an all-steel car to run in the new tunnels.

However, car manufacturers of the time were unwilling to undertake such an experimental proposition. Steel was deemed too heavy for any practical applications. Conventional wisdom of the day (since proven to be false) held that an all steel car would vibrate itself to pieces, for wood was "necessary" for its damping effects on the car's vibration. It was also widely believed that a steel car would be very loud, and poorly insulated from temperature extremes such as heat and cold. With a large backlog of orders for wooden cars, manufacturers had no incentive to explore the new technology as there was still plenty of demand for wooden railcars. The IRT knew that the 1904 opening of the new subway route was fast approaching, and that rolling stock had to be designed and built soon or the line would not be ready. With time running short to order rolling stock, a protected wooden alternative known as a Composite had been designed and ordered. But that did not stop Gibbs from his pursuit of an all-steel subway car.