R40 (New York City Subway car)
| R40 | |
|---|---|
An R40 train on the
 at Jay Street – Borough Hall. |
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Interior of an R40 Slant car.
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| In service | 1968-2009 |
| Manufacturer | St. Louis Car Company |
| Built at | St. Louis, Missouri, USA |
| Replaced | many of the remaining BMT AB Standards |
| Constructed | 1967–1968 |
| Entered service | March 23, 1968 |
| Refurbishment | 1987–1989 |
| Scrapped | 2008–2010, 2013 |
| Number built | 200 |
| Number preserved | 2 |
| Number scrapped | 198 |
| Fleet numbers | 4150–4349 (originally 4150–4249, and 4350–4449 which were renumber to 4250-4349 in 1970) |
| Capacity | 44 (seated) |
| Operator(s) | New York City Subway |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Stainless steel sides with carbon steel chassis and underframes, fiberglass A-end bonnet |
| Car length | 60 ft 2.5 in (18.35 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 1.625 in (3.70 m) |
| Platform height | 3 ft 9.125 in (1.15 m) |
| Doors | 8 |
| Maximum speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Weight | 77,695 lb (35,242 kg) |
| Traction system | General Electric (GE) SCM 17KG192AE2 propulsion system using GE 1257E1 motors (115 hp or 85.76 kW per axle) |
| Acceleration | 2.5mph/s |
| Deceleration | ~3mph |
| Braking system(s) | WABCO "SMEE" Braking System, A.S.F. simplex unit cylinder clasp (tread) brake |
| Safety system(s) | emergency brakes |
| Headlight type | halogen light bulbs |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The R40 was a New York City Subway car model built from 1967 to 1968 by the St. Louis Car Company in Missouri for the IND/BMT B Division.
The R40s were originally numbered numbered 4150-4249 and 4350-4449. In 1970, cars 4350-4449 were renumbered to 4250-4349.
The R40 cars were unique for their 10-degree slanted end (designed by the firm Raymond Loewy and Associates), and were nicknamed the R40 Slants or simply Slants. However, the New York City Transit Authority found great dangers along with other hazards with the slanted end design posed with the lack of handholds for riders walking between cars, thus the danger of the passenger falling onto the tracks, and other design flaws. Within months, the cars were retrofitted with large grab rails with pantograph gates mounted, which effectively destroyed Loewy's design, but allowed passengers to travel safely between cars.
The first incomplete pair of R40s (cars 4350-4351) came onto TA property in November 1967 for promoting the Transportation Bond issue on Election Day. On March 23, 1968, the R40 fleet entered service on the F.
Between 1987 and 1989, the R40s were rebuilt by Sumitomo in Elmira Heights, New York and retrofitted with air conditioning and a new interior design.
The R160 order has replaced all of the R40 fleet. The last pair (4256–4257), in a mix with R40A slants, made its final trip on the A on June 12, 2009. After retirement, most cars were stripped and sunk as artificial reefs. The last R40 car to be removed from property by barge was 4272, which was reefed in April 2010.
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