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R33
An R33 train departing Mets-Willets Point being used for the movie "Caught Stealing" in 2024
Interior of an overhauled R33 car
In service	1962–2003
Manufacturer	St. Louis Car Company
Built at	St. Louis, Missouri
Family name	Redbirds
Replaced	Many Steinway Lo-Vs All Flivver Lo-Vs Many Standard Lo-Vs
Constructed	1962–1963
Entered service	November 15, 1962
Refurbished	1986–1991
Scrapped	2001–2003 (revenue service cars) 2013 (cars used as refuse motors)
Number built	500 cars (250 pairs)
Number in service	(42 in work service)
Number preserved	11
Number scrapped	447
Successor	R142 and R142A
Formation	Married Pairs
Fleet numbers	8806–9305
Operators	New York City Subway
Specifications
Car body construction	LAHT carbon steel
Car length	51.04 feet (15.56 m)
Width	8.75 feet (2,667 mm)
Height	11.86 feet (3,615 mm)
Doors	6 sets of 50 inch wide side doors per car
Maximum speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Weight	72,900 lb (33,100 kg) (post-rebuild)
Traction system	GE 17KG192AE2/3 (9076–9305 formerly Westinghouse)
Power output	Westinghouse 1447JR/GE 1257E1, 100 hp (74.6 kW) per axle
Electric system(s)	600 V DC Third rail
Current collector(s)	Contact shoe
Bogies	none
Braking system(s)	WABCO, "SMEE" electrodynamic
Safety system(s)	Emergency brakes
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The R33 was a New York City Subway car model that was built by St. Louis Car Company in 1962 and 1963. The cars are a "follow-up" or supplemental stock for the A Division's R29s and closely resemble them. The cars were also referred to as R33MLs (R33 Main Line) to distinguish them from the R33Ss. A total of 500 cars were built, numbered 8806–9305, and arranged in pairs.

The R33s entered service on November 15, 1962, and were the first A Division fleet to be retrofitted with air conditioning, being retrofitted between 1972 and 1982. The R33 fleet was overhauled between 1986 and 1991. The R33s were replaced in the early 2000s with the delivery of the R142 and R142A cars, with the last train running on April 20, 2003. After being retired, most R33s were sunk into the ocean as artificial reefs, but several cars have survived.

Description

The R33s were numbered 8806–9305. The cars were referred to as R33MLs (R33 Main Line) to distinguish them from the R33Ss.

The R33s are very similar in appearance to the previous R26s, R28s, and R29s, but like the R29s and unlike the R26s and R28s, the R33s were built by the St. Louis Car Company instead of American Car and Foundry, and permanently paired with link bars (instead of couplers).

The R33s wore several paint schemes during their service lives. They were the second subway cars to feature a bright red paint scheme after the R29s. In 1971–1973, the R33s were repainted into the MTA corporate silver and blue scheme. In 1982–1983, they were repainted full white (roof, bonnets, and sides were all painted white) in an attempt to combat graffiti. In 1985, GE cars 8842–8843, 8846–8847, 8848–8849, 8856–8857, 8860–8861, and 8862–8863 were repainted dark green with black front bonnets and anti-climbers, and a silver roof. Finally, between 1986 and 1988, the R33s were repainted into the Redbird paint scheme, with a deep maroon red body, black front bonnets and anti-climbers, and a silver roof.

History

The first set of R33 cars was placed in service on the 1 train on November 15, 1962. Five hundred cars were built and served on all IRT subway lines. In 1972, they became the first A Division cars to be retrofitted with air conditioning when cars 9086/7, 9118/9, 9162/3, 9226/7, 9282/3, & 9294/5 were retrofitted at the 239th Street Yard with a modified version of the Stone Safety Air conditioning unit designed to fit on the smaller IRT cars. By 1982, all R33 cars had received air conditioning. The cars were also rebuilt between 1986 and 1991.

Before they were rebuilt, the R33 cars were grouped as follows:

• Cars #8806–9075 had General Electric electrical equipment
• Cars #9076–9305 had Westinghouse electrical equipment

From 1986 until early 1991, the R33 cars were overhauled and rebuilt by the MTA's 207th Street and Coney Island Overhaul Shops. All cars were refitted with General Electric equipment. Existing General Electric cars received New York Air Brake Newtran brake packages; the former Westinghouse cars received an updated brake package from the Westinghouse Air Brake Company.

After rebuilding, R33 cars served the 2, 4, and 5 trains, and occasionally the 7 train.

Retirement

In 1996, New York City Transit announced that it would begin phasing out all Redbirds with the arrival of the R142s and R142As, which entered service in 2000. The last train of R33s consisting of pairs 8842–8843, 9090–9091, 9240–9241, 9294–9295, 9302–9303, made its last trip on the 4 route on April 20, 2003.

Most of the retired cars were stripped and dumped into the Atlantic Ocean to form artificial reefs. 21 pairs were painted yellow and black and converted to work service as R161 rider cars RD400–RD441 from 1999 to 2007, allowing the retirement of the older R71 rider cars. RD407 (ex-8869) was damaged in a derailment and was scrapped in 2013. RD440–RD441 were further converted into de-icer cars.

The R33 cars not converted into rider cars were saved for various purposes throughout the New York City Subway system. The full list includes:

• 8885 – converted into a rail adhesion car for the IRT Dyre Avenue Line after a derailment south of the Franklin Avenue station that led to the retirement of its mate, 8884. The car is hauled by other cars during the fall season.
• 8912–8913 – used as a static display at the Tiffany Street Iron Shops, a training facility for elevated structure workers in Hunts Point, Bronx. This pair was previously involved in a derailment at the 239th Street Yard.
• 9010–9011, 9016–9017, 9068–9069 and 9206–9207 – preserved for the New York Transit Museum. They were repainted into various vintage paint schemes and have been used for various purposes since retirement, mainly on the Train of Many Colors.

Car 9075 was previously displayed outside Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens, Queens. The car was retrofitted with swinging doors and converted to a tourist center, but was closed in 2015 due to low patronage. Afterwards, the car was used as a landmark and for movie shoots until it was put up for auction in June 2022. The car was finally trucked out of New York City on October 16, 2022.

Other cars were retained for work service until 2013, when they were scrapped. The full list includes:

• Pairs 8812–8813, 8834–8835, 8996–8997, and 9000–9001 – used to haul refuse trains until being scrapped in 2013. It was based from the 38th Street Yard, and was replaced with R32s restricted to work service.
• Pair 8888–8889 – used to haul refuse trains until being scrapped in 2013. It was based from the Westchester Yard, but in 2011 was mothballed when Westchester Yard stopped using subway cars for work service.
• Pair 9156–9157 – used for police training at Floyd Bennett Field until late 2013, when the pair was replaced by R32 GE-rebuilt pair 3594–3595. The cars were moved to Linden Yard, and then up to the 207th Street Yard in 2014 for disposal.

References

1. ^ "A History of the IRT SMEE Cars, 1948-1964". www.nycsubway.org.
2. "Showing Image 39058".
3. "Showing Image 3837".
4. "nycsubway.org: The IRT SMEE Fleet (R-12 – R-36)". www.nycsubway.org.
5. "NYC Transit prepared for major subway car procurement". Railway age. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. September 1, 1996. Retrieved November 27, 2009.
6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. "Showing Image 81068". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
8. "Showing Image 81069". www.nycsubway.org. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
9. "nycsubway.org: Subway FAQ: Accidents". www.nycsubway.org.
10. Roberts, Georgett; Strum, Beckie (July 10, 2015). "Queens tourist center closes because no tourist ever went there". New York Post.
11. Ngu, Rebecca; Small, Eddie; Kern-Jedrychowska, Ewa (March 25, 2016). "'The Get Down' Filmed a Subway Scene in Queens' Retired Redbird". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
12. "'A piece of history': City puts vintage 'Redbird' subway car up for auction starting at $6,500". MSN.
13. "NYC is putting the last 'Redbird' subway car up for auction". June 29, 2023.
14. Brachfeld, Ben (October 16, 2022). "Vintage Redbird leaves Queens Borough Hall en route to new home | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved October 18, 2022.

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