Transit Museum Train of Many Colors

Vintage subway cars from the New York Transit Museum that ran on the No. 4 line in regular service. They're seen here leaving Utica Avenue to take a break.

The first three cars are as-new condition, and the rest are Redbirds that were held over from being scrapped for steel or dumped into the Atlantic for artificial reefs. The paint schemes all represent different eras of the subway, except the 70s-80s graffiti.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• mta
• new
• york
• city
• nyc
• subway
• museum
• nostalgia
• vintage
• antique
• old
• redbird
• world's
• fair
• irt
• division
• R-33

[SubwayFan83]

True but it was still part of transit's history. The fact they turn their noses up at something was apart of it or even dismiss it makes absolutely no sense. You had railcars in the 50s and farther back running in uglier color schemes. But yet white livery wasnt appreciated. If you think about it, if they knew white was going to attract graffiti and heavily. Why did they paint them in that color in the first place? Im pretty sure stopping graffiti wasnt the reason. They knew what was going down.

[coyoteatquiznos]

@SubwayFan83 It's a moot point.

[SubwayFan83]

Neither was MTA silver/blue but they kept it longer during the 70s and 80s. True? The green scheme was used on at least one consist in the 80s.

[coyoteatquiznos]

@SubwayFan83 Transit didn't have a pandemic of graff when it was introduced. It's a moot point; the white scheme idea has probably been dismissed by the Museum because of its association with the bad old days.

[SubwayFan83]

They should have use the second pair of MTA silver/blue R33 mainlines and paint it white livery.

[coyoteatquiznos]

@SubwayFan83 The white scheme was a failed measure against graffiti and has no aesthetic value.

[noreaga12326]

BRONX554 these trains are not ugly. You have no idea on what ur talking about. these trains are old classics. you're probably a youngbuck dude so u wouldnt know nothing about them but they were good trains.

[wmbrown6]

In 1969, there was an attempt to "mix and match" IND/BMT cars in the same way the R12 to R36 mainlines were on the IRT. It was not uncommon to see a consist on the "B" Division with an R42 followed by an R32 followed by an R38 followed by an R40 slant, just as a f'rinstance. Or an R42 mixed in with R10's.

[coyoteatquiznos]

@azar7834 *All* mechanical devices can fail. The Redbirds no longer come out for daily service. The 142-160 class is going nowhere. Rain is wet. Politicians lie. Trains run late.

Deal with it.

[azar7834]

@coyoteatquiznos Well I am just saying that things have changed after 9/11. Technically the Redbirds are the fastest trains. These new trains have computers built inside of them. If the computer brakes down the trains can't run anymore. You have to understand that. The Redbirds were more reliable than these new trains. Get that shit straight! I do not like the new trains.

[coyoteatquiznos]

@azar7834 Woah woah, 9/11 and the Redbirds' retirement are two completely different things; let's get that straight. Technically, the 142/143/160s are supposed to accelerate faster than any of the existing rolling stock. You probably don't realize it because the cars have better suspension and sound-insulation. But that doesn't mean I like them.

As for the 62s, they're a class all their own and I like them for what they are. Hearing conductors do their thing is something I appreciate.