MTA Redbirds at the Seashore Trolley Museum

A video of the Seashore Trolley Museum's pair of NYC Redbirds. One is a work car retired from passenger service in 1987, the other a Subway Series car retired in 2003. The museum is located in Kennybunkport Maine.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• seashore
• trolley
• museum
• redbird
• mta
• nyc
• transit
• subway
• train
• kennybunkport
• jdgator95

[randomsource]

Nice, i remember when the redbirds were new and how they were a welcome relief to their noisy replacements on the IRT. I didn't know the batteries could kep them going that long! And, it nice to see the under carriage. Nice photography!!

[jdgator95]

@randomsource Thanks! These are not running off of batteries though, these cars have poles installed on the roofs to run off of overhead wiring like a trolley.

[DCAreaTransitFan]

wow nice vid man

[jdgator95]

@DCAreaTransitFan Thanks

[Megahammerheadshark]

Cool video! Do they have a 3rd rail for it?

[andelgadolez]

simplemente precioso,saludos desde Madrid,España

[SuperCoolDude2014]

cool

[jtoepfer100]

...(cont'd) but I guess you have to do what's necessary when you want something to be operational, and you don't have a third rail on which they can run. Nevertheless, very cool to see them running!

[jtoepfer100]

That is so cool that they have these running there! Although, I do have to say that, while I do realize the overhead is the only way they can get power to run these heavy-rail cars, it still just seems asthetically wrong to put a trolley pole on something like this. I'm a motorman with the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, and we have a subway car from Philly and a Brill Bullet, both of which could run if we were to use a pole, but it just seems so wrong, and robs the cars of their originality.

[MtaBus5102]

I like how you had the camera posing as your eye sight it was pretty cool, the train operatops in the NYC Subway who bother to video tape at all should do that instead if they have a train with a master controler, power/brake combined in one controling lever instead if a brake handle, nice video!!!!

[BreezyWindx]

You should take the trains back on the mainline and see how people react after seeing the Redbird.

[motorman642]

I remember riding these relics in the 70's

[jdgator95]

@MaBooTA37 I'm pretty certain the third rail shoes were disconnected when the car was converted to overhead power and left in place for looks only. I know this is the case with a few other rapid transit cars they have.

[MaBooTA37]

@jdgator95 I know I am late to the game, but there is another danger. I notice that the third rail shoes are still connected to the trucks. It is widely known and taught amonst people who work around rapid transit vehicles in NYCT that the off-side rail shoe on a truck will be charged and live if the other side is in contact with the 3rd rail and the motor is powered. I would think Seashore disconnected the shoes when they installed the trolley poles.(rodeliot)