R38 (New York City Subway car)
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The R38 is a New York City Subway car class (model). It was built in 1966–67 for the IND and BMT lines. There are 200 cars (100 pairs), numbered 3950-4149. Currently they are found on the A and C services. R38's are now based at 207 Street Overhaul Shop Yard in the Manhattan neighborhood of Inwood. These cars are similar to the R32 (and are sometimes coupled to them), but were built by the St. Louis Car Company in St. Louis, Missouri.
This model was the first to have air conditioning. The last 10 cars (4140-4149) were delivered with original prototype Air Conditioning in July 1967. From this point, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) began adopting air conditioning as standard equipment on new cars.
The R38's were rebuilt by General Electric at its Buffalo, New York facility in 1987–88. During the rebuilding process, the R38s were fully equipped with air conditioning systems. Prior to rebuilding, these cars featured curtain route signs on their bulkheads displaying the line and destination. After rebuilding, they received Luminator flipdot signs that displayed the line only.
The incoming R160 fleet may replace some or all of the R38 fleet. The scene on a subway train in Coming to America was shot on an R38 as it appeared before it was refurbished.
[edit] R-38 Specifications
| Car builder | St. Louis Car Company; St Louis, MO (USA) | |
| Car body | Stainless Steel sides with Carbon Steel chassis, roof and underbody, with fiberglass top front and top rear bonnets. | |
| Unit numbers | 3950-4149 | |
| Fleet | 200 (194 remain active) |
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| Car dimensions | 60 feet, 21⁄2 inches long 10 feet wide 12 feet, 15⁄8 inches high |
18.35 m long 3.048 m wide 3.7 m high |
| Track, standard gauge | 4 ft 81⁄2 in | 1.435 m |
| Doorway width (side—clear opening) |
3 ft 10 in | 1.27 m |
| Wheel diameter | 34 inches | 864 mm |
| Propulsion system | General Electric (GE) SCM 17KG192AE2/H7 propulsion system | |
| DC Traction motors | General Electric (GE) 1257E1 | |
| Power (4 per car) | 115 horsepower | 86 kW |
| Brakes | WABCO "SMEE" Braking System | |
| Average car weight (empty) (Post-GOH) |
77,420 lb | 35,117 kg |
| Maximum speed | 65 mph | 105 km/h (Later Lowered) |
| Total seated passengers | 50 | |
| Air conditioning system | Two Stone Safety HVAC units each car. | |
| Cab Arrangement | Half-width conductor/operator cab at "#1" end, half-width conductor cab at "#2" end | |
| Coupling/Numbering Arrangement | All married pairs. | |
| Price per car (new, 1966) | US$ 111,733 | |
[edit] References
- Sansone, Gene. Evolution of New York City subways: An illustrated history of New York City's transit cars, 1867-1997. New York Transit Museum Press, New York, 1997 ISBN 978-0963749284
[edit] External links
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