ME-1 (New York City Subway car)

The ME-1 was a rapid transit car built from 1925 to 1926 by the Standard Steel Car Company for the Staten Island Railway and later also used in the New York City Subway. They were the first electric cars to run in revenue service on the SIRT.^[1] They are also frequently referred to as MU-1s or MUE-1s. The 25 cars purchased by the New York City Transit Authority to run in the subway were nicknamed B-29s, a reference to a large aircraft of the same name. This nickname was derived from the cars' large size (67 feet or 20.42 meters) and the fact that the cars had been renumbered for subway service into the 2900's.

Service History

A total of 100 cars were purchased - 90 motors and 10 trailers. The 90 motors were built in 1925, and the 10 trailers in 1926.

Purchased by the Staten Island Rapid Transit's former operator, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, the cars debuted in 1925. They ran continuously on the three SIRT lines (North Shore Line, South Shore Line, South Beach Branch) until 1953, when the South Beach Branch and North Shore Line closed. In 1953-54, 25 of these cars were purchased from the SIRT by the New York City Transit Authority to run over former BMT lines and did so until 1961. The remaining cars soldiered on the remaining SIRT main line (the South Shore Line) until their last revenue service in 1973.^[2]

Following their 1973 retirement from service on Staten Island, they were replaced by the R44 SI fleet of cars, which are still in use as of 2015.

Preservation

• Car 388 was purchased by the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, Connecticut and is undergoing restoration.^[3]
• Car 366 was purchased by the Seashore Trolley Museum and is also undergoing restoration.
• Car 353 had survived on a track in the Travis Yards^[4] and was acquired by the Trolley Museum of New York based in Kingston, New York.^[5] However, the car was scrapped sometime around 2004 or 2005 before transportation was able to be arranged to Kingston.

In recent years, a local railroad historian named Peter Giunta has been searching for vintage SIRT equipment for a possible museum display on Staten Island. He hopes to locate either an ME-1 or one of its earlier non-electrified counterparts.^[6]

ME-1 Specifications

• Car Length: 67 feet (20.42 m) (Does not agree with the infobox)
• Car Width: 9 feet 9 inches (2.97 m) (Does not agree with the infobox)
• Car Height: 12 feet 1 ⁵⁄₈ inches (3.70 m) (Does not agree with the infobox)

See also

• AB Standard, a similar car built for the New York City Subway by both the Pressed Steel Car Company and by the American Car and Foundry Company.

References

External links

• http://www.nycsubway.org/cars/bmtodd.html

New York City Subway revenue rolling stock Current B Division / SIR: R32 R42 R44 R46 R68 R68A R143 R160 A Division: R62 R62A R142 R142A R188 Future B Division / SIR: R179 R211 Retired (R-type) IND / BMT (B Division): Arnines R1 R4 R6 R7 R7A R8A R9 R10 R11/R34 R16 Redbirds R27 R30/A R38 R40 R40A R110B IRT (A Division): R12 R14 R15 R17 R21 R22 Redbirds R26 R28 R29 R33 R33 WF R36 R36 WF R110A Train of Many Colors Retired (private operators) BMT / SIR Elevated: BU cars C-type Q-type Queens car Subway: AB Standard Bluebird Compartment Car D-type Triplex MS Multi-section car SIRT ME-1 IRT Composite Gibbs Hi-V Deck Roof Hi-V Hedley Hi-V Steinway Lo-V "Flivver" Lo-V Standard Lo-V World's Fair Lo-V Work trains R8A R65 R127/R134 R156 Never built R39 R55 R83 See also: R-type contracts