In service 1956-1987 Number built 250 | Constructed 1956-1957 Number in service (9 in work service) | |
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Similar R17 (New York City Subway car), R22 (New York City Subway car), R15 (New York City Subway car) | ||
The R21 was a New York City Subway car built by St. Louis Car Company in 1956-1957. The R21 was similar to the R17, except that it featured windows of a slightly different design. The cab doors are mounted the same way as the newer R62/62A subway cars, however this was not repeated on the next order for R22 subway cars which reverted to the normally mounted cab doors. Two different propulsion system were used, Westinghouse (WH) and General Electric (GE).
The first set of R21s was placed in service on the 1 train on November 7, 1956.
Retirements and preservation
The R62A fleet started replacing the R21s in the 1980s, and their final day in revenue service was on December 30, 1987.
The majority of the fleet was scrapped, but some R21s have been set aside for preservation over the years, including:
As of 2016, nine other R21s survive as work cars.
Car 7267 is currently at Concourse Yard coupled up to R17 6895 and is classified as a garbage motor. The mechanical condition of 7267 is unknown, and both cars have not been moved since 2002. In 2009, the car was stripped of parts, such as sash windows and roll signs. As of June 2016, 7267 along with R17 6895 are possibly awaiting scrap.
Cars 7234, 7241, 7269, 7276, and 7287 were converted to R71 rider cars after retirement, but were replaced with R161s (R33s converted to rider cars) in the mid-2000s and eventually reefed.