In service 1962–2003 Built at St. Louis, Missouri Refurbishment 1987–1991 | Manufacturer St. Louis Car Company Constructed 1962–1963 | |
![]() | ||
Scrapped 2001–2004
2013 (cars used as refuse motors) |
The R33 (Mainline) was a New York City Subway car that was built by St. Louis Car Company in 1962 and 1963. They are a "follow-up" or supplemental stock for the “A” Division’s R29s and closely resemble them. The cars were also referred to as R33MLs (R33 Main Line) to distinguish them from the R33WFs.
Contents
History
The first set of R33 cars was placed in service on the 1 train on November 15, 1962. Five hundred cars were built and served on all IRT subway lines. In 1972 they became the first "A" division cars to be retrofitted with air conditioning, and by 1982 all R33 cars had received air conditioning. The cars were also rebuilt between 1986 and 1991.
Before they were rebuilt, the R33 cars were grouped as follows:
From 1987 until early 1991, the R33 cars were overhauled and rebuilt by the MTA's 207th Street and Coney Island Overhaul Shops. All cars were refitted with General Electric equipment. Existing General Electric cars received New York Air Brake Newtran brake packages; the former Westinghouse cars received an updated brake package from the Westinghouse Air Brake Company.
After rebuilding, R33 cars served on the 2, 4, and 5 trains, and occasionally on the 7 train.
Retirement
In 1996, New York City Transit announced that it would begin phasing out all Redbird cars – the R26, R28, R29, R33, and R36, with the arrival of the R142 and R142A cars, which entered service in 2000. The final set of R33 MLs made its last trip on the 4 route on April 14, 2003.
Most of the retired cars were stripped and dumped into the Atlantic Ocean to form artificial reefs. However, many R33 cars were saved for various purposes throughout the New York City Subway system, including:
Other cars were retained for work service until 2013, when they were scrapped, including: