In service 1968-2009 Constructed 1967–1968 | Entered service March 23, 1968 | |
 | ||
Built at St. Louis, Missouri, USA Replaced many of the remaining BMT AB Standards | ||
The R40 was a New York City Subway car model built from 1967 to 1968 by the St. Louis Car Company in Missouri for the IND/BMT B Division.
Contents
Description
The R40s were originally numbered numbered 4150-4249 and 4350-4449. In 1970, cars 4350-4449 were renumbered to 4250-4349.
The R40 cars were unique for their 10-degree slanted end (designed by the firm Raymond Loewy and Associates), and were nicknamed the R40 Slants or simply Slants. However, the New York City Transit Authority found great dangers along with other hazards with the slanted end design posed with the lack of handholds for riders walking between cars, thus the danger of the passenger falling onto the tracks, and other design flaws. Within months, the cars were retrofitted with large grab rails with pantograph gates mounted, which effectively destroyed Loewy's design, but allowed passengers to travel safely between cars.
History
The first incomplete pair of R40s (cars 4350-4351) came onto TA property in November 1967 for promoting the Transportation Bond issue on Election Day. On March 23, 1968, the R40 fleet entered service on the F.
Between 1987 and 1989, the R40s were rebuilt by Sumitomo in Elmira Heights, New York and retrofitted with air conditioning and a new interior design.
Retirement
The R160 order has replaced all of the R40 fleet. The last pair (4256–4257), in a mix with R40A slants, made its final trip on the A on June 12, 2009. After retirement, most cars were stripped and sunk as artificial reefs. The last R40 car to be removed from property by barge was 4272, which was reefed in April 2010.
Cars 4280-4281 (originally 4380-4381) are preserved by the New York Transit Museum. They were restored to operating status in 2013-2014 and have been operating on New York City Transit Museum-sponsored excursions since August 2014.
Before cars 4280-4281 were preserved, cars 4192-4193 were temporarily displayed at the New York Transit Museum in 2008, but were later stripped and reefed.
Cars 4162-4163 were used as school cars at East New York Yard and later Concourse Yard. The cars were finally trucked to Sims Metal Management in Newark, New Jersey on October 1, 2013 for scrapping.