R-42 (St. Louis Car)
From nycsubway.org
R-42 car 4800 leads a J train inbound at Hewes Street on the BMT Jamaica Line. Photo by David Pirmann, August 2008.
Roster
| Designation | Unit Numbers | Manufacturer | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-42 | 4550-4949 | St. Louis Car | 1969-1970 |
- Cab Arrangement: Half-width driving cab at "A" end, half-width conductor control cab at "B" end
- Coupling/Numbering Arrangement: All married pairs.
- Stainless steel
- 60' long, 10' wide
- 392 cars rebuilt 1988-1989, MK/NYCTA
- Mismatched pairs: 4460 (R40M) & 4665 (R42), 4684 & 4727
- The last of the R-42 fleet was officially retired on 12/30/2019, making two final trips on the "J" line. The final consist was 4798/9-4817/6-4830/1-4825/4." Just days after that line was written, the last of the R-42 trains were pressed back into service to cover for the temporary withdrawal of the new R-179 fleet, which had some door operation issues. A final farewell trip was hosted by the New York Transit Museum on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, operating a round trip on the "A" line (Euclid Avenue to Far Rockaway, Far Rockaway to 207th St., 207th St. to Euclid Ave.). Details.
Datasheets
Photo Gallery
| Five Random Images | ||||
 Image 5394 (242k, 1024x682) Photo by: Joe Testagrose Location: Fort Hamilton Parkway |  Image 5617 (187k, 1024x665) Photo by: Doug Grotjahn Collection of: Joe Testagrose Location: Coney Island/Stillwell Avenue |  Image 41888 (45k, 972x640) Photo by: Michael Pompili Location: Coney Island/Stillwell Avenue |  Image 71390 (231k, 1044x788) Photo by: David Pirmann Location: Lorimer Street |  Image 112030 (242k, 1044x788) Photo by: Robert Mencher Location: Jamaica Center/Parsons-Archer |
Car Notes
| Green | Preserved, saved for preservation, or exists in some state |
Yellow | Converted to work service (and later scrapped or still in use) |
Red | Wrecked/Damaged in accident (and possibly repaired), or scrapped prior to the bulk of the type |
| Number | Notes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4554-4555 | First R-42s in service, May 9, 1969 (in a mixed train on the Sea Beach line).
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| 4572-4573 | New York Transit Museum collection. Part of "Train of Many Metals" fleet.
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| 4612 | Collided with "D" train, 59th Street, 3/5/1971. Repaired at 207th Street shop and returned to service. | |||||
| 4624-4625, 4730-4731, 4786-4787, 4818-4819 | Bumper block overshoot at Chambers Street, 11/6/2007. As the R-42 fleet is being prepared for scrapping, the four pairs of R-42 cars were sent to the 207th St. yard scrap line instead of being repaired, even those with only relatively minor damage.
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| 4664 | Hit by "J" train on Williamsburg Bridge, 6/5/1995.
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| 4665 | Preserved for NYTM collection, mated with R-40M 4460. Repainted with as-delivered blue stripe. Former mate of 4664, see above.
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| 4680-4681, 4714-4715, 4766-4767 | Scrapped, no other info available. | |||||
| 4685, 4726 | Involved in accident nr. 135th St. station. 4685 scrapped in 2000; 4726's nose (end cap) used to repair 4918.
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| 4736-4737 | Installed at the East New York High School of Transit Technology in 2009; used for educational and vocational training purposes. Replaced an older car (R-30 8337).
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| 4764-4765 | For several years situated in Pueblo, Colo. for propulsion tests.
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| 4878, 4927 | Moved to SBK yard in Brooklyn for asbestos abatement and scrapping, July 2007. Scrapped January 2008. | |||||
| 4904 | Involved in fire at East New York Yard, 1971. Mate 4905 coupled with 4946. | |||||
| 4918-4919 | Collided with "B" train near 9th Avenue, 2/5/1995. Repaired with front end of 4726.
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| 4938-4939 | Blind ends damaged in collision, 2/5/1995; repaired and returned to service. | |||||
| 4790-91, 4796-7, 4798-99, 4806-07, 4826-27, 4830-31, and 4838-39 | Saved for work service after retirement. |
Detailed Roster
Other ways to view the above table: PDF
MDBF Data
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