R-44 (St. Louis, 1971-1973)
From nycsubway.org
R-44 train led by car 5262 enters Broad Channel on the Rockaways shuttle service. Photo by David Pirmann, June 2004.
Roster
| Designation | Unit Numbers | Manufacturer | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-44 | 5202-5479 | St. Louis Car | 1971-1973 |
| R-44 SIRT | 388-435, 436-466 (even) | St. Louis Car | 1971-1973 |
- Stainless steel
- 75' long, 10' wide
- 4-car sets; even numbers have cabs; odd numbers "blind". Cars are numbered consecutively in set. Lowest number usually divides only by two. Highest number in pair is odd. 5403 part of odd bunch.
- Cars 5201-5481 originally 100-387 (but not in order); 388-399 originally NYC Subway then transfered to Staten Island Rapid Transit. See detailed roster below for a table of the original numbers.
Datasheets
Notes
The R-44 Sets a World Speed Record. On January 31, 1972, the Transit Authority used a consist of R-44 cars to conduct speed trials on the Long Island Railroad's main line tracks between Woodside and Jamaica. The R-44s set an official world speed record, for subway trains, of 87.75 mph, with TA personnel noting that the consist was still accelerating as it approached the end of the designated 5.9 mile-long test track. The TA repeated the speed trial, this time purposefully disabling two out of four motors per car, to indirectly simulate the effect of a rush hour crowd of passengers. The train still managed to reach 77 mph. The R-44s drew 650V DC from LIRR's third rail, a power supply system inherited from the Pennsylvania Railroad. The introduction of the Budd Company's high-performance M1 commuter MUs, beginning in 1968, mandated an upgrade of third-rail power to 750V DC in order to exploit the M1's capabilities. This work was carried out during 1971 and 1972, and was not quite finished when the R-44s made their record-breaking runs. The trials demonstrated the potential of the newest generation of subway cars to offer high-speed service. --Thanks to Ron Aryel
Photo Gallery
| Five Random Images | ||||
 Image 5716 (76k, 640x480) Photo by: Trevor Logan Location: SBK Yard (2nd Ave at 38th St.) (SBK) |  Image 24737 (64k, 820x551) Photo by: Glenn L. Rowe Location: Broad Channel |  Image 110452 (220k, 1044x702) Photo by: Brian Weinberg Location: 207th Street |  Image 110832 (294k, 1044x788) Photo by: Robert Mencher Location: Pitkin Yard/Shops |  Image 126703 (260k, 1024x681) Photo by: Doug Grotjahn Collection of: Joe Testagrose |
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Originally as delivered, cars featured different braking systems:
All the above could be used together in consists except for the hydraulic cars. | ||||||
| 109, 120, 248 | Involved in fire, 2/4/1986. Not rebuilt. Scrapped.
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| 132 | Negative camber and buckled side sills, not rebuilt. Scrapped.
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| 176, 215 | Derailed, hit pillar n. of 59th St., 6/18/1989. Both scrapped.
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| 227, 315 | Involved in fire at 207th Street in 1974. 227 now at FDNY Training Academy on Randall's Island, 315 scrapped.
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| 288 | Collision at 205th St. 12/1974, not rebuilt, scrapped.
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| 328, 329, 331, 330; 332, 333, 335, 334 | Experimental carpeted floor.
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| 385 | Not rebuilt, had original hydraulic brakes, scrapped, 1982.
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| 5240 | (Originally #172) Preserved for New York Transit Museum collection.
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| 5248 | Being scrapped due to severe frame rot, Summer 2004. Parts to be used to ressurrect 5284 and 5402. Mate 5249 mismated to 5270 (5270-5249-5271-5284 as a set).
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| 5282, 5283, 5284, 5285 | Derailed at 135th Street in Manhattan, 7/3/1997; 5282: rear of car sheared off, scrapped on site; 5283 suffered fire damage. 5283,4,5 still out of service, stripped for parts. 5284 returned to service Summer 2004, mismated with 5271 (5270-5249-5271-5284 as a set).
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| 5319 | Caught fire (by vandalism) at Far Rockaway, 1997. Scrapped.
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| 5402 | Out of service due to fire, 4/9/1997. Had some rebuiling but never entered service and was since stripped.
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Detailed Roster
Other ways to view the above table: PDF
MDBF Data
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