R1 (New York City Subway car)

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R1
R1 car 100 at 23rd Street on the Holiday Shopper's Special
In service	1931–1976
Manufacturer	American Car and Foundry Company
Built at	Berwick, Pennsylvania
Family name	R1–9s
Constructed	1930–1931
Scrapped	1968–1977
Number built	300
Number preserved	4
Number scrapped	296
Successor	R40 R42 R44 R46
Formation	Motorized single units (Half-width operator's cab at each end; conductor controls on exterior)
Fleet numbers	100–399
Capacity	56 seats
Operators	Independent Subway System NYC Board of Transportation New York City Transit Authority
Specifications
Car body construction	Riveted steel
Car length	60 ft 6 in (18.44 m)
Width	10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
Height	12 ft 1.9375 in (3.71 m)
Floor height	3 ft 1.875 in (0.96 m)
Doors	8 sets of 45 inch wide side doors per car
Maximum speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Weight	84,081 lb (38,139 kg)
Traction system	Westinghouse ABF type UP143B switch group, with XM-29 master controller using Westinghouse 570 D-5 traction motors (190 hp each). Two motors per car (both on motor truck, trailer truck not motorized).
Power output	190 hp (142 kW) per traction motor
Acceleration	1.75 mph/s (2.82 km/(h⋅s))
Deceleration	~ 3 mph/s
Electric system(s)	600 V DC Third rail
Current collector(s)	Contact shoe (Top running)
Braking system(s)	WABCO Schedule AMUE with UE-5 universal valve, ME-23 brake stand, and simplex clasp brake rigging. (Air Compressor: WABCO D-3-F)
Coupling system	WABCO H2A
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

The R1 was the first New York City Subway car type built for the Independent Subway System (IND). 300 cars were manufactured between 1930 and 1931 by the American Car and Foundry Company, numbered 100 through 399, all arranged as single units. Nicknamed City Cars, the R1s were the first of five subway car classes collectively referred to as the R1–9 fleet, with future passenger stock orders – including contracts R4, R6, R7/A, and R9 – being virtually identical, with minor mechanical and cosmetic variations.

The first R1s were delivered in 1931, in anticipation for the opening of the IND Eighth Avenue Line. For their time, the R1s introduced several improvements to subway car design that greatly sped up the flow of passengers in and out of trains. The R40s, R42s, R44s, and R46s gradually replaced the fleet of R1s, with the final run taking place in 1976. Several R1 cars were saved for preservation, while the rest were scrapped.