R32 | |
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![]() An R32 train on the A at 80th Street | |
![]() Interior of an R32 car | |
In service | 1964–2022 |
Manufacturer | Budd Company |
Built at | Philadelphia |
Replaced |
|
Constructed | 1964–1965 |
Entered service | September 14, 1964 |
Refurbished | 1988–1990 |
Scrapped |
|
Number built | 600 |
Number in service | (1 in work service)[1] |
Number preserved | 10 |
Number scrapped | 516 |
Successor | R160 (GE, Phase II, and some Phase I cars) R179 (remaining Phase I cars) |
Formation | Married Pairs |
Fleet numbers | 3350–3949 (3659 renumbered to 3348) |
Capacity | 50 (seated) |
Operators | New York City Subway |
Specifications | |
Car body construction | Stainless steel |
Train length |
|
Car length | over coupler faces: 60 ft 3 in (18.36 m) |
Width | 10 ft (3,048 mm) |
Height | 12.08 ft (3,682 mm) |
Platform height | 3.76 ft (1.15 m) |
Entry | 3.76 ft (1.15 m) |
Doors | 8 sets of 45-inch (1,143 mm) wide side doors per car |
Maximum speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
Weight | 79,930 lb (36,260 kg) (post-rebuild) (70,000 lb or 31,751 kg when delivered) |
Traction system | General Electric SCM 17KG192E3, DC propulsion system |
Traction motors | GE 1257E1 motors or Westinghouse 1447JR (115 hp or 86 kW per axle) (R32GE cars used 115 hp or 86 kW 1257F motors, all cars originally had Westinghouse 1447JR motors) |
Acceleration | 2.5 mph/s (4.0 km/(h⋅s)) |
Deceleration |
|
Electric system(s) | 600 V DC Third rail |
Current collector(s) | Contact shoe |
Braking system(s) | WABCO RT2 SMEE braking system, A.S.F. simplex unit cylinder clasp (tread) brake |
Safety system(s) | tripcock |
Coupling system | Westinghouse H2C |
Headlight type | halogen light bulb |
Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The R32 was a New York City Subway car model built by the Budd Company from 1964 to 1965 for the IND/BMT B Division. A total of 600 R32s were built, numbered 3350–3949, though some cars were re-numbered. The R32 contract was divided into two subcontracts of 300 cars each: R32 (cars 3350–3649) and R32A (cars 3650–3949); the former was paid by the city's capital budget and the latter was paid through a revenue bond. All were arranged as married pairs.
The R32s were the first mass-produced stainless steel cars built for the New York City Subway. A ceremonial introduction trip for the new R32 "Brightliners" cars was held on September 9, 1964. Various modifications were made over the years to the R32 fleet. In the late 1980s, all of the R32 cars were rebuilt, with ten cars being rebuilt by General Electric and the remaining cars being rebuilt by Morrison–Knudsen. As part of the refurbishment, the original rollsigns and express/local marker lights at the end of each car were replaced with flipdot signs. After refurbishment, the R32 and R32A cars were renamed R32 Phase I, R32 Phase II, and R32 GE.
The R160 order was to replace all R32s in the late 2000s, but about one-third of the original fleet remained, when it was decided to retire the NYCT R44s instead. The R179 order replaced the remainder of the R32s in the early 2020s.[2] The R32s temporarily resumed service from July 1, 2020 through October 8, 2020 when the R179s were pulled from service.[3] A series of farewell trips with the final train of R32s running in passenger service began on December 19, 2021 and concluded on January 9, 2022. After retirement, most of the R32s were scrapped, sunk as artificial reefs, or placed into storage, but some have been preserved, and others retained for various purposes.