R44 (New York City Subway car)

A total of 352 R44 cars were ordered; 300 cars for the New York City Subway (numbered 100–399, with 278 of the cars later renumbered 5202–5479) and 52 cars for the Staten Island Railway (also known as ME-2, MU-2, or MUE-2 cars, numbered 400–435 and even numbers between 436 and 466).New York: R-44s set a fast pace Railway Age March 6, 1972, pages 49/50{{cite magazine |title=New York's R-44 cars enter service |date=July 1972 |page=275 |magazine=Railway Gazette International}} They were the last subway cars built by the St. Louis Car Company prior to shutting down in 1974.

The R44s originally came in singles, but needed each other to run, much like the "married pairs" of subway cars before them (R26 to R42, except R33S). The NYCT cars were reassembled after overhaul into ABBA sets of four; A cars are evenly numbered with a full-width operator cabs at the number 1 end, while the B cars have odd numbers and no cabs at either end. The SIR cars were not reassembled after overhaul and remain as single units.

The R44s were also factory equipped with automatic train operation (ATO) equipment, in anticipation of their use on the new Second Avenue Subway Line that was being built at the time.

Since September 16, 2010, all NYCT R44 cars have been retired and replaced by the R160s due to structural integrity issues found on those cars, leaving the SIR as the sole operator of the R44. The R44 cars in service on SIR are maintained at Clifton Yard, with heavier maintenance being performed at Coney Island Yard.

File:R44ML Builders Plate.jpg

File:R44S Builders Plate.jpg

The R44 was the first {{convert|75|ft|m|adj=on}} car for the New York City Subway. The cars were introduced under the idea that a train of eight {{convert|75|ft|m|2|adj=on}} cars would be more efficient than one of ten {{convert|60|ft|m|2|adj=on}} cars.{{Cite book|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/unionturnpike/54050445615/in/photostream/|year=1969|page=21|title=Annual Report - Metropolitan Transportation Authority }} Despite the increase in length, the R44s had eight pairs of doors per car (four on each side) like previous B Division cars. As a result, eight {{convert|75|ft|m|2|adj=on}} cars have only 64 (32 per side) pairs, whereas ten cars have 80 (40 per side).

The interior design was very different from previous models. The R44s had orange and yellow plastic bucket seats—a feature that would be incorporated into the other {{convert|75|ft|m|2|adj=on}} B-division cars and the A-division R62s and R62As. The seats were protected from the doorways by faux wood and glass panels. They were also the first car class delivered with crosswise seating since the R16 order from 1954. The walls were tan with "wallpaper" featuring the seals of New York State and New York City made from graffiti-resistant Formica plastics. The new interior decor was carried over to the R46 fleet.

The R44 was the first car since the BMT Green Hornet to incorporate a two-note warning tone, the first two notes of Westminster Quarters, that sounds before the doors begin to close as the train prepares to leave the station.{{cn|date=December 2024}} When the cars were built, the chime was sounded four seconds before the doors closed, but the time delay was later removed.{{cite book |last=Davis |first=Ed Sr. |title=They Moved the Millions |date=June 1985 |chapter=Chapter 10, The Space Age on Rails |chapter-url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Chapter_10,_The_Space_Age_on_Rails |at=Section A: A New Breed; the R44 |publisher=Livingston Enterprises |isbn=978-9996650697 |access-date=April 8, 2015}} This has become the signature sound of the subway and is used with all subsequent cars.{{cite web |title=Audible Information Design in the New York City Subway System: A Case Study |url=https://www.academia.edu/3678893 |format=PDF |access-date=January 30, 2015}}

The R44s were also the first NYCT subway cars to feature a newly designed WABCO-RT5 electronically and pneumatically controlled braking system also known as the P-Wire system, which did not fare well with this fleet of cars (similar systems also plagued the R46s), since most of the shop personnel were not adequately trained to deal with the P-Wire braking system's sophisticated fail/safe design for automatic train operation. The system would sometimes trigger the train's emergency braking system unexpectedly, which caused a situation known as stuck brakes. This P-Wire system, along with all of the automation systems (ATO) installed when these cars were built in 1972, was removed from the R44s beginning in 1984, and was replaced by a more conventional Westcode SMEE type braking system which made these cars much more reliable than with the originally installed system. The SIR cars had the same system, but fared much better than the NYCT cars.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

The rollsigns from eight R44s were removed and replaced by experimental flip-dot signs starting in 1988, the same year the New Technology Program began. These experimental flip-dots signs were replaced by electronic LCD signs on the sides and rollsigns on the front during the General Overhaul Program from 1991 to 1993.

The R44s were designed to be automated and had a high design top speed of {{convert|70|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} in anticipation of operation on new subway lines to be built, such as the Second Avenue Subway, which never opened while the cars were in subway service. On January 31, 1972, the R44s set the world speed record for a subway car, when a consist reached a speed of {{convert|87.75|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} on the Long Island Rail Road's main line between Woodside and Jamaica. With two motors per car disabled, the cars still reached {{convert|77|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The cars were capable of attaining even higher speeds, but the length of the test track was insufficient to allow further acceleration.{{cite web|title=New York City Transit Facts & Figures: 1979|url=http://www.laguardiawagnerarchive.lagcc.cuny.edu/FILES_DOC/WAGNER_FILES/06.021.0058.060284.11.PDF#page=18|website=La Guardia and Wagner Archives|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York City Transit Authority|access-date=October 24, 2016|date=1979}}

To ensure the subway could accommodate {{convert|75|ft|m|2|adj=on}} cars, three retired R1 cars (numbered 165, 192, and 211;{{cite magazine |last=Oszustowicz |first=Eric |display-authors=etal |title=A History of the R-1 to R-9 Passenger Car Fleet |url=https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/2000s/2006/2006-03-bulletin.pdf |date=March 2006 |magazine=The Bulletin |volume=49 |number=3 |page=37 |publisher=New York Division, Electric Railroaders’ Association |access-date=May 24, 2022}} renumbered XC675, XC575, and XC775 respectively) were repurposed and sent to various places around the subway and the Staten Island Railway. Cars XC675 and XC575 were cut in half and lengthened to {{convert|75|ft|m|2}}.Car XC675 (ex-165):

• {{cite AV media |last=Testagrose |first=Joe |title=Car XC675 (ex-165) at Coney Island Yard |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?39342 |date=September 1970 |type=Photograph |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=April 5, 2015}}

Car XC575 (ex-192):

• {{cite AV media |last=Grotjahn |first=Doug |title=Car XC575 (ex-192) at Tottenville on SIRT |url=http://nycsubway.org/perl/show?1857 |date=June 1, 1970 |type=Photograph |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=April 6, 2015}}
• {{cite AV media |last=Testagrose |first=Joe |title=Car XC575 (ex-192) at St. George on SIRT |url=http://nycsubway.org/perl/show?1847 |date=June 7, 1970 |type=Photograph |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=April 6, 2015}}
• {{cite AV media |last=Grotjahn |first=Doug |title=Car XC575 (ex-192) at Jefferson Avenue on SIRT |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?1848 |date=September 27, 1970 |type=Photograph |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=April 6, 2015}}

Car XC775 (ex-192):

• {{cite AV media |last=Hoskins |first=Steve |title=Car XC675 (ex-165) at Coney Island Yard |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?1858 |date=August 1976 |type=Photograph |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=April 5, 2015}}

As a result of the tests, it was determined that only minor changes to tunnels were needed to fit the 75-foot cars, and that particular segments on the BMT Eastern Division (the {{NYCS|J/Z}}, {{NYCS|L}}, and {{NYCS|M}}) would be too difficult to convert to allow {{convert|75|ft|m|2|adj=on}} cars to operate safely. As such, the R44s were not delivered to those lines.

At the end of 1969, bids were received and a contract was awarded for an order of 240 75-foot R44 subway cars, with an option for 60 additional cars at the end of 1969.

File:STATEN ISLAND RAPID TRANSIT, PART OF THE NEW YORK SUBWAY SYSTEM, CONNECTS THE SMALL TOWNS OF THE BOROUGH OF RICHMOND - NARA - 547842.jpg, prior to the GOH program]]

After many months of exhaustive testing on the {{NYCS|A}}, {{NYCS|D}}, {{NYCS|E}}, and {{NYCS|F}} (one week on each service, starting December 16, 1971), as well as on the LIRR to test the cars' state-of-the-art electrical and mechanical systems, the first set of R44s was placed in service on the New York City Subway on the {{NYCS|F}} on April 19, 1972, following a brief introductory ceremony attended by the Mayor of New York City John V. Lindsay, along with MTA Chairman William J. Ronan at Jamaica–179th Street station. The Staten Island R44s were delivered between January and April 1973.{{cite web |title=R-44 (St. Louis, 1971-1973) |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/cars/r44renumber.html |date=1995–2012 |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=April 5, 2015}} The first six Staten Island R44s went into service on February 28, 1973.{{Cite book|title=1968-1973, the ten-year program at the halfway mark.|year=1973|publisher=New York|hdl = 2027/mdp.39015023095485}} With the completion of the R44 order and the similar State of the Art Car, the St. Louis Car Company shut down operations.

An eight-car train (328–335) was tested in 1973 with carpeting, and another (380–387) was tested with hydraulic brakes that were incompatible with the rest of the R44s' braking systems.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/03/12/archives/carpeting-is-popular-ontheind-tried-on-lirr.html|title=Carpeting Is Popular On the IND|last=Prial|first=Frank J.|date=March 12, 1973|newspaper=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=December 25, 2016|via=New York Times Archive}} In 1979, seven of the eight cars had these systems removed and replaced with conventional air brakes, while the last car (car 385) was permanently removed from service.

GE cars 388–399 were not converted to Westcode SMEE braking system in 1984, and were eventually sent to the Staten Island Railway in 1985 to provide SIRTOA with some extra cars since ridership increased significantly in 1985, so their existing 52-car fleet would not be overly taxed. These 12 R44 cars were built identical to the SIRTOA's specification with GE propulsion instead of Westinghouse.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}

In 1983, organizations for the blind stated that the gaps in between R44 and R46 cars were dangerous, since blind passengers could not discern the space between subway cars and open car doors.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/06/nyregion/subway-cars-held-perilous-for-the-blind.html|title=Subway Cars Held Perilous for the Blind|last=May|first=Clifford D.|date=January 6, 1983|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 13, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Inter-car safety barriers, known as "baloney springs", were installed on all cars of both fleets by the end of 1984.{{cite journal |title=Inter-Car Safety Barriers Installed On All NYCTA 75-Foor Cars |journal=New York Division Bulletin |publisher=Electric Railroaders' Association |volume=28 |issue=6 |pages=7 |date=June 1985 |url=https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/1980s/1985/1985-06-bulletin.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2025}}

Nine NYCT R44s were involved in various listed incidents that led to their premature retirements before the General Overhaul Program (GOH) program for the R44s commenced. These cars, along with car 385, were not overhauled during the GOH program; they were instead stored on the system and stripped of parts until March 2001, when they were shipped off property and scrapped.{{cite AV media |last=spicker613 |title=Original Kodachrome Slide NYC Subway R-44 120/109 207 Yard Scrap March 19, 2001 |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/16207920208/ |date=March 19, 2001 |type=Photograph |website=Flickr |access-date=April 8, 2015}}{{cite AV media |last=spicker613 |title=Original Kodachrome Slide NYC Subway R-44 248, R-62 1439 Barge March 19, 2001 |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/15773107264/in/photostream/ |date=March 19, 2001 |type=Photograph |website=Flickr |access-date=April 8, 2015}}

File:NYCSubway5274.jpg]]

File:NYCT R44 LCD Sign NYTM.jpg. This replaces the original rollsign-based side destination signs on the cars prior to the cars' overhauls]]

The R44s were rebuilt beginning in March 1990. They were the last of the MTA's fleet to undergo the General Overhaul (GOH) program as a result of deferred maintenance. 140 cars were rebuilt off property by Morrison–Knudsen in Hornell, New York, and 138 cars were rebuilt in-house at the 207th Street Overhaul Shop in Inwood, Manhattan and the Coney Island Overhaul Shop in Coney Island, Brooklyn. Some improvements included the repainting of the carbon steel blue stripes into silver gray stripes (most NYCT cars) or the replacement of the stripes with stainless steel panels (NYCT cars 5228–5229 and all SIR cars). The rollsigns on the sides were replaced with electronic LCD signs on the NYCT cars and were completely removed on the SIR cars. The entire fleet was renumbered during the overhaul process; by January 1993, all overhauled cars were in service.{{cite journal| last=Chiasson | first=George |title=The R-44 Story|journal=The Bulletin |publisher=Electric Railroaders' Association, Incorporated |volume=46 |issue=4 |page=4-6 |date=April 2003 |url=https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/2000s/2003/2003-04-bulletin.pdf |access-date=March 13, 2025}}

Even after the GOH program, several NYCT R44s were retired due to various mishaps. Cars 5319 and 5402 were damaged in separate fire-related incidents. Cars 5282–5285 were involved in a derailment north of 135th Street, resulting in the whole set being placed out of service.{{cite news |last=Barron |first=James |title=Investigators Seek Clues to Explain Subway Train Derailment |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/05/nyregion/investigators-seek-clues-to-explain-subway-train-derailment.html |date=July 5, 1997 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=April 8, 2015}} Car 5248 was taken out of service in 2004 due to cracked truck bolsters. Cars 5282 and 5319 were completely destroyed and subsequently scrapped in the late 1990s,{{Cite AV media |title=Train Crash |url=https://www.nysubway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/train-crash-1.jpg |date=May 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218102147/https://www.nysubway.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/train-crash-1.jpg |archive-date=December 18, 2018 |type=Photograph |access-date=March 1, 2022}} car 5284 was eventually repaired and returned to service, and the other damaged cars were stored out of service for parts until they were scrapped with the rest of the NYCT cars.

All SIR cars were overhauled for a second time between 2007 and 2010 as a part of scheduled maintenance program. Several improvements included the repainting of the bulkheads, rebuilt trucks, new dark floors, newly repainted periwinkle bucket seats, and updated logos; unlike the NYCT cars, the SIR cars retained their original blue "M" MTA decals during their first overhaul. The cars have been undergoing further intermittent rounds of scheduled maintenance as their parts age over time.

Even after their second overhaul, several SIR R44s were retired due to various mishaps. On December 26, 2008, car 402 was pulled from service after being badly damaged from accidentally hitting a bumper block at the Tottenville station.{{cite web | url=https://www.silive.com/news/2009/04/train_derailment_at_staten_isl.html | title=Train derailment at Staten Island Railway station cost city MTA more than a half-million dollars | date=April 30, 2009 }} It was stored at 207th Street Yard and stripped of parts for other SIR cars; by 2013, it was scrapped.{{cite AV media |last=Dooley |first=John |title=R-44 at 207th Street Yard |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?133017 |date=November 29, 2011 |type=Photograph |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=October 3, 2015}} In May 2013, cars 399 and 466 were taken out of service after being damaged in a sideswipe.[https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/2010s/2013/2013-09-bulletin.pdf Bulletin 2013] erausa.org Both cars were also stripped of parts for other SIR cars.{{cite web | url=https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5827467,-73.9781435,3a,70.2y,26.89h,78.72t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sAWg7_ipooZCrF3Z4jq_CPA!2e0!5s20141001T000000!7i13312!8i6656 | title=Google Maps }}

File:MTA NYC R44 5240.JPG]]

On December 18, 2009, two 4-car sets of New York City Transit (NYCT) R44s, one set being a contract Morrison-Knudsen rebuild and the other being an in-house Coney Island Overhaul Shop rebuild, were brought in to the 207th Street Overhaul Shop for inspection; the inspection revealed various structural integrity issues on all eight cars.{{cite journal |title=New York City Subway Car Update |first=George |last=Chiasson |journal=The Bulletin |url=https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/2010s/2010/2010-03-bulletin.pdf |date=March 2010 |publisher=Electric Railroaders' Association |volume=53 |number=3 |pages=6-7, 20 |access-date=March 10, 2025}} The R44s were originally planned to be retired by the R179 order,{{cite web |title=MTA Capital Program 2008–2013 |url=http://web.mta.info/mta/budget/pdf/2008-2013%20Capital%20Plan.pdf |date=February 2008 |page=28 |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority |access-date=April 8, 2015}} but following the inspections, the decision was made in March 2010 to retire the R44s with the remaining R160 order instead, in place of the R32 and R42 fleet, which were being replaced with the R160 order at the time.

That same month, withdrawal of the NYCT R44s from revenue service began, and retirement of the R32 and R42 fleet was halted indefinitely.{{cite journal |title=New York City Subway Car Update |first=George |last=Chiasson |journal=The Bulletin |url=https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/2010s/2010/2010-03-bulletin.pdf |date=March 2010 |publisher=Electric Railroaders' Association |volume=53 |number=3 |pages=6-7, 20 |access-date=March 10, 2025}} Retirement progressed until September 16, 2010, when the last train made its final trip on the {{NYCS|A}}.{{cite journal |title=New York City Subway Car Update |first=George |last=Chiasson |journal=The Bulletin |url=https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/2010s/2010/2010-11-bulletin.pdf |date=June 2010 |publisher=Electric Railroaders' Association |volume=53 |number=11 |pages=5, 15-16 |access-date=March 10, 2025}} After retirement, the NYCT R44s were placed into storage system-wide.{{cite AV media |last=Dooley |first=John |title=R-44 Car 5286 Pending Scrap |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?131567 |date=August 26, 2011 |type=Photograph |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=April 8, 2015}}

Initially, the retired NYCT R44s were expected to be stripped and sunk as artificial reefs. Car 5344, part of one of the sets brought in for inspection, was the first to be completely stripped in preparation for disposal as an artificial reef. However, the car presented a serious contamination hazard that was deemed dangerous to aquatic life in the ocean and that would have been too expensive and difficult to remove on all R44 cars for the artificial reef preparation. As such, the plan to reef the NYCT R44s was ultimately cancelled in favor of simply scrapping the cars; separately, the reefing program concluded in April 2010.{{cite journal |title=New York City Subway Car Update |first=George |last=Chiasson |journal=The Bulletin |url=https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/2010s/2010/2010-06-bulletin.pdf |date=June 2010 |publisher=Electric Railroaders' Association |volume=53 |number=6 |pages=19 |access-date=September 24, 2024}} From May 2012 until summer 2013, most of the NYCT R44s were scrapped at Sims Metal Management.{{cite AV media |last=Noel |first=Nicholas |title=R-44 Car 5332 on Tractor Trailer |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?138874 |date=January 28, 2013 |type=Photograph |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=April 8, 2015}}{{cite web |title=R-44 (St. Louis, 1971-1973): Detailed Roster (Renumbering/Disposition) |url=http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/R-44_%28St._Louis,_1971-1973%29#Detailed_Roster_.28Renumbering.2FDisposition.29 |date=1995–2012 |website=www.nycsubway.org |access-date=April 8, 2015}} Four cars, 5286–5289, were not scrapped and remain stored decommissioned at Coney Island Yard.{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/@40.5827505,-73.9782600,3a,26.504038y,10.803494h,83.641876t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1soBIQXFwNnkM2NqIhrR3FPQ!2e0|title = Google Maps}} The only car not slated for disposal is car 5240 (originally 172), which has since been preserved and set aside for on-and-off display at the New York Transit Museum.

Since January 2022, the remaining R44s have been the oldest active rolling stock within the NYCT system at {{age|1973|2|28}} years old, following the retirement of the R32s.

Like the NYCT cars, the SIR R44s were originally planned to be retired by the R179 order; however, this plan was dropped. Proposals to overhaul and operate some R46s on the SIR to replace the R44s there surfaced instead; however, this plan was also dropped. As such, the SIR R44s not written off received intermittent rounds of scheduled maintenance to extend their usefulness until retirement.{{cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/21526443673/in/dateposted/|title=R44 SMS|work=Flickr – Photo Sharing!|date=October 13, 2015}}

Ultimately, 75 R211S cars were ordered to replace the SIR R44s; these started entering service on October 8, 2024.{{cite web | last=Matteo | first=Mike | title=New Staten Island Railway cars: First train takes inaugural ride Tuesday | website=silive | date=October 8, 2024 | url=https://www.silive.com/news/2024/10/new-staten-island-railway-cars-first-train-takes-inaugural-ride-tuesday.html | access-date=October 8, 2024}} The SIR R44s are being gradually phased out from mid-2023, with a handful of cars being retired and cannibalized for parts to keep other cars running.{{cite web | author=((@techno_7843)) | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CyEkhUSv704/ | title=St. Louis Car Company R44M/ME-2 424 at St. George Terminal, on the @mta’s Staten Island Railway. Taken 10/3/23. This car has been retired | website=Instagram }} The remainder of the active cars are being phased out from 2024; it is expected that all cars will be retired in 2026.{{cite web |date=July 2024 |title=MTA 2025 Preliminary Budget - July Financial Plan 2025-2028 Volume 2 |url=https://new.mta.info/document/147256 }}{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/nyct/procure/addenda/R34211add3.pdf|title=R34211 Notice-of-Addendum: Addendum #3|date=August 11, 2016|website=mta.info|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=August 15, 2016}}{{Cite web |url=http://web.mta.info/capitaldashboard/pdf/Milestones_Report.pdf |title=MTA Capital Program Milestones – March 31, 2011 |access-date=July 15, 2016 |archive-date=October 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008084806/http://web.mta.info/capitaldashboard/pdf/Milestones_Report.pdf |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web|url=http://web.mta.info/news/pdf/MTA%202017%20Final%20Proposed%20Budget%20November%20Financial%20Plan%202017-2020%20Volume%202.pdf|title=MTA 2017 Final Proposed Budget November Financial Plan 2017 – 2020 Volume 2 November 2016|date=November 16, 2016|website=mta.info|publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Authority|access-date=November 17, 2016}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• Sansone, Gene. Evolution of New York City subways: An illustrated history of New York City's transit cars, 1867-1997. New York Transit Museum Press, New York, 1997 {{ISBN|978-0-9637492-8-4}}

{{Commons category|R44 (New York City Subway car)}}

• [http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/SIRT_Staten_Island_Rapid_Transit nycsubway.org - SIRT Staten Island Rapid Transit]
• [http://www.nycsubway.org/cars/r44.html nycsubway.org - NYC Subway Cars: R44]

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{{NYCS rolling stock}}

{{Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:R044 (New York City Subway Car)}}

Category:Train-related introductions in 1971

Category:New York City Subway rolling stock

Category:Staten Island Railway rolling stock

Category:St. Louis multiple units

Category:1971 in rail transport