Tag Archives: New York City

Oren’s Reading List: 99% Invisible’s Train Set

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Breda MB100 Stock at Colosseo, May 2, 2008

Do you like trains?  You’re here, so the answer to that is probably “yes.”  Do you like podcasts and if so, what are your favorites?  I’m going to go out on a hunch and assume many people reading this have heard of 99% Invisible.  The show’s own website describes the podcasts as “a sound-rich, narrative podcast hosted by Roman Mars about all the thought that goes into the things we don’t think about — the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.”  Naturally, this includes many topics related to urbanism, cities, and transportation.

This week’s episode is entitled “Train Set” and features seven short train related topics.  You may be familiar with some of them even before listening to the podcast, such as the publicly staged train crash in Crush, Texas or the challenges of building the Rome Metro (which I’ve written about previously).  It is definitely worth a listen, and you can do that by clicking here (or finding 99% Invisible wherever you listen to podcasts).  

Oren’s Reading List is an occasional feature on The Travelogue in which I share articles that I’ve read that might also be of interest to the readers of this website.

Rail Photo of the Month: January 2022

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R32 3410

Location: Lorimer Street/Broadway, Brooklyn, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: June 2, 2014

For the past 15 or so years, the MTA has operated some of its vintage subway cars on Sundays in between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  After a one year hiatus last year due to the pandemic, the tradition is back again this year, albeit with a twist.  Instead of the traditional R1–9 (“Arnine”) train, this year’s event is a sendoff for the 58 year old R32 subway cars.  The R32s were nominally retired in April 2020, though they briefly reentered service during the summer of 2020 when the R179s were pulled from revenue service due to mechanical issues.  The farewell train will run twice more this year, on the 6th Avenue and Central Park West lines on January 2, and on the Second Avenue, Broadway, and Brighton lines on January 9.  On the latter date, the train will be operating over the Q train route, which is the line they originally debuted on in 1964.  As of this writing, the R32s are the oldest subway cars in operation anywhere in North America and among the oldest to be in operation anywhere in the world.  The R32 has also outlasted the R38s, R40s, R42s, and R44s, all of which were built after the R32.  

The R32 is also the last New York City car type to have a full “railfan window” at the front of the train.  This meant you could stand at the front of the train and see signals and other infrastructure pass by with a view almost identical to that of the train operator.  I loved standing at this window on the R32s (and other New York City car types with the feature) and while going through my photos to select one for this post, noticed there was often someone standing at the window.  I wonder how many New Yorkers became transit enthusiasts because of this opportunity that future generations will not experience.  While there may be operational advantages to building trains with full width cabs, a certain nostalgia is being lost as a result.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to make it to New York for any of the farewell trips.  However, I had a great time chasing the R32 trainsets on the J line on June 2, 2014, and one of the photos from that day is featured here.  (My last R32 photos were taken in 2019 but aren’t particularly noteworthy.)

For information about the farewell trip routes and schedules, please click here for the press release from the MTA.

For more photos of the R32s, please click here.

Bus Photo of the Month: December 2021

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Orion VII/HEV 6735

Location: East 79th Street & Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: May 8, 2017

With the gradual retirement of the RTS buses that had been a mainstay on the streets of New York for decades, the Orion VII became the most prevalent bus in the Big Apple.  Although the Orion VII is not on the verge of being entirely removed from service, the number of buses in the “original” style of construction is dwindling.  As of this writing, some depots have fewer than 10 buses of this style available for service.  Since the “Next Generation” model of the Orion VII was introduced in 2007 and a transit bus in the United States is typically in service for between 12 and 15 years, it is not surprising to see that the last of the Orion VIIs to be built using the original design are being retired.  

Although the original Orion VII design was quite boxy and not particurily streamlined, I actually prefer it over the “Next Generation” design.  To me, the latter looks like a poor imitation of the Mercedes-Benz Citaro models frequently found in Europe, and just doesn’t look right as a US bus model.  Which one do you prefer?

For more photos of MTA New York City Transit’s Orion VII buses, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: August 2021

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R46 5994

Location: Broad Channel Station, Queens, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: September 3, 2019

In late June, the first of the new R211 cars was delivered for acceptance testing, While they probably won’t enter revenue service until some time in 2022, their delivery does mark the beginning of the end for what are currently the oldest subway cars in New York, the R46s. The R46s certainly reflect the 1970s when they were built in terms of interior color scheme and other features such as transverse seating, wood paneled windscreens, and a lack of traditional straps for commuters to hold while standing. Fittingly, the R211s that will replace the R46s are also meant to revolutionize subway car design with new LED front end signage, open gangways, interior LED lighting and wider doors.

For more photos of the R46s, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: October 2020

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R62A 1946R62A 1946

Location: Times Square Station, New York, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: March 24, 2017

Later this month on October 27, the New York City Subway will mark the 116th anniversary of its opening.  Since then, the system has grown from a single line within Manhattan to a sprawling system with nearly 500 stations and nearly 6 million passengers on an average weekday (as of 2017).  Although the original route is no longer operated as it was on October 27, 1904, trains continue to ply the route between Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Central on the 4, 5, and 6 trains, Grand Central and Times Square on the 42nd Street Shuttle, and between Times Square and 145th Street on the 1, 2, and 3 trains.  This routing was used until the “H” system was inaugurated on August 1, 1918.  The shuttle platforms that are in use today date back to the original IRT opening in 1904, although the MTA is currently in the process of rebuilding the Shuttle in order to make the line ADA compliant.  Until this project began, it was very easy to see the original IRT construction while standing on the Times Square Shuttle platforms.

For more photos of New York City’s R62A subway cars, please click here.

Bus Photo of the Month: June 2020

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New Flyer D60HF 5519

New Flyer D60HF 5519

Location: Lexington Avenue at East 75th Street, New York, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: April 25, 2012

I’ve spilled some digital ink on the retirement of various New York City Subway cars and the venerable RTS buses, but other buses in New York City that have distinctions of their own have been retired in the time I was redesigning the New York City section of this website.  This post will profile one of them, the New Flyer D60HF, the first articulated bus to operate in the Big Apple.  

The first D60HF buses arrived in 1996 and debuted in The Bronx on the Bx1 route.  In late 1999, they were introduced to Manhattan on the M79 and M86 routes.  Ultimately, New York City Transit (and the MTA Bus Company) would order and operate several hundred D60HF buses.  For most of their careers, they operated in The Bronx and Manhattan.  They also made some appearances on routes in Queens and Brooklyn towards the end of their careers in New York.

In addition to being the first articulated buses in New York and the only high floor articulated bus model ever ordered by NYCT, the D60HF was one of the first bus models in New York to be built with a front door wheelchair lift, and was the bus type that was used when the first Select Bus Service route, the Bx12, was launched in 2008.

As a busfan, I enjoy getting to ride articulated buses, and I really enjoyed sitting in the pair of seats in the D60HF’s articulated joint.  However, commuters were not always as excited by the sight of articulated buses on their routes.  When converting a route from standard buses to articulated buses, the MTA often reduces the frequency of the buses slightly since each articulated bus can carry more people than a standard 40 foot bus.  

Although the D60HF made its last revenue trip on March 31, 2019, articulated buses remain a significant part of New York City’s bus fleet.  They operate in four of the five boroughs, and while some of the articulated buses in the current fleet were built by NovaBUS, New Flyer’s articulated Xcelsior model has replaced some of their D60HF predecessors.  

For more photos of NYCT’s New Flyer D60HF Buses, please click here.

Rail Photo of the Month: June 2020

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R46 5984

R46 5984

Location: Smith-9th Streets Station, New York, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: August 6, 2002

Last month, I posted about the retirement of the R32 subway cars.  In conjunction with the launch of the redesigned New York section of this site, it seems appropriate to use the Rail Photo of the Month post for June to highlight what is now the oldest subway car class in New York City, the R46.  I’m not going to mince words; these are not my favorite NYC subway cars.  However, they do have a certain character thanks to their wood paneled windscreens and the New York seals on their interior walls.  Their LCD side destination signs also give the impression to some they are newer than they actually are, as these cars were manufactured starting in 1975 and are now 45 years old (two cars even had special red, white, and blue stripes and stars to commemorate the U.S. Bicentennial, shortly after their delivery).  

For many years, the R46 was a mainstay on the Queens Boulevard Line, including the F and G lines.  Therefore, many railfans have photos of these cars at the Smith-9th Streets Station, the highest elevated station on the New York City Subway.  The backdrop of photos of trains approaching from the north is Lower Manhattan and before 9/11 this included the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.  With the upcoming installation of CBTC on the Queens Boulevard Line, the R46 has been shifted to other lines and the R160 has become the most common train type on the F while the G is now operated by R68s.  However, the R46 will remain an active car type for the New York City Subway until the arrival of the R211s, expected in the early 2020s.

For more photos of the R46, please click here.

New York City is Back on Oren’s Transit Page

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96th Street/2nd Avenue
When I redesigned my website to use WordPress instead of coding everything by hand as I had since initial launch nearly 20 years ago, I opted to launch the new design without including the New York City section.  That decision was made in January 2016 due to the fact that rebuilding process included reuploading all the original images on the site, reentering their captions, and building out pages for each city, agency, and vehicle type.  The New York City section has always been one of the largest on my site, and it seemed better to push out the redesigned website minus one section than to hold it back until it was 100 percent complete.  Finding the time to complete the redesign of the New York section hasn’t always been easy, especially since I much prefer to add new content rather than tinker with code and rebuild old pages when I have time to work on the site.  However, nearly four years later, I am pleased to announce that the New York City section of the site has been rebuilt and many new photos have been added to this section.

Since the redesigned Oren’s Transit Page was launched, there have been some significant changes to the New York City Transit scene.  The most notable development is probably the opening of the long awaited Second Avenue Subway, but that isn’t all that has happened in recent years.  The Hudson Yards Extension of the 7 line opened in 2015, and multiple subway car types, including the seemingly ageless R32s and the R42s have been retired and the R179s have been introduced.  The venerable RTS buses have also been retired and New Flyer and NovaBUS now fulfill most of the MTA’s equipment purchases.  The Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North fleets remain dominated by new car types, though a handful of M3s continue to hang on at each railroad.  The “Oculus”, the centerpiece of the reconstructed PATH station at the World Trade Center, officially opened in March 2016.  

Between images that had been on the site prior to 2016 and new images added during the redesign (including pretty much everything that was New York related in my photo queue at this point), there are now nearly 1,400 photos of New York City transportation here on Oren’s Transit Page.  I invite you to check them out at the redesigned New York City section, and as always, there will be more to come when my travels take me to New York.

Click here to visit the New York City section of Oren’s Transit Page.  A very small selection of teaser photos from this update can be found below.

New Flyer XD40 4827

New Flyer XD40 4827 on Cadman Plaza West at Middagh Street, September 4, 2019

R62A 1750

R62A 1750 at 42nd Street-Grand Central, March 24, 2017

1958 GMC TDH-5106 Old Look 9098

1958 GMC TDH-5106 Old Look 9098 on East 42nd Street at 3rd Avenue, December 12, 2012

M-3

M-3 at White Plains, April 24, 2012

34th Street-Hudson Yards

34th Street-Hudson Yards, December 27, 2015

Rail Photo of the Month: May 2020

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R32 3521

R32 3521

Location: 125th Street/St. Nicholas Avenue Station, New York, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: December 23, 2018

There is to be no suggestion that a subway car is somehow a Covid-19 “victim.”  However, the retirement of New York City’s oldest subway cars and the oldest subway cars in operation anywhere in the United States came unexpectedly as a result of modified fleet requirements to provide essential service in response to the ongoing pandemic.  Due to needing fewer cars to maintain peak service right now and the arrival of the final R179 cars, the R32s were officially retired on April 27, 2020.  This photo, which I took in December 2018, was one of the last ones I would ever take of this car type in revenue service.  

A total of 600 R32 cars were built and delivered in 1964 and 1965.  These cars are actually older than the MTA itself, as New York City Transit was not a part of the former agency until 1968.  Over the course of their service lives, these cars operated on just about every B Division (lettered) line at one time or another.  In their final years, they could be found on the A, C, J, and Z lines.  They outlived the R38, R40, R42, and R44 cars, all of which were built after the R32. 

The retirement of the R32 sadly also marks the end of an era on the New York City Subway, as these were the last cars in service to have a true railfan window at the front of each train.  I have fond memories of standing at the front of the Redbirds and other New York City subway cars, feeling the dank breeze coming through the storm door and watching the signals and other trackside signage go by.  Unfortunately, that is is an experience that can only live on as a memory now.

Bus Photo of the Month: May 2019

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NovaBus RTS-06 5242

NovaBus RTS-06 5242

Location: East 42nd Street at 3rd Avenue, New York, NY
Operator of Vehicle: MTA New York City Transit
Date of Photo: December 12, 2012

It is hard to believe, but the end of an era for public transit in New York City is approaching in just a matter of days.  The last of the venerable “RTS” buses, which have been transporting New Yorkers around the five boroughs for thirty-eight years, are due to be retired in the coming days.  The RTS was first developed by GMC’s Truck and Coach Division in 1977 and New York City Transit took its first delivery of RTS buses in 1981.  These buses were able to be recognized by their rounded, futuristic looking fronts, especially when compared to the “New Look” buses that made up much of the fleet when the RTSs were introduced.  Between 1981 and 1999, a total of 4,877 RTS buses were ordered from three different manufacturers (GMC sold the rights to the RTS design to TMC who later transferred those rights to NovaBUS).  These buses were also the first buses to be equipped with wheelchair lifts, and helped New York City Transit become one of the first agencies of its size to have a 100 percent accessible fleet.  Today, there are only a handful of RTS buses remaining in service in New York City, and it is expected that the remaining units will be taken off the streets by May 10, if not before then due to the fact these buses run on diesel fuel, while newer buses are powered by compressed natural gas or hybrid engines.

New York certainly isn’t the only city to have operated the RTS, but it is certainly the city I associate most with this model of bus.  These buses were everywhere when I would visit family in New York in the 1990s, and while I knew my “home” agency of WMATA had some as well (and they often served routes near where I grew up), I didn’t expect to ride them all that often whereas getting anything but an RTS in New York was a notable event.  I can’t say they were my favorite New York City buses, although I always loved the single seat on the right side just in front of the rear door.  I found the rear door lifts to be annoying as a passenger (it could take a long time to load or unload a wheelchair compared to a bus with a front door lift) and the narrow front door and stairwell was not easy to navigate when traveling with luggage or bulky items.  Over the years, New Flyer D60HFs, Orion Vs, Orion VIIs, and NovaBus LFSAs have come to dominate the routes where I stay most often in New York.  The photo featured this month is one of the last ones I ever took of an RTS in New York, and I took this photo over six years ago.  I believe the last time I rode an RTS in New York City was in 2014.  It just goes to show how much the New York City bus scene has changed in recent years.  However, I don’t expect the association between the RTS and New York City to fade in my mind anytime soon.

What are your memories of the RTS in New York City?

For more photos of New York City Transit’s RTS buses, please click here.