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.