Redbird trains
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Redbird trains were eight
New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
train models so-nicknamed because of their red paint. The Redbirds totaled 1,410 cars of the following types on the A Division lines:
R26 R26 or R-26 may refer to: Roads * R-26 regional road (Montenegro) * R26 (South Africa) Other uses * R-26 (missile), a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile * R26 (New York City Subway car) * R-26 (salon), an artistic salon in Paris * Br ...
, R28, R29, R33, R33S, and R36. There were also 550 cars on the B Division lines: R27 and R30/A. All were built by the
American Car and Foundry Company ACF Industries, originally the American Car and Foundry Company (abbreviated as ACF), is an American manufacturer of railroad rolling stock. One of its subsidiaries was once (1925–54) a manufacturer of motor coaches and trolley coaches und ...
and the
St. Louis Car Company The St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, interurbans, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887 to 1974, based in St. Louis, Missouri. History The St. Louis Car Company ...
. These cars were painted a deep red to combat graffiti, which had become a major problem in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The color was referred to as "Gunn Red" or "Broad Street Red" in honor of its originator
David L. Gunn David L. Gunn (born June 21, 1937) is a transportation system administrator who has headed several significant railroads and transit systems in North America. He was director of operations of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA ...
, the former
SEPTA The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a regional public transportation authority that operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolleybus services for nearly 4 million people in five coun ...
General Manager who became President of the
New York City Transit Authority The New York City Transit Authority (also known as NYCTA, the TA, or simply Transit, and branded as MTA New York City Transit) is a public-benefit corporation in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City. P ...
during this period. Initially entering service in various colors, these cars received the new paint scheme between 1984 and 1989. Sixteen R17s were also given this paint scheme in 1985 and 1986, but were retired by 1988, well before the name "Redbird" caught on. Today, repurposed Redbird cars serve as garbage trains, rail adhesion cars, or rider cars on locomotive-hauled work trains, while others have been preserved by various museums.


History

These cars were built by two different manufacturers. *
American Car and Foundry ACF Industries, originally the American Car and Foundry Company (abbreviated as ACF), is an American manufacturer of railroad rolling stock. One of its subsidiaries was once (1925–54) a manufacturer of motor coaches and trolley coaches und ...
built the R26 cars in 1959–1960 and the R28 in 1960–1961. *
St. Louis Car Company The St. Louis Car Company was a major United States manufacturer of railroad passenger cars, streetcars, interurbans, trolleybuses and locomotives that existed from 1887 to 1974, based in St. Louis, Missouri. History The St. Louis Car Company ...
built the R27 cars in 1960–1961, the R29 in 1962, the R30/A in 1961–1962, the R33 in 1962–1963, R33S single cars in late 1963, and the R36 in 1963–1964. The IRT cars provided main passenger service on the , , , , and trains, while the
B Division B Division, Division B, or variant may refer to: * ''B Division'' (New York City Subway) * ''B Division'' (Irish League), association football * ''Division B'' (Scottish Football League) * ''Divizia B'' (Romanian Football League) * Moldovan "B ...
cars provided passenger service on various BMT and
IND Ind or IND may refer to: General * Independent (politician), a politician not affiliated to any political party * Independent station, used within television program listings and the television industry for a station that is not affiliated with ...
lines. The IRT cars were occasionally used on Fan Trips on some B Division services as well.


Retirements and replacements

The BMT Redbirds were retired from 1989 to 1993, with the final R30 trip taking place on the C on June 25, 1993. Replaced by the R68 and R68A cars, most cars were scrapped at what is now
Sims Metal Management Sims Limited (formerly Sims Metal Management Limited) is a global environmental services conglomerate, operating through a number of divisions, with a focus on: (a) Ferrous and Non-ferrous metal recycling, (b) enterprise data destruction and cl ...
's Newark facility. Most IRT Redbirds were phased out from 2001 to 2003 and replaced by the new
R142 The R142 is the first successful model class of the newest generation or new technology (NTT) A Division cars for the New York City Subway. It was built by Bombardier Transportation in La Pocatière, Quebec, Canada and Barre, Vermont, U.S. ...
and
R142A The R142A is the second order of new technology cars (NTTs) for the A Division of the New York City Subway. These cars were built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in the U.S. at Yonkers, New York and Lincoln, Nebraska, and in Japan at Kobe, Hy ...
cars. The final trip made by a train consisting of IRT Redbirds was made on November 3, 2003, on the . 1,292 Redbirds have been sunk at sea off the coasts of
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
( Redbird Reef),
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
,
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,
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
, and
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
as
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s to promote
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, to serve as a barrier, and to enhance recreational
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by
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Inc.


Preservation

Some Redbirds (R33s, R33Ss, and R36s) are used on the
Train of Many Colors The Train of Many Colors (also referred to as TOMC) is one of the New York Transit Museum's nostalgia trains used for excursions, which is made up of cars that were formerly used on Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) lines. The name comes ...
, including numerous historical subway cars in their original
livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
, all with contrasting colors. These cars are in the
New York Transit Museum The New York Transit Museum (also called the NYC Transit Museum) is a museum that displays historical artifacts of the New York City Subway, bus, and commuter rail systems in the greater New York City metropolitan region. The main museum is loc ...
fleet. R28 pair 7926–7927 is preserved at the
Illinois Railway Museum The Illinois Railway Museum (IRM, reporting mark IRMX) is the largest railroad museum in the United States. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area at 7000 Olson Road in Union, Illinois, northwest of downtown Chicago. Overview Histo ...
in
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, with
trolley pole A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" (electrified) overhead wire to the control and the electric traction motors of a tram or trolley bus. It is a type of current collector. Th ...
s added for the ability to run on the museum's mainline. R33S 9327 is at the
Seashore Trolley Museum Seashore Trolley Museum, located in Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, is the world's first and largest museum of mass transit vehicles. While the main focus of the collection is trolley cars (trams), it also includes rapid transit trains, ...
, also modified with trolley poles for operation at the site.


Other usage of Redbird name

*The
MBTA The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (abbreviated MBTA and known colloquially as "the T") is the public agency responsible for operating most public transportation services in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. The MBTA transit network in ...
Red Line in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
used the ''Redbird'' name starting in the late 1970s when that line's rolling stock was repainted into a largely red scheme. However, that usage of ''Redbird'' followed a tradition set with those fleet's prior paint schemes ("Bluebirds" for the 01400s, "Silverbirds" for the 01500s and 01600s).


Gallery

File:R30 Rail Adhesion Car 8429.jpg, One of the BMT Redbirds as a converted Rail Adhesion Car with R32 work cars at
Coney Island Complex The New York City Transit Authority operates a total of 24 rail yards for the New York City Subway system, and one for the Staten Island Railway. There are 10 active A Division yards and 11 active B Division yards, two of which are shared betwee ...
File:MTA 9333 Hunts Point Ave station.jpg, An IRT Redbird train at Hunts Point Avenue just before their retirement NYC Subway R33ML 9010 on the 7.jpg, The ''
Train of Many Colors The Train of Many Colors (also referred to as TOMC) is one of the New York Transit Museum's nostalgia trains used for excursions, which is made up of cars that were formerly used on Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) lines. The name comes ...
'' consists of multiple IRT Redbird cars, some of which were repainted into paint schemes the cars wore before the GOH. File:47 50 Streets Redbird vc.jpg, An R30 BMT Redbird (since scrapped) being used as a training car NYC Subway Redbird train 1.JPG, IRT Redbird trains for non-passenger service, taken at Junction Boulevard station in December 2014 File:R30Jerome.JPG, A pair of R30 BMT Redbirds (since scrapped) stored at Jerome Yard NYC Subway R33 9075 on display at Queens Boro Hall.jpg, R33 #9075 on display at Queens Boro Hall/Queens County Supreme Court, prior to removal in 2022


References

Notes Sources
New York Times. "Refloating a Notion About Subways" by Jeremy Pearce. April 28, 2002.
by
Ian Urbina Ian Urbina (born March 29, 1972) is an American investigative reporter who has written for a variety of outlets, including ''The New York Times'' and ''The Atlantic''. Urbina is the author of The New York Times Best Seller list, ''The New York T ...
. April 8, 2008.


External links

* {{NYCS rolling stock, state=collapsed New York City Subway rolling stock