R142/R142A

In 1997, an order was placed for 1,080 new cars for the IRT ("A") division, to be known as contracts R-142 and R-142A. The contracts were let to Bombardier, to build the R-142 contract of 680 cars, and to Kawasaki Heavy Industries, to build the R-142A contract of 400 cars. Delivery of the new cars began in December, 1999, with extensive non-revenue testing occuring on the center tracks of the Dyre Avenue line in the Bronx. The East 180th Street maintenance shops were overhauled in preparation to maintain the new fleet of trains.

The R142A Kawasaki cars were delivered by flatbed truck to the 207th Street Yard in Manhattan where they are loaded onto the tracks and towed by diesel locomotive to East 180th St. Shop. The Bombardier R142 cars were delivered by train from their facility in Plattsburgh, New York, via Oak Point Yard in the Bronx. They are towed over the Hell Gate Bridge and onto the Bay Ridge branch of the LIRR, where there is a connection to the IRT Livonia Avenue line in Linden Yard. Service into Livonia Yard is provided by the New York & Atlantic Railway, and from there, the cars are towed by NYCTA diesel locomovtives to East 180th Street Yard.

The 1,080 cars of the primary order will replace most, but not all, of the trains known as "redbirds" (car classes R26, R28, R29, R33, R36), some of which date back to 1958 and should perhaps now be called "rustbirds". Option and supplemental orders for 580 additional R-142/R-142A cars would retire the rest of the redbird fleet, and in fact the entirety of non-stainless steel cars on the New York City Subway.

R-142/R-142A Option Order: Option orders for 500 additional cars will be taken according to operations to complete the full retirement of the R36 World's Fair cars. Estimate delivery to begin sometime in early 2002 and complete in 2003.

R-142A Supplemental Order: A supplemental order for 80 additional cars was awarded to Kawasaki in May 2003. Cars will be identical to the R-142A. Delivery expected to be complete by October, 2003.

Test Trains: In July, 2000 the first two test trains began revenue testing. The Bombardier test train consisted of cars 6301-6310 and initially saw spotty service on the #2 line. The Kawasaki train, cars 7211-7220, ran more regularly in service on the #6 line.

The testing will entail running the train on a regular schedule looking for problems. After 30 days with no problems (any problem resets the clock), further car deliveries will begin at the rate of 30 to 40 a month. The cars are delivered to the New York & Atlantic Railroad yard in Fresh Pond, Queens, via the Hell Gate Bridge, from Bombardier's facility in upstate New York or Kawasaki's facility in Yonkers.

New Technology: The R-142/R-142A cars contain much of the new technology tested in the R-110A Test Program. The cars are configured as "A" (cab) cars, with two motor trucks, and "B" (no cab) cars, each with one motor truck; each truck has two traction motors. They are designed to be linked in 5-car semi-permanent sets in the order A-B-B-B-A but can be linked in 4, 6, 9, or 11 car sets.

Motors/Braking/Trucks: 600 Vdc, AC Traction motor, 150 HP continuous rating, IGBT inverters; dynamic braking with regenerative and pneumatic friction brake system, electronically controlled; outboard bearing truck, welded steel frame.

Automated Announcements: Always wanted to know whose voices are doing the automated annoucements in the subway cars? The four different voices are all personalities on Bloomberg radio. (Which surely had nothing to do with the new Mayor; the voices were recorded long prior to the 2001 election.) Who says what? Charlie Pellett ("stand clear of the closing doors, please"), Melissa Kleiner (station announcements on #5 trains), Dianne Thompson (station announcements on #2 trains), and Jessica Ettinger (station announcements on #6 trains).

R142 MDBF

R142A MDBF

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