View source for R33S (New York City Subway car)

{{Short description|Retired class of New York City Subway car}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{distinguish|R33 (New York City Subway car)}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Infobox train
| background       =
| name             = R33S
| image            = Train of Many Colors 4 8 08 at 40 Lowery.jpg
| imagealt         =
| imagesize        = 250px
| caption          = R33S car 9306, in its original colors, leads the ''[[Train of Many Colors]]'' through [[40th Street – Lowery Street (IRT Flushing Line)|40 Street–Lowery St]] on a [[7 (NYCS)|<7> express]] run to [[Mets–Willets Point (IRT Flushing Line)|Mets–Willets Point]].
| interiorimage    = NYC Subway Car (23216122122).jpg
| interiorimagealt =
| interiorcaption  = Interior of R33S car
9306
| service          = 1963–2003
| manufacturer     = [[St. Louis Car Company]]
| factory          = [[St. Louis, Missouri]], United States
| family           =
| replaced         =
| yearconstruction = 1963
| yearservice      = 1963
| refurbishment    = 1985
| yearscrapped     = 2001 (9321)<br />2010 (9339)<br />2013 (several cars)
| numberconstruction=
| numberbuilt      = 40
| numberservice    = (23 in work service)
| numberpreserved  = 6
| numberscrapped   = 10<!--<br />1 in storage-->
| successor        = [[R142 (New York City Subway car)|R142]] and [[R142A (New York City Subway car)|R142A]]
| formation        = Single unit cars
| fleetnumbers     = 9306–9345
| capacity         = 44 (seated)
| operator         = [[New York City Subway]]
| depots           =
| lines            =
| carbody          = LAHT (Low Alloy High Tensile) steel
| trainlength      =
| carlength        = {{convert|51.04|ft|m}}
| width            = {{convert|8.75|ft|mm|0}}
| height           = {{convert|11.86|ft|mm|0}}
| floorheight      =
| platformheight   =
| entrylevelorstep =
| doors            = 6 sets of 50 inch wide side doors per car
| art-sections     =
| maxspeed         =
| weight           = {{convert|75122|lb|kg|abbr=on}}<br /> (pre-rebuild)
| acceleration     =
| deceleration     =
| traction         = [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation|Westinghouse]] XCA248E   with Westinghouse (WH) 1447C
| engine           =
| poweroutput      =
| transmission     =
| aux              = Motor-generator and battery set (WH YX304E)
| powersupply      =
| hvac             =
| electricsystem   = 600 [[Volt|V]] [[Direct current|DC]] [[Third rail]]
| collectionmethod = [[Contact shoe]]
| uicclass         =
| aarwheels        =
| bogies           =
| brakes           = WABCO, "SMEE" (electrodynamic)
| safety           =
| coupling         =
| multipleworking  =
| gauge            = {{RailGauge|ussg}} [[standard gauge]]
}}
The '''R33S'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/127872292@N06/48294055022/in/album-72157709666433846/|title = Img_4152|date = 15 July 2019}}</ref> (also known as '''R33 World's Fair''' or '''R33WF''') was a [[New York City Subway]] car that was built by St. Louis Car Company in 1963 for the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company|IRT]] [[A Division (New York City Subway)|A Division]]. They were purchased for service on the [[IRT Flushing Line]] ([[7 (New York City Subway service)|7]] and [[7d (New York City Subway service)|<7>]] trains), which was the closest line to the [[1964 New York World's Fair]]. A total of 40 cars were built, arranged as single cars. While in regular service, each R33S was coupled to five two-car consists of [[R36 (New York City Subway car)|R36]] cars to make 11-car trains for the 7 and <7> routes.
The R33S fleet entered service on September 26, 1963, and was originally painted in a light blue [[Turquoise (color)|turquoise]] "Bluebird" scheme. The fleet was overhauled in the mid-1980s, during which the cars were painted red, leading to the nickname "[[Redbird trains|Redbirds]]". The R33S fleet was replaced in the early 2000s with the delivery of the [[R142 (New York City Subway car)|R142]] and [[R142A (New York City Subway car)|R142A]] cars, with the last train of R33S and R36s running on November 3, 2003. After being retired, some R33S cars were preserved, but most were kept for work service; many of the work cars were scrapped in the 2010s.
==Description==
The R33S cars were numbered 9306–9345. The cars were very similar to the [[R33 (New York City Subway car)|R33]] cars, save for differently shaped side windows (three-piece curved windows on the R33S cars as opposed to three-sectioned rectangular windows on the R33 cars), and the fact that the R33S cars were single cars with a cab at both ends. The cars were built as single cars to make 11-car trains with the [[R36 (New York City Subway car)|R36 cars for the 7]], which were built as married pairs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://orenstransitpage.com/transit-photography/united-states/new-york-city/|title=New York City|date=January 4, 2016}}</ref>
Although the R33S cars were later referred to as [[Redbird trains|Redbirds]], the cars were originally painted in a light [[turquoise (color)|turquoise blue]] and white upon delivery. This "Bluebird" paint color scheme was used until the mid-1970s when they were painted in the silver/blue MTA livery. Then, they were painted a full white (roof, bonnets, sides were all painted white) from 1981 to 1982 to combat [[graffiti]]; since the white paint was a Teflon-based paint, the graffiti did not stick to it very well. The look was abandoned for the famous Redbird style. The Redbirds were painted between 1984 and 1989 to a deep maroon red body, black front bonnets and [[anti-climber]]s, and a silver roof.
==History==
The first R33S cars were placed in service on the {{NYCS|7}} train on September 26, 1963.<ref>{{cite web | url-access=limited  |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/89895068842/10155187942803843 |archive-date = 2022-04-30| url = https://www.facebook.com/nytransitmuseum/posts/10155187942803843 |title = New York Transit Museum on Facebook  |website=[[Facebook]]}}{{cbignore}}{{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref> The cars were solely assigned to the {{NYCS|7}} ([[IRT Flushing Line]]) and were based out of [[Corona Yard]].
The cars were rebuilt in-house in 1985 by the [[Coney Island Complex|Coney Island Shop]], except for one car (9306), which was not rebuilt and instead sent to the [[New York Transit Museum]] in 1976. However, they were not retrofitted with air conditioning system and instead retained their original Axiflow ceiling fans. For this reason, they were not used during the summer months due to poor air circulation or air flow and high humidity; the 7 train used 10 car trains when the cars were not used.<ref>{{Cite book|title=NYC Transit Committee Agenda May 1994|date=May 16, 1994|publisher=New York City Transit}}</ref>{{Rp|D.1}}
===Retirement and after-life service===
In 1996, [[New York City Transit Authority]] announced their plan to phase out the [[Redbird trains|Redbirds]] with the [[R142 (New York City Subway car)|R142]] and [[R142A (New York City Subway car)|R142A]] fleets. While the Redbirds on the IRT Main Line were beginning to be retired starting in early 2001, the {{NYCS|7}} service was still provided by R33S and R36 cars. In January 2002, a set of [[R62A (New York City Subway car)|R62As]] arrived from the IRT mainline. As more R142s and R142As were delivered, R62As were gradually transferred from the {{NYCS|3}} and {{NYCS|6}} to the {{NYCS|7}}, in turn replacing R33S/R36 trains. The last car remaining R33S, 9309, made its final trip on November 3, 2003, on the 7 service with ten R36 cars, marking the end of the [[Redbird trains|Redbirds]] and non-stainless steel cars in the subway.
Most R33S cars were converted to work motors in the early 2000s, and handle such tasks as providing traction for B-Division rail adhesion cars and refuse trains. The number "1" was placed before the former number (i.e. car 9345 became 19345) of some cars. The work cars are based out of various yards around the system and handle such tasks as providing traction for A-Division rail adhesion cars and refuse trains, and hauling cars during car moves between different subway yards. The cars that were not converted were 9306 and 9327, which were preserved as heritage cars after their retirement from revenue service, and 9321, which was stripped and sunken as an [[artificial reef]] in 2001.
Recently, the remaining R33S cars have been decommissioned as they experience structural or mechanical issues. Car 9339 was retired, stripped, and then sunken as an artificial reef in 2010 after it suffered fire damage that year. A handful of cars were replaced by reassigned [[R32 (New York City Subway car)|R32]] cars, stripped of parts to keep other IRT SMEE cars running, and then scrapped in 2013. Four cars were sidelined in 2017, after which they were sent into preservation. Currently, another handful of cars are being replaced by reassigned [[R42 (New York City Subway car)|R42]] cars.
Six cars have been preserved:
* Cars 9306, 9307, 9308, 9310, and 9343 have been preserved by the [[New York Transit Museum]] in Brooklyn. 9306, part of the museum since July 1976, is the only R33S car to not be rebuilt, and thus bears the World's Fair paint scheme and original interior configuration. 9307, 9308, 9310, and 9343 were previously used as work motors based out of Corona Yard, before being retired in 2017. Cars 9307 and 9308 are also painted in the World's Fair scheme, and car 9310 is painted in the "Redbird" scheme; it is unknown what scheme 9343 will be repainted to. All cars except 9343 are fully operational and run periodically on museum-sponsored "Nostalgia Trains", specifically on the ''[[Train of Many Colors]]''.
* Car 9327 is preserved at the [[Seashore Trolley Museum]] in [[Kennebunkport, Maine]], painted in the [[Subway Series]] livery. The car was temporarily displayed at the New York Transit Museum and was used on a fan trip in May 2005 before being sent to Kennebunkport. It is fully operational, though modified with trolley poles, and makes occasional runs around the museum, often coupled to [[R22 (New York City Subway car)|R22]] car 7371.
==Fleet details==
A detailed list of the 40 R33S cars is below,<ref name="ERA">{{Cite web |url=https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/2019/2019-08-bulletin.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2019-12-09 |archive-date=2019-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209040007/https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/2019/2019-08-bulletin.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> where bolded numbers indicate a car active in work service:
{{Clear|left}}
{| class=wikitable style="font-size:85%;text-align:center;"
|-
!Car number!!Year retired or status!!Notes
|-
|9306
|Preserved
|Preserved by the [[New York Transit Museum]]. Never refurbished. Painted in World's Fair scheme. Runs periodically on the ''Train of Many Colors.''
|-
|9307
|Preserved
|rowspan=2|Preserved by the New York Transit Museum. Painted in World's Fair scheme. Runs periodically on the ''Train of Many Colors.''<ref name="9307&9310">{{cite web | url-access=limited  |archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/facebook/89895068842/10155088779783843 |archive-date = 2022-04-30| url = https://www.facebook.com/nytransitmuseum/posts/10155088779783843 |title = New York Transit Museum on Facebook  |website=[[Facebook]]}}{{cbignore}}{{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_IRT_SMEE_Fleet_(R-12_--_R-36)|title=nycsubway.org: The IRT SMEE Fleet (R-12 -- R-36)|website=www.nycsubway.org}}</ref>
|-
|9308
|Preserved
|-
|'''9309'''
|Still active
|Last unit in revenue service.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?27165|title = Showing Image 27165}}</ref>
|-
|9310
|Preserved
|Preserved by the New York Transit Museum. Painted in [[Redbird trains|Redbird]] scheme. Runs periodically on the ''Train of Many Colors.''<ref name="9307&9310" />
|-
|'''9311'''
|Still active
|
|-
|9312
|2013
|rowspan=3|Scrapped
|-
|9313
|2013
|-
|9314
|2013
|-
|'''9315'''
|Still active
|
|-
|'''9316'''
|Still active
|
|-
|9317
|2013
|rowspan=2|Scrapped
|-
|9318
|2013
|-
|'''9319'''
|Still active
|
|-
|9320
|2013
|Scrapped<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/29997762@N05/10519451513/in/photostream|title=NYCT R32 3630, IRT World's Fair R36 9400 and World's Fair R33 Single Unit 9320|date=27 October 2013}}</ref><br />Was renumbered to 19320.
|-
|9321
|2001
|Sunken as an artificial reef; never used as a work car.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?31311|title = Showing Image 31311}}</ref>
|-
|'''9322'''
|Still active
|
|-
|'''9323'''
|Still active
|Now numbered 19323.
|-
|'''9324'''
|Still active
|
|-
|'''9325'''
|Still active
|
|-
|'''9326'''
|Still active
|
|-
|9327
|Preserved
|Preserved by [[Seashore Trolley Museum]]. Painted in Subway Series livery. Runs periodically. Modified with trolley poles for operation.
|-
|9328
|2013
|Scrapped<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?140234|title = Showing Image 140234}}</ref><br />Was renumbered to 19328.
|-
|'''9329'''
|Still active
|
|-
|'''9330'''
|Still active
|Now numbered 19330.
|-
|'''9331'''
|Still active
|
|-
|'''9332'''
|Still active
|
|-
|9333
|2023
|Was renumbered 19333.
|-
|'''9334'''
|Still active
|Now numbered 19334.
|-
|'''9335'''
|Still active
|Now numbered 19335.
|-
|'''9336'''
|Still active
|Now numbered 19336.
|-
|'''9337'''
|Still active
|Now numbered 19337.
|-
|9338
|2013
|Scrapped<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/29997762@N05/9195900676|title = NYCT IRT R33 WF Single Unit 9338 at Sims Metal scrap yard, Newark|date = 2 July 2013}}</ref><br />Was renumbered to 19338.
|-
|9339
|2010
|Caught fire and sunken as an artificial reef. Was renumbered to 19339.
|-
|'''9340'''
|Still active
|
|-
|'''9341'''
|Still active
|
|-
|'''9342'''
|Still active
|Now numbered 19342.
|-
|9343
|Preserved
|Preserved by the New York Transit Museum.
|-
|'''9344'''
|Still active
|Now numbered 19344.
|-
|'''9345'''
|Still active
|Now numbered 19345.
|-
|}
==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{Commons category-inline|R33S (New York City Subway car)}}
{{Clear}}
{{NYCS rolling stock}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:R033 World's Fair (New York City Subway car)}}
[[Category:Train-related introductions in 1963]]
[[Category:New York City Subway rolling stock|R033S]]
[[Category:St. Louis multiple units]]
[[Category:1963 in rail transport]]
[[Category:1964 New York World's Fair]]