Redbird trains

Redbird trains

Redbird is the name given to 1,410 New York City Subway cars of the following types: R26, R28, R29, R33 ML, R33 WF, R36, and R36 WF. These cars were painted a deep red to combat graffiti, which had become a major problem In the late 1970s and early 1980s. The deep red color was referred to as "Gunn Red" in honor of its originator David L. Gunn, who was the head of the New York City Transit Authority during this period. Initially entering service in various colors, these cars received the new paint scheme between 1985 and 1989. Some R17s were also given this paint scheme in 1985/86, but were retired well before the name "Redbird" caught on.

History

These cars were built by two different manufacturers: American Car and Foundry built the R26 cars in 1959-60 and the R28 cars in 1960-61. St. Louis Car Company built the R29 cars in 1962, the R33 Main Line in 1962-1963, R33 World's Fair (single cars) in late 1963, and the R36 Main Line and R36 World's Fair in 1964.

The cars provided passenger service on these lines: NYCS service|1 NYCS service|2,NYCS service|3 NYCS service|4, NYCS service|5, NYCS service|6, NYCS service|7, and on rare occasions, the NYCS service|F, NYCS service|N, and NYCS service|B

Most Redbirds were phased out from 2001 to 2003 and replaced by the new R142 and R142A cars. 1,208 Redbirds have been sunk at sea off the coasts of Delaware, Georgia, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Virginia as artificial reefs to promote marine life, to serve as a barrier and to enhance recreational scuba diving. Delaware received 558 cars, Georgia 50, New Jersey 250, South Carolina 200, and Virginia 150. An episode of "CSI NY" titled "The Deep" used these cars as part of the story line, and even featured well-replicated underwater shots of mockups of the cars. However, the show places them in the East River of New York City.

Preservation

Some Redbirds are used in the Train of Many Colors excursions, which includes numerous historical subway cars in their original livery, showing contrasting colors. These cars are in the museum fleet.

Other usage of Redbird name

*The R27/R30(A) BMT/IND cars were often referred as the "BMT Redbirds" after they were painted "Gunn Red" and given a similar interior makeover in the mid-1980s.

*Though primarily associated with the New York City Subway, the "Redbird" name did not originate in New York City. The MBTA Red Line in Boston 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).

References

* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE7DA153EF93BA15757C0A9649C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all New York Times. "Refloating a Notion About Subways" by Jeremy Pearce. April 28, 2002.]
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/us/08reef.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1207760637-P60gWwQkLboD8auNFNthug New York Times. "Growing Pains for a Deep-Sea Home Built of Subway Cars" by Ian Urbina. April 8, 2008.]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Redbird — is the team name of the McGill Varsity Baseball team. The team won its first National Championship in the Fall of 2006, as the unranked team swept the National Tournament. Redbird is a term that may refer to the following:Places in the United… …   Wikipedia

  • Derailed (Ugly Betty) — Derailed Ugly Betty episode Lucy Liu as Grace Chinn E …   Wikipedia

  • IRT Flushing Line — The 7 and 7 Express trains serve the entire IRT Flushing Line at all times Overview Type Rapid transit …   Wikipedia

  • R36 World's Fair (New York City Subway car) — R36 7 local northbound at 33rd Street–Rawson Street. This picture was taken between 1986 and 1989 when the cars had just been repainted redThe R36 World s Fair (also known as R36WF) New York City Subway cars were built in 1963 1964 by the St.… …   Wikipedia

  • Artificial reef — An artificial reef is a man made, underwater structure, typically built for the purpose of promoting marine life in areas of generally featureless bottom. Artificial reefs may also serve to improve hydrodynamics for surfing or to control beach… …   Wikipedia

  • 7 (New York City Subway service) — infobox NYCS service service=7 diamond=yes name=Flushing Local and Express east term=Flushing–Main Street west term=Times Square terminals=The 7 Flushing Local and 7 Flushing Express are rapid transit services of the New York City Subway,… …   Wikipedia

  • New York City Subway in popular culture — The New York City Subway is often seen as an integral part of the city and has had a place in popular culture for at least three quarters of a century. Many living in the area through the 1970s and 1980s remember it for crime and graffiti, but… …   Wikipedia

  • New York City Subway rolling stock — The New York City Subway is a large rapid transit system and has a large fleet of rolling stock. Contents 1 Overview 1.1 General Overhaul Program 1.2 The R Prefix 2 …   Wikipedia

  • Oak Cliff — is a community in Dallas, Texas, United States that was formerly a separate town located in Dallas County; Dallas annexed Oak Cliff in 1903. It has since retained a distinct neighborhood identity as Dallas older, established neighborhood… …   Wikipedia

  • Metro de New York — Métro de New York Métro de New York Situation New York …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”