R32/R42 Retirement Status

Any idea what the retirement plan will be for the R32/R42s? Exit date? I haven't found a good answer to my question online.

Once the trains start to be retired, this can be the official retirement thread

Schedule for the 32/42 retirement is contingent on when the R179s start to arrive and be accepted into revenue. So basically, you can expect the retirement to begin around 2016 and be complete by mid to late 2017.

4400Washboard wrote:I haven't found a good answer to my question online.

hard to find an answer that doesn't really exist yet. the 179s are delayed already. The prototype has to be delivered, tested, accepted and then "30 dayed" before production deliveries can start.

Do we really need to have a retirement thread when there's probably at least two years before things start being reefed en masse?

runningwithscalpels wrote:Do we really need to have a retirement thread when there's probably at least two years before things start being reefed en masse?

You forget the reefing program ended a while ago...

That was the big program. There are 270-280 or so cars left

Fan Railer wrote:

runningwithscalpels wrote:Do we really need to have a retirement thread when there's probably at least two years before things start being reefed en masse?

You forget the reefing program ended a while ago...

When and why did it end?

Why did it end-Do you mean why did it end without replacing the last R32s and R42s? The answer could technically be that they ran out of R160s to replace old cars with . BUT, assuming my assumption was correct, here's the answer:

The brand new R160s were being delivered to replace the old 60s subway cars (R32/R38/R40/R42). However, it was noticed that the R44s had structural issues that required a swift retirement. So, the decision was made to dispose of the remaining R44s with the R160s that were being delivered. As a result, there are a little over 200 or so R32s and 50 R42s left. They remain in service to this day because the MTA couldn't get R179s on property until 2016 (See above), if that year actually stays (Delays, etc.)

When did it end: 2009??? The R38s and R40s left in 2009 so I assume that they were all reefed in 2009 or 2010. The R44s left in 2010 but aren't there photos of R44s being trucked away as late as 2012/2013? (Note that the R44s were scrapped versus reefed).

Someone else could give you a definite answer. If need be, check the photo database at http://www.nycsubway.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; .

I mean why did they scrap the R44s instead of just reefing them?

The R32's will be around until 2022 according to Transportation Nation (WNYC)

We Get to Keep Our C Train Cars for Seven More Years

When we last checked in with the R32s — the oldest subway cars in the MTA system — the agency said they'd be replaced in 2017. But now it looks like you'll be riding them until 2022.

The MTA says welding issues with the replacement cars have caused the delivery date of the new fleet to slip from 2017 until 2018. But even when the new trains come in, the agency is planning on keeping the R32s in service until at least 2022.

That's a change from earlier this year, when the MTA told WNYC it was going to retire the R32s — the oldest subway car model in the system, and a model that breaks down more often — when the replacement R179 models came in.

But the R32s need to keep running because of "needs across the system," according to MTA spokesman Adam Lisberg. It will cost the agency $50.2 million to keep the 51-year-old cars going, according to agency documents (see page 387.)

The R-32 cars were built by Budd, the master of stainless steel construction throughout. All subsequent stainless steel cars used a hybrid of a stainless steel shell on a carbon steel frame. The bodies fail at the point where the two metals meet, a condition exacerbated by the chemicals used to remove graffiti. The R-32s die from wrecks and mechanical failures, rather than corrosion.

Here in Boston, our No. 1 East Boston Tunnel cars lasted from 1924 to 1979, 55 years of service. It now appears that the R-32 will eclipse that record, despite the much rougher service environment. Our aluminum 01500 and 01600 series cars are currently in their 47th year with replacements due in 2020. Like the R-32, they are failing due to mechanical reasons, not structural issues. We may indeed find that these two series, from the 1960s, along with the Chicago 2200s, marked the high point in the car builder's art.

More back from Second Avenue Sagas

As Bombardier struggles, R179 delay to cost MTA $50 million

The story first came to us from Dan Rivoli. The Daily News transit reporter combed through copious amounts of MTA budget documents to find the note on Page V-222 of this pdf file. In this brief note, the MTA notes that final delivery of the R179s has been pushed back a few years, and “increased revenue service fleet requirements” means these cars can’t be retired until 2022, five years later than expected. Maintenance to keep the the ancient rolling stock moving will total $1.1 million next year, $15.9 million 2017, $17.7 million in 2018, and $15.5 million in 2019.

Basically, the 32's and 42's are gonna be around for a few more years.

I've noticed that the roof mounted air intake vents on the R-32's have been plated over. Is this because an internal mechanism for opening/closing those vents is a frequent point of mechanical failure?