R46 (New York City Subway car)
| R46 | |
|---|---|
An R46 train on the N near 30th Avenue | |
Interior of an R46 car | |
| In service | 1975–present |
| Manufacturer | Pullman Standard Rail Company |
| Built at | Chicago, Illinois |
| Replaced | |
| Constructed | 1975–1978 |
| Entered service | July 14, 1975 |
| Refurbished | 1990–1992 |
| Scrapped | 2025–present |
| Number built | 754 |
| Number in service | 404 |
| Number preserved | 1 |
| Number scrapped | 142 |
| Successor | R211 |
| Formation | 4 car sets (5482–6207) Married Pairs (6208–6258) (even) |
| Fleet numbers | 5482–6207, 6208–6258 (even) (originally 500–1227, 1228–1278 (even)) |
| Capacity | 70 (seated-A car) 76 (seated-B car) |
| Operator | New York City Subway |
| Depots | Coney Island Yard (336 cars) Pitkin Yard (48 cars) |
| Services assigned | (Updated June 30, 2024) |
| Specifications | |
| Car body construction | Stainless steel with fiberglass end bonnets |
| Train length | 4 car train: 300 feet (91.4 m) 8 car train: 600 feet (183 m) |
| Car length | 74 ft 8.5 in (22.77 m) (over anticlimbers) |
| Width | 10 ft (3,048 mm) (over threshold) |
| Height | 12.08 ft (3,682 mm) |
| Platform height | 3.76 ft (1.15 m) |
| Doors | 8 sets of 50-inch (1,270 mm) wide side doors per car |
| Maximum speed | 55 mph (89 km/h) |
| Weight | 91,000 lb (41,277 kg) (A car) 86,670 lb (39,313 kg) (B car) |
| Traction system | General Electric SCM 17KG192AH1 |
| Traction motors | GE 1257E1 |
| Power output | 115 hp (85.8 kW) per axle |
| Acceleration | 2.5 mph/s (4.0 km/(h⋅s)) |
| Deceleration | 3.0 mph/s (4.8 km/(h⋅s)) (Full Service) 3.2 mph/s (5.1 km/(h⋅s)) (Emergency) |
| Electric systems | Third rail, 600 V DC |
| Current collection | Contact shoe |
| Braking systems | New York Air Brake "SMEE" Braking System, Tread Brake unit model D7587719 |
| Safety systems | Dead man's switch, tripcock |
| Headlight type | Halogen light bulb |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The R46 is a New York City Subway car model that was built by the Pullman Standard Company from 1975 to 1978 for the IND/BMT B Division. They replaced all remaining R1–9 fleet cars and General Electric-powered R16s, and some R10s. The R46 order initially consisted of 754 single cars, each 75 feet (23 m) long, and was the largest single order of passenger cars in United States railroad history at the point of the fleet's completion. The R46 was the second order of 75-foot cars to be ordered for the New York City Subway, after the R44s.
The first R46s ran in passenger service on July 14, 1975. The fleet was initially slated to be delivered between 1973 and 1975, but a strike at Pullman's factory delayed final deliveries until 1978. Several hundred cracks were found in the R46 trucks during their first few years of service, leading them to be referred to as "the most troubled cars ever purchased". Morrison–Knudsen rebuilt the R46s in 1990–1992. The R211 order is replacing the entire fleet of R46s, and as such are expected to remain in service until the late-2020s.