Final Redbird Ride & Ceremony NYCT 11-3-03

Along for the ride were transit officials, transit workers and transit buffs - dozens and dozens of transit buffs, all with an extraordinary attachment to the subways. - NY1 News Nov 3, 2003

The star of the transit system, the cream and baby blue baked enamel exterior, picture window, 11 car R-36 trains started life bringing the world to the World's Fair in 1964. Most of the fleet spent its entire life as assigned exclusively and alone on the Flushing Line. They were nicknamed Bluebirds. Even though there were some other R-type cars already delivered or re-painted red in the 1960s they were not at that time called redbirds. The Corona Yard based fleet or R-36s was the last to be adorned with graffiti and the first to eliminate it.

As the cars received the first retrofit air-conditioning in the late 70s (the single train prototype from 1975 was kept graffiti free in the World's Fair scheme for some time after the Corona fleet finally and totally fell into a comprehensive state of spray and marker - scratchitti came later - vandalization in 1976-77). A/C retrofitting also brought MTA silver and blue kind of late to the Flushing Line. A/C cars were not kept in solid trains, and one had to observe which cars of an arriving train had their window vents shut. But before all the Corona cars were painted silver and blue and after most or all of the A/C retrofits were done in 1981, the first solid train of white cars appeared. Their introduction coincided with high security fencing and dog patrols between fence layers at the yard (only yard to get double fencing with dogs in between). This anti-graffiti strategy predated TA President David Gunn, who took it system-wide starting in '84, minus the guard dogs. As more cars were repainted, the R-36 trains had mixed consists with unrepainted cars, thus giving rise to trains with two and sometimes three paint schemes (though by then the World's Fair bluebird scheme was badly washed out and marred by countless acid wash cycles). The white R33/36 cars of Corona were never permitted to run more than a trip or two if vandalized with much more than a random scrawl, unlike white repaints on the mainline IRT (as well as R-16s and 27s on the BMT) which soon fell into the usual grunge-ified state that had become customary for the system. It took some years to secure all the yards. Beginning in 1984, the entire Corona fleet received major (mid-life) overhaul using in-house forces. David Gunn, who had managed the Philadelphia transit system operated by SEPTA, ordered delivery of Broad Street subway red paint (adapted from the Pennsy MP54 red) for trial on the overhauled and repainted cars. Some experimentation took place with green as well (including the entire R-10 fleet) but no green cars EVER were put on the Flushing Line. In less than a year, the Flushing Line equipment became solidly red (with some rare few receiving a lighter hue) . The painted cars on the rest of the system did not go all graffiti free red (or green) until May 1989, almost 4 years after the final reconditioned car entered service on the 7 in 1985.

The R-36s, one of several car classes (R-27 thru 36) to be called redbirds, ran faithfully setting new records for mean distance between failures. Notable is that the R-36s did not have their lighting system and lenses replaced during overhaul. The lights were powered directly from the third rail and flickered over third rail gaps. The flourescent tubes received DC power, which needed polarity reversal every 26 minutes to prevent gas from being pushed to one end of each tube. When the reversing relay would trip, it was audible, along with a visible 1/10 of a second interruption of light.

After all other pre 1972 cars to be retained after 1989 were overhauled, they returned with A/C powered lights with short term battery backup to maintain power over third rail gaps. Glass fixtures were replaced with long/boxy plastic lens covers and the center of roof fixtures were not replaced. The Corona fleet was unique in keeping the original ceiling lighting (beyond 1990, exclusively). Another little known bit of charm is that the PA system was left as original. There are durable horn type speakers (emitting a 'bullhorn' type of tinny tone) under the seats and, facing into the doorways. Later cars received paper cone speakers in the ceiling (R-42 speakers had the greatest dynamic range). With this positioning announcements could better be heard on the platform (express!express!express!).

Although they ended up being unceremoniously gutted and dumped at sea, they did get an official send off that few others ever did or will get. That is the subject of this Youtube time travel video.

(note R-36 as used here and colloquially also includes the single R-33s).