R16 (New York City Subway car)

R16
R16 car 6387 bypassing Avenue H station on the Train of Many Metals
Interior view of R16 car 6387
In service1955–1987
ManufacturerAmerican Car and Foundry, USA
ReplacedBMT Zephyr
BMT Bluebird compartment cars
Constructed1954–1955
Entered serviceJanuary 10, 1955
Scrapped1983 (6400–6499)
1987 (6300–6399)
Number built200
Number preserved4
Number scrapped196
SuccessorR46 and R68
FormationSingle unit cars
Fleet numbers6300–6499
Capacity70 (seated)
OperatorsNew York City Transit Authority
Specifications
Car body constructionLAHT carbon steel
Car length60 ft (18.29 m)
Width10 ft (3.05 m)
Height12.08 ft (3.68 m)
Platform height3.76 ft (1.15 m)
Doors8 sets of 50 inch wide side doors per car
Maximum speed55 mph (89 km/h)
WeightGE cars (6400–6499) 84,532 lb (38,343 kg), WH cars (6300–6399) 86,270 lb (39,131 kg)
Traction systemWestinghouse 1447C; GE 1240A4
Westinghouse UPC631A; GE MCM 17KG113D1
Power output100 hp (75 kW) / 4 per car
Acceleration2.5 mph/s (4.0 km/(h⋅s)) (?)
Braking system(s)WABCO ME42 SMEE
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The R16 was a New York City Subway car model built by the American Car and Foundry Company from 1954 to 1955 for the IND/BMT B Division. A total of 200 cars were built, arranged as single units. Two versions were manufactured: Westinghouse (WH)-powered cars and General Electric (GE)-powered cars.

The first R16s entered service on January 10, 1955. Various modifications were made over the years to the R16 fleet. The GE-powered cars were found to be less reliable than the WH-powered cars, so the New York City Transit Authority planned to retire them early in 1977 with R46s. However, problems with R46 cars kept the GE-powered R16s in service until 1983. The WH-powered R16s were retired in 1987 with the delivery of the R68s. Some R16 cars were saved for various purposes, but most were scrapped.