R33 (New York City Subway car)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "R33" New York City Subway car – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

R33
An R33 train on the 5 at West Farms Square–East Tremont Avenue
Interior of an overhauled R33 car
In service	1962–2003
Manufacturer	St. Louis Car Company
Built at	St. Louis, Missouri
Family name	Redbirds
Replaced	Many Steinway Lo-Vs All Flivver Lo-Vs Many Standard Lo-Vs
Constructed	1962–1963
Entered service	November 15, 1962
Refurbished	1986–1991
Scrapped	2001–2003 (revenue service cars) 2013 (cars used as refuse motors)
Number built	500 cars (250 pairs)
Number in service	(42 in work service)
Number preserved	11
Number scrapped	447
Successor	R142 and R142A
Formation	Married Pairs
Fleet numbers	8806–9305
Operators	New York City Subway
Specifications
Car body construction	LAHT carbon steel
Car length	51.04 feet (15.56 m)
Width	8.75 feet (2,667 mm)
Height	11.86 feet (3,615 mm)
Doors	6 sets of 50 inch wide side doors per car
Maximum speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Weight	72,900 lb (33,100 kg) (post-rebuild)
Traction system	GE 17KG192AE2/3 (9076–9305 formerly Westinghouse)
Power output	Westinghouse 1447JR/GE 1257E1, 100 hp (74.6 kW) per axle
Electric system(s)	600 V DC Third rail
Current collector(s)	Contact shoe
Bogies	none
Braking system(s)	WABCO, "SMEE" electrodynamic
Safety system(s)	Emergency brakes
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The R33 was a New York City Subway car model that was built by St. Louis Car Company in 1962 and 1963. The cars are a "follow-up" or supplemental stock for the A Division's R29s and closely resemble them. The cars were also referred to as R33MLs (R33 Main Line) to distinguish them from the R33Ss. A total of 500 cars were built, numbered 8806–9305, and arranged in pairs.

The R33s entered service on November 15, 1962, and were the first A Division fleet to be retrofitted with air conditioning, being retrofitted between 1972 and 1982. The R33 fleet was overhauled between 1986 and 1991.^[1] The R33s were replaced in the early 2000s with the delivery of the R142 and R142A cars, with the last train running on April 20, 2003. After being retired, most R33s were sunk into the ocean as artificial reefs, but several cars have survived.