R44 (New York City Subway car)

R44
R44
	An R44 train on the Staten Island Railway (SIR) at Oakwood Heights
	Interior of a SIR R44 car
In service	1971–2010 (NYCT cars); 1973–present (SIR cars)
Manufacturer	St. Louis Car Company
Built at	St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Replaced	Many R1–9s; All 1925 Standard Steel built SIRTOA ME-1 train cars;
Constructed	1971–1973
Entered service	December 16, 1971 (NYCT cars (revenue service testing)); April 19, 1972 (NYCT cars (official service)); February 28, 1973 (SIR cars);
Refurbished	May 1991 – January 1993, 2007 – 2010 (SIR cars)
Scrapped	2012–2013 (NYCT cars & one damaged SIR car), 2024–present (remaining SIR cars)
Number built	352
Number in service	55 (SIR cars)
Number preserved	1
Number scrapped	290 (additional 6 in storage)
Successor	R160 (NYCT); R211S (SIR)
Formation	Single units (SIR), 4 car sets (NYCT)
Fleet numbers	5202–5479 (NYC Subway); 388–435, 436–466 (even) (SIRTOA); (cars originally numbered 100–435, 436–466 (even))
Capacity	A car: 72 (seated); B car: 76 (seated)
Operators	New York City Subway; (1971–2010); Staten Island Railway; (1973–present)
Depots	Clifton Yard
Service(s) assigned
Specifications
Car body construction	Stainless steel with carbon steel chassis and underbody, with fiberglass end bonnets
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 50-inch-wide side doors per car (4 per side)
Maximum speed	Test: 87.75 mph (141.22 km/h); Service: 55 mph (89 km/h)–60 mph (97 km/h)
Weight	A train car: 88,950 lb (40,347 kg); B train car: 84,530 lb (38,342 kg)
Traction system	NYC Subway: Westinghouse E-CAM XCA448F propulsion with Westinghouse 1447F motors 115 hp (85.8 kW) on all axles; Staten Island Railway: General Electric SCM-CAM 17KG192A1 propulsion with GE 1257E1 motors 115 hp (85.8 kW) on all axles
Prime mover(s)	electric motor
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 system(s)	Third rail, 600 V DC
Current collector(s)	Contact shoe
Braking system(s)	NYC Subway: Westcode (dynamic and friction), WABCO tread brake unit; Staten Island Railway: WABCO RT5C (dynamic and friction), WABCO tread brake unit
Safety system(s)	ATO, dead man's switch, pulse code cab signaling, tripcock
Headlight type	halogen light bulbs
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The R44 is a New York City Subway car model built by the St. Louis Car Company from 1971 to 1973 for the B Division and the Staten Island Railway (SIR). The cars replaced many R1–9 series cars, and all remaining 1925 Standard Steel built SIRTOA ME-1 trains, providing Staten Island with a new fleet of railcars. The R44 fleet originally consisted of 352 cars, of which 56 remain in service, all on the Staten Island Railway.

The first R44 cars entered service on the subway on April 19, 1972, and on the Staten Island Railway on February 28, 1973. Various modifications were made over the years to the R44 fleet. The R44s set the world speed record for a subway car in 1972, reaching a top speed of 87.75 mph (141.22 km/h). In the early 1990s, the R44 cars were rebuilt by Morrison–Knudsen for the New York City Transit Authority. Though the R160 order replaced all New York City Subway-operated R44s from December 18, 2009^[4] to September 16, 2010, because of structural integrity issues found on them, the Staten Island Railway fleet remains in operation and is to be replaced by the R211 order by 2024–2025. As of 2024, the R44s are the oldest active rolling stock within the NYCT system, following the retirement of the R32s.

^ ^a ^b @techno_7843. "St. Louis Car Company R44M/ME-2 424 at St. George Terminal, on the @mta's Staten Island Railway. Taken 10/3/23. This car has been retired". Instagram.
^ "Car Assignments: Cars Required June 30, 2024" (PDF). The Bulletin. 67 (7). Electric Railroaders' Association. July 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
^
- 'Subdivision 'A' Car Assignment Effective December 19, 2021'. New York City Transit, Operations Planning. December 17, 2021.
- 'Subdivision 'B' Car Assignment Effective December 19, 2021'. New York City Transit, Operations Planning. December 17, 2021.
^ Chiasson, George (March 2010). "New York City Subway Car Update" (PDF). The Bulletin. 53 (3). Electric Railroaders' Association: 7. Retrieved March 1, 2022.

[Jul23sirRET-1] @techno_7843. "St. Louis Car Company R44M/ME-2 424 at St. George Terminal, on the @mta's Staten Island Railway. Taken 10/3/23. This car has been retired". Instagram.

[2] "Car Assignments: Cars Required June 30, 2024" (PDF). The Bulletin. 67 (7). Electric Railroaders' Association. July 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.

[CarAssignments-3] 
'Subdivision 'A' Car Assignment Effective December 19, 2021'. New York City Transit, Operations Planning. December 17, 2021.

'Subdivision 'B' Car Assignment Effective December 19, 2021'. New York City Transit, Operations Planning. December 17, 2021.

[4] 'Subdivision 'A' Car Assignment Effective December 19, 2021'. New York City Transit, Operations Planning. December 17, 2021.

[5] 'Subdivision 'B' Car Assignment Effective December 19, 2021'. New York City Transit, Operations Planning. December 17, 2021.

[erausa.org-4] Chiasson, George (March 2010). "New York City Subway Car Update" (PDF). The Bulletin. 53 (3). Electric Railroaders' Association: 7. Retrieved March 1, 2022.

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