Comments on: End of the line for the R40 slants http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/ A New York City Subway Blog Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:09:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Robert http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/#comment-61913 Robert Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:47:04 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3096#comment-61913 The "Current Fleet" section of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway_rolling_stock might be close to what you're looking for. It shows how many of each type of car are still in service and what lines that type runs on, but not how many of each type run on each line. The “Current Fleet” section of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N.....ling_stock might be close to what you’re looking for. It shows how many of each type of car are still in service and what lines that type runs on, but not how many of each type run on each line.

]]> By: Anthony http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/#comment-61871 Anthony Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:56:48 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3096#comment-61871 just out of curiosity... is there any page out there that breaks down the allocation of how many of which subway cards are currently in service on which lines? just out of curiosity… is there any page out there that breaks down the allocation of how many of which subway cards are currently in service on which lines?

]]> By: Hank Raudenbush http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/#comment-61740 Hank Raudenbush Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:23:36 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3096#comment-61740 A friend of mine talked to the designer at the Loewy firm who did this design. The designer explained that it had not been made clear to him that the end had to also be a middle. You can style an end pretty freely when it doesn't have to be a middle. Styling an end that also works as a middle is harder. I'll nominate the BMT Bluebird as a good example, although it doesn't provide the between car barrier (pantograph gates). PATH cars aren't bad, either. Note to Kid Twist: Wait a while, it gets more so. I was working for the TA when R-27's were being delivered; then wrote the spec for LIRR M-`1's, which are also history. When I worked on R-62 spec (after R-44/46), TA people wanted to "go back to a good old standard car"; I was thinking of rivet heads and bare bulbs (R1-9, B, Lo-V) but what they meant was R-33. That was the first time it hit me. A friend of mine talked to the designer at the Loewy firm who did this design. The designer explained that it had not been made clear to him that the end had to also be a middle. You can style an end pretty freely when it doesn’t have to be a middle. Styling an end that also works as a middle is harder. I’ll nominate the BMT Bluebird as a good example, although it doesn’t provide the between car barrier (pantograph gates). PATH cars aren’t bad, either.

Note to Kid Twist: Wait a while, it gets more so. I was working for the TA when R-27′s were being delivered; then wrote the spec for LIRR M-`1′s, which are also history. When I worked on R-62 spec (after R-44/46), TA people wanted to “go back to a good old standard car”; I was thinking of rivet heads and bare bulbs (R1-9, B, Lo-V) but what they meant was R-33. That was the first time it hit me.

]]> By: Peter http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/#comment-61681 Peter Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:41:22 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3096#comment-61681 Loewy is an interesting character. His best work, in my opinion, was his early industrial designs done in the Depression, when updating and modernizing existing appliances and devices made them more appealing and added to perceived value. I think he made his reputation, and then once he had a big staff of talented designers, tended to leave the real work to them. His GG-1 Electric Locomotive is a masterful iconic example of streamlining, but the streamlined steam locomotive he did at roughly the same time is a misshapen excrescense. The Avanit was so beautiful people are still producing hand-built versions of it. But Loewy designed a personal one-off sportscar for himself, and its an ugly laughable agglomeration of styling gimmicks and cliches that makes you wish you'd looked at a Solar Eclipse instead. My guess is the best of the later work was that of his staff, and his personal designs were by then hackneyed. Like many designers, Loewy had in mind a purity of form that didnt take into account the realities of how the design would actually have to operate, and the Slants had to have safety appliances and other hardware appended to them, which mussed up the original design purity. The the R-40s & R42s were also merely stainless steel sheathed, rather than 100% solid stainless, like cars from Budd. Thats why theyve looked so ratty for so long. Still, sorry to see 'em go. Every time I saw one, even one down on its luck, it was a little like seeing a GG-1 or Avanti go by..... Loewy is an interesting character. His best work, in my opinion, was his early industrial designs done in the Depression, when updating and modernizing existing appliances and devices made them more appealing and added to perceived value.
I think he made his reputation, and then once he had a big staff of talented designers, tended to leave the real work to them.
His GG-1 Electric Locomotive is a masterful iconic example of streamlining, but the streamlined steam locomotive he did at roughly the same time is a misshapen excrescense. The Avanit was so beautiful people are still producing hand-built versions of it. But Loewy designed a personal one-off sportscar for himself, and its an ugly laughable agglomeration of styling gimmicks and cliches that makes you wish you’d looked at a Solar Eclipse instead. My guess is the best of the later work was that of his staff, and his personal designs were by then hackneyed.
Like many designers, Loewy had in mind a purity of form that didnt take into account the realities of how the design would actually have to operate, and the Slants had to have safety appliances and other hardware appended to them, which mussed up the original design purity.
The the R-40s & R42s were also merely stainless steel sheathed, rather than 100% solid stainless, like cars from Budd. Thats why theyve looked so ratty for so long.
Still, sorry to see ‘em go. Every time I saw one, even one down on its luck, it was a little like seeing a GG-1 or Avanti go by…..

]]> By: Robert http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/#comment-61676 Robert Sun, 14 Jun 2009 22:52:03 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3096#comment-61676 So was the slant a purely aesthetic thing? So was the slant a purely aesthetic thing?

]]> By: Adam http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/#comment-61674 Adam Sun, 14 Jun 2009 17:13:11 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3096#comment-61674 There is a right and a wrong way to do slants. I love slants, but this was the wrong way to do it. The right way to do it is: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/L2_9000.PNG There is a right and a wrong way to do slants. I love slants, but this was the wrong way to do it. The right way to do it is:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi.....2_9000.PNG

]]> By: Kid Twist http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/#comment-61666 Kid Twist Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:40:19 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3096#comment-61666 D'oh D’oh

]]> By: Alon Levy http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/#comment-61663 Alon Levy Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:19:42 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3096#comment-61663 Good riddance. The slants were an eyesore that New York is now finally free of. Good riddance. The slants were an eyesore that New York is now finally free of.

]]> By: David Ross http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/#comment-61660 David Ross Sat, 13 Jun 2009 03:24:06 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3096#comment-61660 Correction: 4572-3 are R-42s, not R-40Ms. Correction: 4572-3 are R-42s, not R-40Ms.

]]> By: Max http://secondavenuesagas.com/2009/06/12/end-of-the-line-for-the-r40-slants/#comment-61658 Max Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:01:33 +0000 http://secondavenuesagas.com/?p=3096#comment-61658 The R40s are actually in worse shape mechanically—the roofs are literally duct taped and bondo'd on in many cars. The R32s are unpleasant, but still kicking it... either way they'll too be gone soon! The R40s are actually in worse shape mechanically—the roofs are literally duct taped and bondo’d on in many cars. The R32s are unpleasant, but still kicking it… either way they’ll too be gone soon!

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