R32 Changes Over Time

The R32s have changed in appearance many times in many ways. One picture for (almost) every year gives a sense of some of the slower changes. Check out the nycsubway.org galleries, they have many photos like these.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:05 The Brightliners
0:21 Systemic Decline
1:03 Return & Overhaul
1:31 Rusty Spots
1:57 The Last Cars
2:26 Outro

[@8avexp]

I remember when they were brand new. My very first subway ride was on a shiny new R-32 N train on July 21, 1965.

[@TRRailfan]

Wow, that’s super cool! I can’t imagine an R32 being new (or on the N for that matter)

[@AIDANBC]

@@TRRailfan he must have been old

[@maknyc1539]

wow!

[@samburkes7552]

@@TRRailfan The R32s I rode on in '67 were on the RR. Changed fr. IND E train(out of 179thSt) at Queens(boro) Plaza for that RR into specific station in Manhattan. They were then about 3 & half yrs old into their service. Clean, no graffiti or other shit on them!! Nice cars to ride. Well-built, I thought. Jumped quick into first stage acceleration!

[@Europapadutch651]

THE R32 cars its Last days And the r211 is On all the lines And the R32 its not On The lines

[@aaaa7007]

It's sad that these trains had been taken out of service. I have never had the chance to ride in one of these, because I live in Europe, but I watched a lot of videos about these trains, and they are truely amazing. Here, where I live (Hungary) we had a similar experience with our subway trains 2 years ago, when our old Soviet era Metrowagonmash EV3 and 81-717/714 were sent to a reconstruction to Russia. The old ones here were amazing too, they were loud, and old (similar age as the R32's), but they gave me the chills whenever I rode one of it.

[@4trainfan909]

they are coming back doe to no r179s in service

[@SuperheroJunior]

@@4trainfan909 The R32 trains had lights on the front just like the Redbirds. Why did they remove them??

[@Boypogikami132]

@@SuperheroJunior do you mean the exp/lcl lights? They removed it because the routes would be either a local or an express. Like the 8th Av (A/C/E) where some of the letters are an express or local.

[@samburkes7552]

Thats what I used to like about older, vintage, classic subway cars..the noise, screeching, elect/pneumatic sounds, traction motor groan/growl/roar, as they accelerated..Stop me, please..!!

[@samburkes7552]

@@4trainfan909 Yep..bailing out the foreign shit that was mfd, bidded, bought, tested briefly, thrown into revenue service, failed, to make that money!!!

[@jazielreacts3998]

I like the old R32s

[@TRRailfan]

Yes

[@SuperheroJunior]

@@TRRailfan The original R32'S used to have two lights on top just like the REDBIRDS did.

[@yyyyuy4039]

I like r32

[@samburkes7552]

You are surely not alone there!!

[@samburkes7552]

@@SuperheroJunior Yes, with the route/destination rollsign frsmes betw. the marker lights!! Shoulda retained those!!

[@gmpny3945]

Very nice! I rode the R32's when they first appeared in 1964. Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos.

[@TRRailfan]

Thanks! That’s super cool! When they first appeared, was there any specific thing that struck you as new and different from older models?

[@gmpny3945]

Yes, they had a bright off-white turquious interior color scheme compared to the dark interiors of the R9s and Standards I was used to riding on. They also seemed so much faster, especially when they ran on the Express tracks. They were brought into the system to coincide with the NY Worlds Far.

[@TRRailfan]

@@gmpny3945 Wow! It’s so cool to hear from someone who was actually there at some of these historical moments.

[@SuperheroJunior]

@@TRRailfan 1964 was the same year that the R33WF came out and was placed in the number (7) line.

[@SuperheroJunior]

@@gmpny3945 The R32'S looked a lot like the Redbirds with those lights that they had in the front. I had no idea that this is what these trains looked like back then.

[@samburkes7552]

I had the pleasure of riding these Budd-built (RedLion Plant, nr. Philadelphia)R32s, first in 1967, when they were stainless and med. blue, and again visiting back there, 1982, when they were heavily graffitied, and some fluorescent light fixtures not working. They were rapid-accelerating cars, since they were about 80-81,000lbs each. Good dynamic braking system for stopping; they were well-made cars. I was lucky to have rode them, even if only twice!!

[@1575murray]

Most people prefer their appearance as built to that after GOH when the blue doors were replaced and the end roll signs replaced with an ugly flip dot display. The Budd Red Lion plant has long since been demolished.

[@Bhartiya_Railworld]

In India, Similarly we had Jossep Electrical Multiple Units in Indian Cities like Mumbai, Delhi,Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai. But in Kolkata still we can get in Retrofitted Models but classic design Still Exists

[@captainkeyboard1007]

The R-32 was the best train in the New York City subway system. They were better than the newer rolling stock, including the R-44, R-46, R-68, R-68A. I became accustomed to seeing the small route sign at the head of the car. I hope that the R-32 cars are in storage to fill in when there is train shortage.

[@TRRailfan]

Yes, the R42s are being scrapped or used for work service I believe, but the R32s are still in reserve in case they’re needed.

[@SuperheroJunior]

@@TRRailfan The R32 trains are the stainless steel version of the Redbirds.

[@Boypogikami132]

@@TRRailfan well there goes 2 of my favorite trains :/

[@samburkes7552]

Yes, only others I'll add as stalwart, soldiering-on, dependable cars were the original IND R1/R9 prewar cars..my favorite. They didn't run quite as long. but they did yeoman service fr. 1932 till 1977, notwithstanding when they were "tested" on BMT Sea Beach trackage in 1931. They were the only other rolling stock class I'll put up there with the Budd R32s..!! Maybe the BMT Standards too!! All built to last!!

[@samburkes7552]

@@SuperheroJunior That's fairly correct, except they were built by Budd. Most all 'Redbirds' were mfd. by At Louis Car Co, or American Car & Foundary(ACF)..

[@cats0182]

Never understood why they changed the top front of the cars to remove the route and destination signs and the Local/Express indicators. They replaced the configuration with a tiny letter that you can barely see. Wonder if the old configuration was too much to handle when the Motorman had to change the signs. The R32's were built by Budd. They're far superior to the foreign designed/assembled junk on the rails today.

[@Subway2400]

From what I know they had to make room so they can add the air conditionning systems. The tiny display takes less space than the original rollsigns.

[@proger1960]

R32s are great but Kawasaki doesn't make horrible shit sooo

[@SuperheroJunior]

@@Subway2400 I like the way that the top front of the R32'S from the past looked. They looked a lot like the Redbirds back then.

[@Subway2400]

@@SuperheroJunior I agree

[@samburkes7552]

Cats01,,Absolutely, could not agree with you more here!! Maybe it was a tad too much 'labor' to change the rollsigns (boo,hoo!! I woulda had no prob. there!)..Very well-built cars then. Budd/RedLion didn't build any shit! Stuff was built to last..and last, they did! Most all now recently retired gracefully, after being briefly called back to service, bailing out the expensive shit failures of the newer foreign-mfd, thrown-together garbage!! All show, no-go..literally! Thnx.

[@qingqingwangchina]

2:24 I like clean r32

[@amtrak7422]

Awesome timeline

[@Gueli844]

Rest in peace R32s, you will be missed

[@tomryan943]

They lasted a long time!! Many transit workers felt that this was the best piece of equipment the transit authority ever purchased.

[@nafanarefour4564]

Wow, this is a super interesting video! Keep up the good work!

[@TRRailfan]

Thanks! I’m glad you liked it!

[@nafanarefour4564]

@@TRRailfan Wow! Thanks for the heart, man! Keep up the awesome work!

[@SuperheroJunior]

@@nafanarefour4564 Why did they remove the 2 lights that were on the R32 trains originally?? I liked that Redbirds look on them.

[@djbrianmohammed8647]

I miss them i rode on the r 32 a train in 2018 to bk

[@xuezhuwang7042]

Rip r32 1964-2022 Rest In Peace man

[@ericschwartz2062]

0:16, brand-new R40 Slant!!!

[@Wonkar-the-unlucky-shunter]

Im will never forgot this subway :(

[@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2]

About 30 years ago the last r32 pre goh was rebuilt.

[@annanowak3016]

The Goh ones are my favorites

[@SuperheroJunior]

@Anna Nowak The R32 trains had lights on the front just like the REDBIRDS.

[@XcelsiorFan4964]

Wow, this is super interesting, thank you for making this video! Also by any chance, do you know what GOH/Pre-GOH stands for?

[@TRRailfan]

Glad you enjoyed it! GOH is a type of heavy overhaul by the MTA, mostly it happened in the 80s. A Pre-GOH train is one that has not yet bee GOH overhauled.

[@haroldalexis4200]

G.O.H. stands for : GENERAL OVERHAUL.

[@SuperheroJunior]

@@haroldalexis4200 The R32 trains looked exactly like the REDBIRDS with those 2 lights on the front. Too bad that they took them off later on.

[@samburkes7552]

@@TRRailfan Exactly. Either done in-house @ Coney Island Shops or 207thSt Shops, or by Morrison/Knudsen Co, in Hornell, N.Y..

[@jak3yeyt3821]

0:41 lol that train looks like it derailed

[@TRRailfan]

no it doesn’t

[@jak3yeyt3821]

Ik it just looks like it

[@TRRailfan]

no, it doesn’t look like it what part of it looks detailed?

[@jak3yeyt3821]

@@TRRailfan it looks like it’s derailed when it is switching the tracks

[@SuperheroJunior]

@@jak3yeyt3821 That is strange to me.

[@WillF40PH_train_railroad]

The biggest change is definitely between 1990 and 1991.

[@TRRailfan]

Yep, that was when their GOH overhaul was.

[@jazielreacts3998]

Yes it got it in 1990 to 1991

[@robroy6374]

Wrong. The R32s were overhauled from 1988 to 1990. I remember seeing the first set of rebuilt R-32s on the R back in August 1988.

[@haroldalexis4200]

As railroaders we condemn so many of our older fleets of trains especially in the 1960s & 1970s. I love the R 32 , R 38, R 40 slants & modified, R 44 , R 46 ( I've nicknamed them the subway railroad cars on the NYCTA). The R 68 & R 68 A. I'm so sad for The R 32 retirement. They past the R 1 to R 9 retirement over 45 years. However It could have set another record like the BRT /BMT wooden Q cars. 1903 (?)/1904 to 1969! Unfortunately I was never able to get a chance to ride it's Philadelphia subway cousin "The Almond Joy" cars. From RDC, Washington Metro liners still running on Amtrak passing the R 40 cars, the last M units from the 1980s L.I.R.R. & Metro North, Amfleets to the retired second generation rail diesel cars SPV MU cars, BUDD is the best built rail cars. P.S. Ex- AEM 7 electrics were BUDD BUILT as well. As for the R 32 like the NATILIE COLE song : I miss you like crazy. My boss even nicknamed me Mr R 32 I rode this train the longest especially on their last days on the A & C trains. A footnote I didn't ride them on the Eastern Division. How I miss these cars.. The R 32..... 😞😞😭😭😭😭😭😭😥😥

[@yyyyuy4039]

R32 removed 😢

[@Amiri_Francis]

R179 train history in a nutshell R179 delivery delayed, enter service, technology malfunctions, removed from service, returns to service, doors malfunctions, removed from service, returns to service, train cars come apart, removed from service. R32 retires, returns to service, removed from service, rebuilt and brought back to service.

[@TRRailfan]

Yep. The only good thing about the Lemons is they let us keep the Brightliners

[@sammyplayz458]

I'm sad that I didn't ride one of these trains

[@ajjj4wood1]

R32 pre goh RR train at astors bivd with contrail engines in the background 0:50

[@SuperheroJunior]

Why did they remove the 2 lights from the front of the R32 trains??

[@robroy6374]

thats ditmars blvd station, not astoria blvd.

[@aaronsamuel2823]

But yeah R32s were removed from the B line very sad 😢 I wish they can come back for one more time

[@yyyyuy4039]

Why you crying???

[@Unknown_1867]

I really liked the R32 on 1968 the R32 was with the new R40 Slant

[@jak3yeyt3821]

1:32 WHY IS THAT YELLOW

[@SuperheroJunior]

@8ballmanXD That's a good question.

[@MatingMations]

also say goodbye to the r42

[@aaronsamuel2823]

R211 is not replacing R32 look at Wikipedia again for more information the R211A will replace all R46 that running on their current lines now and R211S will replace SIR R44

[@i30dyguai2d]

1982

[@Hernans-World-On-YouTube]

The Last R32 ran in 2022. :(

[@ogloc8585]

that’s a pre goh R32

[@kinkisharyocoasters]

2004 paper q train

[@EthanF175]

1991- everthing change

[@robroy6374]

nope. the R-32s were rebuilt in 1988-1990.

[@ctrainproductions138]

They Were Rebuilt In 1991

[@TRRailfan]

Yes

[@secretservice1187]

No they were all finished by '91

[@robroy6374]

They Were Rebuilt In 1988-1990.

[@joezegers]

They were replaced by the R179s. SEE YOU IN 50 YEARS!

[@amazing50000]

The R179 cars might not last 20 years by the way they operated.

[@dodge1515]

1997

[@ThatFireGuy0613]

mta has got to shut up with their "modernized subway" like -.-

[@randomclass4653]

Life of an R32 ( Why did i do this) CRINGE AHEAD ( i think) 1964 - New and Cool 1965 - Getting Cooler.. 1966 - Kinda getting the Norm. 1967 - "I look Fantastic!!" 1968 - Little Amounts of Graffiti can't Ruin me! 1969 - * Starts to get Worse* 1970 - I don't feel so well 1971 - Could get Better.. 1972 - It's Getting worse.. 1973 - OH GOLLY , THE GRAFFITI IS GETTING RAMPANT! 1974 - Getting Better! 1975 - Nevermind. 1976 - OH GOD 1977 - I LOOK UGLY!! 1978 - it's Getting WORSE 1979 - OMG 1980 - Phew! 1981 - WHYYY 1982 - I feel , Itchy! 1984 - OH GOD , IT'S VERYY BAD 1985 - I'm Saved!! 1986 - Not again! 1987 - A Little Better.. 1988 - Improvement! 1989 - Kinda Bad , Not Really. 1990 - A Little worse. 1991 - I'm Vandal FREEE 1993 - I LOOK AMAZING! 1995 - IT JUST GETS BETTER! 1996 - HOLY , AM I DREAMING?? 1997 - NEVER HAVE I LOOKED THIS CLEAN BEFORE! 1998 - YESSS 1999 - WAYY BETTER 2000 - I HAVE TO BE DREAMING , THIS IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE! 2001 - WAYY TO GOOD 2002 - THIS IS JUST GETTING BETTER! 2003 - Kinda Ugly , can do. 2004 - OH NONONONONO 2005 - Phew , Again! 2006 - I'M AT MY BESTTTTT 2007 - OMG , EVEN BETTER! 2008 - Little Ugly tho. 2009 - is it getting worse? 2010 - NOW , I HAVE TO BE DREAMING , I'VE BEATEN THE RECORD FOR THE MOST CLEANEST TRAIN NO JOKE. 2011 - oh god.. 2012 - I look Greasy , I think my Good times are over! 2013 - OH NONONO! 2014 - OH GOD 2015 - One last time?? 2016 - EWWW , WHY DO I LOOK LIKE THIS?? 2017 - I think it's the End of the Line.. 2018 - It's very close.. 2019 - Just right there.... 2020 - It's the end of the Line , i guess.. 2021 / 2022 - *Gets Scrapped* So yea , I regret making this , But that's the life of an R32 i guess

[@TRRailfan]

Cringe

[@randomclass4653]

@@TRRailfan agreed

[@robroy6374]

definitely cringe. also, useless comment. 🙄

[@singhsukhbirsajjan6819]

R32s are nicer

[@salaamallahalternatechannel]

GREAT RAILCARS GREAT RAILFAN WINDOWS