Redbirds Wazoo - 69th Street AM Rush

[@davidhanger1985]

This in my opinion is the best footage ever recorded of Redbirds in full flow. Ambiance, feel, nostalgia...it's all there....

[@trainluvr]

And that's not even the enhanced version. See the link.

[@MTASubwayKindle]

I would've said the same if you didn't have the same mind and idea as me! In my opinion, it was Splendid'! work @Trainluvr

[@CraftyFoxe]

Wow I may have actually ridden a redbird as a kid, I remember those hanging handlebars on the inside of trains.

[@trainsgod1042]

CraftyFoxe well for it to be true you would need to be born before 2003

[@preston71109]

Omg hii craftyfoxe I am a big fan of you. I love ur Minecraft tutorials.

[@stthecat3935]

@@preston71109 Same here

[@mynamesjeff.f]

I remember I tried to reach for one when I was 5, but I was too short at the time smh. Until I went to the transit museum in Brooklyn when I was 13 and managed to grab one lol.

[@KarinaGarcia-jl5jh]

I ride it before

[@ACLTony]

This is one of the BEST redbird videos I've ever seen. Stirs up many fond memories of growing up in the Bronx and always being near a subway/el line. Just saddens me that these tough, durable trains are no longer ruling the lines on the IRT anymore. No arguing that America used to build the toughest subway cars on the planet.

[@ACLTony]

How can anyone give this vid a thumbs down? Amazing just seeing these classic trains in action that are now just a memory.

[@miguelmejia4656]

because those trains suck and the whole mta sucks

[@ACLTony]

You put that so well! I grew up with these trains back in the early 70s and always enjoyed seeing and riding them. The body styling and unique sounds gave them a unique "personality". The newer trains, while efficient, to me are a bit "cold".

[@miguelmejia4656]

the whole mta is "cold"

[@ayanacolville7221]

Aww man I miss these trains. I haven't been on that train since Kindergarden. Man I miss it. Brings back memories.

[@TechandTransit]

2:26 The annoucements are clearer on the redbirds than they are on the R62A!

[@W.L.Customs]

Well, currently, I agree with you. But most of the R62/A trains' announcements are clear too. It's either SMS or someone helped fixed it without SMS

[@gc4060]

This video is awesome in 2018

[@gameplayandmusic1973]

Tech and Transit Bring Back the Redbirds

[@ccr68lover]

Tech and Transit yo if it used NTTS Announcement Now it’s Super Rare!

[@ArrowIIIRailfan]

They were american built right?

[@Sean-vf7qr]

I'm glad I got to ride on these trains when I was a kid great childhood memories I remember when I took the express train going to flushing how the tracks goes higher and passes 111st can't even see the station cuz u was so high above it was fun I used to love riding in the front car next to where the motorman is operating looking out the window I love the video really takes me back I miss the Redbirds :(

[@georgelopez4130]

Sean션사랑샌디 well if u have a computer, download the game world of subway 4 on steam so u can drive Redbirds and see all of the old stations

[@Sean-vf7qr]

@@georgelopez4130 wow really omg I need to try it thanks for the reply 🙂

[@hypixelminecraft5289]

Owo

[@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2]

I love ❤️ Redbirds for life even though there retired.

[@baddriversofnewyork5565]

You've got great content on this channel man. This is probably the closest I'll ever get to re-living the experience of the Redbirds. I wasn't a railfan when I was a kid, but my mom always told me I'd try and get to the first car and look out the front of the train on the 7 with these and on the E with the R32's. Good memories, thanks for posting this.

[@richardr655]

I clearly remember the day when after riding the old "Lo-V's" for years, I was standing on the platform and the first redbird I ever saw came rolling in to the station. I said "what's this?" What an impression we got! It was about time for the change.. But, I kinda missed the oldies which were on the Jerome ave line for a while after, too. Rode these to school way back when. Thanks.

[@cjw7329]

Excellent video! I grew up riding these To and from Shea stadium with my family. They were my childhood favorite subway cars. I rode them from when I was 4-7 years old. I think the NTTs are cool, but I have really good memories of riding these.

[@chantzinterlude_]

everything looks so recent , if you’re not a native yorker you would think this was recently recorded but in fact was in 2001… this is so cool , the fact that all the colors and everything is there even at 2001

[@johnkaufmann8875]

This is fantastic stuff! U have excellent content! Too many videos are of NTT trains on KZbin but understandable as pretty much devices such as iphones were not around yet back then. Seeing this video is such a joy seeing the R36WF and the european windows in action on the 7 train! 😀

[@JoseMorales-lw5nt]

2:09/ God, do I miss that! Having grown up in The Bronx since 1981 near the Lexington Ave #6 Line, the Redbirds were an old favorite of mine. Riding them in cold weather, watching all the lights temporarily go dark, the way they used to speed along the Express track from 3 Ave/149 Street to Parkchester/177 Street! Damn it, real New Yorkers cried watching some of those decommissioned cars get tossed into the Atlantic for man made reefs! Ah, the token and the Redbirds, R.I.P. 2003 🇵🇷🇺🇸😪

[@stegowolf]

Thank yoi for the wonderful memories! Last I rode the Redbirds was 1986 during my Sophmore year at Aviation High School!

[@novuutheneolf]

Wow the Redbirds have an enormous accelaration!

[@blue9multimediagroup]

They're lighter

[@josephortiz1990]

I Miss These Red Bird Subway Trains A Whole Lot!😟

[@ursa41]

I miss those cars!! Been riding them for 35 years before they retired them!

[@SharlenesJourney]

Cool trains kinda sad I never got to ride these and never will lol 😢

[@trainluvr]

The Transit Museum runs these at least annually.

[@SharlenesJourney]

@ thank you for letting me know that 🙏🏾!!

[@hahaboom2379]

Everyone can agree that they should bring back the Redbirds. Classic, well made, and *vintage*

[@angelopach5]

We road those trains since me and brothers were little We went to New York and ride that train. I love trains.

[@johnkaufmann8875]

The Memories! This was a trip back in a time warp for me! ****! Fantastic! Alot of these kids think the R188 is the shit or these other NTT trains. It is Old School for me! ☺

[@themtarailfannerdude]

The r188 is one of my favs all becau of the accel.

[@ACLTony]

The more I see videos of the newer subway cars, the more I miss the Redbirds. The new trains are nice but so incredibly bland. As a mechanically inclined kid, I enjoyed the sounds the Redbirds made (air compressor pumping while the train was stopped, the brakes applying and being released, the loud "Chaaa!" sound when the train reached the end of the line, the whirring of the electric traction motors, the motorboat style air horn sound) all gave these trains a very unique personality that the new "techno-box" trains simply don't have. But in their defense, I'm glad that the new IRT trains have a styling that "very slightly" resembles that of the classics.

[@trainluvr]

Stay tuned. More redbirds in the hopper.

[@trainluvr]

You know what was a cool sound than I doubt was ever captured in any video we will ever see? There was a cacophony of small squeaking sounds that the hinged seats (which all of them were) made as people's weight bounced up and down in a fully loaded car.

[@trainluvr]

trainluvr Also the small motors that opened the ceiling vent louvres. They would operate consecutively and each sounded a little different. It would take maybe 30 seconds for all of them (around half a dozen) to open or close.

[@ACLTony]

That's interesting. I wish I had noticed but since I was a kid then, I likely focused on the much louder sounds. I hope that on my next visit to NYC, I'll get the opportunity to ride the "train of many colors". I'll pay extra attention to details but it seems that it doesn't have a schedule.

[@dannyleo4791]

I agree with everything you said man. The Redbirds has a special quality to them. If I recall, they were discontinued in 2003. I remember when I visited NYC in 1991 and rode the Redbirds often. I loved the sound they made as well. I miss that era but I'm glad I was able to experience it some.

[@PeruvianPotato]

This is a certified hood classic

[@YouAreABunghole]

That was exactly what made it so wonderfully authentic.

[@iamhungey12345]

Legends can never be forgotten.

[@SuperCoolDude2014]

The redbirds look sexy, but so do the r46's and the r68's

[@themtarailfannerdude]

ok m8 that's just creepy

[@gxmball_7044]

lmfao

[@PerfectCell1994]

I missed those trains

[@samuelitooooo]

Wow, a flashback of my childhood. And now this line will get R188s compatible with CBTC. It's interesting to see how this line has evolved and will continue to evolve.

[@andrewstaples8677]

I miss the red birds

[@antoniogoode4407]

My favorite subway Trains the Redbird are the best Trains 🚆 🙌

[@ReconRican__]

Used To Ride These On The 2 Train (The R26's R28's and R29's) Sometimes On The 5 Also

[@ACLTony]

Very cool! The #2 was my line and I have so many fond memories of traveling it between the North Bronx and 3rd Ave, sometimes we'd go to 14th street. The graffiti epidemic of the 1970s-80s is a sad part of these trains' history but for those of us that liked trains then or were mechanically oriented, riding them was still often an enjoyable experience.

[@Rayster.556]

ReconRican_ I rode every line in New York and I rode in the red bird lots it times. Good memories.

[@SelectaBwoy]

Likewise My Dude

[@ACLTony]

If I remember correctly, I think that these are called the R33-R36 series "Mainline" cars because of the window pattern. Back in the day these particular units were in the Aquamarine & White "Worlds Fair" paint scheme and only ran on the #7 and #1 lines, IIRC. Living in the Bronx, I rode the #2 regularly as a kid and always thought the #7 trains were "so cool" then because of those colors. I remember my first ride on the #7 heading from Manhattan to Queens, noticing that the windows were different from the older redbirds.

[@trainluvr]

I wish I had more. Stay tuned, I might find some more scraps around.

[@ACLTony]

trainluvr TL, I certainly can't complain. Since the late 2000s; I had been wishing that someone had videos of classic NYC subways and fishbowl buses. I was so grateful when you started posting yours. It's greatly appreciated. Your videos remind me so much of my late parents as they took me on MANY trips on these classic vehicles. As I watch your vids, many warm memories of those two wonderful people stir in my mind. For that, I"m very grateful. God Bless, man.

[@kevinwong6588]

The square windows (drop sash) were used on all cars R16-R36 ML. Large picture windows were added to the World's Fair fleet to allow visitors to the fair views of the skyline and Queens landscape. Although the R36 ML were assembled and delivered around the same time as the first order of R32s (right after the R36 WFs), they retained older square windows since they were leftover R33 ML shells actually built more than a year earlier in 1963, but held over to allow the World's Fair fleet first. R32s had same large windows and light blue interior as WF R33/R36.

[@blue9multimediagroup]

So sad that we didn't start taking trips up from Philly until 2005 so we missed them by a few years. The way New Yorkers miss these cars, are how we miss the Budd M3 cars that ran for SEPTA from 1960-1998.

[@amalgamatedgioconda266]

was born just a couple of years before the redbirds went out of service, would love to ride one someday

[@psychicfriendfreadbear6025]

now this is why my favorite color is red

[@PUNISHERWarzone87]

Man I miss these trains. I like all the trains this city uses on on the subway but I really do miss these.

[@jayburke813]

when trains was faster.

[@amtrak706]

Field shunting was already gone in 2001. There were less timers overall, though.

[@collinparsons3363]

The Manhattan bound express does seem faster than the Flushing bound express. I believe because of the grades.

[@philithegamer8265]

@@amtrak706 What does field shunting do again and why did MTA get rid of it?

[@amtrak706]

@@philithegamer8265 Field shunts introduce a resistance in parallel with the traction motors in order to spin them faster than the “balancing speed” from an equal and opposite BEMF load. So...they make the train go faster.

[@amtrak706]

@@philithegamer8265 Their argument was that the block spacing and signal control line design could not adequately protect trains from each other at full speed. So instead of fixing the signal system, they just slowed all the trains down. And I can assure you that the trains were in fact much faster before the speed modifications. The R10s weren't nicknamed "Thunderbirds" for nothing - the CPW express run used to take 4 or 5 minutes vs. the current 8 or 9. One of the saddest things to read is the original 1932 timetable for the IND 8th Avenue line. Travel time from 207 St to Hudson Terminal (today the E train WTC terminal station) was a solid 15-20 minutes faster than it is today, 90 years later.

[@JoseMorales-lw5nt]

In the immortal words of that great soul singer Chuck Jackson: Don't fly away, my beautiful....REDbird! Grew up riding those fast cars along The IRT Lexington Avenue line up here in The Bronx. Miss seeing them, and riding along the 6 Line in those Redbirds! Shame most of them are sitting at the bottom of The Atlantic as reefs....😪🇵🇷🇺🇸

[@trainluvr]

You sir are correct. R-33S sidelined in summer months, 10 car markers installed in the 1990s upon implementation of that policy.

[@alcors1116]

At 2:37 the Subway Series 2000 Met's decorated car is in the consist on the outer local track.

[@ReconRican__]

The Good Old Days

[@official_tccryan]

5 points and Remy liquor ads. I miss the early 2000s in New York City.

[@ACLTony]

Additionally, back in the 1960s a number of the classic cars, similar to this body style were factory painted in red colors. I grew up riding these trains and for me it's saddening that they've been retired. They were very tough and well built right up to the end. Many people wanted to see them continue to run, but the rust on the Cor-10 steel body was coming back and the high costs for rebuilding these trains made replacement the best option.

[@MTASubwayKindle]

They styled the car as a Redbird style to combat graffiti after major clients couldn't help but watch, it was a disaster for all poor commuters in the 1970s.

[@blueneptune4761]

You can ride old trains in between Thanksgiving and Christmas so you can still ride come out from the transit museum

[@Raytapia407]

I can’t believe I lived long enough to ride a red bird in the 90s 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@R36Coach]

@kmothersil These would be the original Westinghouse WF R36 units (9346-9523), which were in original condition to the end (2CY3B compressors, WE propulsion and doors). The GE units (9558-up) were overhauled with new braking units and controllers in 1991.

[@JustJay_Official]

when u posted this i was 1 day old

[@KevinCNYC1991]

Is it me or am I hearing an actual 2CY3B compressor from 0:00-0:07 in that car? trainluvr you have done it again. Spectacular video. :)

[@TheAnunnaki-NYC]

Ahhhh I remember when you could look out the front of the train in the first car. I miss them days

[@nickberis1249]

Does Redbirds were so cool I remember riding them..

[@gc4060]

These trains were built so perfect it’s a shame there is like very few cars now

[@trainluvr]

You would not feel that way if you sat or stood in them for 60 to 90 minutes per day for decades.

[@theoffical_jaydenislityt501]

third rail red bird footage is crazy

[@junglejuice23]

I was born in 96 I faintly remember these but my mom took the 6 train so I remember the new ones exclusively and eventually taking over the entire line

[@鉄道とおこぷれ大好きチャンネル]

I enjoyed video

[@ACLTony]

Yes, the Redbirds ran past well past their service life expectancy & replacements were required, no doubt. Just as today's automobiles are safer and more efficient, many of us still miss the inefficient cars from the 1960s-70s even with their faults. So by the same line of thinking subway fans miss what they grew up with. It's human nature. Bashing of the modern stuff is to be expected, but you know deep inside the bashers agree that new trains were needed but they should be allowed to lament.

[@yyyyuy4039]

Good i like these trains and blue bird

[@collinparsons3363]

The lights going out on the third rail gaps looks so silly, but that was the norm for the better portion of the subway's history.

[@csouth28]

The Best Stuff On Earth.

[@kinkisharyocoasters]

@trainluvr Was it true that during the summer, there were only 10-car trains on the Flushing Line? I know the R33WF, which usually was one car per train, did not have air conditioning. Or was there another way the MTA substituted it? I vaguely remember riding on an R33WF, i think it was autumn, and hearing the Axiflow fans, which were turned on.

[@PinkLaffs]

I miss the Redbirds. I used to ride the R27s for years when the MTA still used the silver/blue band color scheme. The graffiti didn't take long to arrive, so the "white elephant" and Redbirds came out.

[@collinparsons3363]

What year was this taken in? Had to be 2001 or earlier because the trains in this video are all redbirds and the R62A's didn't show up on the 7 line until 2002.

[@andrewstaples8677]

Had to be the 90s

[@ittotaq]

I miss these!

[@Allyn65]

I love my Redbirds

[@danieltransit7677]

Hi, question trainlurv. Do u have videos of rerouted trains after 9/11 ?

[@trainluvr]

Because the leader, David Gunn, chose a traditional subway and railroad car body color. A dark color helps to hide dirt also.

[@kinkisharyocoasters]

Thanks for replying. Was it also true that the 7 train used some Mainline R36s, even though they were not shown in this video? And because of this, the mixed consists had two types of windows on the train?

[@CarbyGuuGuu]

Takes me back! :)

[@carlheadley9775]

What year was this

[@josj15]

hey man thanks for these videos, i MISS the redbirds, they had a distinctive smell (not a bad one) to them too. Why is it that the lights in each car flicker off then on at the exact point as the train is pulling out of the station at around 2:13 ?

[@ACLTony]

One other cool "odd" thing I remembered. As kids, almost every time my sister and I got off the train we'd wait for it to leave. After it would blast out of the station, we'd inhale and smell the ozone that was produced by the 600volt electric traction motors. Was especially strong when the station was underground. I know it sounds weird, but to me it smelled like Downy mixed with rain.

[@Carl-Romero]

The (7) is now getting the cars that the redbirds were for real replaced by the R142As or as they will be called 188s but ill probly call them 142As cuz they look, sound, and appear the same ways

[@SpywareHater]

Last Redbird I rode on was a on the 2 Train sometime after 9/11 and the R142s were nearly everywhere.

[@johnli25]

I’m assuming this was in 90s or early 2000s?

[@theoffical_jaydenislityt501]

as soon as i saw that curve i was like queens-boro plaza!

[@PrimaryConsult]

Actually the 36 mainlines are shown in the video, at 3:34... I was going to point it out and your msg seemed as good a place as any to do it :) I had completely forgotten they did that for a while...

[@junjun798]

Remember the R188 is 380 converted R142As all from the 6 is to displace the R62As on the 7 back to the 6 line and to make to 7 line cbtc it wont retire anything but yes we all despice the NTTs the 6 has 400 R142As 380 are going to the 7 in return the R62As will go back to the 6 R188s (converted R142A) are all being delivered to flushing mid this year-late 2014 by mid 2015 all R62As will be back on the 6 and the MTA plans to have 8 sets of R188s on the 7 by when the extension opens next year.

[@harlemkiid14]

i miss these trains- when the lights used flickr and jus everything about it

[@micahelijah6443]

That speed tho at 3:02-3:11

[@ragvirsinghhothi8848]

That's how fast an express train should be

[@micahelijah6443]

Ragvir Singh Hothi i know right. Was that like 50 MPH?

[@gxmball_7044]

The current R188s do 50, so ur comment aged well

[@RTD8481]

Its so eerrie to see that this was filmed just over a month after that terrible day. Can you imagine whatall these subway passengers must have been feeling at that time?

[@blueneptune4761]

What day

[@kinkisharyocoasters]

I can see that, they had the uglier, ex-drop sash windows. How were the R36MLs different from the R33? I think that train in the first shot was an R33WF, since it had the old-school fan grilles and none of the boxy HVAC units like the R36WF. I guess it would also make sense if that part of the platform at 45th Road, in front of the Citicorp Building was the third car going east. Wasn't that where the freestanding R33s were?

[@northlanderdude]

loved the redbirds - too bad they're gone !

[@fatoumatasissoko91]

1:08, 2 redbird came running into this station and the express one passes and said bye to the local redbird

[@starwolf720]

This video is awesome

[@Northeastern292]

I miss the Redbirds. Coincidentally, my thirteenth birthday was the day the Redbirds made their last run. And even in their last years, they weren't awfully unreliable either by what I heard. Of course, they had their problems, but then again, the TA forgets that the MDBF for the fleet in the '80s was around 6,000, not today's 150,000+.

[@trainluvr]

yep

[@Ramseylove]

great work

[@RedArrow73]

69th St. Train making all stops. Doors are closing.

[@gameplayandmusic1973]

I like this part 3:02

[@aceebrown9266]

Ahh the good'ol days

[@SimYorker]

@alex445598 is it? It true with the newer ones I've had it millions of times

[@Carl-Romero]

Did they have any R62As on the (7) at that time yet? or was that in 2002

[@pubggamer2022]

R62A arrived in 2003

[@KevinCNYC1991]

@R36Coach I pretty much figured it out thanks to trainluvr's comment. But thanks any way. :)

[@oliviagirsang9243]

How often do they do this?

[@pubggamer2022]

Those subway cars are gone

[@blakemcnamara9105]

How I wish these were still running.

[@TheRailLeaguer]

They have them in the museum fleet.

[@TheDuesy]

I miss the redbirds

[@channelmoved4743]

They used R33 R33WF R36 & R36WF

[@Irvington81]

I miss the redbirds :(

[@truckerinthehood2008]

I wish I was there at the time

[@theforeverpuddle8754]

Those things were so hot. Summer subway sandwich was unbearable.