Congratulations on reaching this gigantic progress in your channel! Your hard work really deserves these amount of subs! What is super awesome about this video is that it’s long but super short and easy to understand in each timestamps. It’s super fantastic to the point that I recommend this video to anyone who wants to know about railfanning and the intricate history of the MTA’s fleet. This video can also be recommended for anyone who loves the Redbirds or have ridden them prior 2003 but does not know the history behind it. Again, thank you so much for making this video and defining the true characteristics and histories that these masterpieces contained. Congratulations on your progress, you already come in a long way! Your timeline fleet videos are also absolutely amazing and demonstrates the progression from the fleet’s beginnings to its present or end status. Keep up the great work! P.S. - I wouldn’t say the ones that were reefed is “gone,” as they are still holding up incredibly well underwater, instead of the ones that are fully extinct in scrapyards. They are still visible when scuba diving and inspected by each reef sites at certain times of each year. By the way, here’s a most recent video of the Redbird Reef that I found recently. m.kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ndGeddF8yZncXZ8.html Also, anyone can book a ticket to see these underwater Redbirds, older IRT SMEEs, and Brightliners. Here is one example. www.charlestonscuba.com/charters/advanced-open-water-sites/subway-cars-comanche/

I'm a retired IRT subway motorman. I ran all classes of redbirds during my 31 years in the motorman's seat. I even ran the R36WF cars on the IRT mainline.

Chiming in after 3 years. The R-27/30 came in as Olive Drab - the IRT R21/22 was similar but I can't say they were identical. The R-17 came in a type of Maroon (reddish purple). The R-28,29,33 came in with Cherry Red (also used on a few R-10s). The white was the color that was done as an anti-graffitti statement. Some R-16 and R-27/30 cars got white, but no R-10s. Totally impractical and blinding on cloudless days it truly was a shock to see the first couple of times you saw it. Initially they were kept in solid trains. In order to declare the entire system graffiti free inside and out by May 1987 many cars about to be retired by the incoming R-62A and R68/68A fleets were repainted in green and Tuscan Red. During the transition to graffittie free, repainted and protected cars were run in solid trains. GO is not a word, it is an abbreviation for General Overhaul. Also the air-conditioning retrofit of the R-33/36 fleet began about 3 years before the first G.O. cars appeared (which was on the 7 and done in house to a lesser standard than the greater number sent out to contractors). The pilot IRT air conditioning retrofit train was done in 1975 and kept graffiti free long after the rest of the fleet was thoroughly vandalized (but not all the way to adoption of 1981 white). That train was used for special occasions, like when the Mayor, Pope or UMTA administrator needed to do a publicity ride.

I've always loved learning the history of the NYC Subway. The NYC Transit museum has a few of these. I loved the Worlds Fair on the 7. Blue and white. Instead of using the retired Red birds as artificial reefs, I would've liked to see them used as shelters for the homeless. Little bungalows on land similar to trailer parks.

This is one of the most informative videos on the Redbirds I've seen. I used to ride the Bluebirds to the World's Fair and Shea Stadium in '64 and '65. The bright blue and white interiors were a sharp contrast to most other trains of that time period. I always wondered how the 11th car fit in. Now I know. Keep up the great work!

I was born in 55 and for as long as I remember, there were always Red Birds. I don't remember their purchase. But I do remember the late 60s and early 70s when the routes changes on the IND and BMT and those 2 divisions got new rolling stock. It seemed like all through the 70s the IRT had the worst cars. They would mix older cars with newer ones and the fleet looked uninformed and awful. It was not until the mid 80s that the refurbished red bird fleet looked really cool.

The Story Behind The Story: David Gunn had just moved up to the 'big leagues' from SEPTA. As NYCTA was casting about for a way forward on the graffiti problem, Gunn called down to Fern Rock Shops, asking for a 5-Gal can of the paint the original Broad Street B-1 cars were painted in. The NYCTA people apparently liked the look and the rest be History.

I remember these growing up in Brooklyn, NY in the 80s!! These were my favorite, along with the R32's. Those to me were the best train designs with COLD A/C!! LOLOL

Absolutely incredible that the Train of Many Colors actually has some prototypical precedent!

The bright red or tartar red scheme was popular with the transit authority during the 1960s. Ten R10 cars were painted bright red. In 1965 the R12/14 cars got the bright red treatment along with the R15 fleet. Then in 1967 most R17s and 1968 the R16s. Finally the R27/30 in 1969.

So basically the R142/142A is a "direct descendent" of the IRT Low V Subway cars via most Redbirds while the R62/62A is a direct descendent of the IRT High V Subway cars via most earlier R SMEE types like the R17-R22 Subway cars.

Your historical narration of these trains is thorough and informative. They should be right up my niche because I grew up near the IRT. New York City Transit Authority crews called that link between to married pair cars the drawbar. I like your introduction theme music. It makes me reminisce on how much I miss those good-old trains. I watched this show just to hear the music.

Great video .i bought a bunch of rail king model trains to paint and customize them into red birds / white trains and silver with blue stripe and weathered them ect

Was waiting for this for a while. 1K sounds like a small milestone, but this video did a really good job at making it special! Congrats on 1K!

Some added notes: The R29, R33ML and R36ML were inspired by TTC's Gloucesters (G-series) of 1953-1955, in the same bright red. The R36ML are actually leftover R33s assembled from leftover shells and parts when it was decided to rush the last 40 R33s out to the World's Fair as single units. All R26-R36 originally were WABCO SMEE ME42B braking, but the R26/R28/R29 and R33s 9076-9305 were rebuilt with NYAB Newtran, 8806-9075 rebuilt as WABCO E2. The Westinghouse R36s never had a full rebuild, all original controllers, doors, braking and also compressors in some cars, with only modest rewiring and reconditioning of control equipment and trucks.

Good Job! You're obviously a young guy, and this was a very well done and informative video. Too bad you're not getting school credit. I loved learning more about the Redbirds, and I hope you keep making such videos.

A beautiful video, thank you.

Amazing, the red birds!

A few R17s were given the redbird scheme before retiring in 1988.

fourth 😎 also congrats!! u deserve 1k and this video is so cool

I remember back then in the 1960s and early 1970s I couldn't tell if the cars were brown or green. You confirmed it. A mini documentary well done. What a history the Blue 🐦 birds & The Red Birds had. It was a joy riding them and watching this video. Marvelous. 🙂

Mad I missed riding those in service

Very nice video

5:29 it should be limit to only 10 R33WF cars cuz R36 cars all have air conditioning

GAS GAS GAS

I enjoyed video

❤❤❤❤❤ train

To me you gave a but more of explanation than shade jay!

Can you do one on the r32? Thank you so much!

Can anyone tell me why red birds in the gunn red scheme absolutely never ran on the 3 line??? I've looked around for answers but turned up nothing.

At 2:23 it says 6 Super EXPRESS

R142 and R142A: Gets mentioned in video for replacing Redbirds Meanwhile R142S subway cars: sad R142S noises

Red birds when they saw the new cars in 2000: Yall know what this means right? New cars: Whos number 1 now?

Can you make a history of R46 please?

7:44 R142A 7 train

The R-29s and R-33s were red when delivered.

MY LEAST FAVORITE PAINT SCHEME IS THE WHITE SCHEME AND MY FAVORITE PAINT SCHEME IS THE BLUE AND SILVER SCHEME

early

Make a history video of the r16

Wow….. Redbirds towed in the water…. Wet…. rip 2003

They were having issues with the body frame that's why it led to retirement

Car company rebuilders must include of building decent subway city subway cars with larger sizes instead of buying trains from outer countries overseas its just lack of solutions it would be as well as high tech but combine and connect with the old into the new!

Since 1985 when l seen all these groups of cars in graffiti of became into a new form look of the same profile but clean with special paint that is washable as a process of overhaul rebuilts, cost per car of $187,876 of R26 cars groups, then R28 cars $172,000, and R29 cars $306,000 by Morrison Knudsen Car Rebuilders, That company must build passenger subway cars too!

Uh I think the Redbirds look like old 1930s tube stock trains

Can you make a video about abandoned stations

Fun fact it was the first coloured MTA train blue birds were in servise in 1964

BUDD R32 sind die Coolstn' ya

First

R33ml cars 1962 60 years 2022

Didn’t the R17’s get a Redbird paint later on?

well the whitebirds were covered in graffiti but the redirds were not also the R33 pre goh was covered in graffti

You're colorblind. It's Olive Drab Green (Think US Army).

Can you put the location of the last Redbird that is actually viewable other that TOMC

6:50 why is in the subtitles “R33WL”.? Please tell me

But also the R68s were graffiti proof too

Hat KZfaq ein Erkältung oder so... 🤔

Why reef them when they can scrap them at the scrap yard…

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❤❤❤❤❤ train