The R9 was a New York City Subway car model which was built by the American Car and Foundry Company and the Pressed Steel Car Company in 1940 for the Independent Subway System and its successors, which included the New York City Board of Transportation and the New York City Transit Authority. A total of 153 cars were built, numbered 1650-1802, and arranged as single units. They were the last "Arnine" type cars that were ordered before the merger of the IND with the IRT and BMT in 1940. The R9s were ordered in preparation for the opening of IND Sixth Avenue Line, the second IND trunk line in Manhattan to open after the IND Eighth Avenue Line. They were used primarily for increased service in Queens and the opening of the Crosstown Line. They served exclusively on all IND lines for most of their service lives, but were also used on the BMT Division during their final years. The R46s replaced the R9 cars, with the final run taking place on March 31, 1977. Three cars were preserved, while the rest were scrapped.
History
A total of 153 R9 cars were ordered from two different manufacturers. Cars 1650-1701 were built by ACF, while cars 1702-1802 were built by Pressed Steel. 150 of the new cars were ordered for service on the new IND Sixth Avenue Line, which opened on December 15, 1940. The Sixth Avenue Line was the second IND Manhattan trunk line, and therefore the additional cars were needed for the new service. The remaining 3 cars, cars 1800-1802, were ordered as replacements for three older IND cars that had been damaged beyond repair as a result of a February 17, 1936 collision at the Smith–Ninth Streets station. The 153 R9 cars remained the newest part of the IND fleet until the arrival of the R10 cars in 1948. The R9s were also used for service on the IND exclusively until 1968, when they were displaced by the new R40 cars. They were then transferred to the East New York Yard of the Eastern Division and used on the former BMT J, KK, LL, M, and QJ routes.
Retirement
The fleet of R9 cars stayed intact and in service until being replaced by the R46s between 1976 and 1977. The last day of R9 cars in service was on March 31, 1977 as the cars made their final run on the train. Following their retirement, the majority of the cars were scrapped. However, three have been preserved:
Car 1689 has been preserved by the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, Connecticut and restored. The car was modified with trolley poles and is used for various tourist rides around the museum.
