Composite (New York City Subway Car)
The Composite is a New York City Subway car class built in 1903–04 for the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and its successor, the NYC Board of Transportation.
The Composite derived its name from its build as a "protected wooden car." The car frame was made of steel, while the car body itself was made from wood encased in a layer of copper sheathing. The copper skin was intended to protect the car in the event of a fire in the subway. Therefore the result was a body composed of several materials (as in a Composite material) and became known simply as a "Composite."
Because of the Composites' copper sheathing, IRT crews and shop personnel coined the nickname for the cars: Copper Sides.
Read more about Composite (New York City Subway Car): Background Information, The Composite Prototypes, Final Notes
Famous quotes containing the words composite, york, city and/or subway:
“A positive learning climate in a school for young children is a composite of many things. It is an attitude that respects children. It is a place where children receive guidance and encouragement from the responsible adults around them. It is an environment where children can experiment and try out new ideas without fear of failure. It is an atmosphere that builds children’s self-confidence so they dare to take risks. It is an environment that nurtures a love of learning.”
—Carol B. Hillman (20th century)
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—John Lee Mahin (1902–1984)
“I am not aware that any man has ever built on the spot which I occupy. Deliver me from a city built on the site of a more ancient city, whose materials are ruins, whose gardens cemeteries. The soil is blanched and accursed there, and before that becomes necessary the earth itself will be destroyed.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Gilbert Adair, British author, critic. “Cleaning and Cleansing,” Myths and Memories (1986)