AB Standard (New York City Subway Car) - Service History and Preservation

Service History and Preservation

All told, 950 Standards were purchased between 1914 and 1924. 100 motorized cars were ordered every year from 1914 to 1922, and 50 unpowered trailer cars were ordered in 1924. 2 additional cars were delivered as part of the 1919 order to replace 2 cars that had been damaged the previous year. As delivered, all 900 motor cars were "singles", meaning that each could be run entirely by itself if so desired. Trains would be made up of singles coupled together. However, many cars as delivered in later years were immediately coupled into units as indicated below.

The first run of the cars was not until early 1915 when several units specially equipped with trolley poles test operated on the Sea Beach Line prior to its formal opening as a subway line, which took place on June 22, 1915. (The poles were also used to move the cars around the 39th St. Shops where they had been originally delivered in 1914.) From then on, the Standards operated regular subway service. Trolley poles were removed from those cars which had been specially equipped.

During their service lives, the Standards saw time on all four Coney Island bound routes - the West End Line, Culver Line, Sea Beach Line, and Brighton Line. They also ran in the Fourth Avenue Subway, the Broadway Subway, and on the Astoria Line, as well as parts of the BMT's "Eastern Division," which includes the Jamaica El, Myrtle Avenue El, Nassau Street Subway, and the 14th Street – Canarsie Line. During the late 1950s, well into their service lives, the cars also saw service on the IND Queens Boulevard Line once the 60th Street Tunnel Connection was completed and Broadway service was extended to Forest Hills – 71st Avenue in Queens(some units had operated on this line to 179th St. during the 1957 motorman's strike). In 1958, a brief test was conducted using a train of these cars in IND F service between 179th St.- Jamaica and Broadway-Lafayette St.

Several significant modifications were made during the cars' period of service. In approximately 1919-1920, the passenger compartment of the oldest cars was upgraded to add fans, additional lighting, and more places for standees to hold on. Also at that time, the cars were modified to operate in new arrangements (see letter designations below). In addition, the cars were also modified to allow an entire train's doors to be opened or closed from one point on the train. Prior to this modification, it had been necessary to station a conductor in every car of a train to operate doors. Following the modification, one conductor could operate the doors for an entire train. This allowed the BRT, and after 1923, the BMT, to reduce operating costs. The modification involved connecting 9 point jumpers between cars to pass along electric door control signals from the conductor's position.

In 1927, platforms along the Southern Division stations were being extended to allow for the operation of full length, 8 car trains. Such trains still required the use of two conductors; it was not until September, 1958 that they began operating using only one conductor.

Further modifications were made in the late 1950s. As the Standards were nearing the end of their useful service life, the New York City Transit Authority set up a plan to retire the cars by the end of the 1960s. Trailers were to be retired first, in the early part of the 1960s. This was a matter of practicality since all trailer cars in the New York City Subway were being phased out. Motor cars would be retired next, starting with the oldest cars (cars 2000–2299, along with a few 2300's). The rest of the fleet would need to serve longer until new car orders could replace them, so cars 2400–2799 were to receive a light overhaul to allow them to serve through the 1960s. Car 2899 was also overhauled, as it was part of a three car set with two cars (2700's) that fell within the scope of the program. Cars 2800–2898 were not overhauled as they had a non-standard group box switch. The remaining 2300's and the 2800's were retired during the mid-1960s; and the overhauled cars continued in service until the last train operated on August 4, 1969, in Myrtle-Chambers service.. Overhauled cars received sealed beam headlights to illuminate tunnels. In addition, their interiors were revitalized with new light fixtures and seat cushions. Overhauled cars also received a more modern General Electric propulsion control package during this time, which was believed by the Transit Authority to be an upgrade over the older Westinghouse packages. About half the overhauled cars were so equipped.

The Standards began being taken out of service during the 1960s, beginning with the trailer cars and progressing on to the older motor cars which had not been overhauled. Then, the rest of the fleet went too. The last of the cars were retired from passenger service in 1969, making a final run on the Myrtle-Chambers Line. The 1969 date meant that the oldest of the cars had lasted for over 50 years in service, a remarkable amount of time for a New York subway car. Following their removal from service, the majority of the cars were scrapped, but five Standards have survived:

• Car 2204 is on display at the New York Transit Museum
• Cars 2390, 2391, and 2392 (owned by Railway Preservation Corp.) are undergoing restoration in Coney Island Yard.
• Car 2775 is preserved by the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, Connecticut.