The R1–9s (colloquially known as Arnines by

railfan A railfan, train fan, rail buff or train buff (American English), railway enthusiast, railway buff, anorak (British English), gunzel (Australian English), trainspotter (British English) or ferroequinologist is a person who is recreationally in ...

s) were the 1,703 similar

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

cars built between 1930 and 1940 for the

Independent Subway System The Independent Subway System (IND; formerly the ISS) was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway. It was first constructed as the IND Eighth Avenue Line, Eighth Avenue Line in Manhattan in 1932. ...

. All were built by the

American Car and Foundry Company ACF Industries, originally the American Car and Foundry Company (abbreviated as ACF), is an American manufacturer of railroad railroad car, rolling stock. One of its subsidiaries was once (1925–54) a manufacturer of Motor bus, motor coaches ...

, the

Pressed Steel Car Company The Pressed Steel Car Company was a builder of railroad cars and equipment based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that was founded in 1899, and had facilities in Pittsburgh and Chicago. It operated until 1956. Before World War II The Pressed Stee ...

, and Pullman Standard. The name "Arnines" comes from the literal spelling out of the final contract under which these 1,703 cars were ordered – contract "R9". The complete listing of contract numbers for cars in this group include: R1, R4, R6, R7/A, and R9. Also in the R1–9 family was the R8A, which was a revenue collection car, or

money train A money train is one or more railcars used to collect cash fare revenue from stations on a subway system and return it to a central location for processing. This train was typically used to carry money bags guarded by transit police to det ...

. The R1–9s entered service between 1931 and 1940 and remained in service until they were replaced between 1968 and 1977 with R40, R42, R44, and R46 cars. The last of the cars in this broad grouping were removed from passenger service in 1977. Many pieces of memorabilia, including rollsigns and car number plates, exist today in museums and private collections.

Preservation

Twenty of these cars are preserved by various museums, businesses, organizations, and private individuals. The cars that remain on

New York City Transit Authority The New York City Transit Authority (also known as NYCTA, the TA, or simply Transit, and branded as MTA New York City Transit) is a New York state public-benefit corporations, public-benefit corporation in the U.S. state of New York (state), New ...

property (and their owners) are: *R1 100 (

New York Transit Museum The New York Transit Museum (also called the NYC Transit Museum) is a museum that displays historical artifacts of the New York City Subway, MTA Regional Bus Operations, bus, and commuter rail systems in the greater New York City metropolitan ...

) – Operable *R1 103 (Railway Preservation Corp.) – Operable *R1 381 (Railway Preservation Corp.) – Operable *R4 401 (Railway Preservation Corp.) – Operable *R4 484 (

) – Operable *R6 923 (Railway Preservation Corp.) – Inoperable *R6 925 (Railway Preservation Corp.) – Inoperable *R6 1000 (Railway Preservation Corp.) – Operable *R6 1300 (Railway Preservation Corp.) – Operable *R7A 1575 – rebuilt to an R10 prototype in 1947 (

) – Operable *R9 1802 (Railway Preservation Corp.) – Operable The other cars are located at the following locations: *R1 175 is stored at the

Seashore Trolley Museum Seashore Trolley Museum, located in Kennebunkport, Maine, Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, is the world's first and largest museum of mass transit vehicles. While the main focus of the collection is Tram, trolley cars (trams), it also incl ...

. It does not have

trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

, and two of its side doors were donated to R4 401. *R4 800 is at the

and is in operable condition. *R4 825 is at the

Trolley Museum of New York The Trolley Museum of New York is a non-profit organization located at 89 East Strand Street in Kingston, New York. The museum is open to the public on a seasonal schedule, but volunteer activities relating to the preservation of historic tra ...

. It is currently undergoing a cosmetic restoration and is operable. *R6 978 was used as a dining room at Golden's Deli in the

Staten Island Mall Staten Island Mall is a shopping mall in New Springville, Staten Island, New York City, opened in 1973. It is the only indoor shopping mall in the borough. It is the largest retail center on the island and is the site of the island's third-large ...

until the deli closed in January 2012. The car was later sold to a private owner in Warwick, NY. This car is truckless with part of the car sliced away. *R6 983 was on private property in

Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

for over 35 years, after being purchased from the scrapyard in 1975 for use as a sidefront in a disco. It was purchased by the Craggy Mountain Line based in Asheville, NC in early 2013 and has been restored to operating service for their museum. The car uses trucks from scrapped R32s. *R6 1144 is used as a cafeteria at the

Buckinghamshire Railway Centre Buckinghamshire Railway Centre is a heritage railway, railway museum operated by the Quainton Railway Society Ltd. at Quainton Road railway station, about west of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. The site is divided into two halves which a ...

, England. This car has no trucks. *R7 1440 is at the

and is in operable condition. *R9 1689 is at the Shore Line Trolley Museum and is in operable condition. *R9 1801 is at the

New York State Museum The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, Albany, New York (state), New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and to ...

, used as a static exhibit in the museum's Metropolis Hall.

References

External links

nycsubway.org: The Independent Fleet (1932-1939)nycsubway.org: Chapter 4, The Independent System
{{NYCS rolling stock New York City Subway rolling stock Independent Subway System