R44 (SIR Rolling stock class)

## R44ME-2

### Car body construction

Stainless steel body, carbon steel chassis and underbody, with fiberglass end bonnets.

### Doors

8 sets of 50-inch wide side doors per car

### Maximum speed

Test: 87.75 mph (141.22 km/h) Service: 60 mph (97 km/h)

### Weight

A Car: 88,950 lbs. (40,347 kg) B Car: 84,530 lbs. (38,342 kg)

### Traction system

GE SCM-CAM 17KG192A1 propulsion and GE 1257E1 115 hp motors

### Braking

3.0 mph (4.8 km/h) per second (In Service) 3.2 mph (5.1 km/h) per second (Emergency)

### Track gauge

1,435 mm (standard gauge)

The ME-2 is a New York City Subway car model built by by St. Louis Car Co. between 1972 and 1973 for use on the MTA's Staten Island Railway. The cars replaced all Standard Steel-built 1925 ME-1 cars that at the time, had been running for 43 years. The first ME-2s (400-401-402) were delivered to NYCT property on January 25th, 1973 to perform a test on the BMT Sea Beach Line. A few days later on February 1st, the cars were also tested on the LIRR.

The only differences between the ME-2s and their sister subway fleet, the NYCT R44s, are the small letter F under the cab window of A Cars, and additional grab bars for switching duties pre-overhaul, although all grab bars from the B Cars and most from the A Cars were removed during GOH. The transferred NYCT R44s (388-399) were given the letter F under the cab window when they arrived at the Clifton shops, but surprisingly, they never received grab bars. More differences are that the emergency exits between cars are unlocked due to the SIR main line being mostly straight, and the installment of a WABCO AA2 horn instead of the standard NYCT horns. The letter F and additional grab bars were installed due to the Staten Island Railway needing to abide by FRA regulations, as it is considered a Railroad with its few underground areas and mostly running on an embankment.

The MTA rushed the ME-2s into service a month after delivery with minimal testing to replace the crumbling ME-1s that were plagued with issues and had many failures during the end of their lifespan. With the completion of the extremely similar State of the Art Car and the ME-2 order, the St. Louis Car company closed down and never produced train cars again. The ME-1s were officially retired as the last ME-2 entered service in May of 1973.

R44 Mainline cars 388-399 were not converted to the Westcode SMEE braking system in 1984 and built to SIR specifications, and they were shipped off to the SIR in 1985 due to the significant ridership increase of the railway in the last 12 years, so the existing ME-2s would not be overused.

The ME-2s and some NYCT R44s were overhauled between 1991 and 1993 at the MTA's 207th Street shops. Some improvements include: covering the ME-2s' original blue side stripes with stainless steel panels, and removing the side rollsigns from all SIRT cars.

On June 21st, 2001, the RCB Ballpark station opened to serve the nearby Richmond County Bank Ballpark used by the Staten Island Yankees. The ME-2s received a special front rollsign with an Uncle Sam hat resting on a wooden pole with the text "Staten Island Yankees" in the middle. During game days, one train to Ballpark station would leave from Tottenville, and two to three trains heading to Ballpark would leave from St. George. When the station closed on June 18th, 2010 due to MTA budget cuts and low ridership to and from the station. Weirdly, the ME-2s kept their SI Yankees front rollsigns, and the Ballpark station is now used as a layup for trains.

Between 2007 and 2010, all ME-2s were overhauled a second time in part of a scheduled maintenance programs. Some improvements include: Replacing the current beige floors with darker floors seen on most post-overhaul R44MLs and R46s, repainting the original red, orange, and yellow bucket seats to a periwinkle color, and updating the logo decals due to the ME-2s keeping the original NYCTA "M" logos after General overhaul. The cars have been going through more scheduled maintenance than before due to the fact that they turned 50 on February 28th, 2023.

For retirement, The R44MLs and ME-2s were initially planned to be replaced by the R179s, although structural issues found in the R44MLs pushed back their retirement date to 2010, when they were set to be replaced by the R160s. The R44MLs were retired on September 16th, 2010, when the final runs were made on the A/C lines. The ME-2s are set to be replaced by the R211S / ME-3 car order by 2025, and the first ME-3s were delivered on May 3rd, 2023. On June 29th, 2023, it was confirmed that the ME-3s were set to enter service by Mid-2024.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R211\_(New\_York\_City\_Subway\_car)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R44\_(New\_York\_City\_Subway\_car)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBhxkKG3NgA&t=358s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgUY6tCAG1A&t=206s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmN8tTExuqE

Written by FrogieFish3654 on 08/07/2023