New York City's R-32 subway cars reach the end of the line

The New York City subway system has been up and running for more than a century, but through the decades, the cars passengers ride in have always been evolving. As CBS' Errol Barnett reports, the most recent upgrade has finally taken some legendary cars off the tracks.

[MemoirsofaBasketcase]

Grew up riding these. Pretty and gaudy. Loud and bumpy. Loved them.

[luke]

These were like roller coasters. They were fun to ride in front looking out the window feeling the breeze flow in. RIP

[jonathany]

These had the BEST A/C in them during hot summer months in NY

[sethmtanyct]

So long R32s — you will be missed! At least we have some saved in the museum.

R.I.P — 1964 - 2022

[jayuski]

I'm 51 years old and started to ride the subway when I was 13 years old. Although they premiered on the Sea Beach Line, they were also on the IND A Line since the mid 90's. So for about the last 25 years...I had the chance to ride them almost everyday.

[BeliaLastes]

Rode these for years they will be missed RIP ♥️🌹

[ntil]

The C train is the last I got on wit that type

[rafsanAhmed]

I used to hate them because those dimmed dark lights inside. But I am gonna miss them; they actually was a fun to ride.

[tanabza]

The homeless will miss this train the most.

[BenTheMiner]

It's nice to see the news covering this historic moment. Although, let me be a transit nerd and make a few corrections: the trains shown in the movies are the R-16, not the R-32. Also, the cars seen being moved are not the last four cars, and this is even contradicted by the museum's statement that they have preserved some cars. In fact, there were more cars after the 4 seen in the video that were moved off property this way, and there are many cars still on transit property.

[shadow.banned]

You could put a coffee shop inside one at a NYC landmark.

[KingDevoneoGotBeats]

NYC been changing a lot over the years it don’t feel the same anymore.

[HayleyKiyokoLineBMT]

This legendary fleet deserves respect!

[Jeff-ujxi]

The MTA seems to be in an awful hurry to dispose of these gleaming, clean cars. There isn't a dent or even a scratched window. The public might think they were new cars just arriving. The world is in crisis and could be on the verge of war. The price of oil and gasoline is skyrocketing. Ridership on public transit will probably face huge increases. It wouldn't have hurt the MTA to stockpile and store this operable 'ready to run' subway equipment for the time being. I'm sure there is space in rail yards all over the city as well as on the LIRR and METRO-North. As far as I know, only 100 of them were left. Almost 500 of them had been scrapped over the years. Room could have been found to store ten or so trains of them.

And then there is always the unforeseen possibility of something going wrong with the new subway cars. The R-32's would be perfect for an emergency back-up fleet. This reminds me of the fiasco in Philadelphia on SEPTA some years ago. Like the MTA, SEPTA couldn't wait to sell perfectly good rail cars to a scrapper in Newark. They got cents on the dollar for them. Many had been recently overhauled, even with new upholstery on the seats. Trains of those old Regional Rail cars, even with pantographs still on them, were hauled to the scrap yard where all were shredded.

Then, lo and behold, cracks developed in the trucks of the new cars and all had to be removed from service pending a plan on how to make repairs and for those repairs to then take place. A crisis ensued and SEPTA had to pay out huge sums of money to lease cars and electric locomotives from N. J. Transit and MARC. It wouldn't have cost SEPTA a cent to have stockpiled and stored the old cars. It wouldn't cost the MTA a cent to stockpile and store maybe ten trains of R-32 cars.

Another missed opportunity is not selling the R-32 cars to other transit systems, museums or private buyers. They'd make perfect diners, restaurants or coffee shops. Is the MTA so rich that they can afford to throw money away? Although it appears the destination signs have been removed for possible re-sale. You can be sure that scrap prices for the cars won't be much. Selling the signs to collectors might bring more money than the scrapper will pay for the cars.

[SCARYFALCON]

The Redbirds will always be the greatest trains of all time in NYC.

[RantRantJoe]

Next stop, the whole Subway system is going to get retired if they don't fix the crimes within...

[rpm_asphaltrailfanner]

I only rode on the final run of the R32s😭 (which is the Q line). Still going to miss them😭😭😭😭😭

[delma]

If you got the seat with the heater underneath in dead winter I was knocked out from Manhattan to Far ROC

[chaddavis]

I’m gonna miss the front of these trains, I used to be able to see the tunnels and stations all the time growing up. Gone but never forgotten 🥺😢🙏🏿❤️💯

[dannyrosario]

You might as well keep them running on the B&D line cause it fits the way that line runs now like a dinosaur 😂😂😂