R110B was a class of New York City Subway

New York City Subway

The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...

 cars built by Bombardier

Bombardier Transportation

Bombardier Transportation is the rail equipment division of the Canadian firm, Bombardier Inc. Bombardier Transportation is one of the world's largest companies in the rail-equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. Its headquarters are in Berlin, Germany....

 of Canada for service on the IND

Independent Subway System

The Independent Subway System , formerly known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad, was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway...

 and BMT (B Division

B Division (New York City Subway)

The B Division is a division of the New York City Subway, consisting of the lines operated with services designated by letters , in addition to the Franklin Avenue Shuttle and Rockaway Park Shuttle...

) lines. The R110B prototype cars were delivered to the New York City Transit Authority

New York City Transit Authority

The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...

 and entered service in 1992. The R110B was designed to test various new technology features that would eventually be incorporated into the R143

R143 (New York City Subway car)

The R143 is a standard gauge subway car design used on the B Division of the New York City Subway in the United States. The cars are primarily used on the L service. The New York City Transit Authority owns 212 R143 cars, numbered 8101 to 8312, and built for an average cost of about $1.5 million...

; it was not intended for long-term production use.

Specifications

• The cab cars are powered with four traction motors each. The center car of the 3-car set is an un-powered, cab-less trailer. The cars are typical B-Division size, except that they are 67 feet long, a length only shared by the BMT Standards
  AB Standard (New York City Subway car)
  The AB Standard is a New York City Subway car class built from 1914-1924. It ran under the operation of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company and its successors, which included the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation , the NYC Board of Transportation, and the New York City Transit Authority .In...
  
  .

• The model uses the standard subway train control stand, but with some added computerized features. The layout of the controls is desk-style, with switches, lamps, and a single lever to control traction and braking. A CRT
  Cathode ray tube
  The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
  
   with function keys on either side is used to monitor speed, train status, etc.

• Its design is similar to the R68
  R68 (New York City Subway car)
  The R68 is a type of New York City Subway car for the "B" Division. The 425-car contract was a joint venture of Westinghouse AM-Rail Company, ANF Industrie of Paris, Jeumont Schneider, and Alstom. The cars were built in France from 1986 to 1988 and shipped to New York Harbor...
  
   cars now in use on the BMT
  Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation
  The Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation was an urban transit holding company, based in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, and incorporated in 1923. The system was sold to the city in 1940 and today, together with the IND subway system, form the B Division of the New York City Subway...
  
   and IND
  Independent Subway System
  The Independent Subway System , formerly known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad, was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway...
  
   lines, but the ends are more square and Lexan
  Lexan
  Lexan is a registered trademark for SABIC Innovative Plastics' brand of polycarbonate resin thermoplastic. Polycarbonate polymer is produced by reacting bisphenol A with carbonyl dichloride, also known as phosgene. Lexan is the brand name for polycarbonate sheet and resin in a wide range of grades...
  
   glass is used in the windows.

• The seating configuration is the same as in the R68
  R68 (New York City Subway car)
  The R68 is a type of New York City Subway car for the "B" Division. The 425-car contract was a joint venture of Westinghouse AM-Rail Company, ANF Industrie of Paris, Jeumont Schneider, and Alstom. The cars were built in France from 1986 to 1988 and shipped to New York Harbor...
  
  , but the materials are improved. A matte plastic is used that allows scratches, tags and stubborn graffiti
  Graffiti
  Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
  
   to be buffed out using a light abrasive. The seats have a reduced bucket. Internal surfaces are tan fiberglass
  Fiberglass
  Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
  
   and plastic
  Plastic
  A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
  
  , with accents provided using a plastic mosaic applique. The floor is linoleum
  Linoleum
  Linoleum is a floor covering made from renewable materials such as solidified linseed oil , pine rosin, ground cork dust, wood flour, and mineral fillers such as calcium carbonate, most commonly on a burlap or canvas backing; pigments are often added to the materials.The finest linoleum floors,...
  
   with a pattern of slightly raised and textured squares. The R110B cars have a few handholds for shorter passengers.

• A new feature is a passenger intercom, which can be used for emergencies.

• Car ends that do not have cabs have an expanse of glass, which makes the car feel open and airy.

• Signs: Rollsign line indicators; LCD destination signs (on Windows); Interior strip route guides on top of the ad space with LED
  LEd
  LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
  
  indication of stops ahead on both sides.

History

• The R110B was built as contract order R131.
• There were nine R-110B cars, numbered 3001-3009, which were coupled into three-car sets and served on the train.
• Due to breakdowns, set 3007-3009 was cannibalized for parts for the remaining two sets, which then ran on the . The train has not had the computerized voices and next stop indicator signs programmed for the "C" route, so the conductor made the announcements manually. Throughout 1999, it had been in and out of service for both repairs and additional component testing. It was permanently removed from service in 2000 due to breakdowns and low Mean Distance Between Failure (MBDF) and will not likely see revenue passenger service again.
• On July 15, 2004, car 3005 was sent to P.S. 248, the New York City Transit Learning Center, replacing R16 #6452.
• In August 2004, cars 3004 and 3006 were placed in the Coney Island firefighting training facility.
• The remaining six cars (3001-3003 and 3007-3009) are stored at the 207th Street Yard.

Further reading

• Sansone, Gene. Evolution of New York City subways: An illustrated history of New York City's transit cars, 1867-1997. New York Transit Museum Press, New York, 1997 ISBN 978-0963749284

External links

• R110B at nycsubway.org