R4 is the contract number for the second order of standard subway

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

 cars purchased for 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...

 division of the 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...

. They were built by American Car and Foundry Company

American Car and Foundry Company

American Car and Foundry is a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock. One of its subsidiaries was once a manufacturer of motor coaches and trolley coaches under the brand names of ACF and ACF-Brill. Today ACF is known as ACF Industries LLC and is based in St. Charles, Missouri...

 between 1932 and 1933, and were practically identical to the original R1

R1 (New York City Subway car)

The R1 was the very first New York City Subway car type built for the IND. 300 cars were manufactured between 1930 and 1931 by American Car and Foundry Company, numbered 100 through 399. Future passenger stock orders – including contracts R4, R6, R7, R7A, and R9 – were virtually identical, with...

 order. The R4s had a slightly different side door panel than the R1, adding small handle notches below the door window. The 500 R4s were numbered 400-899 to continue the R1

R1 (New York City Subway car)

The R1 was the very first New York City Subway car type built for the IND. 300 cars were manufactured between 1930 and 1931 by American Car and Foundry Company, numbered 100 through 399. Future passenger stock orders – including contracts R4, R6, R7, R7A, and R9 – were virtually identical, with...

's sequence of numbers.

Note: The R5 contract order was for trucks and motors for R4 fleet. In 1932, each new car cost $30,633 for the carbody under contract R4.

Preservation

• Car 401 has been preserved by Railway Preservation Corp. and restored
• Car 484 has been preserved by the New York Transit Museum
  New York Transit Museum
  The New York Transit Museum is a museum which displays historical artifacts of the New York City Subway, bus, commuter rail, and bridge and tunnel systems; it is located in a decommissioned Court Street subway station in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York City...
  
   and restored
• Car 800 has been preserved by the Seashore Trolley Museum
  Seashore Trolley Museum
  The Seashore Trolley Museum, located in Kennebunkport, Maine, United States, is the world's oldest and largest museum of mass transit vehicles....
  
   in Kennebunkport, Maine and is used in various trips at their museum. It is undergoing restoration, including repainting.
• Car 825 has been stored at the Trolley Museum of New York  in Kingston, New York
  Kingston, New York
  Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
  
  . It is not operational, but is repainted on a regular basis.

R-4 Specifications

• Car Builder: American Car and Foundry
  American Car and Foundry Company
  American Car and Foundry is a manufacturer of railroad rolling stock. One of its subsidiaries was once a manufacturer of motor coaches and trolley coaches under the brand names of ACF and ACF-Brill. Today ACF is known as ACF Industries LLC and is based in St. Charles, Missouri...
  
  
• Car Body: Riveted Steel
• Unit Numbers: 400-899 (motorized single units)
• Fleet: 500 cars
• Car Length: 60 feet, 2¹⁄₂ inches (18.35 m)
• Car Width: 10 feet (3.05 m)
• Car Height: 12 feet, 1⁵⁄₈ inches (3.70 m)
• Total Weight: 84,503 lb (38,330 kg)
• Track Gauge: 4 feet, 8¹⁄₂ inches (1435 mm)
• Propulsion System:
• Motors: General Electric
  General Electric
  General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
  
   (GE) 714 A-1, A-2 DC Motors (2 per motor truck)
• Motor Power: 190 horsepower (142 kW) per motor
• Braking System: WABCO
  Westinghouse Air Brake Company
  The railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
  
   Schedule AMUE with UE-5 universal valve, ME-23 brake stand, and simplex clasp brake rigging
• Air Compressor: WABCO
  Westinghouse Air Brake Company
  The railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
  
   D-3-F
• Coupler Type: WABCO
  Westinghouse Air Brake Company
  The railway air brake was invented by George Westinghouse of New York state in 1869. Soon after, he moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he established the Westinghouse Air Brake Company on September 28, 1869...
  
  H2A
• Total seats: 56
• Cab arrangement: Half-width operator's cab at each end; conductor controls on exterior