The R32 is a historic subway car, known and loved by a plethora of transit enthusiasts across New York City, and to a lesser extend, the world. The fact that these subway cars, which entered service in 1964, are still operating as of 2020, is a remarkable achievement which has become the deciding factor as to why many straphangers and railfanners appreciate it.
Recently, the R42 subway car, which was younger than the R32, retired. Now, the R32 is the final remaining member of the classic “RFW” trains, those that contain the Rail Fan Window, commonly dubbed the RFW. This window, which is present at the front and rear of the train, allows spectators to stand in front of it, viewing their trip from the perspective of a conductor. This is a feature the newer trains lack, another reason why the R32 is beloved.
But, for a brief period in April 2020, the hearts of many transit enthusiasts and railfanners were broken. DJ Hammers, a prominent transit YouTuber who railfans the New York City Subway, as well as other subways and train systems to a lesser extent, erroneously claimed that the R32 trains were retiring.
His video, uploaded on April 8 entitled “Last Runs of the R32 Type Subway Car”, indicated that the R32s were, in fact, retiring, and were running for the final time in their lifespan. DJ Hammers is not your run-of-the-mill railfanner; with over 42,000 subscribers on YouTube, his influence upon the transit community is quite high, and as such, many enthusiasts look up to him for reliable transit news and information, as well as rare train catches.
Nonetheless, the video, which contains clips of the R32 subway train, strongly suggested that the R32s were retiring. Text within the video’s introduction reads “After 55 years of service, the R32 subway cars have been retired from regular passenger service”, clearly implying that the R32 was no more. The original description of the video stated:
After 55 years of passenger service, the R32s have been removed from operation on the NYC Subway for conductor health and safety reasons during the COVID pandemic. These legendary NYC Subway cars were expertly built by the Budd company and were well known for being some of the best operating cars in New York City. They have been replaced by the R179 cars after operating well beyond their expected service life. Enjoy these clips of the R32s in their final weeks of operation before their removal from service.
Understandably, the hearts of numerous transit enthusiasts were immediately broken. One comment, written by Man Cave Vlogging Channel, reads “Those cars was legendary, glad I rode them last year for the first and last time”, receiving 63 likes. Another comment, written by TheRailfanProductions, reads “Farewell to my favorite subway car. The RFW will be definitely be missed”, receiving 82 likes. Pacboy, another transit enthusiast and prominent YouTube Poop creator, commented “I remember riding these on the A and C. These cars will be heavily missed.”, with his comment receiving 22 likes.
However, minutes later, the situation shifted. DJ Hammers updated the video’s title, description and thumbnail, with the video now being called “R32 Type Subway Car Temporarily Removed from Service”. The updated video description added this sentence:
Good news — it was stated that the R32s will be returning to service after the COVID pandemic has concluded. These cars still have some life in them!
With New York City Subway ridership down 92% at the time of the video’s release, and still down to this day, it makes sense that the MTA would remove some subway cars from service to reduce passenger service, as the cars are simply not needed during the dip. However, this does not excuse DJ Hammers’ blunder.
Within minutes, DJ Hammers had posted a memorial video of the R32 subway car, shattered the hearts of thousands of transit enthusiasts, and then rescinded his claim of the train’s retirement, calling it “temporary”, all without any sources. Understandably, it was a mere blunder on his part, and as a loyal transit enthusiast and subscriber of DJ Hammers, I have sympathy for him. However, the severity of this blunder shan’t be downplayed.
The R32 trains are currently anticipated to retire when the full R211 order is complete. As you may know (or not know), the R211 is the future New York City Subway car, which is scheduled to arrive in two orders, or phases. The first order will consist of 535 cars, and is expected to replace all R46 subway cars. The anticipated completion date lies between 2022 and 2023.
The second order will consist of two options for additional cars: the first for 640 cars and the second for 437 cars. This order is expected to be completed by 2025. At this point, the full R211 order will be complete, and it is likely that the R32 will be retired by that point. However, nothing regarding the retirement of the R32 is confirmed as of now.
Like the RTS buses, which recently passed the 1 year retirement anniversary, the R32 is arguably on the downhill portion of its career. The cars are in service for almost 60 years, and in an increasing effort to modernize the crumbling New York City Subway system, it is, unfortunately, only a matter of time before they hit the dirt (or in this case, the scrap yard). Unlike the RTS buses, however, whose retirement became known in advance, the R32’s retirement has not been mentioned or confirmed as of this point. It will likely be announced prior to its retirement, as was the R42, and an honoring ceremony, commonly dubbed a “Last Run”, will be held. The Last Run for the R32 will likely be similar to the one held for the R42 in February 2020.
It is undeniable that the legacy of the R32 will not be forgotten, and will be honored by transit enthusiasts, workers, straphangers and railfanners alike for generations after it is retired. The blunder that DJ Hammers committed, while impactful at the time, has seemed to fade into oblivion by this point, most likely because he honored his mistake and quickly addressed it, fixing the video’s title and description. Luckily, it is 2020 and the R32 is still in service.
Let’s hope it remains that way for years to come.
Chris is a writer and publisher who travels America, and loves doing it. He also loves pizza, video games, and sports, and can tell you a thing or two about each. Follow him on Medium to be informed of new articles.
