For many years R-46s were employed on the F and R lines as well as the A and C. They were the first cars with the “bing-bong” sounder when the doors closed, and introduced the bright orange-yellow color palette that was continued in the R-62 series on the IRT and R-68b series for the IND/BMT. I remember when the R-46s were brand new, and I seem to recall very thin carpeting at first, an experiment soon done away with in favor of black rubber flooring and then linoleum.

Until very recently the A train, one of the lengthiest lines in the system, running from Inwood to South Jamaica, Far Rockaway or Rockaway Park, oddly was stocked with some of the oldest cars in the system, the R-32s introduced in 1964, and the R-46, introduced in 1974. Since I moved to Queens and take the Long Island Rail Road to Penn Station, I have my choice of subways, the 7th Avenue IRT (1, 2, 3 trains) or the 8th Avenue IND (A, C, E). NEW R-211 subway cars have arrived on the 8th Avenue line, currently serving the A express line.

Nyc subway map manhattan