Train of Many Colors 2004 - First Trainluvr feature

Описание: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the opening of New York's first underground rapid transit railway by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, this fantrip was one of many special events in the subway in 2004. On this trip, we visit 4 elevated lines and Westchester Yard with museum cars representing much of the IRT fleet as it existed from 1964 through 1984, in original exterior color schemes plus the early 1970s MTA silver and blue. Although the fleet that survived into the nineties was painted in a shade of red borrowed from Philadelphia's Broad Street Subway, they were not called redbirds until at least the late 1980s. The world's fair (picture window) cars were delivered in light blue and cream and introduced to the public as bluebirds, borrowing that name from an earlier experimental BMT articulated train. SInce all the R-12 through R-36 cars were mechanically compatible, they did operate in trains of mixed consists and color schemes of up to four and even a very case, five different schemes in one ten car train. Although the Train of Many Colors is a wonder of transit history, it never actually existed as presented. Car washing machines were only starting to be introduced in the 1960s, so until then most cars regardless of original color, eventually acquired a patina of steel dust and grime that rendered the whole fleet a grayish black. As a succession of 6 different models of stainless steel cars were delivered to the BMT-IND from 1964 to 1977, the IRT was done with car replacements by 1964. Soon after MTA assumed control of the Transit Authority, it tried to brighten the appearance and uniformity of the fleet by repainting members of the non-stainless class silver and blue, mimicking the blue striped stainless cars. This move roughly coincided with the rise of graffitti and made for even more variations in car appearance. Although you see 7 color schemes, there were actually over one dozen original liveries plus the anti-graffitti snow white and green liveries applied post 1980. It kept us slide shooting fans very busy. By 1980 every car in the 6000+ fleet that had not been very recently repainted had significant graffiti applied. So the Train of All Colors truly represents the pre-1973 post-world war 2 era in a way that nothing else can. Watch through to the end for short slide show with soundtrack Hot Boogie Gone Cold (1973) by Rock Revival.