- MS Multi-section car (New York City Subway car)
The MS Multi-section, a series of
New York City Subway cars, was built in prototype form in 1934 with production models built in 1936. They are also known as the compartment cars. The MS was an articulated car made up of five sections. Their average length was 170 ft (52 m), making them the longest articulated units ever used in the history of the BMT. The first two pilot cars, numbered 7003 and 7029 were delivered in 1934 by theBudd Company andPullman Company . They were known as the Green Hornet (fromPullman Company ) and the Zephyr (from theBudd Company ). The Green Hornet (and the 25 production cars) had two double-leaf doors on each section (10 doors per unit), while the Zephyr had four single-leaf doors on each section (20 doors per unit). These cars were in production at the same time as theUnion Pacific M-10000 and the BuddPioneer Zephyr for theCB&Q . Testing of these cars proved successful and the BMT ordered a further 25 cars, 15 from Pullman and 10 from St. Louis Car Co.However, with the onset of
World War Two , the Green Hornet was scrapped in 1942 for its valuable aluminum body. The unit had been plagued by master controller problems and was only in service for three years before it was withdrawn after maintenance revealed two cracked trucks. The Zephyr had a much better service record and remained in service on the Franklin Av. Shuttle until it was retired in 1954. The unit was scrapped in 1959.The 25 production cars were introduced in 1936, but were quickly withdrawn from service for truck modifications. They were returned to service one year later and began serving on the Canarsie Line. They were retired from service on
September 5 ,1961 and scrapped later that year.The MS was notable for its rapid acceleration rate (4 mph/s [1.8 m/s²] for the Green Hornet and the 25 production cars, and 5 mph/s [2.2 m/s²] for the Zephyr) and its "balancing speed" — the maximum speed attainable on level track, running empty — was relatively high (53 mph [85 km/h] for the Green Hornet, 55 mph [89 km/h] for the Zephyr, and 58 mph [93 km/h] for the 25 production units).
Another interesting fact was that the Zephyr was built without couplers, so it could only operate as a single unit.
MS Multi-section Specifications
*Car Builder: Pullman - 7003, 7014-7028 / St Louis Car 7004-7013 /Budd - 7029
*Car Body:
*Unit Numbers: 7003, 7014-7028, 7004-7013, 7029
*Fleet: 27 units
*Car Length: 168 ft 6 in (Zephyr)/170 ft (Green Hornet)/179 ft 4 in (production cars)
*Car Width: 10 ft over thresholds (Green Hornet and Zephyr)/ 10 ft 10 in over thresholds (production cars)
*Car Height: 12 ft (Green Hornet and production cars)/11 ft 7.5 in (Zephyr)
*Track Gauge: 4 ft 8.5 in.
*Propulsion System: Westinghouse XD29 P.C.C. Multi-Notch 47 pts (Green Hornet, and St. Louis Car production cars), General Electric 17KG39A1 (Pullman Standard production cars), 17KG21A (Zephyr "C" car), 17KM1C (Zephyr "A, A1" cars)
*Motors (on every axle):Westinghouse M1431A, 1433, General Electric 1196A1, 1186
*Power (per motor) : 70 hp (52 kW)
*Total Seating: 170, 184, 198 (Zephyr, Green Hornet, production Cars)
*Total Standing: 496, 490, 514 (Zephyr, Green Hornet, production Cars)
*Total Weight: 170,610 lb (77,390 kg) (Green Hornet), 159,250 lb (72,230 kg) (Zephyr), 180,830 lb (82,020 kg) (production cars)External links
* [http://www.nycsubway.org/cars/bmtodd.html nycsubway.org page on BMT Experimental Fleet]
* [http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?6713 Green Hornet]
* [http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?6775 Zephyr]
* [http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?6731 Production Cars]References
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