Bluebird Compartment Car (New York City Subway car)
Encyclopedia
The Bluebird, formally dubbed Compartment Car by its purchaser, the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT), was an advanced design PCC
subway
and elevated railway
car used on the New York City Subway
system from 1939 to 1957.
unit, 80 feet (24.4 m) long, 10 feet (3.0 m) wide and 12 feet (3.7 m) high, consisted of three compartment
s placed on four trucks, connected by fully enclosed, hinged passageways. The Bluebird was an example of Art Deco
industrial design
, presenting a clean and mildly streamlined appearance. The Bluebird was designed during the Great Depression
as a fast, physically attractive and comfortable mass transit vehicle that would attract passenger
s, while instituting significant economies in production, operation, and maintenance.
The car's lightweight body and running gear, combined with its short truckbase and segmented body, permitted it to operate on the oldest elevated structures, with their light loading tolerance and sharp curves, as well as in tunnel
sections, where policy prohibited the use of the wooden cars
typically used on elevated lines.
A single Bluebird unit, numbered 8000, was purchased by the BMT as a prototype for a planned fleet of equipment that could operate universally on both standard subway lines and older elevated lines. The BMT expected the Bluebird to preserve its investment in its elevated railway lines without expensive upgrading for heavier subway equipment, while attracting passengers with its interior comforts. Tests demonstrated that its greatly improved operating parameters could have cut significant time from existing elevated train schedules.
Bluebirds were the first PCC rapid transit cars utilizing the advanced running gear originally created for new-design streetcars. In addition to quick acceleration and braking (4 mphps), use of PCC technology meant that Bluebirds could share a significant parts and maintenance base with the Brooklyn
transit company's planned PCC trolley
fleet, achieving economies of scale and efficiency.
The Bluebirds were built by Clark Equipment Company
of Battle Creek, Michigan
, maker of PCC running gear. They were the only rapid transit
cars ever built by Clark, and the only passenger rail equipment ever built by the company, other than one PCC streetcar.
purchased the BMT in June 1940. The City's Board of Transportation, already the operator of the Independent Subway System
, was one of the most conservative transit operators in the United States, and had no interest in the former BMT's aggressive technology
planning.
trainline connections. The single-unit 8000 spent much of its service life on the Franklin Avenue Shuttle
, home of many pieces of orphaned equipment, while the train of Bluebirds operated regularly on the BMT Canarsie Line
.
On occasion the train also operated in Brighton-Franklin Ave. Local service and on the Fourth Ave. Local. It probably in those instances operated as an extra behind a regular interval.
After delivery of the Bluebirds, New York City never again purchased any lightweight, articulated or PCC technology rail equipment, nor did it purchase equipment to sustain the lines and portions of the elevated system incapable of operating subway cars. Most of the elevated lines were dismantled between 1940 and 1975.
The remaining Bluebirds were scrapped in 1957.
PCC streetcar
The PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
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...
and elevated railway
Elevated railway
An elevated railway is a form of rapid transit railway with the tracks built above street level on some form of viaduct or other steel or concrete structure. The railway concerned may be constructed according to the standard gauge, narrow gauge, light rail, monorail or suspension railway system...
car used on 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...
system from 1939 to 1957.
Design
The articulatedArticulated vehicle
An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivoting joint in its construction, allowing the vehicle to turn more sharply. There are many kinds of articulated vehicles, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains...
unit, 80 feet (24.4 m) long, 10 feet (3.0 m) wide and 12 feet (3.7 m) high, consisted of three compartment
Compartment
In heraldry, a compartment is a design placed under the shield, usually rocks, a grassy mount , or some sort of other landscape upon which the supporters are depicted as standing...
s placed on four trucks, connected by fully enclosed, hinged passageways. The Bluebird was an example of Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
industrial design
Industrial design
Industrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
, presenting a clean and mildly streamlined appearance. The Bluebird was designed during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
as a fast, physically attractive and comfortable mass transit vehicle that would attract passenger
Passenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
s, while instituting significant economies in production, operation, and maintenance.
The car's lightweight body and running gear, combined with its short truckbase and segmented body, permitted it to operate on the oldest elevated structures, with their light loading tolerance and sharp curves, as well as in tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
sections, where policy prohibited the use of the wooden cars
BU cars (New York City Subway car)
BU cars is the generic term for BRT elevated gate cars used on predecessor lines of the New York City Subway system.-Background:These cars consisted of a variety of equipment used on the BRT and later BMT. Some cars were inherited from steam railroads that became part of the BRT system while others...
typically used on elevated lines.
A single Bluebird unit, numbered 8000, was purchased by the BMT as a prototype for a planned fleet of equipment that could operate universally on both standard subway lines and older elevated lines. The BMT expected the Bluebird to preserve its investment in its elevated railway lines without expensive upgrading for heavier subway equipment, while attracting passengers with its interior comforts. Tests demonstrated that its greatly improved operating parameters could have cut significant time from existing elevated train schedules.
Bluebirds were the first PCC rapid transit cars utilizing the advanced running gear originally created for new-design streetcars. In addition to quick acceleration and braking (4 mphps), use of PCC technology meant that Bluebirds could share a significant parts and maintenance base with the Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
transit company's planned PCC trolley
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
fleet, achieving economies of scale and efficiency.
The Bluebirds were built by Clark Equipment Company
Clark Equipment Company
Clark Equipment Company was a designer, manufacturer, and seller of industrial and construction machinery and equipment.-History:Clark's predecessor was the George R...
of Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, maker of PCC running gear. They were the only rapid transit
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 ever built by Clark, and the only passenger rail equipment ever built by the company, other than one PCC streetcar.
Fleet
Satisfied with tests on unit 8000, the BMT placed an order for an additional 50 units, which could replace 80 old elevated cars. However, the order was cancelled after New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
purchased the BMT in June 1940. The City's Board of Transportation, already the operator of the Independent Subway System
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...
, was one of the most conservative transit operators in the United States, and had no interest in the former BMT's aggressive technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
planning.
Under NYC ownership
Five Bluebirds were in the process of construction at the time of cancellation, and the City decided to accept these, numbering them 8001-8005. They couldn't interoperate with #8000, which had no couplers or multiple unitMultiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
trainline connections. The single-unit 8000 spent much of its service life on the Franklin Avenue Shuttle
BMT Franklin Avenue Line
The BMT Franklin Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York...
, home of many pieces of orphaned equipment, while the train of Bluebirds operated regularly on the BMT Canarsie Line
BMT Canarsie Line
The Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn...
.
On occasion the train also operated in Brighton-Franklin Ave. Local service and on the Fourth Ave. Local. It probably in those instances operated as an extra behind a regular interval.
After delivery of the Bluebirds, New York City never again purchased any lightweight, articulated or PCC technology rail equipment, nor did it purchase equipment to sustain the lines and portions of the elevated system incapable of operating subway cars. Most of the elevated lines were dismantled between 1940 and 1975.
The remaining Bluebirds were scrapped in 1957.