Subway-Color-Archive: R46, R62, R68
January-March 2025
The days are getting longer, and we are finally heading into that nice between-season north-east weather. I have been preoccupied the past two months, getting into a new routine and work-life balance. Much of my recent commute has been between NY Penn Station and Newark Penn Station, advancing my perspective(s) on congestion pricing disputes between the two states. In short, both need to invest in their train infrastructures. Each system presents unique challenges that must be coordinated. Let’s hope for productive negotiations and increased funding for transit improvements in the months ahead.
This project update is short; just a few new things to relay. There is additional motion in the background that I will bring forward in the next bulletin.
SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Print material will be available in APRIL 2025. The final files are heading to the printer soon! (This is the final postponement of the release.) A USPS tracking number will be sent to your submitted email if you requested a reference book. Again, for those who have requested, thank you for your patience and understanding that good things take time!
- With the uncertainty of congestion pricing, yet again, but now in a different way, this is still a good time to (re)watch the documentary End of the Line (2021).
- G trains are soon to be outfitted with R211T open gangways. This means riders can walk from front to back without opening doors between cars, potentially easing the uneven distribution of riders during rush hour.
Yellow, Orange, Tan… and Navy
To continue this last point, the MTA announced at the end of 2024 that it will phase out nearly 2,000 subway cars as part of a $10.9 billion capital plan. You may still see a few lingering in the new year. These will be replaced by 1,500 modern R211 cars with wider doors, brighter lighting, digital displays, and updated security systems.
The R46, R62, and R68 cars, which are over 40 years old, are known for frequent breakdowns. More so, they are identifiable by and will be remembered for their iconic orange-and-yellow bucket seating. R46 trains, which were deployed in the 1970s, and the R68 from the 1980s, feature an L-shaped seating configuration. Many New Yorkers are reminiscing about their preferred sitting spot; depending on how your day is going, it is important, placement in a subway car matters. The R46 also features a nostalgic tan wallpaper with a patterning of New York City and New York State official seals.
No hard date was given for the retirement of these trains; it was just an ominous cloud planned to pass overhead in the near future. I ask my network for help with photographic documentation in times like this. It’s nice to get more eyes on the ground when the landscape is large and the timeframe is short. I must thank Harris + Dakota Wagner and Mae Stark for capturing many angles of the R46 for the Subway-Color-Archive (S-C-A) in December. Receiving media submissions from people who grew up in the neighborhoods that these trains meander through is invaluable.
The S-C-A continues to collect documentation (photos, videos, audio, text). Both old and new media are accepted.
The collected media can be accessed on subway-color-archive.com. This site has undergone some recent updates to ease the user experience. While some content has been stripped down, all parts live on in these bulletins.
I surveyed the 8th Avenue Independent Line (IND) utilizing mobile phone compatible 3D scanning technology. 3D scanning uses composited still images to create three-dimensional meshes and associated bitmapped textures; this means I can collect both a 3D representation of a site and hundreds of low-resolution photos simultaneously. These have been helpful in the research process, as it isn’t always clear what you might be looking for in site surveys until digging further.
Photogrammetry has proven itself on many occasions to comprehensively document (cautiously, I say it “memorializes”) a space and potential associated conditions present in a given time. File metadata can reveal much about the time and location of 3D scans. As powerful as this tech is, the software I use needs GPS/ location coordinates to help construct the documented contents. Therefore, it has been difficult to scan train cars while in motion. The following scans of R62 and R68 cars, which were documented in December 2024 while stalled at the end of their line(s), feature reconstructed context where photos could not be composited.¹
A few quotes are superimposed on this interactive R68 reconstruction. These remarks touch upon the question (ig) @yerr.nyc made viral: “Which is the best seat?” S-C-A contributor Sam reflects,
“14352 without any other context. This order took me longer than I would care to admit. But I would decide this in seconds multiple times daily based on factors I’m still trying to rationalize. Every number here is also factored against every other “door” or “corner” you entered when getting onto a subway. How far do I need to go to find an acceptable seat or make myself comfortable enough to relax, or do I stand in an area that makes me feel a touch better? Regardless of the neighborhood or hour, this is always a calculation.”
The “Farewell to R46, R62, R68” on subway-color-archive.com caps off with these photos taken by (ig) @cosallad75 of the incoming R211 fleet, pre-deployment. A rare phase. (Tangentially, I enjoy their photo account for pulling forth the beauty in everyday elements.) For better or worse, we’ve become accustomed to the periwinkle blue of R160 trains; I’m curious how the incoming R211 navy coloring will imprint on commuters.
Objects
I recently acquired a copy of “New York City Transit Authority: Objects”. The publication description notes: “400 artifacts [were] collected and documented by photographer Brian Kelley. Kelley started collecting MTA MetroCards in 2011, and he quickly became fascinated by other Subway-related objects. This catalogue [presents] previously uncollated archive of ephemera dating back to the 1850s.” I found the experience of flipping through it interesting as the objects are not formatted to scale or organized chronologically. Small elements hold as much resolution as the larger ones.
Here are a few of my favorite objects, some of which I became familiar with through my IND research:
I hope to see more publications like this and that objects since the book’s launch in 2017 continue to receive some attention. The smallest things can speak volumes. Despite budget cuts and political disputes, we must continue to insist on investing in archival work. As the notorious saying goes, “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone.”
And on, looking ahead to better futures…I am happy that Adrienne Adams has joined the mayoral race. Her commitment to this city is undeniable, and I’m glad she has decided to take this big step. It feels strange, but I look forward to the upcoming election. She has my vote!
The 2023–24 S-C-A route is supported by the 2023 Independent Projects program, a grant partnership of the New York State Council on the Arts and The Architectural League of New York. Independent Project grants are made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State legislature.
This project is not monitored by or affiliated with the MTA.
A study of 8th Avenue will hopefully build the framework for future chroma investigations that branch into other boroughs and neighborhoods — pending additional funding.
Questions, comments, thoughts? Please send them to subway.color.archive@gmail.com
¹Photogrammetry is rapidly improving. I remember when models required DSLR resolution images and still came out looking “blobby” and somewhat undefined. It is amazing how detailed these models can now get using a mobile interface. Yet, no matter how many images you may take to composite your 3D model, there is still a chance that photogrammetry software will be unable to composite seamlessly. Holes may appear with insufficient overlapping moments in the still images taken. If you are scanning at a quick pace, this is a frequent occurrence. This is not to say that a 3D model with “holes” is corrupt; the model itself may show no errors. It becomes, at this point, an aesthetic. A characteristic of photogrammetry that identifies it and apart from other 3D compositing methods.
