It’s almost 2008, and the JMZ line is still sending Bushwickers into Manhattan on rickety, smelly old trains from 1969. This may be about to change: Mike reports that this past Monday they ran those shiny new trains with the digital displays for the J and Z.
“Imagine my surprise Monday morning when this pulled in to Myrtle Ave. Finally! A J train that doesn’t leak when it rains.” Well said.
What to do with the old trains? I hear Nagorno-Karabakh is looking for some new equipment.
James September 28th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
i saw 2 z’s this morning that were new but alas the j was old and shitty as always
Jimmy Legs September 28th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
i took a new Z the other day. it was nice (even had that new train smell) but the in-car announcements were sort of off. like it announced we had arrived at marcy ave when we were still on the bridge. so maybe they want to work out these kinks on the more limited Z before rolling out the J for real. of course, we’ve come to expect this level of quality assurance and fastidiousness from our MTA. good show gents!
James September 28th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
i noticed a simmilar thing when i was on the new train but on the L
Jaybushwick September 28th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
has anyone figured out the sporatic way the J skip stop works? sometimes you get on the train and it doesn’t announce that it skips stop, and then you are stuck, other times you don’t know which stop it will make or skip.
i had to take the train to myrtle plenty of times just because it missed my stop.
any else every experienced this, and am i missing something?
jeremy – i didn’t think you were a J regular customer. thought all you folks by maria park took the L.
Brooklyn Pete September 29th, 2007 at 3:48 am
These trains are pieces of shit, that smelly old train you are refering to is an American built model R42 by the St.Louis Car company 1969-1971. They are one of the most reliable pieces of equipment out there and have suffered years of low maintenance and neglect but keep on running.
When they debuted they were the first fully air conditioned fleet in the system and had light green seats and and a blue stripe on the front of every car.
When these un-American and very un-New York R160 trains take over the bulk of the subway system, the days of gazing out the front window and feeling the breeze against your face will be just a memory as will those quaint rail sounds and New York accented announcements.
The old trains will forever screetch in my collective memory, and so goes another piece of the essence of what made New York a one of a kind city.
By the way most of the old trains when the time comes will become reefed off the New Jersey and Delaware coastlines.
janelle September 29th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
jay – it’s happened to me, but mostly due to my inexperience riding past marcy.
bk pete – my pet peeve about the R42 cars is the lack of places to hold onto and/or the uncomfortable heights of the grab bars – when standing, particularly near the doors.
Michael Dietsch October 1st, 2007 at 11:56 am
Although I don’t give a shit where the train was designed or built, I gotta agree with Pete on one big thing–I love looking out the front window of the R42.
But seriously, it does suck when it rains, the 42′s windows leak, and half the passengers who would sit have to stand instead to keep from getting soaked.
Jeremy October 1st, 2007 at 1:46 pm
There’s a weird belief that the JMZ and L lines go to all the exact same places, and so if you prefer the L, you’ll take that over the J, and vice versa. I take the L to go to Union Square and to connect to most trains to go uptown. I take the J to go to the LES, Soho, Tribeca, etc. Two completely different uses for two completely different trains. It’s not a fashion statement to take a train.
Pete, let me get this straight. Screechy, crappy, leaky old trains should be preserved because they give you a hint of nostalgia? And because they were (cue the patriotic, decidedly country-sounding music) made in Duhmerica? The only good mechanical things made in America anymore are those made by Americans trained by Japanese or Korean companies. Bring on the high-tech superior Asian trains!
Chris October 1st, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Actually, agreed, the trains currently on the J are certainly not new….they were completely gut rebuilt in 1988 and 1989, so they don’t actually date to 1969…..as they are almost unrecognizable from 1989 after they were rebuilt….
Originally, they had painted inside and out doors, aqua colored seats, aqua colored floors, and green walls.
They of course went into the “graffiti scheme” once the 70′s arrived, and then were completely rebuilt, down to their shells in 1989, so they are about 18 years old…..
Here’s more on them, although I can’t find an interior original look photo, but will keep looking:
http://www.nycsubway.org/cars/r42.html
Chris October 1st, 2007 at 2:56 pm
This is the closest photo I could find showing what the trains on the J and M used to look like. These are NOT them, but the scheme was very similar, only difference being that they of course were wider (these are from the numbered lines), and the seats too were that aqua color. If I find an actual photo, I will post the link….
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?4427
Jeremy October 1st, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Looks like a hospital.
Chris October 1st, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Actually….I found a photo of one in the early 80′s! THIS IS the same trains that are on the J today, except of course in the graffiti era….and before they were completely rebuilt in 1989. And people have the NERVE to complain today about the condition of the subway!!!! By the way, the “K” was a short lived 8th Ave local train back in the 80′s, that was discontinued, and replaced with the C.
Once you get past the shock of the filth and the grafitti, notice the aqua seats and aqua floors….GROOVY!!
This is not my photo, and don’t know who’s it is, it’s one I saved from the net years ago, so sorry I can’t credit it…
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/GP36Chris/Subway/Subway-graffiti.jpg
Chris October 1st, 2007 at 3:26 pm
And while on the subject….if you think THAT was bad….these are the trains that were running on the J back then….they were even WORSE. They were never rebuilt, and were scrapped around 1991 or 1992. This photo is also no mine, but found on the net some years ago, and is the J line, although I believe above Jamaica Ave instead of Broadway, but of course, ran through Broadway…..
So, people….as bad as the subway may seem sometimes….remember, don’t forget how GOOD you have it today…..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v93/GP36Chris/Subway/Subway-jamaica.jpg
Jeremy October 1st, 2007 at 4:24 pm
Jesus CHRIST. From the bit I can see inside the car, it looks like someone threw a pipe bomb in it.