The R1 was the first New York City Subway car type built for the Independent Subway System (IND). 300 cars were manufactured between 1930 and 1931 by the American Car and Foundry Company, numbered 100 through 399, all arranged as single units. Nicknamed City Cars, the R1s were the first of five subway car classes collectively referred to as the R1–9 fleet, with future passenger stock orders – including contracts R4, R6, R7/A, and R9 – being virtually identical, with minor mechanical and cosmetic variations.

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R1
R1 car 100 at 23rd Street on the Holiday Shopper's Special
In service	1931–1976
Manufacturer	American Car and Foundry Company
Built at	Berwick, Pennsylvania
Family name	R1–9s
Constructed	1930–1931
Scrapped	1968–1977
Number built	300
Number preserved	4
Number scrapped	296
Successor	R40 R42 R44 R46
Formation	Motorized single units (Half-width operator's cab at each end; conductor controls on exterior)
Fleet numbers	100–399
Capacity	56 seats
Operators	Independent Subway System NYC Board of Transportation New York City Transit Authority
Specifications
Car body construction	Riveted steel
Car length	60 ft 6 in (18.44 m)
Width	10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
Height	12 ft 1.9375 in (3.71 m)
Floor height	3 ft 1.875 in (0.96 m)
Doors	8 sets of 45 inch wide side doors per car
Maximum speed	55 mph (89 km/h)
Weight	84,081 lb (38,139 kg)
Traction system	Westinghouse ABF type UP143B switch group, with XM-29 master controller using Westinghouse 570 D-5 traction motors (190 hp each). Two motors per car (both on motor truck, trailer truck not motorized).
Power output	190 hp (142 kW) per traction motor
Acceleration	1.75 mph/s (2.82 km/(h⋅s))
Deceleration	~ 3 mph/s
Electric system(s)	600 V DC Third rail
Current collector(s)	Contact shoe (Top running)
Braking system(s)	WABCO Schedule AMUE with UE-5 universal valve, ME-23 brake stand, and simplex clasp brake rigging. (Air Compressor: WABCO D-3-F)
Coupling system	WABCO H2A
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

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The first R1s were delivered in 1931, in anticipation for the opening of the IND Eighth Avenue Line. For their time, the R1s introduced several improvements to subway car design that greatly sped up the flow of passengers in and out of trains. The R40s, R42s, R44s, and R46s gradually replaced the fleet of R1s, with the final run taking place in 1976. Several R1 cars were saved for preservation, while the rest were scrapped.

The R1s were numbered 100–399. They were the first "R" type contract order (referring to the practice of naming a car class by the letter "R" – which stands for rolling stock – followed by a number derived from the actual contract number). Future orders of subway cars, including those built for the A Division, would follow the R contract. The R2 contract order was for trucks and motors for the R1 fleet. In 1930, each new car cost $39,201: $30,483 for the car body under contract R1, and $8,718 for trucks and motors under contract R2.^[1]

The first R1 cars to see passenger service were twenty individual cars to serve for two eight-car trains plus spares that were placed in revenue service on the BMT Sea Beach Line from July 8 to November 1931 for testing and then returned to the IND the same year.^[2][1] The BMT was to have been paid by the City of New York for the testing, but since the trains were well used in passenger service, the BMT and City called it even.

The cars were ordered so that the new Eighth Avenue Line subway could be operated.^[1]

In 1949, when all of the R10 cars were delivered and placed in service on the A, approximately 90 of these R1 cars were transferred to the Coney Island Yard to relieve a car shortage on the BMT Southern Division, as well as to provide fleet for the conversion of the Astoria Line to BMT operation in October 1949.^{[citation needed]} The fleet was expanded by stages and reached 140 cars by 1953. They were used for service on the BMT 2 (now R) Broadway–4th Avenue Local service. However, despite ostensibly relieving a car shortage on the BMT, through subway service in rush hours to Coney Island did not occur on the BMT West End Line until December 1953, and on the BMT Culver Line until October 1954, when that line became part of the IND Culver Line. Upon delivery of the R16 cars in 1954–1955, the cars were returned to the IND Division.