After 58 years of service, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has now retired every single one of its remaining “Brightliners” (R-32 subway cars). Known for their shiny corrugated stainless-steel paneling, the Brightliners bid New York City farewell earlier this month, before they were taken by rail to be scrapped in Ohio. — Fast Company
A majority of the cars were retired over ten years ago, when more than a 1,000 of the R-32s were dumped in coastal areas in Delaware, New Jersey, and Georgia to establish artificial reefs. The plan was meant to boost recreational fishing, which at the time generated billions in state and federal taxes. Additionally, it would have saved the MTA millions of dollars by not sending the cars to get scrapped.
However, the Brightliners ended up disintegrating only months after they were dropped. The reason behind this is because the trains were made of stainless steel and spot-welded, leading to corrosion. And, their corrugated pattern made it easier for undercurrent waves to tear the cars apart.
2 Comments
I feel like something was lost in translation here... maybe the corrugated stainless steel is much thinner than the other carbon steel cars previously used for reefs?
It doesn't make any sense that stainless v carbon would result in such a difference (even with spot or stitch welding) so I have to assume the construction method and material thickness is significantly different.
I noticed that too - it doesn't make a lot of sense. Not that SS doesn't corrode, but most alloys are specifically made to resist saltwater. I'm sure that wasn't really in the plans when those cars were built a million years ago.
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