BMT PRE-WWII CARS

Here is a list of the subway cars built by and for the old BMT subway. BMT stood for the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation which operated all of the lines now called the BMT OR B1 Division of the NYCTA.

There were two main types of cars ordered through the years by the BMT. Most of the cars (950) came to be known as the BMT Standards. The remaining cars were articulated, that is each two car bodies shared one truck at one end.

Like this:

CAR NUMBERS	COUNT	TYPE	MFGR	YEAR	PHOTO
2000-2099	100	A	AC&F	1914	BMT Standard B Type on Brighton Line
2100-2199	100	A	AC&F	1915
2200-2299	100	A	AC&F	1916
2300-2399	100	A	AC&F	1917
2400-2499	100	BT	AC&F	1918
2500-2599	100	A	AC&F	1919
2600-2699	100	A	PrSt	1920
2700-2799	100	A	PrSt	1921
2800-2899	100	A	PrSt	1922
Total Standard motor cars:	900
4000-4044	45	B	PrSt	1924
4045-4049	5	AX
Total Standard trailer cars:	50
Total Standard cars	950
6000-6003 ABC	4	D	PrSt	1925	BMT D Type D Type on Brighton Line
6004-6070 ABC	67	D	PrSt	1927
6071-6120 ABC	50	D	PrSt	1928
Total D-Types:	121
7003 A,B,C,B1,A1	1	MS	PSCo	1934	Green Hornet
7004-7013 all with A,B,C,B1,A1 designations	10	MS	StL	1934	BMT Multi
7014-7028	15	MS	PSCo	1934
Total Multi types:	26
7029	1	MS	Budd	1934	BMT Zephyr
8000 A,B,A1	1	CC	Clark	1938	BMT Blue Bird
8001-8005 A,B,A1	5	CC	Clark	1940
Total Clark Cars	6
2900-2924	25	SIRT Motors	StStl	1925 1953 (to BMT)	SIRT Cars on BMT
2925-2929	5	SIRT Trailers	StStl		Trailers were never used in service
Total SIRT Cars	30
Total BMT Cars	1135

Car Type key:

• A - Standard 67' long single cars. Cars 4000-4049 were built as trailers4045-4049 also had controls at one end.. In later years, the cars were permanently coupled in sets and reclassified as follows:
• B - Three A cars coupled with cabs at outer ends only.
• BT - Motor-Trailer two car set with cabs at outer ends only.
• BT - Motor-motor (after BX below were removed in favor of B types.
• BX - motor-trailer-motor car set with cabs at outer ends only. An eight car train would be made of 2 B or BX sets and one BT set.
• D - Three unit articulated 127' total length. Four of these sets were equivilent to eight A Types.
• MS - Five unit articulated 179' total length.
• Pullman cars made of aluminum, painted green and named "GREEN HORNET".
• Budd cars made of stainless steel and named "Zephyr".
• Clark Equipment Company train based upon PCC trolley car technology, named the "BLUEBIRD". Officially called the Compartment Cars (CC in the roster)
• SIRT - These cars were purchased by the B&O RR for the Staten Island Rapid Transit. The BMT purchased them in the 1953 when SIRT cut back service and the BMT was short cars.

Further clarification of the Standard cars types and some corrections from William Zucker:

On the A/B Standards, there is some question about the letter designations. All ACF cars were delivered as singles, and so were technically A-Type cars, although not so designated, as all were single cars. The modifications for MUDC operation and unitization began in 1919-20. Thus, the latter portion of the Pressed Steel cars were always unitized as in later years.
2400-1 through 2498-9 were originally 2 car units (prior to delivery of the 50 trailers), and were designated as BT units exactly as in later years, Following rebuilding, most (not all) of these newly constituted units were equipped with link bars instead of couplers,
When the trailers were delivered and the BX units were formed, 4045-4049 remained as control trailers, designated AX cars, This was a temporary arrangement, and a few years later were placed into the remaining BT units, forming BX's as with the other trailers.
When units were originally formed, cars 2399 and 2500 were removed of the roster, there being no place for them, and remained as used for various non-revenue purposes, They were revived for passenger service following the first wreck in 1953
The ex-Staten Island cars did not appear in BMT service until late 1955 (after the service was cut back to Ditmas Ave.). The trailers 2925-2929 were never used in passenger service; but only in non-revenue service. Some were yard sheds, Only the first one, 2925 was a renumbering; the others retained their original SIRT numbers.

Manufacturers key:

• AC&F - American Car and Foundry
• Clark - Clark Equipment Company
• PSCo - Pullman Standard Company
• PrSt - Pressed Steel Car Company
• StStl - Standard Steel Car Company

BMT Elevated Lines

In addition to the subway cars above, the BMT had many elevated cars that were used from 1880's to 1969. Like the IRT most of the early cars were pulled by steam engine (this is actually an IRT el train). After 1900 many of the cars were converted to electric operation, but kept their end gates. By the 1930's, many of the cars were enclosed with automatic doors.

All photos are from the MTA New York City Transit archives. These GIF files were scanned from offset press prints, thus the quality of the reproduction varies with your monitor and video card capabilities.