The R36 was a New York City Subway car model built by the St. Louis Car Company from 1963 to 1964. The cars are a "follow-up" or supplemental stock to the A Division's R33s, which some of the cars closely resemble. A total of 424 cars were built, arranged in pairs. The order includes World's Fair cars comprising 390 cars, and Main Line cars comprising 34 cars. The R36s entered service on October 24, 1963, and were overhauled in the mid-1980s. They were retired by 2003 with the delivery of the R142 and R142A cars. While most cars were reefed, some have been preserved, and others have been retained for other purposes. Description The R36s were numbered 9346–9769. They were the last entirely LAHT bodied (non-stainless steel) cars built for the New York City Subway. Cars 9346–9523 and 9558–9769 were specifically purchased for service on the IRT Flushing Line ( and trains), which was the closest line to the 1964 New York World's Fair. The cars were also referred to as "World's Fair" cars, or R36WFs (R36 World's Fair), and featured three-piece curved "picture" windows, unlike other IRT cars at the time. While in regular service, five two-car consists of these cars were coupled to one single R33S car to make 11-car trains for the and routes. Cars 9524–9557 were purchased for service on all other IRT routes. The cars were also referred to as "Main Line" cars, or R36MLs (R36 Main Line) to distinguish them from the "World's Fair" cars. They were built from unfinished car body shells of the R33 order, and therefore featured sported drop-sash side windows. Although the R36s were later referred to as Redbirds, the cars were originally painted in different schemes when they were delivered. The "World's Fair" cars were painted in a light blue turquoise "Bluebird" scheme, while the "Main Line" cars were painted bright red like the R33s. These color schemes were used until 1977, when the cars were painted in the silver/blue MTA livery. Then, they were painted in a full white (roof, bonnets, sides were all painted white) "anti-graffiti" scheme from 1981 to 1982 to combat graffiti; since the white paint was a Teflon-based paint, the graffiti did not stick to it very well. The look was abandoned for the famous "Redbird" style, which was applied onto the cars when they were rebuilt. History Early history In 1962, the New