received sealed beam headlights to illuminate tunnels. In addition, their interiors were revitalized with enhanced lighting and seat cushions. Overhauled cars also received a more modern General Electric propulsion control package during this time, which was believed by the Transit Authority to be an upgrade over the older Westinghouse packages. About half the overhauled cars were so equipped. Retirement The BMT AB Standards were slowly retired through the 1960s and replaced by R27s, R30s, R32s, R40s, and R42s. Retirement began with the trailer cars, progressed to older motor cars that were not overhauled, and finally progressed to the rest of the fleet. The last of the cars were retired from passenger service in 1969, making a final run on the BMT Myrtle Ave. Line on August 4, 1969. Following their removal from service, all but five AB Standards were scrapped. The five cars that were not scrapped have been preserved: Car 2204 has been preserved by the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, NY. It is currently a static display, as it is not operational. Cars 2390, 2391 and 2392 have been preserved by Railway Preservation Corp. They were restored to operating condition in 2015 and have operated on New York Transit Museum-sponsored excursions since then. Car 2775 has been preserved by the Shore Line Trolley Museum in East Haven, Connecticut. It is not in operating condition, due to a flood at the museum site. It has also been reported that car 2321, when retired, survived integrally and intact. The current status of this car remains unclear. Description Construction and design The A/B Standards, when ordered, were a noticeable upgrade in the quality of New York's urban transportation. Their longer (67 feet) and wider size (10 feet) distinguished them from smaller IRT subway cars. There would be more room in each car and more space for seats. Unlike the IRT cars, end side doors were offset from the ends of the cars to aid better passenger flow. This design is covered under , with Mr. William S. Menden (chief engineer, and later general manager of the BRT) as the inventor. In addition, there was also a set of center side doors, making for a total of three sets of doors per side. Each door set consisted of two leaves separated by a center post, which allowed more than one person to use it at once. This arrangement proved superior to