As the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) subway expanded in New York City, the need for additional equipment prompted the ordering of 600 low voltage type motor cars. One hundred of these cars came from Pullman in 1916 and 1917, while the remaining 500 were purchased from American Car and Foundry in 1924. An additional 510 non-powered trailer cars entered service between 1916 and 1922. Typical of subway equipment of their day, the steel-sided cars featured rattan seating and rather dim overhead lighting.
The LO-V cars, as the low voltage equipment came to be known, used a low voltage controller, or throttle, to control the high voltage that actually powered the car. This marked a dramatic improvement in safety for the motorman, who in previous HI-V cars had his hand on a controller directly connected to 600 volts of direct current on the third rail. The LO-V cars incorporated a master controller powered by a 32-volt battery, enabling the motorman to control the 600 volts passing through the DC group switches located under the car without fear of electrocution. The LO-V cars served for nearly four decades before being replaced by new cars with plush seating and bright fluorescent lighting.
The RailKing LO-V subway set features transit stop simulation available only from M.T.H. Designed specifically for our municipal transit cars, the unique Proto-Sound 3.0 transit program features Station Stop Proto-Effects, allowing you to program the train to stop automatically at designated station stops, even in Conventional Mode. When configured to run on automatic, the LO-V subway stops itself at locations you define and calls out station names that you select in advance; the subway essentially runs itself. And when you program the LO-V for an out-and-back route, it even reverses itself and heads back downtown when it reaches the end of the line - stopping along the way at each station to broadcast the name of the stop and the hustle and bustle of passengers coming and going.
Did You Know?
The IRT Division of the New York subway was the first built, and its narrower tunnels require smaller cars than the BMT and IND Division
