On April 23rd, 1860 the first segment of the SIR. This year marks the 150th year anniversary.

The railway was not electrified until 1925.

The Transit Museum was going to do something about the anniversary (borrow a SIR car from a Museum like they did with the LIRR Caboose) but do to the current fiscal crisis it canceled plans.

Do those ancient cars still exist and if so where?

Poor Staten Island. They get no representation at the transit museum.

Preserved North American Electric Railway Cars
Roster Details
http://www.bera.org/pnaerc-details.html

Car 366 Staten Island Rapid Transit 1925 Standard Steel rapid transit car (standard car) stored inoperable
1st preserved by Trolley Museum of New York ?-1993 / Seashore Trolley Museum(Kennebunkport, Maine) 1993-present

Car 388 Staten Island Rapid Transit 1925 Standard Steel rapid transit car (standard car) displayed inoperable
1st preserved by Trolley Museum of New York ?-1993 / Branford Electric Railway Association(East Haven, Connecticut) 1993-present

They should order some R160s and retire the R44SIRs

1,that won't happen the R160 Contract is over and plants shutdown
2,the R44SI was recently sms'ed so they won't be going anywhere till 2016.
unless issues come up.

OK, how about some R157s, R179s or R188s?

1,those are not Revenue passenger cars.
2,they will only be for the (A)
train Car replacement base order.
3,that's for the IRT #7 line only A division based cars with some converted R142A's.

We're off topic now a bit, but how come new equipment always seems to get tested on the A then finds its way to other lines instead of staying on the line it was tested on? I won't be surprised if whenever its time for new SIR equipment, that too will be tested on the A lol.

The canceled the add on order for SIR, the R44's will be around a bit longer now.

uhh the R1'S that started on the A stayed on the A.
and the mta loves the for new testing at the test track in the rockaways and N-seabeach exp track.

At the St. George station on Staten Island at the token booth there was a lovely well written historical brochure about the Staten Island Railway.

Mike

Is it before or after the rebuild of the station?