R40M

The futuristic front end of the R-40 cars soon proved to be impractical and dangerous for passengers to pass from car to car. Attempts to improve the safety of the slanted ends immediately resulted in disastrous changes to their appearance. By April 1968 it had already been decided that even such modifications were not a solution, and the 100 remaining cars on the order were redesigned. The modified ends were designed by the design firm of Sundberg-Ferar, which also designed the MTA "Metropolitan" (M1) cars for the MTA commuter railroads, and the R-44/R-46 front ends. "R-40M" was not an official designation, although it is now in common use to distinguish the R-40 cars with the modified (non-slant) end design.