The R10s introduced many innovations, including an all-welded low-alloy high tensile (LAHT) steel construction, dynamic braking, improved propulsion, and various cosmetic features.

Various modifications were made over the years to the R10 fleet, and about 110 cars were lightly overhauled in 1984–1986.

For the first time, the car body was of an all-welded low-alloy high tensile (LAHT) steel construction.

Improved propulsion, in the form of four 100 horsepower (75 kW) traction motors design, instead of the traditional two 190 hp (140 kW) motors (the setup used in the R1–9 fleet), improved acceleration from 1.75 miles per hour per second (2.82 km/(h⋅s)) to the current 2.5 mph/s (4.0 km/(h⋅s)).

The following year, the fleet was redone in this scheme on this occasion without the extra aqua blue stripe.

Toward the end of their lives, 110 Westinghouse units that went under the GOH program were painted with a green body, a silver roof, and a black front hood.

The original interior paint scheme was blue and gray, conducted with various experiments of this nature.

After it was rebuilt, 1575 re-entered service on June 30, 1947; however, while it cosmetically resembled an R10, mechanically and electrically, it was still an R7A and could only operate with other pre-war IND R1–9 fleet cars.

Thirty cars, numbered 3320–3349 were transferred to the BMT Eastern Division[3] in 1954, and primarily used on Broadway–Jamaica service to help familiarize crews with SMEE equipment in anticipation of the arrival of the R16 cars, whereupon they were returned to normal IND service.

Ultimately, the fleet was essentially assigned to the CC and GG service; however, during the R46 truck crisis, they needed to be placed back into regular A service as its R44s were moved to Jamaica Yard for service on the E, F, GG, and N.[5] Many R10s were used for a few weeks on the D, then for a slightly longer period on the E and F, until the truck crisis was resolved and the R10s were once again, for the most part back, on the CC and GG with only occasional usage on the A until April 1983.

[7][8] There was a light overhaul program for 110 of the WH-powered cars between December 1984 and February 1986 in an effort to get the entire fleet in a non-graffiti state.

The last train of GE-powered R10s and non-overhauled WH-powered R10s ran on November 10, 1988, ten days short of the 40th anniversary of their debut.

The rebuilt WH-powered R10s were withdrawn from March 1989 to September 8, 1989, when the last revenue service train ran on the C. On October 29, 1989, a train of R10s (3018-3203-3182-2974-3143-3045-3145-3216) led one final farewell excursion run on various IND-BMT Division routes, including the then-new IND 63rd Street Line.

[9][10] After retirement, most cars were sent to what is now Sims Metal Management's Newark facility to be scrapped and processed.