Nostaglia Train (Photo Courtesy of the MTA)
Nov. 30, 2015 Staff Report
New Yorkers can ride the subway back in time throughout December.
The MTA will run a “holiday nostalgia fleet” of vintage subway cars for four consecutive Sundays starting Dec. 6. The fleet includes subway cars from the 30s, as well as buses from the late 40s to the 80s.
The subway cars will run along the weekday M line from Queens Plaza to 2 Ave (F line) in Manhattan, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Riders can board these nostalgia trains for a MetroCard swipe.
These vintage cars ran along the subway’s lettered lines until the late 70s, according to the MTA. They have rattan seats, ceiling fans, incandescent light blubs and roll signs for passenger information. Their design, which allowed for increased standing capacity, served as the model for modern subway cars.
“For all intents and purposes, this was the first modern subway car and today’s subway fleets owe a lot to the design,” Joe Leader, outgoing MTA Senior Vice President of Subways, said in a statement. “They were basic, durable and offered the expected levels of customer comfort for decades after they were introduced into service. We continue to build upon this strong foundation with each new car design.”
The New York Transit Museum will also have a pop-up shop every Sunday during the nostalgia rides at 2 Ave, with merchandise available for purchase.
The buses will run on the M42 route across 42nd Street in Manhattan for weekday service between Nov. 30 and Dec. 18, weather permitting.
Departure times from Queens Plaza and a full list of stops that the vintage trains will pass is available online here.
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With all the fare hikes and terrible service, it seems like the MTA could spend their money on something else. Like fixing trains and improving service…But i guess riding on an old train is just as good!
It would’ve been nice to see the train in the daylight on a elevated track.
What’s really cool are the old ads on the train. Before Edward Bernays, the ads were basic and innocent… except for the MTA ads that show Asians blocking the train. I guess people blocked the doors back then as well. They were just brave enough to say what needed to be said. We’ve come a long way.
I crack up when I’m standing in the middle of the train with all the room in the world and I look and see people packed like sardines around the doors…they’ll figure it out eventually.