New York Transit Museum
Encyclopedia
The New York Transit Museum is a museum which displays historical artifacts of the New York City Subway
, bus, commuter rail, and bridge and tunnel systems; it is located in a decommissioned Court Street subway station
in the Brooklyn Heights
neighborhood of New York City
. There is a smaller satellite annex in Grand Central Terminal
, Manhattan
.
celebration, with one subway token for admittance. Old cars which had been preserved, as well as models and other exhibits were displayed. Plans were to close it after the celebration, but it proved to be so popular that it remained open and eventually became a permanent museum.
The Transit Museum main entrance is located at the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street. Also, there is a new, separate ADA-accessible
entrance for those with physical disabilities. The Museum includes subway, bus, railway, bridge, and tunnel memorabilia and other exhibits including vintage signage, models and dioramas of subway, bus and other equipment, and lectures and seminars. Tours and programs are available at the Museum for all ages. The Museum also offers offsite programs which consist of guided tours of MTA facilities, subway stations, artwork and architecture, and New York neighborhoods, as well as opportunities to ride vintage railway and bus equipment.
The museum's mezzanine (upper) level contains the majority of the exhibits, restrooms, water fountains, a screening room, and even a dining space for visitors who have brought their own food or drink. Artifacts from historic subway and bus operations, as well as NYC transportation, are on display. The exhibits on the upper level frequently change.
On the platform (lower) level, two working subway tracks contain many historic examples of New York City Subway and Elevated railway equipment as a permanent display. Preserved subway cars date as far back as the predecessor companies that came before the New York City Transit Authority
, such as the BMT and IRT
private companies and the city owned and operated IND
. In addition to the subway cars, there is a large motor truck
display, a working signal tower exhibit, and several other artifacts that highlight subway signaling, station signage, and station artwork.
Most of the subway cars in the Transit Museum's fleet are operable, and museum cars are frequently used for subway excursions run by the Museum and New York City Transit on various parts of the system. Tickets for Transit Museum excursions (called "Nostalgia Trains") are sold in advance. New York City Transit excursions (such as Holiday specials at the end of most years, and Yankee/Met specials) are available for anyone to ride, so long as they've paid the regular subway fare. Since mid 2005 the March of Dimes excursions were suspended.
In addition to the subway cars stored in the Transit Museum, there are also some Museum cars that are kept in various subway yards and shops that are either awaiting restoration, undergoing restoration, or not currently being displayed.
Besides subway cars, the Museum has a sizable vintage bus fleet. However, there is no area set aside for their permanent exhibition at the Museum, and therefore they are stored in various Bus depots around the city
. They are brought out for special events, such as the Museum's annual "Bus Festival," which is held annually in conjunction with the Atlantic Antic
street fair. The Bus Festival began as an annual tradition in 1994. During the Bus Festival, the Museum opens its doors for free.
The Museum also maintains a sizable archive. Documents, photographs, and artifacts are stored both in the Museum and in the nearby Archives, adding to the goal of preserving the legacy of transportation in New York. Historians and researchers who wish to visit the Archives are able to do so through the Museum. Some images from their collection can also be seen on Historypin
.
and opened on April 9, 1936, along with a long section of the Fulton Street Line and the Rutgers Street Tunnel. The station has one center island platform
with two tracks. The tracks end at bumper blocks just beyond the west end of the platform.
The station demonstrated the IND
service theory that specified that local trains should operate within individual borough
s where possible and provide transfers to express trains, which would be through-routed between the boroughs. Court Street was to be the northern terminal of the HH
Fulton Street Local, which would run south to Euclid Avenue
. Additionally, one of the plans for the Second Avenue Subway
would have included a southern extension to Brooklyn, tying into the stub at Court Street to accommodate through service from Manhattan.
The HH
through service was never inaugurated; the only trains to the station were part of the Court Street Shuttle
, taking passengers from Court Street to the transfer station at Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets. Due to the proximity of other stations in the Downtown Brooklyn
area, as well as the need to transfer to reach it, Court Street never saw much service and was abandoned on June 1, 1946. However, it is still a functioning subway station; trains are moved into and out of the exhibits using the line between here and Hoyt–Schermerhorn station's outer two tracks.
Around 1960, the station began to be used as a set for movies, most notably the 1974 film The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and the entrance at Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street was reopened for shoots. To this day, the station and its connecting tunnels are still used for movie shoots. The 2009 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, a remake of the 1974 movie, was also filmed there. More recently, the museum appeared in the Life on Mars
episode "The Simple Secret of the Note In Us All", where a newspaper columnist is found murdered on a subway car. The Museum remains open to requests to use the station for filming, as well as to host private events during hours the Museum is not normally open.
The New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store opened on September 14, 1993 at Grand Central Terminal
, in the terminal's main concourse. It houses a gift shop as well as a space for exhibitions. Exhibits frequently change in the Annex. Most notably, the Annex is the site of the Transit Museum's annual "Holiday Train Show," where an operating model train layout is displayed for the public. While there is a small admissions fee at the Transit Museum's Brooklyn Heights location, entrance to the annex is free.
The main Brooklyn heights location also has a gift shop, which is accessible outside of the museum's paid area.
Scope Expansion
In the mid-1990s the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(MTA) assumed control of the Transit Museum from the New York City Transit Authority
. In doing so, the scope of the museum was expanded to include other aspects of transportation services within the MTA, including commuter rail (Metro-North
, Staten Island Railway
, Long Island Rail Road
) and roads/bridges (MTA Bridges and Tunnels
). Since this time, rotating exhibits on the mezzanine level frequently highlight commuter railroad and bridge/tunnel operations, as well as their history.
Track A1:
Track A2:
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
, bus, commuter rail, and bridge and tunnel systems; it is located in a decommissioned Court Street subway station
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
in the Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Heights is a culturally diverse neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Originally referred to as 'Brooklyn Village', it has been a prominent area of Brooklyn since 1834. As of 2000, Brooklyn Heights sustained a population of 22,594 people. The neighborhood is part of...
neighborhood of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. There is a smaller satellite annex in Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
, Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
The Museum
On July 4, 1976, the New York City Transit Exhibit opened in the decommissioned station as part of the United States BicentennialUnited States Bicentennial
The United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
celebration, with one subway token for admittance. Old cars which had been preserved, as well as models and other exhibits were displayed. Plans were to close it after the celebration, but it proved to be so popular that it remained open and eventually became a permanent museum.
The Transit Museum main entrance is located at the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street. Also, there is a new, separate ADA-accessible
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
entrance for those with physical disabilities. The Museum includes subway, bus, railway, bridge, and tunnel memorabilia and other exhibits including vintage signage, models and dioramas of subway, bus and other equipment, and lectures and seminars. Tours and programs are available at the Museum for all ages. The Museum also offers offsite programs which consist of guided tours of MTA facilities, subway stations, artwork and architecture, and New York neighborhoods, as well as opportunities to ride vintage railway and bus equipment.
The museum's mezzanine (upper) level contains the majority of the exhibits, restrooms, water fountains, a screening room, and even a dining space for visitors who have brought their own food or drink. Artifacts from historic subway and bus operations, as well as NYC transportation, are on display. The exhibits on the upper level frequently change.
On the platform (lower) level, two working subway tracks contain many historic examples of New York City Subway and Elevated railway equipment as a permanent display. Preserved subway cars date as far back as the predecessor companies that came before the New York City Transit Authority
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
, such as the BMT and IRT
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company was the private operator of the original underground New York City Subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the City in June 1940...
private companies and the city owned and operated IND
Independent Subway System
The Independent Subway System , formerly known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad, was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway...
. In addition to the subway cars, there is a large motor truck
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
display, a working signal tower exhibit, and several other artifacts that highlight subway signaling, station signage, and station artwork.
Most of the subway cars in the Transit Museum's fleet are operable, and museum cars are frequently used for subway excursions run by the Museum and New York City Transit on various parts of the system. Tickets for Transit Museum excursions (called "Nostalgia Trains") are sold in advance. New York City Transit excursions (such as Holiday specials at the end of most years, and Yankee/Met specials) are available for anyone to ride, so long as they've paid the regular subway fare. Since mid 2005 the March of Dimes excursions were suspended.
In addition to the subway cars stored in the Transit Museum, there are also some Museum cars that are kept in various subway yards and shops that are either awaiting restoration, undergoing restoration, or not currently being displayed.
Besides subway cars, the Museum has a sizable vintage bus fleet. However, there is no area set aside for their permanent exhibition at the Museum, and therefore they are stored in various Bus depots around the city
Bus depots of the New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority and its subsidiary, the Manhattan and Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority , operates local and express buses out of a number of bus depots in all five boroughs of New York City, United States...
. They are brought out for special events, such as the Museum's annual "Bus Festival," which is held annually in conjunction with the Atlantic Antic
Atlantic Antic
The Atlantic Antic is a street fair held yearly on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. It is run by the Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation . Estimated to be the second-largest annual gathering in Brooklyn after the Labor Day Carnival, the Antic features food stands, live music, belly...
street fair. The Bus Festival began as an annual tradition in 1994. During the Bus Festival, the Museum opens its doors for free.
The Museum also maintains a sizable archive. Documents, photographs, and artifacts are stored both in the Museum and in the nearby Archives, adding to the goal of preserving the legacy of transportation in New York. Historians and researchers who wish to visit the Archives are able to do so through the Museum. Some images from their collection can also be seen on Historypin
Historypin
Historypin is an online, user-generated archive of historical photos and personal recollections. Users are able to use the location and date of an image to 'pin' it to Google Maps. Where Google Street View is available, users can overlay the historical photograph and compare it with the...
.
The station
Court Street station was built as a terminus for local trains of the IND Fulton Street LineIND Fulton Street Line
The IND Fulton Street Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway, extending from the Cranberry Street Tunnel under the East River through all of central Brooklyn to a terminus in Ozone Park, Queens. The IND Rockaway Line branches from it. It forms part of the A...
and opened on April 9, 1936, along with a long section of the Fulton Street Line and the Rutgers Street Tunnel. The station has one center island platform
Island platform
An island platform is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange...
with two tracks. The tracks end at bumper blocks just beyond the west end of the platform.
The station demonstrated the IND
Independent Subway System
The Independent Subway System , formerly known as the Independent City-Owned Subway System or the Independent City-Owned Rapid Transit Railroad, was a rapid transit rail system in New York City that is now part of the New York City Subway...
service theory that specified that local trains should operate within individual borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
s where possible and provide transfers to express trains, which would be through-routed between the boroughs. Court Street was to be the northern terminal of the HH
HH (Court Street Shuttle)
HH was the last of the letters assigned to original routes of the Independent Subway System of the New York City Subway in the 1930s. It was designated as the dedicated service letter of the IND Fulton Street Line in Brooklyn....
Fulton Street Local, which would run south to Euclid Avenue
Euclid Avenue (IND Fulton Street Line)
Euclid Avenue is an express station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn, it is served by the A train at all times, and the southern terminal for the C train, at all times except late nights...
. Additionally, one of the plans for the Second Avenue Subway
Second Avenue Subway
The Second Avenue Subway is a planned rapid transit subway line, part of the New York City Subway system. Phase I, consisting of two miles of tunnel and three stations, is currently under construction underneath Second Avenue in the borough of Manhattan.A plan for more than 75 years, the Second...
would have included a southern extension to Brooklyn, tying into the stub at Court Street to accommodate through service from Manhattan.
The HH
HH (Court Street Shuttle)
HH was the last of the letters assigned to original routes of the Independent Subway System of the New York City Subway in the 1930s. It was designated as the dedicated service letter of the IND Fulton Street Line in Brooklyn....
through service was never inaugurated; the only trains to the station were part of the Court Street Shuttle
HH (Court Street Shuttle)
HH was the last of the letters assigned to original routes of the Independent Subway System of the New York City Subway in the 1930s. It was designated as the dedicated service letter of the IND Fulton Street Line in Brooklyn....
, taking passengers from Court Street to the transfer station at Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets. Due to the proximity of other stations in the Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City , and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn...
area, as well as the need to transfer to reach it, Court Street never saw much service and was abandoned on June 1, 1946. However, it is still a functioning subway station; trains are moved into and out of the exhibits using the line between here and Hoyt–Schermerhorn station's outer two tracks.
Around 1960, the station began to be used as a set for movies, most notably the 1974 film The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and the entrance at Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street was reopened for shoots. To this day, the station and its connecting tunnels are still used for movie shoots. The 2009 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, a remake of the 1974 movie, was also filmed there. More recently, the museum appeared in the Life on Mars
Life on Mars (U.S. TV series)
Life on Mars was a science fiction crime drama television series which originally aired on ABC from October 9, 2008 to April 1, 2009. It is an adaptation of the BAFTA-winning original UK series of the same name produced by the BBC...
episode "The Simple Secret of the Note In Us All", where a newspaper columnist is found murdered on a subway car. The Museum remains open to requests to use the station for filming, as well as to host private events during hours the Museum is not normally open.
Museum expansion
Grand Central Gallery Annex and StoreGrand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal —often incorrectly called Grand Central Station, or shortened to simply Grand Central—is a terminal station at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States...
, in the terminal's main concourse. It houses a gift shop as well as a space for exhibitions. Exhibits frequently change in the Annex. Most notably, the Annex is the site of the Transit Museum's annual "Holiday Train Show," where an operating model train layout is displayed for the public. While there is a small admissions fee at the Transit Museum's Brooklyn Heights location, entrance to the annex is free.
The main Brooklyn heights location also has a gift shop, which is accessible outside of the museum's paid area.
Scope Expansion
In the mid-1990s the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
(MTA) assumed control of the Transit Museum from the New York City Transit Authority
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
. In doing so, the scope of the museum was expanded to include other aspects of transportation services within the MTA, including commuter rail (Metro-North
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
, Staten Island Railway
Staten Island Railway
The Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority, publicly known as MTA Staten Island Railway or SIR, is the operator of the lone rapid transit line in the borough of Staten Island, New York City, USA...
, Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
) and roads/bridges (MTA Bridges and Tunnels
Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority
MTA Bridges and Tunnels, legal name Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority, is a division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, that operates seven intrastate toll bridges and two tunnels in New York City...
). Since this time, rotating exhibits on the mezzanine level frequently highlight commuter railroad and bridge/tunnel operations, as well as their history.
Current exhibits
Currently, the Museum features several exhibits:- Steel Stone and Backbone, which highlights the challenges and labor involved in subway construction during the period 1900-1925.
- Fare Collection, which explains different methods New Yorkers have used to pay subway fare over the years, and contains authentic subway turnstiles for passage through
- The Triborough Bridge: Robert Moses and the Automobile Age, which discusses the construction of the Triborough Bridge, recently renamed the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
- Show Me the Money: From the Turnstile to the Bank, which explains the old (pre-2006) process of revenue collection in the New York City Subway
- Inspiring Spaces: 25 Years of MTA Arts for Transit, which displays public art samples from subway and commuter rail stations
- On the Streets, which contains a comprehensive history of New York City's street transportation from horse pulled vehicles to modern buses, as well as two bus installations visitors can sit in, including the driver's seat
- Clearing the Air, which discusses modern street transportation and its impact on the environment, and highlights steps that the MTA is taking to reduce its carbon footprint.
- Stop Look and Listen, which allows visitors to enter a working subway signal tower dating from 1936 and see how trains are kept a safe distance apart and supervised
- Moving the Millions, which chronicles the history of the subway system from the private operators to the MTA New York City Transit of today. Located on the platform level, it is designed to supplement a visitor's experience exploring the various subway cars on display in the museum.
Cars on display
(display order as of 5/5/2011)Track A1:
- R1R1 (New York City Subway car)The R1 was the very first New York City Subway car type built for the IND. 300 cars were manufactured between 1930 and 1931 by American Car and Foundry Company, numbered 100 through 399. Future passenger stock orders – including contracts R4, R6, R7, R7A, and R9 – were virtually identical, with...
100 - R4R4 (New York City Subway car)R4 is the contract number for the second order of standard subway cars purchased for the IND division of the New York City Subway. They were built by American Car and Foundry Company between 1932 and 1933, and were practically identical to the original R1 order. The R4s had a slightly different...
484 - R7AR7A (New York City Subway car)The R7A was a New York City Subway car was built in 1938 by two separate orders from different manufacturers, American Car & Foundry, and Pullman Standard. 100 R7A cars were built...
1575 - BMT D-Type TriplexD-type Triplex (New York City Subway car)The D-Type, commonly known as the Triplex, is a retired New York City Subway car with four units built as a prototype in 1925 and the production units built during 1927 and 1928.-History:...
6095A-B-C - BRT AB StandardAB Standard (New York City Subway car)The AB Standard is a New York City Subway car class built from 1914-1924. It ran under the operation of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company and its successors, which included the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation , the NYC Board of Transportation, and the New York City Transit Authority .In...
2204 - R11R11 (New York City Subway car)The R11 was a class of New York City Subway cars built by the Budd Company in 1949.Because of their expensive price tag - each subway car cost more than $100,000 - the ten R11 cars are frequently referred to as the Million Dollar Train. From 1964-1965, the ten R11 cars were overhauled in the...
8013 - R16R16 (New York City Subway car)The R16 was a New York City Subway car manufactured by American Car and Foundry Company. The R16s were assigned to the BMT Eastern Division, although they showed up on the IND Queens and BMT Southern divisions from time to time....
6387 - R30R30 (New York City Subway car)The R30 was a New York City Subway car built by St. Louis Car Company for the New York City Transit Authority in 1960–62. It was a continuation of the R16 and R27 style. They were a "follow-up" or supplemental stock for the "B" Division's R27s and closely resemble them.The cars were...
8506
Track A2:
- BRT BU Gated El CarsBU cars (New York City Subway car)BU cars is the generic term for BRT elevated gate cars used on predecessor lines of the New York City Subway system.-Background:These cars consisted of a variety of equipment used on the BRT and later BMT. Some cars were inherited from steam railroads that became part of the BRT system while others...
1404, 1273, 1407 - BMT Q-Type El CarQ-type Queens car (New York City Subway car)The Q-Type was a New York City Subway car rebuilt in 1938 by the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation for elevated railway service to the 1939 New York World's Fair from BU cars in the 1200 and 1400 series, elevated stock originally built in 1903 and 1907.After BMT service on the joint IRT-BMT...
1612C - IRT R33 World's FairR33 World's Fair (New York City Subway car)The R33 World's Fair is a class of 40 single cars for the New York City Subway car built in late 1963. They were made for the "A" Division, but only assigned to the service and were based out of Corona Yard. They were used to make 11-car trains with the R36 WF cars, which were built as two-car...
9306 - IRT R15R15 (New York City Subway car)The R15 was a New York City Subway car built in 1950. Built by American Car and Foundry Company, these cars were somewhat similar to the R12/14 cars. These cars were the first to feature round roofs, porthole door windows, and conductors door operating apparatus controls located inside the...
6239 - IRT R12R12 (New York City Subway car)The R12 was a New York City Subway car, the first city-owned rolling stock for the IRT division. Built by American Car and Foundry Company in 1948, these cars were very similar to the R10s, except the R12 was smaller...
5760 - R95 Revenue Collection Cars OR714 and IR714 (former IRT R21 7194 and IRT R22 7422)
- IRT Lo-VLo-V (New York City Subway car)The Standard Lo-V was a class of New York City Subway car built from 1916–25 for the IRT. It was the third "Lo-V" type car order for the IRT, as it arrived after the Flivver Lo-Vs and the first Steinway Lo-Vs.-Description:...
4902 - Long Island Railroad Caboose C-60
- SBKSouth Brooklyn RailwayThe South Brooklyn Railway is a railroad in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It continues to operate today as a subsidiary of MTA New York City Transit...
Steeplecab 5 - Diesel Locomotive 10
Turnstiles
Various turnstiles from the history of subways are on display at the NYC Transit Museum. They date as far back as the subway's opening in 1904, and as close to the present as turnstiles that were still in use as recently as 2003. The exhibit is designed to be interactive and viewed in conjunction with a large board that details the history of fare payment in the subway. Most of the turnstiles can be walked through by visitors wishing to do so. Also viewable in conjunction with this exhibit are several token vending machines that were used to sell subway tokens prior to the advent of the Metrocard.Transit Museum Cars not on permanent display
- R10R10 (New York City Subway car)The R10 is a New York City Subway car class built by the American Car and Foundry Company in 1948-1949. The cars were nicknamed Thunderbirds.-Service History:*First Date of Revenue Service: November 20, 1948, on the ' route....
3189 - IRT R17R17 (New York City Subway car)The R17 is a New York City Subway car class built in 1955. It was one of three car classes purchased in the mid-1950s by the New York City Transit Authority to replace much of the pre-World War II IRT High Voltage rolling stock, which included the Gibbs cars, the Deck Roofs, and the Hedley Hi-V...
6609 (stored on tracks south of the Museum due to lack of platform space) - R32R32 (New York City Subway car)The R32 is a New York City Subway car model built in 1964-65 by the Budd Company in Philadelphia for the IND/BMT B Division. These cars were the first mass-produced stainless steel cars built for the New York City Subway. The two previous Budd orders, the BMT Zephyr and the R11 contract, were...
3352-3353 (Rebuilt as Phase II) - R36R36 (New York City Subway car)The R36 was a class of New York City Subway cars built in 1964 by the St. Louis Car Company, St. Louis, Missouri for the IRT division...
9542-9543 - R38R38 (New York City Subway car)The R38 is a New York City Subway car class built in 1966–1967 for the New York City Transit Authority to run on routes previously operated by the IND and BMT. A total of 200 R38 cars were ordered.-Description:...
4028-4029 - R40R40 (New York City Subway car)The R40 was a New York City Subway car built between 1967 and 1969 by the St. Louis Car Company in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the B Division.-About:...
4280-4281 - R40A 4480-4481
- R42R42 (New York City Subway car)The R42 is a New York City Subway car built between 1969 and 1970 by the St. Louis Car Company in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the B Division. This fleet of cars were the first to be fully equipped with air conditioning. The R42 fleet is numbered 4550-4949...
4572-4573