Holiday Nostalgia Rides

Celebrate the magic of New York City during the holidays with a ride back in time on the New York Transit Museum’s vintage fleet.

Vintage Train:

This holiday season, we continue the tradition of placing our vintage 1930s R1-9 train cars in regular service every Sunday between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Don’t miss your chance to travel through time – for just the cost of a MetroCard swipe!

Schedule

On December 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th, the Nostalgia Train departs 2nd Avenue on the uptown F line in Lower Manhattan at:

10 am

12 pm

2 pm

4 pm

On December 1st and 8th, the Nostalgia Train will depart 125th Street on the downtown A line at:

11 am

1 pm

3 pm

5 pm

On December 15th, 22nd, and 29th, the Nostalgia Train will depart 145th Street on the downtown D line at:

11 am

1 pm

3 pm

5 pm

Route

This year our Holiday Nostalgia Train will travel along new routes! All vintage train rides will depart from 2nd Avenue station on the F line in Lower Manhattan.

On Sundays, December 1st and 8th –

Uptown Stops:

2 nd Avenue (F)

Avenue (F) Broadway-Lafayette Street (D/F/M)

West 4 th Street – Washington Square (F/M, A/C/E)

Street – Washington Square (F/M, A/C/E) 14 th Street (A/C/E)

Street (A/C/E) 23 rd Street (C/E)

Street (C/E) 34 th Street – Penn Station (A/C/E)

Street – Penn Station (A/C/E) 42 nd Street – Port Authority (A/C/E)

Street – Port Authority (A/C/E) 50 th Street (C/E)

Street (C/E) 59 th Street – Columbus Circle (A/C/D)

Street – Columbus Circle (A/C/D) 125th Street (A/C/D)

Downtown Stops:

125 th Street (A/C/D)

Street (A/C/D) 59 th Street – Columbus Circle (A/C/D)

Street – Columbus Circle (A/C/D) 7th Avenue (D/E)

47 th – 50 th Streets – Rockefeller Center (D/F/M)

– 50 Streets – Rockefeller Center (D/F/M) 42 nd Street – Bryant Park (D/F/M)

Street – Bryant Park (D/F/M) 34 th Street – Herald Square (D/F/M)

Street – Herald Square (D/F/M) West 4 th Street – Washington Square (D/F/M, A/C/E)

Street – Washington Square (D/F/M, A/C/E) Broadway-Lafayette Street (D/F/M)

2nd Avenue (F)

On Sundays, December 15th, 22nd, and 29th –

Uptown Stops:

2 nd Avenue (F)

Avenue (F) Broadway-Lafayette Street (D/F/M)

West 4 th Street – Washington Square (D/F/M, A/C/E)

Street – Washington Square (D/F/M, A/C/E) 34 th Street – Herald Square (D/F/M)

Street – Herald Square (D/F/M) 42 nd Street – Bryant Park (D/F/M)

Street – Bryant Park (D/F/M) 47 th – 50 th Streets – Rockefeller Center (D/F/M)

– 50 Streets – Rockefeller Center (D/F/M) 59 th Street – Columbus Circle (A/C/D)

Street – Columbus Circle (A/C/D) 125 th Street (A/C/D)

Street (A/C/D) 145th Street (A/C/D)

Downtown Stops:

145 th Street (A/C/D)

Street (A/C/D) 125 th Street (A/C/D)

Street (A/C/D) 59 th Street – Columbus Circle (A/C/D)

Street – Columbus Circle (A/C/D) 7th Avenue (D/E)

47 th – 50 th Streets – Rockefeller Center (B/D)

– 50 Streets – Rockefeller Center (B/D) 42 nd Street – Bryant Park (D/F/M)

Street – Bryant Park (D/F/M) 34 th Street – Herald Square (D/F)

Street – Herald Square (D/F) West 4 th Street – Washington Square (A/C/E, D/F)

Street – Washington Square (A/C/E, D/F) Broadway-Lafayette Street (D/F/M)

2nd Avenue (F)

R1/9s

When the IND subway — the first subway company operated by the City of New York — opened in 1932, it had a mission to move more people more quickly than its private competitors, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). Over 1,000 nearly identical subway cars were delivered between 1930 and 1940 under contracts, R1, R4, R6, R7, and R9. The cars were modern for their time, fitting in very well with the IND’s Depression-Era Art Deco aesthetic, and each could hold nearly 300 passengers. Upon delivery, they featured rattan seats, paddle ceiling fans (installed before the age of air conditioning), incandescent light bulbs, roll signs, and period advertisements. These cars, which inspired Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the A Train”, went into service on the Eighth Avenue line (today’s A, C, E) in 1932 and ran until 1977. Today, they are preserved as part of the New York Transit Museum’s collection.

R1 cars at 207th Street Yard, June 1931; Vincent Lee Collection, New York Transit Museum.

Please Note: All Holiday Nostalgia Rides are weather permitting, and equipment is subject to change.