New York Transit Museum

🧐 Recognize this location? That’s right — it’s the Old City Hall Station! It appears on both the front and back cover of the 1981 album “Straphangin'" by jazz fusion band the Brecker Brothers. The translucent ghostly quality of the band members is the result of the long exposure needed to photograph in the dimly lit station.

Old City Hall Station was closed to passenger service in 1945, and declared a landmark by the New York City Landmark Preservation Commission in 1979.

Today, visits to Old City Hall Station are limited to members of the and commercial photography and film shoots are not permitted. We offer several tours a season, which sell out in minutes.

Not a member? Join, renew, or gift a membership: nytransitmuseum.org/membership.

You’ve probably seen a double-decker bus, but New York City once had a double-decker trolley?

Nicknamed the “Broadway Battleship,” the trolley car shown in this photograph was the first—and only—double-deck trolley to run in . Its route was Broadway between South Ferry and 59 Street.

The Broadway Battleship was taken out of service in 1922 after the New York Railways Company determined that, regardless of the larger passenger capacity, it was too slow to load and unload to make it worthwhile.�

Learn about this and many other unusual transit experiments in our new exhibit “50 Years of Stories,” opening June 17th at the in Downtown Brooklyn. This special anniversary exhibition explores some of the most surprising, funny, and fascinating tales from the history of New York’s transportation system.

Plan your visit at nytransitmuseum.org.

These 1975 images show the neighboring stations of Atlantic Avenue—Pacific Street (now known as Atlantic Avenue–Barclay’s Center) on the and Flatbush Avenue (now known as Atlantic Terminal) on the Long Island Railroad.

Today, the Atlantic Avenue–Barclay’s Center complex is Brooklyn's busiest subway station, and MTA LIRR's Atlantic Terminal sees 22,000 passengers each weekday.

A transit hub since as early as the 1850s, the important crossroads of Fourth Avenue, Flatbush Avenue and Atlantic Avenue is served by the IRT (today’s 2/3/4/5 trains), the BMT (today’s B/D/N/Q/R trains), the Long Island Rail Road, and buses. Additionally, the area was once served by the Fifth Avenue Elevated Line (demolished in 1941), and trolleys (until 1951).

📸:
1. IRT Lexington Avenue Line platform, Atlantic Avenue station
2. Passageway, Atlantic Avenue station
3. Track 5 of the Long lsland Rail Road at Flatbush Avenue terminal
4. Interior waiting room of the Long lsland Railroad’s Flatbush Avenue terminal

: At next Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7 you can take a ride on historic BMT Standard cars! These cars were part of the system from 1914 to 1969.

When the Standard "B" type car arrived, it represented a radical departure in subway car design. Created with a maximum seating philosophy, the Standards were 67ft long and 10ft wide, offering standing room for 182 riders and 78 seats with an additional 14 drop-down auxiliary seats. The fleet also introduced destination roll signs, larger windows, brighter lighting, and center doors operated by an easy-to-use pneumatic system for faster movement on and off cars.

Ride the rails in historic style from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7. Hop on and off vintage favorites maintained and operated by New York City Transit.

Join us at the Brighton Beach station (B/Q platforms) or Kings Highway station (Manhattan-bound B/Q platform). Admission is free with your subway fare.

Don’t miss your chance to step aboard these time-traveling treasures!

📷:
1-4. BMT Standard cars at Parade of Trains, 2023-2025
5. BMT Standard cars, 1969
6. BMT Standard cars, 1950

Learn more at nytransitmuseum.org/nostalgia-rides.

*Vintage equipment subject to change.

: Next weekend at , catch a ride on historic wooden BRT Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad cars! Don’t miss your chance to step aboard these time-traveling treasures for just the cost of your subway fare.

Ordered in 1903 and 1907 for Brooklyn elevated lines, they are known informally as “Gate Cars,” since a conductor must manually open and close metal gates to allow passengers to board safely. BU Gate Cars cars were modernized and renumbered in 1939 to transport crowds to the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadow/Corona Park. They continued to run as Q cars on the Astoria and Flushing elevated lines in the 1940s and later on the Third Avenue and Myrtle Avenue Els before the fleet was retired in 1969.

Maintained and operated by Metropolitan Transportation Authority - MTA New York City Transit, these and other historic cars are yours to ride from 11am to 4pm on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7.

Join us at the Brighton Beach station (B/Q platforms) or Kings Highway station (Manhattan-bound B/Q platform). Admission is FREE with your subway fare!

📷:
1 & 2. BU Gate Cars at Parade of Trains, 2023
3. BU cars in service on the Myrtle Avenue Elevated, 1950
4. Interior of a Pullman-built BU, 1929

Learn more at nytransitmuseum.org/nostalgia-rides.

*Vintage equipment subject to change.

Happy birthday, ! The Brooklyn Bridge opened on 143 years ago in 1883. At that time, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world, and was known as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge or the East River Bridge.

that the Brooklyn Bridge was once served by cable cars, trolleys and an elevated railway? Steam-powered cable cars came first. Soon, trolleys and elevated trains began running. Elevated trains ran on the bridge until 1944. Trolleys ran until 1950.

These photographs show two pre-1900 views of the Brooklyn Bridge: in 1890, with cable cars, and in 1898 with elevated railway and trolleys.

Though public transportation over the Brooklyn Bridge no longer exists, the bridge is still a major player in keeping moving. In 2024, it was estimated that the Brooklyn Bridge carried around 4,000 pedestrians, 3,100 bicyclists, and 145,000 cars each day!