New York Transit Museum
@nytransitmuseum.bsky.social
Telling the stories of New York’s public transportation and the people who make it possible. nytransitmuseum.org
#OnThisDay in 1955, R17 cars entered service in the #NYCsubway system. Nearly identical to the R16 models placed in service on the BMT division the year before, the R17 was an economical purchase – the interchangeability of parts between models saved greatly on repair and maintenance.
Subway riders know the challenges that homelessness poses. Join us Thursday, October 15 at 6pm for a free panel discussion about the complexities of this problem and the response programs offered by the City, the @MTA.info and their partners. Register required: nytransitmuseum.org/through-the-....
#DidYouKnow that Brooklyn's Fifth Avenue once had an elevated rail line running over it? Built between 1889 and 1893, the Fifth Avenue Elevated Line ran through Downtown Brooklyn, then along Fifth Avenue through Park Slope and Sunset Park.
#TodayinHistory: #OnThisDay in 2024, #StatenIsland's rapid transit got a major upgrade when the R211S entered service. The innovative, state-of-the-art cars now run on the SIR (Staten Island Railway).
Reflecting the tastes of the era, this 1904 #NYCsubway entrance sign used modernist letterforms that were easy to read at a distance. It was located at Pershing Square: Park Ave. between 41 and 42 Streets, and featured a blue globe.
⚾️ This secret is a home run. Secret no. 35 tells us how the history of transit and baseball are connected. #50SecretsofTransit celebrates the 50th anniversary of the #NYTransitMuseum. Join us as we pull back the curtain on New York's transportation system.
#MetroCardMonday: The #MetroCard Bus debuted in 1996 and traveled around the five boroughs making regularly scheduled stops at community centers, shopping areas, and along major bus routes.
🚌 #SurfaceSunday: Have you ever been to a Bus Roadeo? Though that title may look odd, the spelling is actually correct! The word “road” is intentionally used as a nod to surface transportation.
Running since 1888, the Myrtle Avenue Elevated Line provided an important connection between Downtown Brooklyn and Queens.
#TodayInHistory: 🎬 #OnThisDay 52 years ago, the film “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three” opened in theaters. Now heralded as a classic, the 1974 action crime caper flick is the original film by this name. It was also remade in 1998 for TV and as a major motion picture in 2009.“
Look 🆙! Secret no. 34 is on the ceiling. One woman's obsession with Grand Central Terminal became a hunt for the truth. #50SecretsofTransit celebrates the 50th anniversary of the #NYTransitMuseum. Join us as we pull back the curtain on New York's transportation system.
#DidYouKnow that double-lettered nomenclature was used in the #NYC subway system until 1985? The purpose of repeated letters was to denote that the train was running via the local line of its express counterpart, marked by the same single letter.
🪧 Taken #OnThisDay in 1969, these #NYTMCollection images show protestors making a last-ditch effort to keep the Myrtle Avenue Elevated Line open. Slated to end service three days later, “Old Myrt” as it was known, was beloved by many.
#TransitTrivia: 🎬 In the 1995 film “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” John McClane (Bruce Willis) and Zeus Carver (Samuel L. Jackson) attempt to foil a plan by East German terrorist “Simon” (Jeremy Irons) to set off bombs around #NYC.
#MysteryMonday: Have you ever noticed these colorful strips of flooring at the Jay Street–MetroTech station in Downtown Brooklyn? They are called "Tactile Guideways" and are one of a host of strategies that the @MTA.info is testing to broaden #accessibility in the #NYC transit system.
Once you see it, you'll never stop seeing it. Secret no. 33 breaks the code. #50SecretsofTransit celebrates the 50th anniversary of the #NYTransitMuseum. Join us as we pull back the curtain on New York's transportation system.
#TodayinHistory: #OnThisDay in 2012, arguably the biggest quirk of the #NYCsubway system was resolved when an uptown transfer finally opened between the 6 train at Bleecker Street station and the B/D/F/M trains at Broadway–Lafayette Street station.
#ThenAndNow: This #NYTMCollection photograph shows the corner of Church Avenue and McDonald Avenue in #Brooklyn in 1956. The tracks and overhead catenary for the Church Avenue Line and McDonald Avenue Line are both visible, as is PCC trolley car 1002 traveling on the Church Avenue Line.
Have you checked out our "Ode to the Orange Seats" exhibit yet? Meet some of the artists involved in the show and hear from the Museum's curator Jodi Shapiro in this new video piece from @abc7ny.bsky.social: abc7.com/videoClip/19...
As their last stop nears, NYC's orange subway seats get artsy sendoff
The New York City subway will never look the same.
abc7.com
#OnThisDay in 1978, the JFK Express, known as “The Train to The Plane,” began operation. The goal was to make it fast and easy to reach JFK Airport from Manhattan, and, later, Queens. The JFK Express ran on the Sixth Avenue line above West Fourth Street-Washington Square.
#MetroCardMonday: It's #ClimateWeek. Instead of the usual blue typeface, this special 2010 #MetroCard used green in honor of Climate Week. 🌎
Did you join us for #BusFestival on Saturday? What was your favorite bus? Frank Farrell, Exec. Vice President of Department of Buses/@MTA.info Bus Company, picked Bus 303. 🎟️ We've got lots more fun events coming up! Head to nytransitmuseum.org/programs to learn about fall Nostalgia Rides and more.
#StatenIsland's forgotten ferry token is secret no. 32. #50SecretsofTransit celebrates the 50th anniversary of the #NYTransitMuseum. Join us as we pull back the curtain on New York's transportation system, revealing hidden spaces, untold stories, and the people who keep our city moving.
I have most of my notifications turned off. But I leave the ones for the @nytransitmuseum.bsky.social turned on because they are always such a delight!
Whoever parked Bus #3100 on Emily Roebling Plaza for the @nytransitmuseum.bsky.social’s bus festival lined it up just right. This was the view out of the back window.
⏰ Tomorrow is #BusFestival! Presented by the #NYTransitMuseum and @MTA.info New York City Transit, Bus Festival is FREE and runs rain or shine: 🚌 BUS FESTIVAL 2026 📆 Saturday, September 19, 10am-3:30pm 📍 Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge Park 🎟️ FREE Learn more at nytransitmuseum.org.
This 1976 #NYTMCollection photograph from the Ralph Curico Collection shows a view of the former 168 Street station on the BMT Jamaica Line in #Queens one year before the station closed for good.
🚍 #MeetTheBuses coming to #BusFestival! Bus 3865 is an example of the Rapid Transit Series, or RTS, whose sloping windshield and rounded contours became a familiar sight on New York City streets. Bus 3865 operated in Queens from 1994 to 2010.
💃 Put on your dancing shoes! Announcing Subway Swing 2026: Friday, November 13. Join us at the #NYTransitMuseum in Downtown Brooklyn for an after-hours boogie for the ages!
