The museum is located in an actual subway station, which was originally called Court Street.[2]:1 The Court Street station was built as a terminus for local trains of the IND Fulton Street Line and opened on April 9, 1936,[3][4] along with a long section of the Fulton Street Line and the Rutgers Street Tunnel.[5] 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 walls feature a tile band set in a course two tiles high (as is the case with most IND local stations), colored aquamarine with a cerulean blue border.[6] It is still a functioning subway station; trains are moved into and out of the exhibits using the tunnel between the station platforms and the outer tracks at Hoyt–Schermerhorn Street station (see below).[7]
Service pattern and closure
The station exemplified the IND service theory and the design of most of the Manhattan trunk lines, which specified that local trains should operate within individual boroughs where possible, and provide transfers to express trains which would be through-routed between the boroughs.[8] Court Street was to be the northern terminal of the HH Fulton Street Local, which would run south (geographically east) to Euclid Avenue. Additionally, one of the alternative 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 to/from Manhattan.[9][10][11]
The HH through service was never inaugurated; the only trains to serve the station were part of the Court Street Shuttle, taking passengers from Court Street to the transfer station at Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets.[5] 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 traffic[12] and was abandoned on June 1, 1946.[13][14] This saved about $19,903 a year; at the time of its closure, the shuttle earned $6,700 a year.[12] Following the station's closure, most of the entrances to the street were sealed.[7]
Abandonment
While the station was closed to the public, non-revenue trains would occasionally run to and from the station, with the purpose of "keeping the rails polished".[15] On March 15, 1960, the New York City Transit Authority tested a new cleaning process on the walls of the Court Street station, which had been stained after years without use.[16] There were also plans to convert the abandoned station into a bowling alley in 1961, but these were not carried out.[17] Meanwhile, the sealed but still-present station entrances became dumping grounds for garbage.[18]
The station was also used as a set for movies.[7][19] Three years after its closing in 1949, the station was used for the filming of the film Guilty Bystander.[20] On November 26, 1956, the station was used to film a scene of The FBI Story, posing as the Bowling Green station.[21] By the 1960s, the station was being used for numerous films every year; for instance, the station was a filming location for nine films in 1964, thirteen in 1965, and twenty-two in 1966.[7]The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) was among the films that used the station as a filming location.[22] After the museum opened, the station continued to be used as a set for movies.[23] The museum remains open to requests to use the station for filming,[24] as well as to host private events during hours the facility is not normally open.
Looking down the platform
Bumper block at end of Track A2
View down Track A2, on a rare occasion when displayed railcars are being rearranged
Station layout
The station was a two-track, one-island platformed station while in service. The Transit Museum's main entrance is located at the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street in downtown Brooklyn. An ADA-accessible chair lift and elevator were added after the station was converted into a museum. The wheelchair lift is located at Court and Schermerhorn Streets,[25] but unlike the elevators in operational New York City Subway stations, must be accessed by requesting it in advance or using a call button.[26]
Exhibits and programs
On July 4, 1976, the New York City Transit Exhibit was opened in the decommissioned underground station as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration, charging a fee of one subway token for admittance. Old subway cars which had been preserved, as well as models and other exhibits were displayed.[23][27][28] Plans were to keep the museum open until September 7 of that year,[23] but it proved to be so popular that it remained open and eventually became a permanent museum. On weekends during its initial opening, museum nostalgia trains would run between 57th Street − Sixth Avenue and Rockaway Park, making an intermittent hour-long stop at the exhibit.[23][27]
The museum includes subway, bus, railway, bridge, and tunnel memorabilia; and other exhibits including vintage signage and in-vehicle advertisements; and models and dioramas of subway, bus, and other equipment. A program of lectures, seminars, films, and tours for all ages is offered at the museum. In addition, offsite programs 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, and a gift shop.. Artifacts from historic subway and bus operations, as well as NYC transportation infrastructure, are on display. The exhibits on the upper level are changed from time to time. In addition, there is a small presentation screening room which usually displays posters and videos for public education about courtesy and safety, including examples from other transit systems around the world.
In addition to its own exhibit spaces, the museum occasionally collaborates with other local organizations, such as the Coney Island Museum, to jointly present historical or contemporary shows, such as Five Cents To Dreamland: A Trip to Coney Island.[29]
Railway artifacts
Special "Train of Many Colors" excursions are organized by the New York Transit Museum
On the platform (lower) level, two fully powered and operational subway tracks contain many historic examples of New York City subway and elevated railway equipment on permanent display. Preserved railcars, most of which can still be operated, 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. The platform bordering one of the two tracks is equipped with hinged bright yellow gap filler boards, to allow the narrower IRT railcars to be safely boarded from a platform which was built for the wider cars running on newer lines.
A few specialized railwork vehicles formerly used for maintenance are also usually on view. In addition to the operational rolling stock, there is a large wheel truck and motor (bogie) on display on the platform itself, along with a series of informational panels showing the development of New York City's rail transit systems.
In addition, a fully functional underground "signal tower" control room is on view, a facility that was used to monitor the IND Fulton Street Line and IND Crosstown Line when the subway station was in active revenue service.[23] The track diagram indicator lights and control levers are fully operational, and are still needed when the subway cars on display are replaced or moved; however, since the controls are live, the control panel is secured and locked, but visitors can still view it through a window and read explanatory signs.
Other artifacts in the museum include a poster for the 1926 lost film, Subway Sadie, as well as an original brass light fixture from the station's operating days.[2]:2 It also features an original mosaic plaque from the 137th Street station, dating back to the subway's 1904 opening.[2]:1
Bus fleet and artifacts
The annual Bus Festival is an occasion to exhibit working historic buses, such as this double-deckerThe 26th Annual Bus Festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Besides subway cars, the museum has a sizable vintage bus fleet of retired buses. Because there is no area available for their permanent exhibition in the underground museum, 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 bus fleet includes:
#3100 (built 1956) was the first air-conditioned bus in use in any American transportation system. An experimental bus of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company, it had rear exit doors that passengers pushed to open; seats wrapping around the back of the bus; soft seats; and fluorescent lights. It last saw passenger service in the mid-1970s, having been used later for the New York City Transit Police.[30]
#236 (built 1980) was the first of the advanced design - high-tech bus for its age, having wheelchair-accessible lifts and electronic marquees. The fleet had many mechanical/structural problems and was pulled from service after four years.[30]
#2969 (originally #4789; built 1948) was custom-made for the city's transit system and was one of the first 40-foot (12m) buses. Its front door was twice as wide as other buses' front doors at the time. It was renumbered after the bus that Jackie Gleason's character in The Honeymooners, Ralph Kramden, was pictured in.[30]
#3865 (built 1993) was operated by Queens Surface Corporation during its first years of service, but in May 2000, the bus became under the operation of Jamaica Buses. Twelve of the former Queens Surface buses (including #3865) replaced some 1980s-era buses that Jamaica Buses operated.[30]
#100 (built 1959) was a "New Look" bus built by GMC. In total, 190 "New Look" buses operated in New York City. Each had a curved windshield with a one-piece overhead route sign and windows shaped like parallelograms.[30]
#621 (built 1979) was a "Fishbowl" bus built by General Motors of Canada and one of ten such buses used in New York City until the 1990s.[30]
#3006 (built 1988) was a "Classic" bus operated by Liberty Lines Transit and used from 1982 to 2006.
#1502 (built 1982) was a "New Look" bus. The 25 buses were operated by New York Bus Service. These buses had seats that faced forward; overhead racks and lights; and one door at the front.[30]
#5227 (built 1971 and rebuilt 1985) was one of 350 "New Look" buses that were rebuilt in Chicago. The buses, which had hard, blue lengthwise seating, were the last NYCT buses without a wheelchair lift.[30]
#1201 (built 1981) was one of ultimately 4,877 Rapid Transit Series buses used by the MTA Regional Bus Operations companies from 1981 to 1999. These buses all had wheelchair lifts, making MTA the first agency in the United States to have a fully accessible bus fleet.[30]
Some bus artifacts are present in the station. A revenue bag, one of many provided for use for bus drivers with the Third Avenue Transit Corporation, was used during the 1950s to transport money out of the buses. It is part of the interactive "Show Me the Money: From the Turnstile to the Bank" exhibit, where visitors could "see an image of the vacuum that attaches to the fare box and sucks the coins out."[2]:2
Current exhibits
As of 2017[update], the museum features a number of exhibits:[31]
"Steel, Stone & Backbone: Building New York's Subways" highlights the challenges and labor involved in subway construction during the period 1900–1925.[32]
"Moving the Millions" 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.[32]
"Fare Collection" explains different methods New Yorkers have used to pay subway fare over the years, and displays authentic subway turnstiles which visitors can traverse.[2]:1[32] In addition, there is a small display of the various token designs that were used in the past before they were completely discontinued.
"On the Streets" exhibits a comprehensive history of New York City's street transportation (horsecars, cable cars, streetcars, buses, etc.), as well as two bus installations visitors can sit in, including the driver's seat.[32]
"Clearing the Air" discusses modern street transportation and its impact on the environment, and highlights steps that the MTA is taking to reduce its carbon footprint.[32]
"Stop Look and Listen" allows visitors to enter a working subway signal tower dating from 1936, to see how trains are kept a safe distance apart and supervised.
"Bringing Back The City: Mass Transit Responds To Crisis" explains planning and emergency services, and their role in preventing or recovering from service disruptions.
"No Spitting on the Platform" displays historic way-finding and etiquette signage.
"Dr. George T.F. Rahilly Trolley and Bus Study Center" displays over 50 scale models of streetcars and work cars, with a focus on Brooklyn.
Turnstiles and fare collection
An array of historic subway turnstiles
Various turnstiles from the history of subways are on display at the New York Transit Museum.[2]:1 They date as far back as the subway's opening in 1904, up through turnstiles that were still in use as recently as 2003. The exhibit includes many different types of turnstiles, including turnstiles used during the 1939 New York World's Fair that were designed to require passengers to pay a special double fare both upon entering and exiting the World's Fair subway station.[2]:1 The exhibit is designed to be interactive and to be 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.
Rolling stock
This R21/R22 car was rebuilt for the movie Money Train, then donated to the New York Transit Museum collection
Most of the subway cars in the Transit Museum's fleet are operable, and they are frequently used for subway excursions run by the museum and New York City Transit on various parts of the system. The subway cars are fully furnished with vintage advertising placards and route maps, completing the period atmosphere inside the vehicles. Tickets for Transit Museum excursions (called "Nostalgia Trains") are sold in advance. Some New York City Transit special trains (such as Holiday specials at the end of most years, and Yankee/Met specials) are available for anyone to ride, so long as they have paid the regular subway fare. In addition to the subway cars displayed in the Transit Museum, there are also a number of museum cars that are kept off-site in various subway yards and shops while awaiting restoration, undergoing restoration, or in storage.
The following cars are displayed in the museum as of July27,2024[update]:
There are many cars not on display, but rather, are used on special fan excursions and other events. Most are based at 207 Street or Coney Island Yard. The rolling stock not on display include:
"ElectriCity: Powering New York's Rails", an interactive exhibit of the various types of electric power generation, how it gets to the subway, and how electric motors work.[33]
"Show Me the Money: From the Turnstile to the Bank", which explained the old (pre-2006) process of revenue collection in the New York City Subway via money trains, cloth "money bags", and a sewing machine used to create them.[2]:1
No longer on view in the "Fare Collection" exhibit are several token vending machines that were used to sell subway tokens prior to the advent of the MetroCard.
Other previous exhibits have included surveys of historic subway maps, artwork, signage, and mosaics. A refrigerator-sized plug-in circuit breaker, a complete relay-based classic electric motor controller, and numerous other artifacts that highlight topics such as subway signaling and control, electrical power, and railway infrastructure are no longer on view at the platform (lower) level.
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 transit-oriented gift shop as well as a space for rotating temporary exhibitions.[34] 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 an admission fee at the Transit Museum's main Brooklyn Heights location, entrance to the Annex is free. The main Brooklyn Heights location also has its own gift shop, which is accessible outside of the museum's paid area.
Archives
Documents, photographs, and artifacts are stored both in the Transit 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.[35]
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system that serves four of the five boroughs of New York City, New York: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens. Its operator is the New York City Transit Authority, which is itself controlled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York. In 2015, an average of 5.65 million passengers used the system daily, making it the busiest rapid transit system in the United States and the 11th busiest in the world.
The Brighton Beach station is an elevated express and terminal station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. It is located over Brighton Beach Avenue between Brighton 5th Street and Brighton 7th Street in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. The station is served by the Q train at all times and is the southern terminal for the B train on weekdays only.
The Franklin Avenue station is a station complex shared by the BMT Franklin Avenue Line and the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway, located at Franklin Avenue and Fulton Street in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. It is served by the:
The Coney Island–Stillwell Avenue station is a New York City Subway terminal in Coney Island, Brooklyn. It is the railroad-south terminus for the D, F, N, and Q trains at all times and for the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.
The 59th Street station is an express station on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at 59th Street and Fourth Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, it is served by the N and R trains at all times. During rush hours, several W trains also serve the station.
The Church Avenue station is an express station on the IND Culver Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Church and McDonald Avenues in Kensington, Brooklyn, it is served by the F and G trains at all times, and by the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.
The Carroll Street station is a local station on the IND Culver Line of the New York City Subway, located in the neighborhood of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, at Carroll and Smith Streets. It is served by the F and G trains at all times.
The Seventh Avenue station is an express station on the IND Culver Line of the New York City Subway, located at Seventh Avenue and Ninth Street in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. It is served by the F and G trains at all times, and by the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.
The Smith–Ninth Streets station is a local station on the IND Culver Line of the New York City Subway. It is located over the Gowanus Canal near the intersection of Smith and Ninth Streets in Gowanus, Brooklyn, and is served by the F and G trains at all times. The station is 87.5 feet (26.7 m) above ground level and was the highest rapid transit station in the world when it was built.
The West Eighth Street–New York Aquarium station is a New York City Subway station, located on the BMT Brighton Line and IND Culver Line in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn. The station is located over the private right-of-way of the defunct New York and Coney Island Railroad north of Surf Avenue, running easterly from West 8th Street. It is served by the F and Q trains at all times, and by the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction. This station is geographically the southernmost station in the entire New York City Subway system.
The Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets station is an express station of the New York City Subway, serving the IND Crosstown Line and the IND Fulton Street Line. Located at the intersection of Hoyt Street and Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn, it is served by the A and G trains at all times, as well as the C train except at night.
The Parkside Avenue station is a local station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. It is located at Parkside Avenue and Ocean Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The station is served by the Q train at all times. It is also served by the B train on weekdays until early 2025.
The Avenue U station is a local station on the IND Culver Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Avenue U and McDonald Avenue in Gravesend, Brooklyn. It is served by the F train at all times and the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.
The Avenue X station is a local station in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn on the IND Culver Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the F train at all times and the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.
The Neptune Avenue station is a station on the IND Culver Line of the New York City Subway, located in Coney Island, Brooklyn, at the intersection of Neptune Avenue and West 6th Street. It is served by the F train at all times and the <F> train during rush hours in the peak direction.
The Canarsie–Rockaway Parkway station is the southern terminal station of the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway, and is one of the few grade-level stations in the system. Located at the intersection of Rockaway Parkway and Glenwood Road in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn, it is served by the L train at all times.
The Woodhaven Boulevard station is a local station on the IND Queens Boulevard Line of the New York City Subway, consisting of four tracks. Located in Elmhurst, Queens, it is served by the M train on weekdays, the R train at all times except nights, and the E and F trains at night. The station serves the adjacent Queens Center Mall, as well as numerous bus lines.
The Fourth Avenue/Ninth Street station is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the elevated IND Culver Line and the underground BMT Fourth Avenue Line. It is located at the intersection of Ninth Street and Fourth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn and served by the:
The Jay Street–MetroTech station is a New York City Subway station complex on the IND Fulton Street, IND Culver, and BMT Fourth Avenue lines. The complex is located in the vicinity of MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn. It is served by the A, F, and R trains at all times; the C train at all times except late nights; the N train during late nights only; and a few rush-hour W and <F> trains in the peak direction.
Since the late 20th century, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has started several projects to maintain and improve the New York City Subway. Some of these projects, such as subway line automation, proposed platform screen doors, the FASTRACK maintenance program, and infrastructural improvements proposed in 2015–2019 Capital Program, contribute toward improving the system's efficiency. Others, such as train-arrival "countdown clocks", "Help Point" station intercoms, "On the Go! Travel Station" passenger kiosks, wireless and cellular network connections in stations, MetroCard fare payment alternatives, and digital ads, are meant to benefit individual passengers. Yet others, including the various methods of subway construction, do not directly impact the passenger interface, but are used to make subway operations efficient.
↑ "Mayor Opens New Brooklyn Subway Link: Fulton St. Extension of City System Joins East New York, Downtown Section LaGuardia at Controls Assails 'Political Obstructions' to Unification Plan Adding Four and a Half Miles to the City Subway". New York Herald Tribune. April 9, 1936. p.11. ISSN1941-0646. ProQuest1237383241.
1 2 "Subway Will Discontinue Its Court Street Shuttle: Is Closing Brooklyn Station June 1 for Economy". New York Herald Tribune. May 22, 1946. p.16A. ISSN1941-0646. ProQuest1284572742.
↑ Silberfarb, Edward J. (March 22, 1961). "Subway Stations to Get Bowling Alleys". New York Herald Tribune. p.23. ISSN1941-0646. ProQuest1326254651.
↑ "What a Difference A Week Made!". Brooklyn Heights Press. Fultonhistory.com. July 19, 1962. p.1. Retrieved August 28, 2016. Entrance to abandoned Independent subway station at Court and Schermerhorn Sts. remains as dirty as ever, and still a favorite dumping ground for garbage.
↑ Frederick, Robert B. (April 5, 1967). "Pictures: Abandoned Brooklyn Subway Station Now Too Clean For a Real film Set?". Variety. Vol.246, no.7. p.4. ProQuest1017142431.
↑ "About NYC Transit - History". October 19, 2002. Archived from the original on October 19, 2002. Retrieved September 18, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
Stations and line segments in italics are closed, demolished, or planned (temporary closures are marked with asterisks). Track connections to other lines' terminals are displayed in brackets. Struck through passenger track connections are closed or unused in regular service.
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