The holiday season has arrived in New York City and various festive travel options are being offered, with the “Holiday Nostalgia Rides” organized by the Transit Museum standing out as a unique experience.
According to the museum’s official website, with just a subway card or OMNY tap card, visitors can ride in subway cars from the 1930s, immersing themselves in the past of New York City. As city officials put it, this is a way to “charmingly remind people of the transit history of New York City”.
These nostalgic train rides are only available on Sundays in December, specifically on the 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th of this month. The departure times for uptown rides from the 2nd Avenue and Houston Street F train station are at 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, and 4 pm; for downtown rides from the 96th Street and 2nd Avenue Q train station, the departure times are 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm, and 5 pm.
The northbound route includes stops at 2nd Avenue – Houston Street (F train), Broadway – Lafayette Street (D/F, 6 trains), West 4th Street – Washington Square (A/C/E, D/F trains), 34th Street – Herald Square (D/F, N/Q/R trains), 42nd Street – Bryant Park (A/C/E, D/F, N/Q/R, S, 7 trains), 47th – 50th Streets – Rockefeller Center (D/F trains), 57th Street – 6th Avenue (F train), Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street (F, Q trains), 72nd Street – 2nd Avenue (Q train), 86th Street – 2nd Avenue (Q train), and 96th Street – 2nd Avenue (Q train).
For the southbound route, the stops include 96th Street – 2nd Avenue (Q train), 86th Street – 2nd Avenue (Q train), 72nd Street – 2nd Avenue (Q train), Lexington Avenue – 63rd Street (F, Q trains), 57th Street – 6th Avenue (F train), 47th – 50th Streets – Rockefeller Center (D/F trains), 42nd Street – Bryant Park (A/C/E, D/F, N/Q/R, S, 7 trains), 34th Street – Herald Square (D/F, N/Q/R trains), West 4th Street – Washington Square (A/C/E, D/F trains), Broadway – Lafayette Street (D/F, 6 trains), and 2nd Avenue – Houston Street (F train).
The Holiday Nostalgia Train consists of 8 subway cars from the 1930s, which were once a source of pride for New York City’s first subway company. The R1/9 cars were very modern for their time, featuring rattan seats, paddle fans, incandescent lightbulbs, scrolling signs, and era-appropriate advertisements, serving as the iconic inspiration for Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the ‘A’ Train”. They were put into service on the Eighth Avenue Line (now A/C/E) in 1932 and operated until 1977.
In addition to the Holiday Nostalgia Train, the Transit Museum offers other travel programs. For more details, visit: https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/