Money Train Retires

The famous "money train," the yellow train that would pick up money from token booths and travel in the middle of the night, had its final run on Saturday according to the NY Post. Which means no more money train musings, when we're waiting for a subway to roll in late at night - there will only be vaccuum or trash trains around. NYC Transit is bringing money pickups above ground with armored trucks, and apparently the Metrocard-ization of the subways have made the money trains more obsolete. Maybe there can be a high-concept movie about thieves trying to steal money from the MTA's coffers by hacking into various electronic banking transactions?

The website from a stunt coordinator details the Money Train stunts. And one of our favorite subway books is Gene Sansone's New York Subways, which has diagrams of all the different subway cars.

Photograph of money train from NYC Rail, which has an extensive gallery of money train photographs

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By Jen Chung in News on January 16, 2006 12:53 PM

Comments [rss]

Ethan

Now if you want to rob them, you have to get past the armored truck guys while they're emptying the metrocard terminals. They may not ride around on a big yellow train with black stripes, but they do have guns, so I guess that's kind of a deterrent.

Toby

The hq for the New York City Transit Authority is on Jay Street.

subway rider

Dave

MTA headquarter is on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. What you saw was indeed where the money train unloads. If you stand by the Willoughby/Jay entrance long enough, you will see MTA armoured trucks pulling in and out of the building.

Dave

Last year I was waiting for the F-train at Brooklyn's Jay Street/Borough Hall Station. The wall on the Brooklyn/Coney Island-bound track has what looks like a metal garage door, with a security camera next to it. I saw the money train pull in, and the metal door opened. The guys on the train then emptied out the train. I guess the MTA headquarters is above that station.

Toby

The money train in the awful movie of the same name was for a time at the New York City Transit Museum and later at the Coney Island Yard. No idea what happened to it though. The actual money train looks like a regular set of work cars, which makes sense given its job. I have seen it a few times late at night, too.