Photo courtesy of Black Paw Photo
Sometimes the city's old trains are brought out of retirement so that we may ride them once again, for nostalgia. Most of the time you just have to happen upon them by chance, but a few times a year a special, ticketed ride is offered. The next one of those is coming up on July 12th (at 11 a.m.), for the Coney Island Nostalgia Ride.
For this ride, the retired R1-9 cars will be dusted off for a special trip to the beach, and a ticket aboard costs $50 (for adults, $25 for children). Did we mention these cars are not air conditioned? We were curious why the rides cost this much, when the R1-9 cars are used for these other free rides throughout the year. The answer seems reasonable enough: "The high price is due to the costs associated with keeping these vintage 1930s trains in good condition, ready to run on the rails." Still, $50 for a ride on an old subway car? "Only in New York!"
Photo courtesy of Black Paw Photo
If you want to transport yourself back to 1930s NYC for the day, here's what to expect on the train: "rattan seats, paddle ceiling fans (installed before the age of air conditioning), incandescent light bulbs, roll signs, and period advertisements" (and etiquette signs!). There will also be one to Rockaway in August.
