All aboard NYC’s historical holiday trains

Plus: Cops in subways are working overtime [On The Way - from WNYC and Gothamist] Gothamist relies on your support to make local news available to all. Not yet a member? [Consider donating and join today.]( All aboard NYC's historical holiday trains [a kid on a nostalgia train] Marc Hermann By [Stephen Nessen]( and [Clayton Guse]( ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and we at On The Way got swept up in the spirit the only way we know how: with a behind the scenes look at the Transit Museum’s Holiday Nostalgia Rides. There are [two Saturdays left]( to catch a ride on the 1930s-era R1/9s subway cars, marking one of the few times in the year the trains are in service. Other than a wreath, ribbons and some lights on the front, they look and run almost exactly the same as they did nearly a century ago. On The Way met up with subways superintendent Mark Wolodarsky, who has the mighty responsibility of running the museum’s fleet of trains whenever they go out for “excursions.” He said the trains are regularly inspected, like any other train, “because they could be called to be used for a special event at a moment's notice.” The MTA had as many as 1,703 of these trains running on what is now the A, C, E line until 1977. The nostalgia train’s vintage technology means the MTA just can’t pluck any operator off their regular route. The MTA has about two dozen operators who receive special training for the high profile gig. “I like to compare it to the difference between driving a Model T Ford and driving a Tesla,” Wolodarsky said. Modern trains have sensors that can tell how many people are on each train car and it will automatically apply enough pressure on the brakes to come to a relatively smooth stop. On the R 1/9s, the operator manually uses the brakes and must account for how many people are on board. But what makes the nostalgia trains special to history buffs are the details. There are the rattan seats, which are made of springs, horse hair, and a coat of shellac. Hundreds of the seats were recently restored by a specialist in Connecticut. Jodi Shapiro, the curator of the New York Transit Museum, said each seat had to be reinstalled in the exact same location. “Even though this all looks uniform, every one of these seat cushions has some sort of quirk,” Shapiro said. Another notable feature of the nostalgia trains are the exposed incandescent bulbs. MTA crews have started stockpiling the vintage bulbs, which are being phased out nationwide for more environmentally friendly, longer-lasting LED bulbs. Still, Wolodarsky said he’s open to using LED bulbs on the old trains in the future. “You could change it from daylight to soft white, different tones,” he said. “I don't think anybody would even notice.” But there’s still a technical hurdle. The old bulbs use AC electric current, while LEDs need DC. One thing that will last is the iconic paddle ceiling fans. Wolodarsky said they are easy to maintain. The nostalgia trains can run as fast as any train in service now and keep on schedule with the best of them. “They are the epitome of machine age vehicle design, and they're just a marvel,” Shapiro said. What New York is reading this week [cops on a subway platform]( Beata Zawrzel/Getty Images [NYPD overtime pay in the subway went from $4 million to $155 million this year]( - The influx of officers corresponded with a dramatic spike in tickets and arrests for fare evasion. [Read more](. - TSA agents at LaGuardia Airport yesterday stopped a man from bringing a baby diaper full of bullets through security. [Read more](. - Police last week seized more than 70 illegal pedicabs during a crackdown in Midtown. [Read more](. - Bronx artist Manny Vega, whose mosaic is featured in the 110th Street subway station, has been named the first-ever artist in residence at the Museum of the City of New York. [Read more](. - The NYPD said more than 230 cars have been towed for blocking bus lanes since the Bus Lane Enforcement Task Force launched on Dec. 4. ([New York Times]( - In 2024, MTA buses with on-board cameras for ticketing drivers who block bus lanes will start enforcing bike lane blockage. ([AM New York]( - The City Council voted yesterday to turn the 34th Avenue Open Street in Queens into a permanent, 26-block-long park. ([Streetsblog]( - New Jersey officials have scheduled a Jan. 5 meeting with the MTA to attempt to settle the state's lawsuit over congestion pricing. ([New York Post]( Curious commuter “I live in Queens and work in New Jersey. I take the Queensboro Bridge to the FDR north to the George Washington Bridge. After congestion pricing is in place, will I be forced to pay $15 or can I take the same route without paying?” - Vahram from Queens What Clayton says: Simply put, you’ll have to pay the congestion toll for driving that route once the program launches. The 2019 state law authorizing congestion pricing mandates fees on motorists entering Manhattan below 60th Street unless they remain on the FDR or 9A, which includes the West Side Highway, Battery Park Underpass and any surface roadway portion of the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connecting to West St. That means there’s no way to cross any of the four East River bridges or the Queens-Midtown Tunnel without being hit with the congestion toll. If you’re heading between Queens and Manhattan, you can avoid the congestion fee by taking the Triborough Bridge — but that comes with a toll of its own. Have a question? [@Gothamist's Instagram]( gives followers for special opportunities and prompts to submit questions. If you're not on Instagram, email [cguse@wnyc.org](mailto:cguse@wnyc.org ?subject=Curious%20Commuter) or [snessen@wnyc.org](mailto:snessen@wnyc.org?subject=Curious%20Commuter) with the subject line "Curious Commuter question." Don’t forget... - Through the first quarter of 2024 the M train will not travel above 57th street, and the F train will run on the E line between Rockefeller Center and Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Ave. These changes to the F line means there's no subway service at Roosevelt Island, but the MTA is providing shuttle buses instead. More details [here](. - Every borough currently has one free bus route. [Find yours](. - The New York Public Library's "electrifying" rare subway photos exhibit is on display through Jan. 7. [Details here.]( This week in NYC transit history Robert Moses subpoenaed at groundbreaking ceremony As New York’s infamous highway builder Robert Moses pushed his controversial plan to build an expressway across lower Manhattan, a state committee sought his testimony. The road became the subject of outrage among downtown community groups as it would cut through residential neighborhoods in Soho and Little Italy. But, during the third week of December 1965, Moses proved to be evasive as state lawmakers sought to force him to appear in front of lawmakers. All week, he’d failed to respond to a subpoena to appear before the State Committee on Metropolitan and Regional Area Studies. But on Friday, Dec. 17, he was served by the committee’s counsel during a groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion of the city-owned Battery Park garage. Moses would go on to defend the expressway to the committee, but it would never be built. The “Power Broker” lost most of his power by 1968, and Gov. Nelson Rockefeller officially killed the downtown highway in 1971. [Instagram]( [Instagram]( [Facebook]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [YouTube]( [New York Public Radio] [WNYC]( | [WQXR]( | [NJPR]( | [GOTHAMIST]( [WNYC STUDIOS]( | [THE GREENE SPACE]( Copyright © New York Public Radio. All rights reserved. 160 Varick Street, New York, NY 10013 [TERMS OF USE]( You can update your [PREFERENCES]( or [UNSUBSCRIBE]( from this list.