Riding the vintage New York City (NYC) Transit subway old Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) train to Yankee Stadium on Major League Baseball's Opening Day March 30 was a great excursion. Back in the 1920s, Yankees fans rode these same trains to the ballpark. What a treat to see the old fashion ratten seats, ceiling fans and vintage advertisements from the past. This generation of subway cars was so well built and maintained that they ran until the 1960s.
Up until that time, it was common to find both penny gum and soda machines dispensing products at subway stations. Clean and safe bathrooms were readily available. It was a time when people respected authority and law. Previous generations of riders did not litter subway stations and buses leaving behind gum, candy wrappers, paper cups, bottles and newspapers. No one would openly eat pizza, chicken or other messy foods while riding a bus or subway. Everyone paid their way and there was no fare evasion or rampant graffiti.
Subway conductors would never dream of closing the doors while riders attempted to cross the platform attempting to transfer from a local to the express train. Riders did not have to deal with aggressive panhandlers. It was unusual to find fellow riders hogging two seats, yawning, coughing or sneezing without covering up and the release of flatulence.
Most subway stations had clean safe working bathrooms with toilet paper. In those days, you had to pay separate fares for buses and subways. Bus operators had to make change while at the same time drive the bus. There was no Metro Card, One Metro New York or Transit Checks to help keep costs down.
In 1967, NYC Transit introduced the first 10 air conditioned subway cars operating on the old IND system (Independent municipal NYC built, financed and operated A, C, E, F and G lines). It was not until 1975 that air conditioned subway cars were introduced on the old IRT (NYC private franchised Independent Rapid Transit system operated 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Franklin Avenue and Times Square shuttle lines). Subsequently, this also included the old BMT (NYC private franchised Brooklyn Manhattan Transit system B, D, J, L, M, N, Q, R, W and Z lines). It took until 1982 to retrofit all the original IRT "Redbird" series subway cars. By 1993, 99 percent of the NYC 6,000 subway cars were air conditioned, with the exception of a handful running on the #7 Flushing line.
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Larry Penner is a transportation advocate, historian and writer who previously served as a former Director for the Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office of Operations and Program Management. This included the development, review, approval and oversight for billions in capital projects and programs for NJ Transit, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NYC Transit bus, subway and Staten Island Railway, Long Island and Metro North Rail Roads, MTA Bus, NYCDOT Staten Island Ferry and 30 other transit agencies in NY & NJ.
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