New York Transit Museum’s vintage subway trains return for the holidays

A clear sign that the holiday season has begun in New York City is the return of the New York Transit Museum’s vintage train rides.

Every year, the Transit Museum partners with the MTA to offer “Holiday Nostalgia Rides” on the transportation authority’s fleet of decades-old subway cars. This year’s rides will begin on December 1 and will continue every Sunday until December 29th.

The eight vintage trains, which are part of the Transit Museum’s collection, were operated by the Independent Subway System (IND) (the first subway company operated by the city), running along lettered lines from the 1930s up to the the late 1970s. Deemed R1/9s, they feature a Depression-era Art Deco aesthetic with rattan seats, roll signs, paddle ceiling fans, and ads from the time.

All trains leave from Second Avenue on the uptown F line at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. They make several stops up to 125th Street on December 1st and 8th; and up to 145th Street on December 15th, 22nd, and 29th. Rides on the vintage trains cost the same as a regular subway swipe—that is, $2.75.