Designed by Heins & LaFarge and opened in 1904, the Control House was chosen for Landmark status because of its position as the gateway to “one of the original stations built for the City’s first subway line and one of the last remaining” control houses.
This image shows the Control House prior to restoration.
Landmark designation of the #NYCsubway began in November 1973 with the Battery Park Control House – the above-ground entrance to the Bowling Green station. The @MTA.info restored the Control House in the 1990s.
#TodayInHistory: #OnThisDay in In 1965, the New York City Landmarks Law was signed by Mayor Robert Wagner. Thus began an era of preserving important buildings and historic sites, including many distinguished structures that make transportation to, from, and within New York possible.
We currently have an R44 car on display in the #NYTransitMuseum in Downtown Brooklyn. In 2025, Chappell Roan filmed the music video for her song "The Subway" on the Museum's car. Plan your visit at nytransitmuseum.org.
While the majority of the R44 subway cars operating in the NYC subway system were retired due to structural issues, the remaining R44s were overhauled between 2007 and 2010 to operate on the Staten Island Railway. These have all finally been replaced by R211S, as of September 2025.
#TodayinHistory: #OnThisDay in 1972, the first R44 cars entered service in the #NYCsubway system.
Originally designed for high speeds to allow for swift travel along the Second Avenue Subway, an R44 broke the world speed record for a train car on January 31, 1972 with a speed of 87.75 mph.
Manufactured by the Pullman Standard Company, R46 cars were constructed on the South Side of Chicago before being transported to New York City. At the time of the fleet’s arrival, it was the largest single order of passenger train cars in US rail history.
The cars in the photograph are running on #IndustryCity’s freight tracks, which connect to the subway via the South Brooklyn Railway. Some of these tracks are still visible on streets today, although the portion under the building’s corner canopy has been paved over.
#ThenAndNow: Taken in April of 1975, this #NYTMCollection photograph shows the corner of 41 St and 2 Ave in Industry City in #Brooklyn, during a delivery of brand new R46 cars to the #NYCsubway system.
Secret No. 3. 🤫 Do you know which #NYCsubway stations are the oldest? 🔎 Here are two ways to tell.
#50SecretsofTransit celebrates the Museum's 50th anniversary by pulling back the curtain on New York's transit system, revealing hidden histories, untold stories and the people who keep us moving.
Today, nearly a dozen R33ML cars have been converted for service as work trains. Several R33ML cars have been preserved by the Transit Museum and repainted in various vintage paint schemes to represent the car’s storied history.
The cars were later rebuilt by the @MTA.info’s 207 Street and Coney Island Overhaul Shops between 1987 and 1991, making them some of the most dependable train cars in the #NYCsubway system.
Built by the St. Louis Car Company, R33ML cars entered revenue service on all IRT subway lines in November of 1962. Between 1972 and 1982, the cars were retrofitted, making them the first “A” division fleet to feature air-conditioning.
#TodayinHistory: #OnThisDay in 2003, the final set of R33ML cars retired from revenue service, making its last trip on the Lexington Avenue Line.
The station was connected to the New York Botanical Garden via a large footbridge, which crossed over the tracks of the New York Central Railroad. The station house resembled a greenhouse, which would have been a sign passengers that they were about to leave the city for verdant park and gardens.
The Bronx Park Terminal was located at 198 Street between Webster Avenue and Southern Boulevard. It opened in May of 1902, and was accessible via a spur from the elevated train’s Pelham Avenue station.
🌺 Happy #NationalGardeningDay! #DidYouKnow the @nybg.bsky.social used to have its own station on the Third Avenue El?
6. Knoxville Transit Lines: operated streetcars in Knoxville, TN until 1967, when it was bought out by the city and renamed Knoxville Transit Corporation (KTC). Token is dated 1946.
5. Druid City Lines: operated a former transit system in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
4. Los Angeles Railway (or LARy): operated from 1901-1963, and was eventually purchased by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority. LARy was known as the "Yellow Cars", as opposed to the Pacific Electric's "Red Cars".
3. Denver Tramway: operated streetcar lines in Denver, CO beginning in 1886. Its streetcars ran on an unusually narrow gauge. The system was converted to bus operation in 1950 and sold to the City of Denver in 1971.
2. Miami Transit Company: operated from circa 1915 to 1948, at which point the company was purchased by William Pawley, owner of the Miami Beach Railway.
1. Wheeling Traction Company: operated interurban railways and streetcars in the Wheeling, WV area from 1901 to 1933. In 1933, employees worked together to buy the company, renaming it Co-operative Transit Company.
#TokenTuesday: #DidYouKnow the #NYTMCollection contains dozens of tokens from cities outside of New York? They represent lost transit systems, mostly former streetcar lines. This month we’re sharing images of token obverses from the Southeast and West regions of the United States:
Check out the selection of subway token jewelry, accessories, and collectibles available in our store at nytransitmuseumstore.com.
Learn more about the history of fare collection in our "Ticket to Ride" exhibit at the Transit Museum in Downtown Brooklyn. We are open Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-4pm. Plan your visit at nytransitmuseum.org.
These #NYTMCollection images from the 1950s show some of the token vending machines that longtime New Yorkers may remember. Do you have any old subway tokens at home?
#TodayinHistory: #OnThisDay in 2003, the #NYCsubway stopped accepting tokens after nearly 50 years in use. First introduced in 1953, the token had six variations in its time, and became a well-known symbol of #NYC and its bustling underground transit system.
Cashin’s photos are featured in the new book “Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City's Most Famous Thing Never Built” by Dan McNichol and Bill Goodrich. The book tells the story of this new subway line, diving into the challenges that stood in its way. Buy the book at nytransitmuseumstore.com.
