In the graffiti days, all the trains had ‘square wheels’ thanks to careless braking. As part of the cleanup, wheel maintenance and driver behaviour improved significantly which I noticed.
We started writing back in 74, 75 on the A train we hung out on liberty ave just before the train went under the tunnel into Brooklyn and the J train off 114 and Jamaica ave they had a layup there in the middle track..we would throw up pieces all the time...welcome back Kotter was an early influence for us...i was friends with Vinny BC ,Mike, or "IKE" as you would know him or better yet IZ THE WIZ many people dont know Mike was a orphan a ward of the state i was very good friends with him for years...he showed me a lot... good friends with Shorty 13 Duster Blitz and a few others I wrote STOKE...King Of the GG line for a time...the GG's would lay up in a station under wall street we would walk the tunnel from canal street to the vacant station...Perfect.... we could do top to bottom full cars in the station with the station lights on! ... we never tagged the station or left our cans as not to burn the station.....thanks for the video and the memories...bob@boboates.com
This is simply amazing, my father who grew up in the Bronx and my mom who came to NYC as a teenager in the 80’s tell me so many stories of the crazy subway back in the day. Even how some of the cars didn’t had missing doors and you had to just hold on for your life. They always recalled it with a smile and a “that was life, attitude” so getting to see a window through your videos of what they saw, is really a treat. Thank you for your uploads. Do you have any more footage by any chance?
Thanks for your comment. While I did not notice any trains with missing doors, it does not surprise me to hear that sometimes that happened. Until the last ones were phased out in Sydney in 1992, some suburban electric trains ran around with hand operated doors which were usually open, even at busy times. People knew just to hang on. Unfortunately I have nothing more on New York.
Olá! Moro no Brasil. Porque o metrô aí dos Estados Unidos, é tão sujo desse jeito? Me desculpe a pergunta, mas, aqui no CZcams, a maioria dos vídeos que vejo sobre o metrô aí, são todos de estações sujas e trens vandalizados.
Olé! Around the time my last video was taken, New York was eventually cleaning up the subway but it may not be so good today. The USA is not the rich and tidy place that Hollywood shows us. For one reason or another, spending money on public infrastructure is not as important as making big profits for private companies, or spending money on the military or space travel etc.
Being born in The Bronx in 1981, I grew up vaguely recalling those old subway cars passing by my Unionport neighborhood. Granted, it was the IRT Lexington Avenue El in my neighborhood, yet the sight of those cars made me wonder about the time and effort that went into making those images. I even recall the old IRT Redbirds being painted green for a time! Ah, the 80's...🇵🇷🇺🇸😎🤣
Thanks for posting this! I shot slides during those years, but no video until the 1990s. It is interesting that this footage spans the exact worst years of the graffitti plague. During parts of '78 through '81 literally all of the 6000+ cars had substantial graffiti outside and often inside as well. Accompanying this were instances of missing glass, dark cars such as at 3:18, runaway traction motors that would spin the wheels and cause a deafening high pitch whine, leaking brake pipes and much more. Truck mounted fuses would regularly blow, frightening passengers with a loud explosion. Older cars had no public address system, so crews could not address passengers during prolonged stoppages. Many roll signs were missing, outdated, frozen on incorrect readings. Less than one third of the cars had air-conditioning and sometimes the underseat heat never turned off, making some seats unuseable. But, the trains ran fast over crooked tracks. Late trains bypassed stations sometimes at full speed. You could drop the front window sash on some IRT cars and take it all in with a stiff breeze in your face and unobstructed view of the tracks. Emergency Brake applications were common as well. Experiencing this as a teenager, with no memory of an orderly subway was a thrill I just couldn't get enough of (muggings were also common, though it only happened to me once that I can recall and once or twice that I witnessed).
Thank you for all that extra information, trainluvr! As a blow-in visitor ,few of those problems would have been noticed by myself. Hopefully viewers of this video will read your insight as well. Also the video has been much improved by location assistance I got from a New York local. Much appreciated. Let’s hope everyone who watched the shortened version (Sorry, I did not realise CZcams had cut it short) watches the rest. The transformation from 1984 is remarkable, and includes some cleaned up trains from almost 30 years ago which are now just history.
Outstanding video. I guess I left NY too soon (1981), all the subways I rode were completely covered with graffiti. The seventies were pretty dystopian. But I enjoyed every minute of my youth. Thanks for this!
Thanks for sharing. My dad worked with the NYCTA from 1969-1999. Went on plenty of rides with him throughout the system, & this brought back good memories. Miss THIS NY. Even with the graffiti.
Thanks for posting this. Brings back memories. I've never been a fan of the graffiti. It's a whole different experience when you live in an area where it's all over the subway trains, stations, buses, and buildings. One of my uncles was proud to be a motorman, originally, when he started in the mid 1960's when these trains were clean. Saddened him greatly as the trains he enjoyed running so much became trashier and trashier from the 1970's thru early 80's. Retired in disgust. The Red Bird rebuild and station rehab campaigns, under David Gunn, were great breaths of fresh air.
I feel the same as you about graffiti vandalism. I can understand your uncle’s feelings. As somebody just passing through, I had the choices of trains with graffiti, or no trains on film. The City dithered for 15+ years, but once they decided of act, they certainly did a great job. Thanks for your input.
Hell with that. City as a whole was much more interesting back then. Hell NY was better and more interesting even in the 60s than it is today. 70s 80s and early 90s was more interesting
@@mkennedy1389 Yes, I should know since I was there. I agree it was more interesting. There were more Mom & Pop businesses around, more 2-parent families, subway trains were faster, cost of rent more reasonable, no extreme political correctness (at least like it is today). But still, the graffiti absolutely sucked. Hit the subway and bus system hard after 1973. My traditional Latina Mom didn't play and would have jack-slapped me into the future had I sprayed trains like some of the kids in my hood did. But other than the graffiti, I do miss the Kojak-era New York.
@@ACLTony More important than some destroyed cars is that Graff gave so many lost kids so much around the globe. Guess you are not into art. And it is pop-art for sure.
@@mthxjzz6462 I'm an artist myself, and see the talent in the drawings, but I refused to trash trains and private property. It's a whole different scenario when you are growing up in an area where the trains, buses, and neighborhood stores are covered with graffiti. I'm so glad now that my mother would have "whupped my tail" had I vandalized trains and buses like some of the kids in my neighborhood did. Respect is one of the qualities I learned from my parents, even though we lived i a poor area. So many outsiders found the graffiti fascinating and enjoyable. My guess is that a lot of these adult graffiti "art" (vandalism) admirers lived in clean areas But for many of us that had to look at it up close, every single day and night of the week; it was downright depressing.
Thank you for posting this video! These are the trains I grew up on in the '80's before leaving NYC in '86. I miss those days of riding those old trains especially the RFW! I could tell you that i NEVER sat down on those old trains! I was always at the RFW looking out of the car watching the train roll down the track and I used to love when the train would speed past the express stops! I wish that the MTA would bring the RFW's back because it took away some crime. You can't commit a crime while staring out of a window and to me, that was the best part of riding the subways- that was my escape from the rough life that NYC sometimes presented itself to people especially during the recession of the '80's and when I would visit NY from the '90's on, I always rode the subways for the RFW's to get back into the New York groove. Now, it's not fun with these new CBTC or whatever you call these new trains-they're kinda boring! One thing you should mention about the old trains though - they were noisy as heck! Half the time, you were covering your ears while the train was racing down the tunnel or when standing at a platform when an express train is roaring past or simply when a train pulls into the station. My ears used to go numb but it was worth the trip.
subwayfantx1608 Unfortunately few trains here, if any, have front windows you can look out of. As for the noise, this was caused by thousands of wheel flats on every wheel. When I came back in 1990, besides all the graffiti being gone, the trains were much quieter. This was possibly a combination of the trains going over the wheel lathe much more often, and teaching drivers not to skid the wheels.
@@tressteleg1 Also because of the system fleet remodeling of the late '80's and early '90's when the MTA changed to a much quieter set of wheels for each car,
subwayfantx1608 From what I have recently read, for very many years they have used resilient wheels, similar to what is used on PCC trams, but I still maintain the main problem was the wheels were covered in flat spots. Nothing can fix it except a trip to the wheel lathe. The rail itself could well have been battered in places and that creates noise also. Older Melbourne trams had solid wheels and yet could be reasonably quiet on track set in concrete which amplifies all sorts of noises.
Apparently I was one of the few people to take video on the subway at that time as local fans were scared of getting their cameras stolen from them. Sometimes I was with a friend who was a bit of a chaperone I suppose, and other times I was by myself blissfully unaware of any risks. As I have said to others, defacing public property is not acceptable. Much of the graffiti was no more than mindless tags which mean nothing to anybody, and many millions of valuable dollars were spent removing that mess, money which should have gone into hospitals, schools or whatever.
Wish I was old enough to ride some of the old routes like the 9th avenue shuttle (S train),the Myrtle Avenue line (MJ train), the 3rd Avenue Bronx line (8 train) and the QJ , CC and the RR lines! Hopefully, someone will invent a time machine in my lifetime.
subwayfantx1608 I doubt if a Time Machine will ever exist. However I do have some video yet to process of Richard Moncreiff’s movie films taken in the 1960s which included some elevated lines which are long gone. The quality is not at all good but better than nothing. I will prepare it one day.
Wow, I am so happy I came across this video. I've worked as a Cleaner for transit for a couple of years and I can't believe how different Essex Street Station looked before the rehabilitation back in the early 2000s. I wish I could see more footage or images of the platforms before they sealed up some of the old parts of the station. I've been able to get a glipse of the old Delancy Street Mezzanines where the track quarters are located now. it's good to see that they didn't destroy some of the old mosaics.
I lived in Manhattan for 5 years starting in 1989. So when I started living there, there were a few subway cars that still had graffiti on them. But I remember I was surprised to see that it became very clean after 1990 as you show in your video. It was very interesting to see a video of the New York City subways that have changed over time.
Wow, this was GREAT!!! I relived my childhood and teenage years in this video! In addition to the vivid comments posted by trainluvr, I'd like to add that the white IRT cars were termed "The White Elephant(s)" and were painted that color in an attempt to stop graffiti vandals. Well, as you can see from the video...it didn't work!! Also, back in 1990, the population of New York City was about 7.3 million - over a million less than there is living in this city today. Taking note of the drop of the city's population from about 8 million just a couple of decades previously, and in conjunction with service patterns, the transit authority decided to scrap the R-27/30 cars. These were, as we see in your video, very ubiquitous on the Eastern Division, as well as the Brighton Line. This meant that these cars are being retired about 10-15 years before they should have been. Well, the timing could not have been worse! Because later in the 1990's the city's gentrification started to take off, the population was growing again, and service demands were increasing. And therefore, they faced a shortage of cars on the B Division. Interestingly, the R-27/30s were refurbished not too long before this decision, with air-conditioning and other mechanical upgrades. Virtually all of the fleet from the 1960's and 70's were refurbished, and we see a rebuilt train of R-42 cars at the end of the video. On the plus side of the 70s and 80s, I remember that the trains usually ran much faster than they do today (the whole system was slowed down after the Wiliamsburg Bridge crash) and I don't ever recall the "sick passenger" being given as an excuse of delays as it is often used today. Hey, the subway today only needs about $50 billion to be brought into a state of good repair. And this is after untold billions have already been pumped into the system over the last 25 years or so.
Thank you also for your local recollections. I trust that others will read and learn from it. As for slowing trains, it is a disease in Australia too but I suspect it is so that state transport ministers can get up in parliament and say 95% of the trains were on time last month, (not adding that the trips are so darn slow that it is almost impossible to run late!)
The 27/30s never received A/C though the married pair redbirds of the IRT did (my farewell 1993 video shows that). Chairman Ravitch, when explaining the need for continuous capital investment in 1981 gave an estimated system replacement cost of $60B. Now we need that much just for system SOGR (state of good repair) and half of a lousy two track Second Avenue subway extension.
But also don't forget that the politicians also used alot to the money earmarked for transit improvements was used for other services in New York state unrelated to the MTA.
My dad used to take the J train from Jamaica Ave to Manhattan to work. Very disappointed that the J train went under ground it was elevated to 168th St should've never have taken it down it's a historic route.
I guess it depends on what part of New York life you are measuring this. Certainly it was not the best time for the subway but in many other respects USA seems to now be in a state of decline.
Love that old footage would have been great to go there back then it’s such a massive complex system. I was lucky enough to ride the r32’s in 2014 and visit south ferry’s tight curved platforms after it was reopened due to the new platform flooding
You have a great recording of a bygone era. It was a great debate at the time (vandalism to most, art to the younger generation). You were very brave to film - many people did not appreciate being filmed back then. I actually saw someone demand the film out of someone’s camera. Your friend was very knowledgeable. I thoroughly enjoyed his commentary. What I do miss is the screeching brakes, and the clunky trains from that era. At 16:10, JJ vs. J (the system eliminated double lettering for local trains JJ became J, LL became L, etc.). Thank you for sharing.
spmsf Yes there does not seem to be much taken in New York in those days. I never had trouble with anybody. My friend, late Richard Moncrief, started with the New York subway but moved across to bus maintenance as he said it was less of a worry. For better or for worse, I don’t like trains making unnecessary noise. As for the graffiti debate, if it is nothing but artistic drawings, up to a point it could be tolerated but nobody can tolerate mindless nametags. Thanks for the double lettering line explanation.
@@tressteleg1 name tags have style and life to them. The real problem was the lack of attention to underprivileged communities, funding for social programs that benefited the youth being cut short..graffiti was born in the Nixon era amidst Civil rights tensions..understandable that to those not involved in the movement, it's ugly and trashy but if I had to x Choose, I'd take graffiti in the visual landscape over the density and severity of violent heartless crime that plagued nyc for basically 30 years
While I do sincerely sympathise with those suffering the social injustices, conscription to the Vietnam war (young Australians also died in that pointless conflict), crime and other undesirable event of those days, I still cannot condone the defacing of public property. If NY was not bad enough, the graffiti defacing public property continues to be a scourge, costing other countries Millions of $$$ for something which had nothing to do with US problems.
@@tressteleg1 your right about that. I would search for this for this kind of video until your channel appeared today. It’s something how they keep reporting on how bad the subway is today but it was bad back then if not worse. I wanted to be a nyc train operator ever since I started playing hooky in school. But I went into radio. You really had to have a look and an attitude when riding the someways back then so no one would f with you.
Apparently local fans were too scared to take movie and video of the subway for fear of being mugged and their equipment stolen. Some of the time my friend Richard Moncrief was with me and he would’ve deterred any thugs, the rest of the time I just went and recorded what I wanted, perhaps oblivious of the risks but never had any trouble. I have not been back to the US since 1990 but by that time the subway was operating nicely. Apparently it has slipped a bit since then, but I cannot compare it just from hearsay.
No Problem. I try to answer all who comment. Almost never does an idiot comment. And greetings from the Gold Coast, Queensland Aus. It’s past your bedtime, I would think 😴
Really good video that proves the more things change, the more they stay the same. I grew up in the 60s cutting school and riding the trains all day long with my brother , he just retired from the transit authority as senior superintendent,,,,,, on the other hand I was the failure and had a hundred dead end jobs in my time , still trying to figure out how that worked sense we both had such an interest in the transit system, but hey it is what it is. Excellent video and thanks for posting it .
👍 unfortunately it goes to show that the boredom of school is a necessity even though much more interesting distractions are very tempting. Glad you like my video anyway.
The graffiti was vile and unacceptable but it was a fascinating watch. NY was king when it came to gritty rustic urbanism non better than on the train tracks! Sydney had a share of "that feel" too but NY had it in droves and was where it came from. Excellent archive you achieved.
Thanks for that. Yes graffiti is a form of vandalism to transit vehicles. It is a pity that NYCTA took so long to do something about it resulting the disease spreading to many other countries.
The good old days of New York City it had an edge. We should bring back all those old subway cars in exchange for junk subway cars of today in circulation.
Well all they would have to do is ask me for a copy of the original 😄 But it does seem as though not many people captured this part of New York at that time.
Totally forgot that the R-32s ran on both the J and L lines in the mid 1980s. IRT SMEES all over the West Side (7th Ave) IRT lines. Thanks for this very enjoyable video!
Being a New Yorker and only ever seeing the trains as far back as those occasional R16 C trains in 2015 or 2017, this feels pretty interesting that these exact rails have different operations for the same general purpose. I take the R train a lot; it's a fairly uneventful line in the system. Seems like it was quite a lot of stuff happening back then.
Grew up in NYC during these times , got a real close and personal look at the trains and subways as a Trackworker for over 30 years for NYCT . It's one thing to see it from the train , a whole other experience to see it from the tracks . We had to be very alert as trains would pass by us so we could resume the work on the tracks . Sad to say we lost a few guys on those tracks who unfortunately lost their lives by getting struck by trains . You really don't know how big a train car is until you're standing in front of one and looking up at it , and depending on what line , that train could be 4,6,8 or 10 cars long . Great experience overall , I worked in the tunnels , bridges , elevated , in all kinds of weather . Nice to be retired 😀
Thanks for your interesting account. Getting clear of the trains would be vital but unfortunately occasionally somebody does not make it in time. Richard Moncrief who you probably heard and even saw on my videos told me that one day he saw a workmate slip on ice in one of the storage yards. He fell onto the 3rd rail and was fried. Very nasty.
Yes especially with that third rail on the ground. Fortunately that means of power has not yet been used in Australia with only the overhead wire method used to date.
@@tressteleg1 I heard there is a system somewhere in Australia where trolleybuses and trams use the same wire. I've never seen a system like that so it'll be interesting.
The last trolleybuses ran in Australia early 1970s I think it was. I think what you describe probably existed for the trolleybuses based at Rushcutters Bay tram depot but that line closed around 1949. But much closer to you I saw that in Toronto on one of my visits somewhere around 1990. I think I took video of it, but have not put my Toronto video on CZcams. As you probably know, Toronto in all their ?Wisdom scrapped Trolleybuses some years ago.
Whoa! If he took video of broadway junction, I'm wondering if he got footage of the eastern portion of the Jamaica ave el from east of 121st street to 168th street. Thats around my old neighborhood. If he did have that for 1984, that would serve as a relic in Jamaica queens history with the Macys there at the time.
Kevin Picou I am the “he” who took the movie and video. That is all I have. However I have video of movie film which the late Richard Moncrief took. From memory it includes scenes of elevated sections of New York which were taken down many years ago as well as the Staten Island railway in the days when it still had level crossings with the roads. If there is any interest, I will post these in due course.
Lucky for you (and other New Yorkers) I am working on those at the moment. Myrtle Ave will be finished first but it will be at least a few weeks before I publish it. Did you ever ride that line? The Ditmar/Culver(?) Line is covered in the Queen St - 168th Jamaica Ave section of the video. With all of this, movie film quality varies a lot.
I am having occasionally trouble identifying a few things in these videos. If you or others with knowledge would like to help out please email me at tressteleg(at)icloud.com Use the normal symbol instead of (at) Thanks!
I guess you mean a loaded gun? I never carried anything like that, but maybe the US was a bit less lawless when I visited there a few times between 1976 and 1990. Guns are something we Australians in general are not interested in having.
J train to Jamaica Center at 15:30 🕞 I believe that is a mistake because there was NO Jamaica Center station back then. That train was going to either Queens Boulevard OR 121st Street.
The section from 1984 looks much like many stations serving the District, circle and Metropolitan Lines in London at the same time. Graffiti was a problem but it wasn’t allowed to get to the level suffered by NY. The NY trains look very much like the 70s and 80s stock used on those London lines in 1984 too.
I think that workers in most rail systems would have fascinating stories to tell from years ago before overregulation took over and controlled just about every single move they make.
when me and da boys were hyped for the R68, when R46 was still a Pre-GOH, when those nickers be puttin graffitis on those trains, when the R110/A/B was announced Damn! that was more than 34 years ago and im 11 lol
I'm curious, what camera models were used? Also, the aspect ratio looks different in the 1976 and 82' than the rest. I think the silent ones were shot in film because it has those artifacts that you don't see on magnetic tapes.
Home video cameras essentially did not exist in 1976 so as you guessed, the silent section was Kodak Standard 8 film. I forget the name of the camera, but probably Bolex. 1984 was recorded on a National Panasonic A4 camera, later scenes their M3 camera, both using the PAL colour system and recorded on full size VHS tapes. As for the aspect. They were all nominally 4:3 although technical or other faults may have caused me to change some sections slightly during editing with iMovie.
I have no tolerance for vandals defacing public property which has to be removed at public expense, wasting money better spent on service improvements.
Every model of the SMEE Technology from the R-10 through the R-44/46 in the B Division IND BMT lines were the best trains ever. Do you any footage of the westend line B, Brighton line D, M, and QB’s, Culver line F, In models R-10, R-27/30, R-32 during the late 70’s and early 80’s?
This video contains all the movie and video I ever took in New York. I do have some poor quality video of movie film taken by the late Richard Moncrief but I suspect it all is too early for what you are looking for. I will process it and put on CZcams one day.
02:40 Remember the announcement for the #1 train @ South Ferry station? "Attention all passengers, please stand clear of the moving platform as trains enter and leave this station. Thank you!" Then again in Spanish. Staten Island OG's know what I'm talking about.
amazing to hear how people spoke better back then during the 70's and 80's and 90's compared to what we hear now and days. most of the English spoken in America now n days is incomprehensible.
I'm just glad that I was not born in the mid-1990s including the 1970s nor the 1980s to see these trains that have graffiti's outside and lots and lots of them inside every subway car. : )
Well, it was an unusual time, for better or for worse. Unfortunately it prompted the scourge of defacing public property of all types all around the world. Fixing that is wasting millions of dollars every year.
I agree with your sentiments. What is surprising is that the MTA did nothing about that vandalism for very many years, but once they resolved to clean it up, they certainly did a thorough job.
@@tressteleg1 Yeah, I can definitely tell you the R32s have been on every single line in the entire NYCT B division, and they have so done their time!!!
Da un lato avrei voluto vivere quella N Y....ma come si dice ? Nascere 20 anni prima e dall'altra parte dell'oceano......cmq un NYC ke non c'è più .....solo in certi magnifici film.🤟🏻
We sometimes regret being born too late to see something interesting in the past. But we will see things older people will never see. New York is one of those places which is nice to visit, but would never want to live there.
@@tressteleg1 maybe yes NYC Is too much for everything.....but i don't wanna visita like a tourist, but for a job ....shooting a small production movie in Winter time.......🎥🤟🏻🗽✨
gatto pallas Good luck. There will be some big mountains to climb to do what do you want to do. And nothing is going to happen while this virus is overrunning the USA.
I remember the first time I rode an RTS it wasn't in NYC tho, it was in North Carolina. Once I came to NYC and saw an abundance of them I always would specifically wait for em after school. I miss those buses but at least I still got my last ride on one from school. It's gonna be sad seeing the R46 leave the (A) Line too.
What happened to the LL line...we used to run down the tunnel from 14th and 1st to 3rd...why did they change it to L? Also the motormen were frequently drunk and this made things more interesting traveling west going down the hill to Union Square or was it 6th?
@@tressteleg1 Graffiti is making a slight resurgence but the graffiti is buffed off right away. Kids these days post their "work" on social media, so they don't care if it gets buffed off.
That is a pity, but the essence is to get it off ASAP so the vandals don’t get the pleasure of seeing their rubbish running around for weeks and weeks. But with their brainless natures, I suppose that having it on social media is just as good.
@@tressteleg1 So if I did the math correctly you should be 75. Also did you think any of these videos have decayed overtime because magnetic tapes on VHS slowly decay over time
It looks like your school successfully taught you some arithmetic. 😊 In fact I was born one day before your air force drop the first atom bomb on Japan. How is your history? When video tape fails with age, you get picture break-up. You don’t get a drop in sharpness or clarity or anything like that.
@@tressteleg1 The only events I know in 1945 was the battle of Berlin and the fall of Berlin. If remember those subway tokens you could suck the tokens out of the slot if you put your mouth on the token slot where you insert it. There where solutions but the most notable ones is to put red pepper powder on it or spray it with pepper spray, so if sometimes tries to get a token out, they will not have a good day(Unless you have a high tolerant to spice). Also have you collected any subway tokens because their value is on the raise? www.nytimes.com/1983/02/07/nyregion/youths-stealing-subway-tokens-by-sucking-on-turnstile-slots.html
Never heard of the Hiroshima bombings in 1945? I always thought American education wasn’t much good, but our own history lessons are probably somewhat lacking these days as well. Do a Google search on the above and you may learn a lot. This and a second bomb finally ended World War II. At this moment I am holding a coin which says Metropolitan Transit Authority around the outside with ONE RIDE printed in the middle, both sides are the same. They must be desperate kids sucking out tokens. An easy way to get choked I would think!
I've always wondered when train graffiti appeared in American culture. In Italy, I believe that there was nothing relevant until the new millennium. I don't know today but until a few years ago several trains on the Rome subway were in the same condition as the New York trains of the time.
Unfortunately the graffiti scourge which wasted multi millions of dollars around the world getting it removed appeared to have started with defacing the New York subway trains.
1:35 Isn't that R10 car with the R9 cars number 1575? Because 1575 is really a R9 with a R10 body, as it was rebuilt after 1575 had an accident in the late 1940s. The New York City Department of Transportation at the time rebuild it with a R10 body to be a prototype for the upcoming R10 cars, but since everything else we're still in R9 form, 1575 still ran with the other R9s. I think that is what "R10 test" meant?
As an outsider, I cannot comment but others have mentioned that I appear to have accidentally captured an unusual car or 2. You may be able to find these earlier comments.
The "Deferred Maintenance" period, the darkest days of NYCT. In 2022 we still haven't been able to fix up all the fuckups this caused. It set the system back 20 years that could not be recouped.
None of these trains on the New York Subway have any of the barreling qualities as you may have on the London Underground (Tube) The District & Circle lines of the London Underground most resemble the NYC Subway. The improvements on the Subway by 1990 are staggering.
The reason the ‘Tube’ trains are that shape is because in the late 1800s the engineers invented what we now call Tunnel Boring Machines and these cut circular tunnels under London. The tunnels where then lined with cast iron curved sections which were bolted together. So the trains were made as big as practical that would fit through these tubes. The D&C and other lines were built earlier and were either open air or used Cut and Cover tunnels, which I expect would apply to the NY lines. Originally those were steam loco powered.
Funny how so many hated the graff bombed trains but it seems that graff on trains has returned in the form of ads makes the train look like a minor league basball outfield wall
Back then, those trains were louder than thunder. Great nostalgic trip. Thanks.
In the graffiti days, all the trains had ‘square wheels’ thanks to careless braking. As part of the cleanup, wheel maintenance and driver behaviour improved significantly which I noticed.
We started writing back in 74, 75 on the A train we hung out on liberty ave just before the train went under the tunnel into Brooklyn and the J train off 114 and Jamaica ave they had a layup there in the middle track..we would throw up pieces all the time...welcome back Kotter was an early influence for us...i was friends with Vinny BC ,Mike, or "IKE" as you would know him or better yet IZ THE WIZ many people dont know Mike was a orphan a ward of the state i was very good friends with him for years...he showed me a lot... good friends with Shorty 13 Duster Blitz and a few others I wrote STOKE...King Of the GG line for a time...the GG's would lay up in a station under wall street we would walk the tunnel from canal street to the vacant station...Perfect.... we could do top to bottom full cars in the station with the station lights on! ... we never tagged the station or left our cans as not to burn the station.....thanks for the video and the memories...bob@boboates.com
This is simply amazing, my father who grew up in the Bronx and my mom who came to NYC as a teenager in the 80’s tell me so many stories of the crazy subway back in the day. Even how some of the cars didn’t had missing doors and you had to just hold on for your life. They always recalled it with a smile and a “that was life, attitude” so getting to see a window through your videos of what they saw, is really a treat. Thank you for your uploads. Do you have any more footage by any chance?
Thanks for your comment. While I did not notice any trains with missing doors, it does not surprise me to hear that sometimes that happened. Until the last ones were phased out in Sydney in 1992, some suburban electric trains ran around with hand operated doors which were usually open, even at busy times. People knew just to hang on. Unfortunately I have nothing more on New York.
Olá!
Moro no Brasil.
Porque o metrô aí dos Estados Unidos, é tão sujo desse jeito?
Me desculpe a pergunta, mas, aqui no CZcams, a maioria dos vídeos que vejo sobre o metrô aí, são todos de estações sujas e trens vandalizados.
Olé! Around the time my last video was taken, New York was eventually cleaning up the subway but it may not be so good today. The USA is not the rich and tidy place that Hollywood shows us. For one reason or another, spending money on public infrastructure is not as important as making big profits for private companies, or spending money on the military or space travel etc.
Being born in The Bronx in 1981, I grew up vaguely recalling those old subway cars passing by my Unionport neighborhood. Granted, it was the IRT Lexington Avenue El in my neighborhood, yet the sight of those cars made me wonder about the time and effort that went into making those images. I even recall the old IRT Redbirds being painted green for a time! Ah, the 80's...🇵🇷🇺🇸😎🤣
Well I’m pleased that this globe-trotting Australian brought you these happy memories 😊🇦🇺
Thanks for posting this! I shot slides during those years, but no video until the 1990s. It is interesting that this footage spans the exact worst years of the graffitti plague. During parts of '78 through '81 literally all of the 6000+ cars had substantial graffiti outside and often inside as well. Accompanying this were instances of missing glass, dark cars such as at 3:18, runaway traction motors that would spin the wheels and cause a deafening high pitch whine, leaking brake pipes and much more. Truck mounted fuses would regularly blow, frightening passengers with a loud explosion. Older cars had no public address system, so crews could not address passengers during prolonged stoppages. Many roll signs were missing, outdated, frozen on incorrect readings. Less than one third of the cars had air-conditioning and sometimes the underseat heat never turned off, making some seats unuseable. But, the trains ran fast over crooked tracks. Late trains bypassed stations sometimes at full speed. You could drop the front window sash on some IRT cars and take it all in with a stiff breeze in your face and unobstructed view of the tracks. Emergency Brake applications were common as well. Experiencing this as a teenager, with no memory of an orderly subway was a thrill I just couldn't get enough of (muggings were also common, though it only happened to me once that I can recall and once or twice that I witnessed).
Thank you for all that extra information, trainluvr! As a blow-in visitor ,few of those problems would have been noticed by myself. Hopefully viewers of this video will read your insight as well. Also the video has been much improved by location assistance I got from a New York local. Much appreciated. Let’s hope everyone who watched the shortened version (Sorry, I did not realise CZcams had cut it short) watches the rest. The transformation from 1984 is remarkable, and includes some cleaned up trains from almost 30 years ago which are now just history.
Hmm why would the fuses blow? Neglect of maintenance?
Almost certainly so. At least fuses blew. Better than starting a train fire in a tunnel!
my fan
Trainluvr that description is what made those trains so exciting
Outstanding video. I guess I left NY too soon (1981), all the subways I rode were completely covered with graffiti. The seventies were pretty dystopian. But I enjoyed every minute of my youth. Thanks for this!
I’m pleased to bring back happy memories. 😊
14 September 1984. Watching this video i found that i was born on Friday. I never knew! Thank you 👍
😊😊 I’m happy to help from the other side of the world 👍
Thanks for sharing. My dad worked with the NYCTA from 1969-1999. Went on plenty of rides with him throughout the system, & this brought back good memories. Miss THIS NY. Even with the graffiti.
I’m pleased that it brought back happy memories.
Warriors.....come out to playyyy yayyyyyyyy
Yes!
it's on netflix now
I’m born and grew up in NYC , love seeing my city in the old times
😊👍
Old days.
😊 those days will never come back...
Thanks for posting this. Brings back memories. I've never been a fan of the graffiti. It's a whole different experience when you live in an area where it's all over the subway trains, stations, buses, and buildings. One of my uncles was proud to be a motorman, originally, when he started in the mid 1960's when these trains were clean. Saddened him greatly as the trains he enjoyed running so much became trashier and trashier from the 1970's thru early 80's. Retired in disgust. The Red Bird rebuild and station rehab campaigns, under David Gunn, were great breaths of fresh air.
I feel the same as you about graffiti vandalism. I can understand your uncle’s feelings. As somebody just passing through, I had the choices of trains with graffiti, or no trains on film. The City dithered for 15+ years, but once they decided of act, they certainly did a great job. Thanks for your input.
Hell with that. City as a whole was much more interesting back then. Hell NY was better and more interesting even in the 60s than it is today. 70s 80s and early 90s was more interesting
@@mkennedy1389 Yes, I should know since I was there. I agree it was more interesting. There were more Mom & Pop businesses around, more 2-parent families, subway trains were faster, cost of rent more reasonable, no extreme political correctness (at least like it is today). But still, the graffiti absolutely sucked. Hit the subway and bus system hard after 1973. My traditional Latina Mom didn't play and would have jack-slapped me into the future had I sprayed trains like some of the kids in my hood did. But other than the graffiti, I do miss the Kojak-era New York.
@@ACLTony More important than some destroyed cars is that Graff gave so many lost kids so much around the globe. Guess you are not into art. And it is pop-art for sure.
@@mthxjzz6462 I'm an artist myself, and see the talent in the drawings, but I refused to trash trains and private property. It's a whole different scenario when you are growing up in an area where the trains, buses, and neighborhood stores are covered with graffiti. I'm so glad now that my mother would have "whupped my tail" had I vandalized trains and buses like some of the kids in my neighborhood did. Respect is one of the qualities I learned from my parents, even though we lived i a poor area. So many outsiders found the graffiti fascinating and enjoyable. My guess is that a lot of these adult graffiti "art" (vandalism) admirers lived in clean areas But for many of us that had to look at it up close, every single day and night of the week; it was downright depressing.
Thank you for posting this video! These are the trains I grew up on in the '80's before leaving NYC in '86. I miss those days of riding those old trains especially the RFW! I could tell you that i NEVER sat down on those old trains! I was always at the RFW looking out of the car watching the train roll down the track and I used to love when the train would speed past the express stops! I wish that the MTA would bring the RFW's back because it took away some crime. You can't commit a crime while staring out of a window and to me, that was the best part of riding the subways- that was my escape from the rough life that NYC sometimes presented itself to people especially during the recession of the '80's and when I would visit NY from the '90's on, I always rode the subways for the RFW's to get back into the New York groove. Now, it's not fun with these new CBTC or whatever you call these new trains-they're kinda boring! One thing you should mention about the old trains though - they were noisy as heck! Half the time, you were covering your ears while the train was racing down the tunnel or when standing at a platform when an express train is roaring past or simply when a train pulls into the station. My ears used to go numb but it was worth the trip.
subwayfantx1608 Unfortunately few trains here, if any, have front windows you can look out of. As for the noise, this was caused by thousands of wheel flats on every wheel. When I came back in 1990, besides all the graffiti being gone, the trains were much quieter. This was possibly a combination of the trains going over the wheel lathe much more often, and teaching drivers not to skid the wheels.
@@tressteleg1 Also because of the system fleet remodeling of the late '80's and early '90's when the MTA changed to a much quieter set of wheels for each car,
subwayfantx1608
From what I have recently read, for very many years they have used resilient wheels, similar to what is used on PCC trams, but I still maintain the main problem was the wheels were covered in flat spots. Nothing can fix it except a trip to the wheel lathe. The rail itself could well have been battered in places and that creates noise also. Older Melbourne trams had solid wheels and yet could be reasonably quiet on track set in concrete which amplifies all sorts of noises.
My god... I wish I was old enough to look at those cars...
They were not at all pretty inside with paint mess and general rubbish as well.
Apparently I was one of the few people to take video on the subway at that time as local fans were scared of getting their cameras stolen from them. Sometimes I was with a friend who was a bit of a chaperone I suppose, and other times I was by myself blissfully unaware of any risks.
As I have said to others, defacing public property is not acceptable. Much of the graffiti was no more than mindless tags which mean nothing to anybody, and many millions of valuable dollars were spent removing that mess, money which should have gone into hospitals, schools or whatever.
@@tressteleg1 wow....
Wish I was old enough to ride some of the old routes like the 9th avenue shuttle (S train),the Myrtle Avenue line (MJ train), the 3rd Avenue Bronx line (8 train) and the QJ , CC and the RR lines! Hopefully, someone will invent a time machine in my lifetime.
subwayfantx1608 I doubt if a Time Machine will ever exist. However I do have some video yet to process of Richard Moncreiff’s movie films taken in the 1960s which included some elevated lines which are long gone. The quality is not at all good but better than nothing. I will prepare it one day.
Freaking R15 21 22s and 17s in the consist hot damn! And R14s!
Cody Winters I guess I was in the right place at the right time with the camera 😊😊
I know! Wow
@tressteleg1 These cars were retired between 84 (R12/14/15) the R17 in 88 and R21/22s in 1987. That's why they were never rebuilt
I’m pleased that I got them. Did anyone else get them on video or movie?
Unfortunately from start I know. I see 17s 22s and 21s well into 85 to 88. 12 14s and 15s much only your video
Wow, I am so happy I came across this video. I've worked as a Cleaner for transit for a couple of years and I can't believe how different Essex Street Station looked before the rehabilitation back in the early 2000s. I wish I could see more footage or images of the platforms before they sealed up some of the old parts of the station. I've been able to get a glipse of the old Delancy Street Mezzanines where the track quarters are located now. it's good to see that they didn't destroy some of the old mosaics.
I’m pleased that I happened to capture some scenes which have helped with your curiosity. Unfortunately this is all I took in New York.
Thank god those horrible days are long gone and forgotten..
I guess you are referring to the scourge of graffiti, most of which was simply ugly defacing of public property.
I lived in Manhattan for 5 years starting in 1989. So when I started living there, there were a few subway cars that still had graffiti on them. But I remember I was surprised to see that it became very clean after 1990 as you show in your video. It was very interesting to see a video of the New York City subways that have changed over time.
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Great old footage love it! I was there early 90’s and remember seeing the Redbirds 👍🏼
Buckey Fan 😊😄
Thanks for sharing.
Very cool, thanks for sharing this footage.
👍😊. The last time I checked CZcams, there was almost nothing about New York in these slightly earlier years.
Wow, this was GREAT!!! I relived my childhood and teenage years in this video! In addition to the vivid comments posted by trainluvr, I'd like to add that the white IRT cars were termed "The White Elephant(s)" and were painted that color in an attempt to stop graffiti vandals. Well, as you can see from the video...it didn't work!! Also, back in 1990, the population of New York City was about 7.3 million - over a million less than there is living in this city today. Taking note of the drop of the city's population from about 8 million just a couple of decades previously, and in conjunction with service patterns, the transit authority decided to scrap the R-27/30 cars. These were, as we see in your video, very ubiquitous on the Eastern Division, as well as the Brighton Line. This meant that these cars are being retired about 10-15 years before they should have been. Well, the timing could not have been worse! Because later in the 1990's the city's gentrification started to take off, the population was growing again, and service demands were increasing. And therefore, they faced a shortage of cars on the B Division. Interestingly, the R-27/30s were refurbished not too long before this decision, with air-conditioning and other mechanical upgrades. Virtually all of the fleet from the 1960's and 70's were refurbished, and we see a rebuilt train of R-42 cars at the end of the video. On the plus side of the 70s and 80s, I remember that the trains usually ran much faster than they do today (the whole system was slowed down after the Wiliamsburg Bridge crash) and I don't ever recall the "sick passenger" being given as an excuse of delays as it is often used today. Hey, the subway today only needs about $50 billion to be brought into a state of good repair. And this is after untold billions have already been pumped into the system over the last 25 years or so.
Thank you also for your local recollections. I trust that others will read and learn from it. As for slowing trains, it is a disease in Australia too but I suspect it is so that state transport ministers can get up in parliament and say 95% of the trains were on time last month, (not adding that the trips are so darn slow that it is almost impossible to run late!)
The 27/30s never received A/C though the married pair redbirds of the IRT did (my farewell 1993 video shows that). Chairman Ravitch, when explaining the need for continuous capital investment in 1981 gave an estimated system replacement cost of $60B. Now we need that much just for system SOGR (state of good repair) and half of a lousy two track Second Avenue subway extension.
But also don't forget that the politicians also used alot to the money earmarked for transit improvements was used for other services in New York state unrelated to the MTA.
thnx so very much for the time machine, was there in the 80s!
Raw Olympia 😊👍 Unique times.
My dad used to take the J train from Jamaica Ave to Manhattan to work. Very disappointed that the J train went under ground it was elevated to 168th St should've never have taken it down it's a historic route.
Progress unfortunately often makes things less interesting.
The 70s were by far the greatest time in NY !
I guess it depends on what part of New York life you are measuring this. Certainly it was not the best time for the subway but in many other respects USA seems to now be in a state of decline.
Love that old footage would have been great to go there back then it’s such a massive complex system. I was lucky enough to ride the r32’s in 2014 and visit south ferry’s tight curved platforms after it was reopened due to the new platform flooding
Yes, parts of the NY Subway are quite remarkable and would never be allowed to be built today. ☹️
I was looking for these type of videos
Absolutely brilliant to see, thanks a lot!
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@@tressteleg1 👌🤗
Thank u so much
No timers leaving Marcy going on the bridge!!!
And that tower at ENY..amazing..always wondered where that tower was
It’s amazing what you can learn from somebody living on the other side of the world 😊
WOW AN ACTUAL 8TH AVENUE BOUND R32 L TRAIN
Diory Just Mug’s luck that I actually got it without even knowing there was anything special about it. 😊
Un-fucking real.too bad I was only 6 months old when this video was shot!!
Yeah! That was very exciting to see
You have a great recording of a bygone era. It was a great debate at the time (vandalism to most, art to the younger generation). You were very brave to film - many people did not appreciate being filmed back then. I actually saw someone demand the film out of someone’s camera. Your friend was very knowledgeable. I thoroughly enjoyed his commentary. What I do miss is the screeching brakes, and the clunky trains from that era. At 16:10, JJ vs. J (the system eliminated double lettering for local trains JJ became J, LL became L, etc.). Thank you for sharing.
spmsf Yes there does not seem to be much taken in New York in those days. I never had trouble with anybody. My friend, late Richard Moncrief, started with the New York subway but moved across to bus maintenance as he said it was less of a worry. For better or for worse, I don’t like trains making unnecessary noise. As for the graffiti debate, if it is nothing but artistic drawings, up to a point it could be tolerated but nobody can tolerate mindless nametags. Thanks for the double lettering line explanation.
@@tressteleg1 name tags have style and life to them. The real problem was the lack of attention to underprivileged communities, funding for social programs that benefited the youth being cut short..graffiti was born in the Nixon era amidst Civil rights tensions..understandable that to those not involved in the movement, it's ugly and trashy but if I had to x
Choose, I'd take graffiti in the visual landscape over the density and severity of violent heartless crime that plagued nyc for basically 30 years
While I do sincerely sympathise with those suffering the social injustices, conscription to the Vietnam war (young Australians also died in that pointless conflict), crime and other undesirable event of those days, I still cannot condone the defacing of public property. If NY was not bad enough, the graffiti defacing public property continues to be a scourge, costing other countries Millions of $$$ for something which had nothing to do with US problems.
This was my era of ridding the nyc subway every day. This brought back some unbelievable memories. Thank you ❤
I’m pleased you enjoyed it so much. The last time I checked CZcams, there was very little dealing with this time period.
@@tressteleg1 your right about that. I would search for this for this kind of video until your channel appeared today. It’s something how they keep reporting on how bad the subway is today but it was bad back then if not worse. I wanted to be a nyc train operator ever since I started playing hooky in school. But I went into radio. You really had to have a look and an attitude when riding the someways back then so no one would f with you.
Apparently local fans were too scared to take movie and video of the subway for fear of being mugged and their equipment stolen. Some of the time my friend Richard Moncrief was with me and he would’ve deterred any thugs, the rest of the time I just went and recorded what I wanted, perhaps oblivious of the risks but never had any trouble. I have not been back to the US since 1990 but by that time the subway was operating nicely. Apparently it has slipped a bit since then, but I cannot compare it just from hearsay.
Where are you from
Presently Gold Coast Qld Australia. 1988 - 1994 I was a Melbourne tram driver.
That clearly taped on sign at 17:26 had me dyin
Apparently they did improvise a bit in those days!
I didn't even know it was a taped on sign till I read your comment! Lmao!🤣
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Good job ..Nice collage
Thanks 😊👍
The graffiti is awesome. Wish NY still had its edge
NYC STILL DOES HAVE ITS EDGE/SWAGGER JUST WITH A LOT LESS GRAFFITI.
@@richiebee1984 too many hippies...
Gold dust! Thanks for sharing 👍
My pleasure. I don’t think many local fans did much movie or video recording of the subway in those years. That’s a pity.
@@tressteleg1 But you not only did it, you also immortalized it 👍 Thank you and greetings from Argentina.
I’m happy to share anything unusual I captured. I’m working on Hong Kong trams in 1975 at the moment, although that may not be so unusual.
@@tressteleg1 Thanks for sharing and answering! I appreciate it!
No Problem. I try to answer all who comment. Almost never does an idiot comment. And greetings from the Gold Coast, Queensland Aus. It’s past your bedtime, I would think 😴
It wouldn't be NYC without the graffiti mate
I MISS al this! I have been on every line anthrough all the stations *Except the new extension of the 63 St line.
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Nice cool video
Really good video that proves the more things change, the more they stay the same. I grew up in the 60s cutting school and riding the trains all day long with my brother , he just retired from the transit authority as senior superintendent,,,,,, on the other hand I was the failure and had a hundred dead end jobs in my time , still trying to figure out how that worked sense we both had such an interest in the transit system, but hey it is what it is. Excellent video and thanks for posting it .
👍 unfortunately it goes to show that the boredom of school is a necessity even though much more interesting distractions are very tempting.
Glad you like my video anyway.
The graffiti was vile and unacceptable but it was a fascinating watch.
NY was king when it came to gritty rustic urbanism non better than on the train tracks! Sydney had a share of "that feel" too but NY had it in droves and was where it came from.
Excellent archive you achieved.
Thanks for that. Yes graffiti is a form of vandalism to transit vehicles. It is a pity that NYCTA took so long to do something about it resulting the disease spreading to many other countries.
@@tressteleg1 yeah including copycats in Sydney. Horrid memories. Used to infuriate me. I'm more immune now. NY was ludicrous.
and now that south ferry is closed, this is historic
😊 The world keeps changing, but not necessarily for the best!
@@tressteleg1 you should take the 5 train all the way to the last stop and the train will go around the loop, do it for a video
Too late for me now. Someone else will have to do it if it has not already been done.
The good old days of New York City it had an edge. We should bring back all those old subway cars in exchange for junk subway cars of today in circulation.
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Why? What’s wrong with the R62/A, R68/A, R142/A, R143, R160, R179, R188, and R211?
Also, we’re you being sarcastic?
@@TheRailLeaguerthe man can't have an opinion all your NTTs are junk garbage nothing is wrong with the R62-68As its your R142-211 are the problem
R32s use to operate on the (L) line before.
how fabulous! This should be in the library of congress
Well all they would have to do is ask me for a copy of the original 😄
But it does seem as though not many people captured this part of New York at that time.
Totally forgot that the R-32s ran on both the J and L lines in the mid 1980s. IRT SMEES all over the West Side (7th Ave) IRT lines. Thanks for this very enjoyable video!
Glad it brought back some memories.
@@tressteleg1 yup, better than anything since 2010, in my opinion.
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Being a New Yorker and only ever seeing the trains as far back as those occasional R16 C trains in 2015 or 2017, this feels pretty interesting that these exact rails have different operations for the same general purpose.
I take the R train a lot; it's a fairly uneventful line in the system. Seems like it was quite a lot of stuff happening back then.
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Makes me very sad that I am a couple of years older than the oldest clips of this fascinating footage down memory lane. Ahh the good old days.
Oh well, you should be old enough to remember some of what is in this video.
@@tressteleg1 Yes some but such a long time ago now and really wasn't super focused on everything.
What kid is? At least you will see trains and lines that will come after older fans have died.
@@tressteleg1 Yes I suppose
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I remember back then when there was a variety of equipment on each line! Mix-match sets of trains, heavily tagged trains!
Unfortunately as far as rail transit is concerned, vehicles are looking more and more alike with each passing day.
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Grew up in NYC during these times , got a real close and personal look at the trains and subways as a Trackworker for over 30 years for NYCT . It's one thing to see it from the train , a whole other experience to see it from the tracks . We had to be very alert as trains would pass by us so we could resume the work on the tracks . Sad to say we lost a few guys on those tracks who unfortunately lost their lives by getting struck by trains . You really don't know how big a train car is until you're standing in front of one and looking up at it , and depending on what line , that train could be 4,6,8 or 10 cars long . Great experience overall , I worked in the tunnels , bridges , elevated , in all kinds of weather . Nice to be retired 😀
Thanks for your interesting account. Getting clear of the trains would be vital but unfortunately occasionally somebody does not make it in time.
Richard Moncrief who you probably heard and even saw on my videos told me that one day he saw a workmate slip on ice in one of the storage yards. He fell onto the 3rd rail and was fried. Very nasty.
@@tressteleg1 Yes believe me I had some hairy experiences on the job , you definitely must be alert of everything going on around you .
Yes especially with that third rail on the ground. Fortunately that means of power has not yet been used in Australia with only the overhead wire method used to date.
@@tressteleg1 I heard there is a system somewhere in Australia where trolleybuses and trams use the same wire. I've never seen a system like that so it'll be interesting.
The last trolleybuses ran in Australia early 1970s I think it was. I think what you describe probably existed for the trolleybuses based at Rushcutters Bay tram depot but that line closed around 1949. But much closer to you I saw that in Toronto on one of my visits somewhere around 1990. I think I took video of it, but have not put my Toronto video on CZcams. As you probably know, Toronto in all their ?Wisdom scrapped Trolleybuses some years ago.
14:04 That Peter Luger sign made me hungry for a porterhouse steak (rare) + their famous bacon.
Dank 'n Derpy Gamer Ha ha. But I think Americans are always hungry 😋
Whoa! If he took video of broadway junction, I'm wondering if he got footage of the eastern portion of the Jamaica ave el from east of 121st street to 168th street. Thats around my old neighborhood. If he did have that for 1984, that would serve as a relic in Jamaica queens history with the Macys there at the time.
Kevin Picou I am the “he” who took the movie and video. That is all I have.
However I have video of movie film which the late Richard Moncrief took. From memory it includes scenes of elevated sections of New York which were taken down many years ago as well as the Staten Island railway in the days when it still had level crossings with the roads. If there is any interest, I will post these in due course.
Lucky for you (and other New Yorkers) I am working on those at the moment. Myrtle Ave will be finished first but it will be at least a few weeks before I publish it. Did you ever ride that line? The Ditmar/Culver(?) Line is covered in the Queen St - 168th Jamaica Ave section of the video. With all of this, movie film quality varies a lot.
I am having occasionally trouble identifying a few things in these videos. If you or others with knowledge would like to help out please email me at
tressteleg(at)icloud.com
Use the normal symbol instead of (at)
Thanks!
R-32s on the Lonesome Larry. You didn't see them there very often.
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I’ve been to NY twice and found this video really interesting
😊 Apparently local fans were too scared to take video at this time, as they were afraid of getting mugged.
@@tressteleg1 That's why it's important to stay loaded.
I guess you mean a loaded gun? I never carried anything like that, but maybe the US was a bit less lawless when I visited there a few times between 1976 and 1990. Guns are something we Australians in general are not interested in having.
Cool video and have more videos on the r 32
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1:40 Cool seeing the R10 stuck in amongst the R9s.
I’m pleased that I fluked it. Others have commented too. However ‘they all look the same’ to me 😊
That was R10 1575 back then!.
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the R42 part of the R40M-R42 consist is the 3rd married pair (cars 5-6) of the 8 car set
Yes, apparently by chance I captured some unusual combinations 😊
Classic NYCTA nerd fest! ❤❤❤
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J train to Jamaica Center at 15:30 🕞 I believe that is a mistake because there was NO Jamaica Center station back then. That train was going to either Queens Boulevard OR 121st Street.
I could not say but maybe some locals can clear it up.
The section from 1984 looks much like many stations serving the District, circle and Metropolitan Lines in London at the same time.
Graffiti was a problem but it wasn’t allowed to get to the level suffered by NY.
The NY trains look very much like the 70s and 80s stock used on those London lines in 1984 too.
Thanks for pointing out the comparisons. 😊
I remember them somewhat I was 7 in 1984
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Transit worker father during those times my Lord the stories he told. He loved his job though!
I think that workers in most rail systems would have fascinating stories to tell from years ago before overregulation took over and controlled just about every single move they make.
when me and da boys were hyped for the R68, when R46 was still a Pre-GOH, when those nickers be puttin graffitis on those trains, when the R110/A/B was announced
Damn! that was more than 34 years ago and im 11 lol
Ha Ha! Good story 😄
5:28 That pink circle. At first I thought it was an effect added by the uploader to highlight the train.
No. That’s what can happen when lights shine on the lens of the camera.
Holy shit!!!! A redbird M train.
I’ll take your word for it. They all look almost the same to me, except for the colours 😊
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP IN THE LATE 80'S,90'S AND EARLY 2000'S I ONLY SEEN THE REDBIRD TRAINS ON THE 2,4,5,6,7AND C TRAINS.
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R29 or r30
I'm curious, what camera models were used? Also, the aspect ratio looks different in the 1976 and 82' than the rest. I think the silent ones were shot in film because it has those artifacts that you don't see on magnetic tapes.
Home video cameras essentially did not exist in 1976 so as you guessed, the silent section was Kodak Standard 8 film. I forget the name of the camera, but probably Bolex. 1984 was recorded on a National Panasonic A4 camera, later scenes their M3 camera, both using the PAL colour system and recorded on full size VHS tapes. As for the aspect. They were all nominally 4:3 although technical or other faults may have caused me to change some sections slightly during editing with iMovie.
I want to be on the 1980s to see this old subway cars
I guess that was before your time. We all sometimes wish we could visit some earlier era, but you should see a lot of new things long after I am gone.
I miss graffitiing on the outsides of trains, it was so exciting, exuberayting, and living on the edge!!!💯👍✌️🇵🇷
I have no tolerance for vandals defacing public property which has to be removed at public expense, wasting money better spent on service improvements.
Every model of the SMEE Technology from the R-10 through the R-44/46 in the B Division IND BMT lines were the best trains ever. Do you any footage of the westend line B, Brighton line D, M, and QB’s, Culver line F, In models R-10, R-27/30, R-32 during the late 70’s and early 80’s?
This video contains all the movie and video I ever took in New York. I do have some poor quality video of movie film taken by the late Richard Moncrief but I suspect it all is too early for what you are looking for. I will process it and put on CZcams one day.
The guide was mad knowledgeable.
Sadly Richard died about 12 years ago, but he certainly had a great knowledge of the system.
@@tressteleg1 r.i.p richard. ❤😔
@@lamargoat2406 I will send on your thoughts to his son.
02:40 Remember the announcement for the #1 train @ South Ferry station? "Attention all passengers, please stand clear of the moving platform as trains enter and leave this station. Thank you!" Then again in Spanish. Staten Island OG's know what I'm talking about.
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Didnt realize in the middle the RFW footage is from an R16. Interesting
It seems that by chance I captured some interesting trains 😊
amazing to hear how people spoke better back then during the 70's and 80's and 90's compared to what we hear now and days. most of the English spoken in America now n days is incomprehensible.
Ha Ha - probably a combination of more migrants and young people using keyboards instead of their voice, or talking with keyboard shortcuts. Useless…
I'm just glad that I was not born in the mid-1990s including the 1970s nor the 1980s to see these trains that have graffiti's outside and lots and lots of them inside every subway car. : )
Well, it was an unusual time, for better or for worse. Unfortunately it prompted the scourge of defacing public property of all types all around the world. Fixing that is wasting millions of dollars every year.
@@tressteleg1 Really? : 0
Really, regarding what? Wasting millions, definitely.
Truly shocking to see how bad the vandalism was. Notice that I'm not using the term "graffiti" which glorifies vandalism.
I agree with your sentiments. What is surprising is that the MTA did nothing about that vandalism for very many years, but once they resolved to clean it up, they certainly did a thorough job.
10:47 R32s on the L on the day they were officially in service for 20 years. They look better now at 56 yrs old than they did then
I will take your word for it 😊
Oh damn, I never knew there were R32s on the L back in the day!!🚈
Well you are not the only one to learn from old videos. I learn a lot when I prepare these, even when I was the cameraman 😊
@@tressteleg1 Yeah, I can definitely tell you the R32s have been on every single line in the entire NYCT B division, and they have so done their time!!!
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Kevin B you mean every IND and BMT line? IRT line’s didn’t have R-32’s
I was excited to see that also. I remember seeing a picture of an R-32 on the M line
Ah, the good old days.
he was standing on the abaonded upper level train track where the M use to run at i think there was a MM sorry if im wrong
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No MM line. Those scenes were from the L line at Bway Junction looking down at the J line
Da un lato avrei voluto vivere quella N Y....ma come si dice ? Nascere 20 anni prima e dall'altra parte dell'oceano......cmq un NYC ke non c'è più .....solo in certi magnifici film.🤟🏻
We sometimes regret being born too late to see something interesting in the past. But we will see things older people will never see. New York is one of those places which is nice to visit, but would never want to live there.
@@tressteleg1 maybe yes NYC Is too much for everything.....but i don't wanna visita like a tourist, but for a job ....shooting a small production movie in Winter time.......🎥🤟🏻🗽✨
gatto pallas Good luck. There will be some big mountains to climb to do what do you want to do. And nothing is going to happen while this virus is overrunning the USA.
same hahah
4:04 the fan traction motors sounds like R142s
I will have to take your word for that 😊
10:59
Sounds like an r160
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My whole family is from new York City
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Amazing. Which station was that at 11:28-11:40?
It is stretching my memory quite a lot, but I think it may have been Coney Island.
Well technically im 9 i can remember the r42 r32 and RTS buses It makes me sosad to see them go as i grew up with them its so sad to see them go
Well you are sure to see many more types of trains and buses appear new on the scene, and before you know what they are all worn out and scrapped.
I remember the first time I rode an RTS it wasn't in NYC tho, it was in North Carolina. Once I came to NYC and saw an abundance of them I always would specifically wait for em after school. I miss those buses but at least I still got my last ride on one from school. It's gonna be sad seeing the R46 leave the (A) Line too.
@@the_earlybirf1170 😊👍
What happened to the LL line...we used to run down the tunnel from 14th and 1st to 3rd...why did they change it to L? Also the motormen were frequently drunk and this made things more interesting traveling west going down the hill to Union Square or was it 6th?
Hopefully a New York rail fan can answer that because I can’t.
The MTA got rid of double letters trains to lessen confusion. That's it.
Thanks. That sounds logical.
@@robotx9285 You would think that if you heard something twice it would help the typical New Yorker though.
Well if people miss important announcement because they are too busy playing with their toy telephones, all I can say is “Tough Titties” 😊😄
Literaly the subway of my nightmares
It did subsequently get improved a lot, but I’m not sure how that stands today.
@@tressteleg1 Graffiti is making a slight resurgence but the graffiti is buffed off right away. Kids these days post their "work" on social media, so they don't care if it gets buffed off.
That is a pity, but the essence is to get it off ASAP so the vandals don’t get the pleasure of seeing their rubbish running around for weeks and weeks. But with their brainless natures, I suppose that having it on social media is just as good.
People seem to of been so much smarter back then
I think I know what you mean. 😄😄
Pekne video slovakia europa
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How old are you when you filmed all of this?
31 in 1976.
@@tressteleg1 So if I did the math correctly you should be 75. Also did you think any of these videos have decayed overtime because magnetic tapes on VHS slowly decay over time
It looks like your school successfully taught you some arithmetic. 😊 In fact I was born one day before your air force drop the first atom bomb on Japan. How is your history?
When video tape fails with age, you get picture break-up. You don’t get a drop in sharpness or clarity or anything like that.
@@tressteleg1 The only events I know in 1945 was the battle of Berlin and the fall of Berlin. If remember those subway tokens you could suck the tokens out of the slot if you put your mouth on the token slot where you insert it. There where solutions but the most notable ones is to put red pepper powder on it or spray it with pepper spray, so if sometimes tries to get a token out, they will not have a good day(Unless you have a high tolerant to spice). Also have you collected any subway tokens because their value is on the raise?
www.nytimes.com/1983/02/07/nyregion/youths-stealing-subway-tokens-by-sucking-on-turnstile-slots.html
Never heard of the Hiroshima bombings in 1945? I always thought American education wasn’t much good, but our own history lessons are probably somewhat lacking these days as well. Do a Google search on the above and you may learn a lot. This and a second bomb finally ended World War II.
At this moment I am holding a coin which says Metropolitan Transit Authority around the outside with ONE RIDE printed in the middle, both sides are the same. They must be desperate kids sucking out tokens. An easy way to get choked I would think!
I've always wondered when train graffiti appeared in American culture. In Italy, I believe that there was nothing relevant until the new millennium. I don't know today but until a few years ago several trains on the Rome subway were in the same condition as the New York trains of the time.
Unfortunately the graffiti scourge which wasted multi millions of dollars around the world getting it removed appeared to have started with defacing the New York subway trains.
1:35 Isn't that R10 car with the R9 cars number 1575? Because 1575 is really a R9 with a R10 body, as it was rebuilt after 1575 had an accident in the late 1940s. The New York City Department of Transportation at the time rebuild it with a R10 body to be a prototype for the upcoming R10 cars, but since everything else we're still in R9 form, 1575 still ran with the other R9s.
I think that is what "R10 test" meant?
As an outsider, I cannot comment but others have mentioned that I appear to have accidentally captured an unusual car or 2. You may be able to find these earlier comments.
@@tressteleg1Ok thanks.
@amazing50000 😊👍
The "Deferred Maintenance" period, the darkest days of NYCT. In 2022 we still haven't been able to fix up all the fuckups this caused. It set the system back 20 years that could not be recouped.
That is a pity, because the New York subway is a great system but if its operation is not what it could be, that is truly unfortunate.
R32’s on the L line!
It seems like I fluked something unusual!
None of these trains on the New York Subway have any of the barreling qualities as you may have on the London Underground (Tube) The District & Circle lines of the London Underground most resemble the NYC Subway. The improvements on the Subway by 1990 are staggering.
The reason the ‘Tube’ trains are that shape is because in the late 1800s the engineers invented what we now call Tunnel Boring Machines and these cut circular tunnels under London. The tunnels where then lined with cast iron curved sections which were bolted together. So the trains were made as big as practical that would fit through these tubes. The D&C and other lines were built earlier and were either open air or used Cut and Cover tunnels, which I expect would apply to the NY lines. Originally those were steam loco powered.
1990s 1984
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I remember those days and what a shit hole the city always felt like, especially on the subway.
NYC - fine for a short visit but I would not want to live there...
LOL some people miss the old NYC
Most people prefer their hometowns as they remember them from their childhoods 😊
@@tressteleg1 I get it unfortunately everything changes as we age at least back then the city was affordable now its outrageous
@@tressteleg1 great video
Funny how so many hated the graff bombed trains but it seems that graff on trains has returned in the form of ads makes the train look like a minor league basball outfield wall
Certainly if ads cover the windows it is just as terrible as graffiti and should be banned. Unfortunately it is a disease in most countries.
Just here for the graffiti
It’s just an eyesore and form of vandalism which still destroys transport vehicles in some countries.
like train
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