The A Train

[dhermann1]

Who knew? Today is the 75th anniversary of the A train. The IND line opened in 1932, and I can't tell you how many times I've ridden it, but Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn made it famous:
http://gothamist.com/2007/09/10/a_train_celebra.php

 

[MrBern]

pre-war

Yeah...I wish I had know as well. I wouldve loved to have taken a ride on the antique `30s subwaycar w/ rattan seats..

full NYT article

snippet:
The fun was watching ordinary straphangers who knew nothing about the vintage train as they boarded along the way.

The cars were boxy and painted a drab dark green. Inside, there were vintage ads for Chesterfield cigarettes and Uneeda Biscuits, bare incandescent bulbs, bouncy rattan seats and spinning ceiling fans.

“I was really confused,” said Emily DiAngelo, 22, who boarded in Washington Heights, her face twisted in bewilderment.

“I thought I was on the wrong platform,” she said. “I didn’t know what was going on.”

 

[MrBern]

fun quote

a fine quote from the NYTimes article

“If it was crowded like the regular train it would be really hot in here right now,” said Ms. Alexis, who wore a sleeveless dress and big round sunglasses. “I don’t know how they used to do it, with the suits and hats.”

 

[dhermann1]

The old cars

Those are the first subway cars I remember. I lived in Manhattan from birth to age 8, then we moved upstate. I came back in 1965, and I've never quite gotten over the shock of not seeing those old trains. I loved them! They, to me, are what a subway car should be, not this gaudy shiney stainless steel!

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

I think these quotes are funny

“I was really confused,” said Emily DiAngelo, 22, who boarded in Washington Heights, her face twisted in bewilderment.

“I thought I was on the wrong platform,” she said. “I didn’t know what was going on.”

Further downtown, Sabur Khalinah, 27, the manager of a fast food restaurant, laughed as he took pictures of the old train on his cellphone. Asked what he was going to do with the pictures, he said: “Show them to people, because nobody’s ever going to believe this. Hey, I was on a train with ceiling fans. I didn’t even know the subway system was around 75 years ago.”

 

[carter]

Don't know if I'd have braved the ride but I'd love to see photos of the interior of those old cars.

Sounds like a good place for a location shoot for classic cllothing.

 

[MrBern]

Photos have been added to the story since last nite.

something twilite zone-ish about seeing the old train in use.

 

[DJH]

Jazz, Communities and the A Train

Tons of cool photos and some nice tunes too!