Join the Rolling Brightliner Birthday Party–to Coney Island and Back on Sept. 14
The R32s trains were considered state of the art when they first went into service in the 1960s. The last of them only went out of service two years ago. But now the MTA is taking them out of retirement for a special round trip to nostalgia ride to Coney Island
| 12 Aug 2024 | 07:09
On September 14, the NY Transit Museum will be running a nostalgic R32 Brightliner twice from 96th St Station to Coney Island on a nonstop trip for all interested in riding a now-unique piece of transit history. The above is from an earlier nostalgia trip on Jan. 9, 2022. (
)
In an undated photograph, this set of R32 Brightliners have tunneled to Queens to arrive at the Ditmars Avenue Station in Astoria. (
)
Heading across the Manhattan Bridge towards its Manhattan destination, a Z train of R32s is pictured here, 56 years after the fleet entered service. Full retirement was still two years away. (
)
Looking at the forward motorman’s compartment, the New York City Transit Authority logo prominently placed, car 3360 was delivered to the NYCTA in August of 1964. It will be running once again on September 14, 60 years after, having served for 58 years. (
)
Manhattanites on September 14 will have a chance to ride a set of shiny stainless steel cars that were in service for 58 years, dating from when the President was Lyndon Johnson, the Beatles epic concert in Forest Hills and when the New York World’s Fair opened. Your ride? A group of the first cars of New York City Transit’s R32 subway car order, commonly referred to as the Brightliners, which contrasted with the smooth sides of other trains at the time which were painted. The fleet of R32s had shiny fluted stainless steel sides; they were lighter, which made trains more efficient.
The New York Transit Museum is taking this set out of retirement to provide a hint of what subway riding was like 60 years ago.
The route? The E. 96th Street Station at Second Avenue, heading towards Coney Island, venturing around the vast Coney Island Subway Yard and returning, a non-stop subway cruise of more than an hour and a half. Trains will leave at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
While many NY Transit Authority lines are either elevated or in subways, these September 14th trips will operate partially on a former railroad line; the Brooklyn, Flatbush, and Coney Island Railroad, which started running steam powered trains in 1878 between Prospect Park and Brighton Beach. The trains will be running in a four-track open-cut trench from Prospect Park until Newkirk Plaza, with a rise up to surface level at the Avenue H Station; if you look out the window, the rail surfaces resemble that of the Long Island Rail Road, filled with rock ballast underneath, unique for the rapid transit system.
In 1963, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) contracted with the Budd Company for 600 IND/BMT cars (300 pairs), to replace older equipment. The new 60-foot long cars brought then-contemporary features of fluorescent lighting and colorful interiors to riders, hailed as a major transit improvement. Each car was built for $114,700, which contrasts with the newest Transit Authority R211 order, which cost over two and a half million dollars per car! The first set that went into service in 1964, which, with the other cars served 23 years beyond an expected 35-year term. They became one of the longest operating subway cars in the world and a nostalgic crowd pleaser.
These trains will run rain or shine, with windows open to enhance the experience. Don’t bring any food or beverages aboard, and if you want to take pictures great, but no tripods, stands, selfie sticks, and external lights.
For those who are physically challenged, the 96th Street Station is ADA accessible.
Fares for this ramble will be $60 for adults, $40 for children, with $10 off for each if you are Transit Museum members. Any child 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult. All ticket sales are final.
Don’t tarry—these trips are always a sellout!
Interested? Further information at https://www.nytransitmuseum.org/nostalgiarides/