The Decline Of The NYC Subway - The Late 1900s 

I hired on in 1981 as a railroad clerk (station agent) in 1981, and went to motorman 18 months later in 1983. The system was in very sorry shape back then. When I was a fairly new motorman, the 4, prior to the arrival of the R62s en masse, ran a very raggedy fleet of R17s, with a few R21s thrown in. My run was supposed to be 3 round trips to Utica Avenue. Because of the condition of the fleet, I never made it south of 149th Street Grand Concourse the entire day. I had to take 3 trains our of service that day due to mechanical failures.

i think the reason nyc has been so resilient over time is because of the subway and it’s relationship with the city. rust belt cities and even many northeastern cities have declined since the mid 1900s while nyc is still chugging. i don’t think it would’ve been possible without the subway and the revival of it following the 70s-80s decline.

I'm a subway busker, I love getting into the city to play music. But my mother is still scared because she thinks it's still like the 70's there.

In California, state law requires one quarter of one percent of any major capital project to be spent on public art. So, in places like Los Angeles subway and light rail stations, there will always be very large art installations.

The MTA really did inherit a declining system.

Great video! The only thing though is that "1900s" usually refers to the 1900s decade (1900-1909) and might be confusing for some, so maybe the better term would be the Late 20th century, as that refers to the later decades/years (1970s-1990s) that you're referring to. But still great job 👍

Platform barriers are needed for sure. It’ll be tough to train motormen to stop exactly on the right spot though.

I remember on one section of the L line (I believe) there was this really cool graffiti exhibit where some guy had painted a really long wall with a bunch of frames of an animation, and as you went by, looking through the steel pillars you could see the animation play.

The Third Avenue EL needs to be rebuilt as an extension of the SAS (either Q or T). Metro North is too expensive ($18 round trip during rush hours).

Many do not of how good this channel is.

Before they tore it down, the 7 train had that great view of the beautiful graffiti building when it came out of the tunnel.

It'd be awesome to get art on MTA trains like some trains in Japan

Amazing video as always!

You can't seek to run effective, high frequency services and seek to achieve a profitable operation at the same time, no place in the world has managed to. NYC has clearly chosen profitability rather than satisfaction of the riders as a priority and the results are clear to see.

idk why but my nigga ur voice is so calming and its making me so relaxed

Awesome video as always

It's only in recent years they finally put in modern subway cars and started to replace the manual signaling system.

I feel so bad for all the SMEES Brussels I grew up riding the r32s and r46 f/g trains. Although I love them, their time.. has come.

I always enjoy the vids.

How long were the trains in 1950? This has to be taken into account when comparing 1950's hearways with today's headway.

I enjoy your stories, research, and dialogue! That being said, might I offer my VO services?

Yo Mystic, you would make a good MTA Chairman. I admire your knowledge of the subways and it's history. I grew up taking the A train from Mott ave. in Far Rockaway into Manhattan. I do know that the Mott ave. Station used to extend and link with the LIRR as recently as the 1940's. By the 50's, the elevated railway that connected the LIRR to the now A train line was taken down. Is there anything else you know about the history of the A line from Mott ave. to 207st Manhattan, and even the Rockaway Park "S" line? I know a good part.of these lines were on the ground while owned by the LIRR in the early 1900's. Due to flooding in the Rockaways and a hurricane in the 1930's that took out the railroad, the line was elevated to what it is today. Let me know if this is accurate. Thanks!

Last time I was in New York I say an M train entirely covered in a Marc Jacobs ad

Once again MT... 👏👏👏

1:28 The base fare is now $2.90

The mta has improved a lot since the 70s. It’s a good system but it has its flaws (like every other system). The mta for sure improved its accessibility and station upgrades which was definitely needed, but service I feel like remained the same or even worsen (exception being the 7).

Enjoyed the subways over the decades during its highs and lows. It is a gritty system with a lot of personality

Thank you👍😎👍

What would also be cool is if the MTA launched a public street art program where random artworks from local street artists would be put up in trains and on the sides of trains with pieces being added, removed and moved between trains on a regular basis! So the street artworks displayed for commuters to see could be constantly changing to keep people intrigued about what they might see next! :)

3:55 it’s crazy how fast the subway gets so dirty, i remember when the station first opened a few years ago and everywhere was a bright grey. now it’s all almost black and covered in dust :(

awesome vid

Andy Byford tried to rectify the slow down in speeds due to out of date timers and signals with his "Save Safe Seconds" program. He was making some progress here but as we all know his rising popularity threatened Governor Musclecar's ego so he got chased back to the UK. What a loss for all of us.

Thanks

Could you at some point talk about the MTA's 2009 budget cuts?

Thanks for sharing ♐️👍

That 3rd Avenue El could've come in handy cause I work at 3rd Avenue 163rd street & I need to take a bus to 3rd Avenue 149th street to take the 2 train in order to go home.

One thing that the New York City MTA system has is that it runs 24 hours, it has Express skip stop service, and it has a multitude of lines that are parallel giving riders options and alternatives in the event of a service disruption or breakdown. While the stations are graffiti free they should start looking at aggressive pest control to get rid of the rats that are permeating in many of the stations. They should also consider opening or installing restrooms at stations for customers to use.

nice video! when will r211 be here it supposed to arrive in summer

Godly video

Remember the MTA promotion of the "20 year capital program" back in 1986?? An excuse to raise the fare. The man who enacted that was a genius. He knew he'd be retired by then.

Never knew there was an R110. But yes I agree that the train system back then wasn’t much better than today. The conditions of those trains seemed more unpleasant and that’s part of what led many people to want to buy cars. Riding the trains around the late 70s to 80s was more of a popular thing mainly among the hip hop scene which also included the graffiti

Very Good Video 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

Wasn't the 3rd Ave El replaced by the Bx55 back in the day?

I WAS A CONDUCTOR ON THE D LINE IN OCT 1967. WE HAD OLD R9 TRAINS & NEW R32 TRAINS. THINGS STARTED OUT BAD, THEN GOT WORSE. I WAS PROMOTED TO MOTORMAN IN OCT 1968 AND WORKED ON THE B DIVISION(TRAINS WITH LETTERS). I OPERATED ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CARS, FROM THE Q CARS ON MYRTLE LINE TO R 46 CARS. I DIDN'T LIKE Q CARS BECAUSE WHEN I TOOK A BRAKE, IT ONLY WENT ON ONE CAR AT A TIME, BUT IT WAS PURE LIVING HISTORY. THE R32 CARS WERE THE ABSOLUTE BEST, ESPECIALLY IN BRAKING. JUST ADD A/C AND KEEP THEM FOREVER. THE R10 CARS ON THE A LINE WERE 2ND BEST. THE ABSOLUTE WORST WERE R44 CARS. NOBODY KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT HOW THEY WORKED ESPECIALLY CAR EQUIPMENT AND THEY BROKE DOWN ALL THE TIME. THE SUBWAY DID NOT NEED SPACE AGE OVERLY COMPLCATED JUNK. IN 1979 I WAS PROMOTED TO MOTORMAN INSTRUCTOR AND SENT TO THE IRT. EVERY THING WAS WORSE THERE WITH THE EQUIPMENT, BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING SPECIAL ABOUT THE IRT AND I STAYED THERE FOR THE NEXT 19 YEARS. I HAVE 30 YEARS OF STORIES TO TELL AND SOME IMPOSSIBLE TO BELIEVE. SIGNED OLD TIME C/R, M/M, M/M/I.

Mystic: "The NTTs that we see today." Next clip: Shows a very good R62 on the 1

I miss the Red Birds I remember them clear as day back when I was a kid in the early 2000s They were on the 2 5 6 and 7 trains though I grew up at 1 block away from the 148th Lennox Terminal station and always felt that the 3 train never gets no love The 2 had Red Birds then 142s we had R62 since as far as my memory goes back and ive always wondered why

Well no transit in the US could go very well in the 1960s and 70s

Damn poor guy on 6:37

I have my own version of the "pop up graffiti concept". On the panel with the subway map, I insert my own map, which is just the ordinary map but carefully edited to have subtle inaccuracies and fictional connections. Also, I don't take them with me when I leave.

Why Is the chambers st station left like that?

To be honest the stations need massive upgrades. Platform screen doors, fully air-conditioned stations and clean enough you could eat off the floor! This is what a modern subway system is like eg Singapore. Even the newer lines in Australian cities are like this even with the platform screen doors.

On at least two occasions in the late-2010s, I saw some graffiti at or near some subway stations. One was a bunch of fake gang graffiti related to the 1979 exploitation flick "The Warriors" on the roof of a building near the Court Square Subway station on the 7 train, and the other was some graffiti honoring Aretha Franklin at the northern terminus of the Franklin Avenue Shuttle. On both occasions, I told some MTA employees about it, and they mistakenly thought I was complaining. They told me to fill out some form and I told them I wasn't complaining. I was just amused by them, and I thought they might find it amusing too.

6:36 is that a person sitting up against the wall on the abandoned station? It's look like someone wearing a red hoodie with a baseball cap on under the hoodie.

Can you do a video of why r46s can’t run on certain lines

God, I wish phase 2 of the SAS would get underway faster.

Close down the last 18th Street Station on the 1 train already!

MTA should fully modernize the entire subway before making extensions except for the 2nd Avenue line, IBX and Queenslink

I think graffiti as art is fine in small or controlled doses (my homr city of Toronto has a fully dedicated and maintained Graffiti Alley on Richmond St). If you thought NYC train graffiti was bad, wait till you see the old trains on the Bucharest Metro (except there graffiti is allowed, apparently the transit agency doesn't need to re-paint their old trains because of it)

One of the service cuts was the elimination of the overnight express service. I feel that if they restored this service, people who wouldn't have to wait 20 minutes or more for trains.

While it might not be as bad as in the late 1900s or 1980s, we are surely moving towards that..

They need a system like Atlanta

Replacing the Jamaica el from 121st to 168th wasn’t necessary and I think the E should have only been the line that went to Jamaica center

The IRT system got so bad at one time that they wanted to borrow cars from the PATH trains but path immediately said no way. You're not messing up our cars with graffiti. I clearly remember the IRT cars looking so bad that the rust on it was terrible looking. I'm HAPPY to see the R62s come and beautify that system with stainless steel cars at that time.

Like train

Long live the NYC Subway

the fact lots of comments have so many likes

So riders want the trains to be colorful like the North Western Railway then ?

It's "fewer" people, not "less people used the service".

tbh i’m all for graffiti on the side of some trains as long as it doesn’t cover the windows/number signs or anything important

Chambers street is not as bad nowadays not even close.

They are at least trying to modernize Chambers Street though. And bare in mind the 46s are in poor condition yes, but Staten Island has it worse and has for a decade give or take…. Consider that if/when you pass by Clifton Shops in the future.

I returned this week from two weeks in Taiwan I traveled in and around, and between Taipei and Kaohsiung (231 miles in 1 hour 40 min). In the past four years I've been to Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Los Angeles and New York. As a kid who grew up in NE New Jersey and loved 1980s weekends in NYC, it pains me to see how NYC trains have become a huge embarrassment. Comparing any train anywhere in the world (except maybe rural India) NYC trains are abysmally third-rate dumpster fires. I will never ride them again. It's laughable when Americans insist they're a first-rate, technologically adept, world leader. The feral animals who urinate and rob and kill and destroy anything useful are a burden America just can't seem to shake.

Late 1900's?!?!?!?!?!?!

In the Late '80s they took more trains Out of service than you can count Graffitied up cars. I literaLLy couLdnt make it from 137th street to Dyckman street on a "HOT" summer (afternoon after school) Without my number 1 train being taken out of service. It was Hot, it was Smelly and it was REPETITIVELY BORINGGGGGGGG

no signs of the RR line, that no longer runs.

The modern designs need to be removed from all subway stations & replaced with more traditional style IRT, BMT, or IND depending on the line's prefix.

1990s, not 1900s.

Why not say late 20th century? Late 1900s is 1900-1910

Can I be a train operator

"1900s" You mean the 20th century?

I really wish they just power washed the floors. Even once a decade. Just like, they aren't cleaned, ever, and it looks nasty.

Lol good, work remote and don’t get stabbed

I propose rebuilding all demolished elevated subway lines except for the IRT 2nd Avenue Elevated Line & IRT 6th Avenue Elevated Line. The new BMT 2nd Avenue Elevated Line & IND 6th Avenue Elevated Line should only have provisions built & not a completed line. The IRT Flatlands Avenue Elevated Line, IRT Rockaway Elevated Line, IRT Gravesend Neck Elevated Line, BMT Metropolitan Avenue Elevated Line, BMT Rockaway Boulevard Elevated Line, BMT New Hyde Park Elevated Line, BMT Manida Street Elevated Line, BMT Webster Avenue Elevated Line, BMT Hempstead Elevated Line, IND Merrick Elevated Line, IND Island Park Elevated Line, IND Throgs Neck Elevated Line, IND Utopia Elevated Line, & IND Penninsula Boulevard Elevated Line should all be added into the system. Quieter tracks to make the elevated lines less hated should be used to learn from the reason they were originally demolished. The style of construction should only follow IRT, BMT, or IND style. The existing BMT Jamaica Line should return to its former glory & run to 168th Street.

Pretty much crime rates in New York not only boomed on the subway in the 1970s but it boomed all across the city due to there being not enough police officers and funding for the police force in the city at the time! The problem was finally resolved when a new city mayor who was elected at the beginning of the 1990s pushed to put a stop to the crime problem by tripling the number of police officers in the city and massively raising the police budget for the city! :)

The stations are in poor condition & deserve more attention than our subway cars. I propose returning the R-32 to route service & R-42 to route service. The R-44 & R-46 should coexist with the R-211 for more frequent service.

Back then, Hard work and honesty and ethics mattered Today, no more. MTA is pure corruption and laziness by the MTA employees and managers

The Third ave El in Bronx should've Stayed in Service Just like the Ninth ave El in Brooklyn and The 168 St El on J should've stayed The MTA just acted like fools to let these lines go just like what's going to happened to Ex Far-Rock Beach Branch on LIRR. SIR. And nice video video 📹.

Gotta be his worst video. I stopped watching at 02:07. That was far from the reason for crime, you're glossing over the social economic shifts during this in the country that help lead not only to a rise in crime but service decline in the system. Have you ever heard of the Rust Belts? study that for starters. Also there was a siphoning of capital out of the transit system, along with its poor management that helped culminate the decline of service. There are far better informed videos on RU-vid that have already thoroughly examined the how and why NYC subway became dilapidated and why it remains still especially in particular areas.

The title is ridiculous. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well crime is worse today than in the late 20th century but the system is better but the MTA could do more and to do that we need to privatize the MTA and change the leadership to caring, responsible, and willful people. At least the subway is somewhat better. 😊will you talk about the R211 car assignments again or when they are finalized❔❄️⛺️

There's a reason people don't take public transit in America, its because its a mix of a mobile homeless shelter and mental asylum all in one.

E train better

That sucked

Todays subways are just so filthy, smelly & full of predators. So how far have we really come. It's not the cars, or tracks, or lines, it's the people that make them & are charged with managing it. Sadly The only time this system was really cleaned was during the pandemic (Covid) that was a blessing in disguise. They refuse to spend the money & hire the labor force to clean it. Other subway systems around the world are in better shape

Maybe they should concentrate on making the subway safe, clean, and efficient instead of plastering the trains with rainbow hearts.

graffiti is badass i tag on all the trains inside

Really enlightening video, thanks! I kinda wish more people had a more open mind about graffiti though. I like feeling like my city is a free, uncurated gallery HAHA. My favorite spots are always under bridges and shit. The hateful graffiti isn't fun but that's never the majority.