This past weekend, the New York Transit Museum offered up several vintage subway trains at the Brighton Beach B/Q platforms for nostalgic New Yorkers. The sun glinted off the coppery façade of the BMT Centennial (1915-2015), which resembled something like a child’s dream toy train.
On the adjacent track stood the so-called “Train of Many Metals,” which lived up to its name. Like a centipede composed of compartments in various shades of turpentine blue and the faded cream color of your Aunt Dorothy’s Sunday church dress, the train took passengers on a trip through time. With just a swipe of their MetroCard, riders flitted between cars featuring ceiling fans and advertisements seeking willing participants in the fight against Soviet Russia. There were posters showing subway beauty queens from the 1970s and Verizon flip-phone ads circa the mid-late 2000s.
The train whirred on in the direction of Manhattan for a few stops before circling back to Brighton Beach. From there, we schlepped onto the sadly non-vintage Q train to Saturday’s 36th Annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade.
Missed out on this weekend’s extravaganza? Be sure to catch one of the next nostalgia train rides. Head to Coney Island on Sunday, July 8th between 10 am-5 p.m or the Rockaways on Saturday, August 4th between 11 am-5 pm. More details here.