8 Transit Tales in Honor of Subway Day

New York City’s subway is headed towards its 115th birthday this weekend, a perfect opportunity to sharpen up your transit knowledge.

It was on October 27, 1904 that the Interborough Rapid Transit subway first opened for business. That initial line of 28 stations in Manhattan is now a five borough-wide system with more than 400 stations.

If you want to celebrate the day underground, the New York Transit Museum has a variety of activities planned for Sunday, October 27, from vintage train rides to special photo exhibits in subway stations. You can check out more info on their Subway Day event page.

To increase your Brooklyn-specific transit knowledge, we’ve rounded up eight stories filled with info on the complicated system that keeps the borough moving.

A Sandhog Recalls Being Shot Out of a Brooklyn Heights Subway Tunnel

For all the humanity packed into Brooklyn, it’s no wonder so many incredible stories get lost in the cracks of history — or, in this case, shot up into them.

—

Take a Trip on the Myrtle Avenue El (Photos)

The Myrtle Avenue El may have closed to riders almost 50 years ago but a treasure trove of images by Brooklyn native Patrick Cullinan provides a glimpse into the daily commute along the vanished line.

—

From Ferry to Train: The Transit Transformation of Downtown Brooklyn

The trip from Brooklyn to Manhattan in 1642 was nothing like it is today. When a commuter required service, he or she would blow a horn attached to a tree in what is now Dumbo.

—

5 of Brooklyn’s Worst Disasters, From the Subway to the Sky

Brooklyn has experienced a variety of transit disasters and fires throughout its existence, yet many of the ones that caused a high loss of life and property have since been forgotten. From theater fires to plane crashes and building collapses, the incidents were all caused by man-made structures and machines.

—

Demolished, Abandoned or Repurposed: Remembering Brooklyn’s Lost Subway Stations

The subway system may give off an air of permanence, but like just about everything else in this ever-changing city, it’s grown and evolved over the decades. A number of Brooklyn’s stations have been lost to time, and some platforms abandoned.

—

Walkabout: Death Rides the Rails

In the aftermath of great disasters, there is always the need for assigning blame, and seeking justice. In the case of the Malbone Street Wreck, which killed at least 93 people, and seriously injured over 200 more, that need was great. The people demanded answers, and a newly elected and ambitious mayor had his own agenda.

—

Obsessive Designer Digitizes All 157 Brooklyn Subway Station Signs and They’re Gorgeous

Brooklyn’s subway art, gone virtual.

Williamsburg-based freelance art director and designer Adam Chang recently completed his digitization of every Brooklyn subway station mosaic. Brownstoner got the chance to talk to Adam about the project, his inspirations, and the G train.

—

Walkabout: The Tunnel That Ate Brooklyn

In 1903, the ambitious project to dig a subway tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn began under the auspices of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, the first underground subway line in Manhattan. Subway transportation between Brooklyn and Manhattan was necessary, and like the Fulton and Wall Street Ferries that had been transporting commuters for 80 plus years, the thousands of commuters travelling back and forth would be well served by this new mode of transportation.

Related Stories

• A Glimpse Into Work and the Celebration of Labor Day in 19th Century New York
• 15 Architects Whose Designs Shaped the Look of Historic Brooklyn
• A Map Designer Hits the Road, Determined to Bike Every Street in Brooklyn and Document the Trip

Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.