Mark's Subway Videos
Revised November 9th, 2009
By Mark S. Feinman
After a long hiatus, the DVD list has been updated with eleven new DVDs, one from Philadelphia and the remainder from, of course, New York. The majority of them cover the R-1/9s, both as Nostalgia Trains and in service on the V Line. There are now 85 DVDs from which to choose.
To all of you who have ordered and enjoyed my videos, I continue to offer my heartfelt and sincere thanks for your continued encouragement, comments and interest! It's been a very long time since I've updated my list. In the past four years, the fantrips that were run to benefit the March of Dimes were discontinued, and the R-1/9's have taken the place of the D-Types as the mainstay of the Nostalgia fleet. In December 2007 and 2008, as the City of New York put up their Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center, MTA New York City Transit brought out their trainset of R-1/9 cars to run under the tree - a 6-car set in 2007 and a 7-car set in 2008. I'm happy to say that I have most of these runs covered.
All of my videos are now available as DVDs. The pricing hasn't changed very much at all.
For those of you who have thought about trying a DVD, but still haven't done so, perhaps this will finally be the year you try one and get hooked.
Join me on field trips I have taken over the past 16 years on the New York City Subway, in Philadelphia on SEPTA and PATCO, in Chicago on the CTA, in Boston on the "T", in Baltimore on the MTA, in Toronto on the TTC, in Dallas on DART and in New Jersey on the HBLR. All DVDs are from my personal collection, unedited, with no narration or graphics to spoil the action. Basically, whatever happened before the camera lens during those trips is what you'll see. I hope you'll enjoy watching the DVDs as much as I have enjoyed going on these "field trips".
A few quick definitions:
- Runby: A view of the train from the platform, street, overpass, etc, where the train "runs by" the camera.
- Cab (or head-end) view: A view of the train from the railfan window at the front; for the most part, it's the same view that the train operator has.
The videos fall into these categories:
Ordering information can be found at the bottom of the catalogue.
 NEWEST VIDEOS
The R/1-9s
2003 marked the year where the R-1/9s began appearing on fantrips. The very first one occurred on June 8th, 2003 consisting of three R-1/9 cars (100, 484 and 1575) with a diesel running behind "just in case". In 2004, as additional cars became available, they were added to the trainset. Multiple fantrips on the R-1/9s were run in 2003 and 2004. A 5-car R-1/9 trainset ran on the Parade of Trains weekend of October 23rd and 24th, 2004. For the subway centennial, I videotaped the R-1/9s running in service between Canal Street and Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. In 2007, the August Nostalgia Train was videotaped as a "cab" ride between Stillwell Ave and 57th Street / 7th Avenue, as well as several runbys in and around Coney Island. In 2008, the July Nostalgia Train was videotaped, running between Queens Plaza and Coney Island via the IND Crosstown, South Brooklyn and BMT Culver Lines, returning via the Brighton Line. Finally, in December of 2007 and 2008, the R-1/9s were videotaped in service on the V line from many perspectives - at the railfan window, riding inside the cars, and runbys galore at every station between 2nd Ave and Queens Plaza.
Here's what's new:
- DV077: Coney Island Railfanning, August 12th, 2007
- DV078: R-9s on the Q, July 12th, 2007
- DV079: The July 2008 Nostalgia Train
- DV080: R-9s on the V, December 9th, 2007
- DV081: R-9s on the V, December 16th, 2007
- DV082: R-9s on the V, December 16th, 2007
- DV083: R-9s on the V, December 7th, 2008
- DV084: R-9s on the V, December 14th, 2008
- DV085: R-9s on the V, December 28th, 2008
The Lo-V's
One of the last March of Dimes fantrips run by MTA New York City Transit's "C" Division was on March 20th, 2005, where the Lo-Vs ran under Lexington Avenue from the Grand Central Shuttle track to City Hall, then to Woodlawn via the Lexington Avenue local (though we didn't stop) and the Jerome Ave El's middle track. DVD DV076: Lo-Vs on the Lex, March 20th, 2005 captured all of the action.
Philadelphia PCC Trip
A chartered PCC was our host for a trip over various surface lines in Philadelphia, as well as a "cab" ride of most of the subway running between 40th Street and City Hall. DVD DV075: Philly PCC Trip, May 8th, 2005 captured all of the action.
So let's cover what's new first:
This DVD offers a nice mix of runbys, some from unusual places, as well as a cab view from the Sea Beach Line. Many of the runbys are of the R-1/9s! In addition, the weekend that this was recorded, G trains were running to Stillwell Avenue, and some of them are seen in the DVD. Specifically, here's the breakdown:
- Views of Coney Island Yard from the West End Line
- Views of the R-1/9s rounding curves on the West End Line at 18th Ave, Ft. Hamilton Parkway, 39th Street and Bay 50th Street
- Views in the 39th Street yard of both the R-1/9s as well as the work equipment resting that weekend
- Runbys at Stillwell Avenue
- Views of the Cyclone rollercoaster (well, it is a scenic railway, isn't it?)
- Views of Stillwell Avenue, West 8th Street and Neptune Ave from the Wonder Wheel
- Cab view of the Sea Beach local from 8th Avenue to Stiiwell Avenue
Run time is about 48 minutes. Price: $20.00.
This DVD offers a non-stop ride on the Q line between Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island and 57th Street / 7th Avenue, Manhattan aboard the R-1/9s. The speedy ride between Brighton Beach and Prospect Park is not to be missed.
Run time is 45 minutes. Price: $20.00.
This 2-DVD set offers terrific non-stop rides on parts of the G, F, N, D and Q Lines. The first DVD has a cab view on the IND Crosstown Line (G) from Queens Plaza to Smith / 9th Streets, the IND South Brooklyn Line (F local) from Smith / 9th Streets to Ditmas Avenue, and the BMT Culver Line (F) running express from Ditmas Avenue to Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island. The ride continues on the Sea Beach local (N) from Stillwell Ave to 8th Avenue, and concludes with a walk through the cars.
The second DVD in the set has some video out the side window as the train rounded the curves at 39th Street on the West End Line, and a view out the back of the train on the West End Line from 55th Street to Stillwell Avenue. It concludes with a cab view of the entire Q Line from Stillwell Avenue to 57th Street / 7th Avenue, Manhattan, running on the express tracks through Ocean Parkway, Brighton Beach and all the way to Prospect Park - a really speedy ride.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $40.00. You can also buy part 1 or part 2 alone, each for $25.00.
This is the first of several DVDs covering the R-1/9s on the V line during the holiday season. Each one of these videos has a different perspective on the ride. This video concentrates on the interior of the cars as they rode in service. There's a ride between Rockefeller Center and Queens Plaza, and then a round trip between Queens Plaza and 2nd Avenue. We'll be standing on the train as its running, listening to the gears groaning, the puffs of air heard when the doors are opening and closing, and watching the lights going off over third rail gaps. And the passengers looked so --- happy! There are several runbys in between each run.
Run time is 1 hour. Price: $20.00.
This is the second of several DVDs covering the R-1/9s on the V line during the holiday season. Each one of these videos has a different perspective on the ride. This video is about 3/8s interior, 3/8s cab view and 1/4 runbys. The breakdown is as follows:
- Runbys at Queens Plaza and Broadway / Lafayette
- Riding in the cars between Broadway / Lafayette and 23rd Street / Ely Avenue
- Runbys at 23rd Street / Ely Avenue
- Riding in the cars from 5th Avenue / 53rd Street to 23rd Street
- Runbys at 23rd Street
- Riding in the cars from 23rd Street back to 5th Avenue / 53rd Street.
- Runbys at 5th Avenue / 53rd Street.
- Cab view, 2nd Avenue to Queens Plaza
- A closing runby at Queens Plaza
Run time is 1 hour. Price: $20.00.
This is the third of several DVDs covering the R-1/9s on the V line during the holiday season. Each one of these videos has a different perspective on the ride. This video is 2/3 runbys and 1/3 cab view, and is the only DVD so far with the cab view from Queens Plaza back to 2nd Avenue. There are runbys of both the R-1/9s and regular trains in service. The runbys are at:
- Queens Plaza
- 2nd Avenue
- West 4th Street
- 5th Avenue / 53rd Street
- Lexington Ave / 53rd Street
- 14th Street
- 23rd Street / Ely Avenue
- Rockefeller Center heading downtown, from the north end of the platform
- Broadway / Lafayette
- There are also views arriving into and departing from stations while looking out the side window.
The DVD concludes with a cab view between Queens Plaza and 2nd Avenue.
Run time is 1 hour. Price: $20.00.
This is the fourth of several DVDs covering the R-1/9s on the V line during the holiday season. Each one of these videos has a different perspective on the ride. This video is 1/2 runbys, 1/4 interior views and 1/4 cab view, and takes place one year after the previous three videos. Some of the in-service trains on the E are of the R-42 series, and the R-1/9 train is now 7 cars long. There are interior views of the first run of the day, and an interior view of one of the last runs, and you can see how much more crowded the second interior views are. But even with the crowding, the passengers are happy! There are runbys of both the R-1/9s and regular trains in service. The runbys are at:
- 23rd Street
- Queens Plaza
- 5th Avenue / 53rd Street
- 14th Street
- 2nd Avenue
- Broadway / Lafayette
- Rockefeller Center
- West 4th Street
- Rockefeller Center heading downtown, from the north end of the platform
- Broadway / Lafayette
- 23rd Street / Ely Avenue
The DVD also contains a cab view between from 2nd Avenue to Queens Plaza and views of some of the old advertisements found inside the cars.
Run time is 1 hour. Price: $20.00.
This is the fifth of several DVDs covering the R-1/9s on the V line during the holiday season. Each one of these videos has a different perspective on the ride. This video is 1/5 interior views and 4/5 runbys. There are no cab views on this DVD at all. There are runbys of both the R-1/9s and regular trains in service. The runbys are at:
- West 4th Street
- 23rd Street / Ely Avenue
- Rockefeller Center
- 23rd Street
- 5th Avenue / 53rd Street
- 42nd Street
- 2nd Avenue
- 53rd Street / Lexington Avenue
- Queens Plaza
- Broadway / Lafayette
- 34th Street
- 14th Street
The DVD also contains views of some of the old advertisements found inside the cars.
Run time is 1 hour. Price: $20.00.
This is the sixth, and last, of several DVDs covering the R-1/9s on the V line during the holiday season. Each one of these videos has a different perspective on the ride. This video has an equal amount of runbys, interior views while the train is running and cab views. The interior views are a little different on this DVD because this time the camera was held between cars. The cab views are different, too, because they contain a high speed run on "The Dash" - the express tracks between West 4th Street and 34th Street. There are runbys of both the R-1/9s and regular trains in service. The runbys are at:
- West 4th Street
- Queens Plaza
- Lexington Avenue / 53rd Street
- 23rd Street
- 2nd Avenue
- Broadway / Lafayette
- 34th Street, uptown express side
- Rockefeller Center
- 5th Avenue / 53rd Street
- Broadway / Lafayette
- 23rd Street / Ely Avenue
Run time is 1 hour. Price: $20.00.
One of the last fantrips run with the Lo-Vs took place on March 20th, 2005, where they ran on the Lexington Avenue Line all the way to Woodlawn. This DVD was shot at the front window, and offers a motorman's view of the Lexington Ave local and the middle track of the Jerome Avenue El. Here's the breakdown:
- Cab view, Grand Central shuttle track to City Hall Loop via Lexington Ave local
- City Hall Loop to Woodlawn via Lexington Ave local and Jerome Ave El middle track
- Views at Concourse Yard and again at Burnside Ave
- Views at 149th Street / Grand Concourse
- Cab view, 125th Street to Jackson Avenue
- Closing runbys at Brooklyn Bridge
Run time is 1 hour 24 minutes. Price: $20.00.
New Video From Philadelphia:
This DVD covers a fantrip on one of the refurbished SEPTA PCCs as it travelled on various surface lines of Philadelphia. There's also some "cab" view in the trolley subway under Market Street. Here's the breakdown:
- Views at 69th Street shop
- Cab view, 69th St to Woodland Ave. Views at 45th & Woodland.
- Cab view in the trolley subway, around 22nd Street to the loop, then back out to 40th Street
- Views at:
- 40th Street portal
- 49th & Woodland
- Returning to the 69th St yard and inside the shop
- Views of the PCCs coming out of the yard
- 39th & Filbert
- Lancaster & Malvern Loop
- Robinson Street
- St. Bernard Street
- Farragut Street
- Chester & Stetser
- Cab view on a wide boulevard (Girard Ave?)
Run time is 1 hour. Price: $20.00.
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Subway Centennial Events
Imagine railfanning on the Brighton Line with a camera in the early 1960s. What equipment might you see? You might see a D-Type pass a BMT standard, with some R-30s running in Brighton local service and some of the newest R-32s running in Brighton Express service. Generally, you would see a nice sampling of equipment.
On October 23rd and 24th, 2004, you could get a real sense of what railfanning was like in the early 1960s with the varied equipment. During this weekend, the New York Transit Museum ran all of the runnable vintage equipment in shuttle service between Brighton Beach and Kings Highway. On the 23rd, there was a runby every 10 minutes and there were some meets of the vintage equipment. On the 24th, there was a runby every 15 minutes. This video contains a runby of EVERY vintage train that ran on Saturday somewhere between Brighton Beach and Kings Highway. The video also contains part of Sunday's action as well.
This DVD is all runbys of vintage equipment. The stars of the show were:
- Five R-1/9 cars
- Four Lo-V cars
- Three BU cars
- The SMEE train of many colors and the four museum IRT cars to make up an 8-car train
The D-Types made a guest appearance only once. While the D-Types were being moved from 207th Street yard to Brighton Beach, they experienced wheel slippage trying to climb the Manhattan Bridge and had to be pushed across it by some R-68s. As a result, the train blew a grid and was not runnable for the event. There is a runby of the D-Types as they completed their trip to Brighton, but they were kept out of service. There is an additional runby of the D-Types coupled to the R-1/9s at Brighton Beach and again at West 8th Street.
This is probably a once in a lifetime type of DVD, which contains runbys at the following specific locations:
- Brighton Beach, before the event started
- Brighton Beach, as the event got going
- Neck Road, both directions
- Sheepshead Bay, both directions
- View of the D-Types at Ocean Parkway
- R-1/9s pulling the D-Types at Brighton Beach
- R-1/9s pulling the D-Types out of Ocean Parkway through West 8th Street. This video was recorded at West 8th Street.
- Avenue U, on the second day
- Kings Highway, from the Coney Island bound platform, on the second day
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $27.00.
This DVD continues the coverage of the second day of the Parade of Trains along the Brighton Line. More runbys of the R-1/9s, Lo-Vs, the SMEE train of many colors and the BUs are seen along the Brighton Line. In addition, the closing of the second day had the SMEE train of many colors, the Lo-Vs, the R-1/9s and the BU cars lined up just north of Ocean Parkway for a photo session and a "subway symphony". All the horns and whistles of each of the trains were blown to form a sort of celebratory song. Let's just say that although the railfans loved it, the residents of Brightwater Towers couldn't have been too happy. To close the event, nighttime runbys of the museum trains were recorded at Avenue U as the trains were returing to 207th Street yard. They produced a very nice light show.
In addition, as part of the subway centennial, the museum equipment was dispatched to various subway lines and ran in regular passenger service during the mid-day hours on October 27th, 28th and 29th, 2004. The remainder of the DVD consists of the R-1/9s in service between Astoria and Canal Street on October 29th. The BU cars ran in shuttle service between Astoria Blvd and 39th Avenue along the center track of the Astoria Line, and they will be seen in the DVD, too. The DVD also has a brief view of the SMEE "train of many colors" as well.
This DVD contains the following runbys from the Parade of Trains on October 24th, 2004:
- Kings Highway
- Neck Road
- Brighton Beach
- Ocean Parkway, including the "subway symphony"
- Nighttime runbys at Ave U
Coverage of the R-1/9s in service on October 29th, 2004 consists of the following:
- Runbys of R-142s, R-62s and the SMEE train of many colors at 34th Street / Penn Station
- Runby at Atlantic Avenue (IRT)
- Runbys of the R-1/9s and BUs at 36th Avenue
- Runby at Prince Street
- Interior views of the R-1/9s
- Views of the BUs at Astoria Blvd, as well as R-1/9 runbys
- View of the R-1/9s entering Canal Street
- Cab view, Canal Street - Ditmars Blvd, Astoria via BMT Broadway Express. We also ran non-stop between Queensboro Plaza and Ditmars Blvd. The BU cars are also seen.
- Views at Ditmars Blvd
- View of the R-1/9s towing the BUs at 30th Avenue
Run time is 1 hour 18 minutes. Price: $20.00.
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R-1/9 Fantrips in 2003
Besides the 2003 fantrips below, also check out the new DVDs of the R-1/9s on the V train, and more recent Nostalgia Trains in 2007 and 2008.
All of the fantrips run on the BMT or IND lines until 2004 were run using the D-Types, which started running as "recent" Nostalgia specials on June 23rd, 1995. In early 2003, rumours about the R-1/9s returning to fantrip service were buzzing on many of the New York City-centric railfan message boards. In June of 2003, it was no longer a rumour. This greatly anticipated fantrip ran with R-1 100, R-4 484 and R-7A 1575, with a diesel in tow "just in case". While there were some several minor issues that occurred during the trip, it did not disappoint, and use of the diesel was never necessary.
"Return of the R-1/9s" contains the following views, some of which are not possible with R-46s and R-68s with their full width cabs ... and if you like cab views, then you must get yourself a copy of this video:
- Runbys of R-42s and the R-1/9s entering Chambers Street J/M/Z
- View of the R-1/9s at Broad Street
- Views inside the 38th Street (Brooklyn) rock tunnel
- Views of R-68s at Bay Parkway
- Cab view, Bay Parkway, Brooklyn to 179th Street, Jamaica via BMT West End Express (middle track), 4th Avenue local, Montague Street tunnel, BMT Broadway local, 60th Street tunnel / cut and Queens Blvd local. You'll hear a blown shoe fuse occur entering 36th Street, Brooklyn. During a stop at Whitehall Street, you'll see views of in-service trains.
- Runbys at 179th Street, Jamaica of R-32s and R-46s
- Views of Jamaica Yard, facing the portal
- Cab view, Jamaica Yard, Queens to Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn as follows: Queens Blvd local (not continuous), IND Crosstown local to Smith / 9th Street, IND South Brooklyn Express, BMT Culver Express, through Coney Island Yard to Stillwell Avenue, then via Brighton Express to Atlantic Avenue. You can't get a cab view of the IND Crosstown line at all because of the full width cabs in the R-46s. Stillwell Avenue, in June of 2003, was in the beginning of its reconstruction. The view of Stillwell Avenue seen on this video is no longer possible because the station is now near the end of its reconstruction.
- Walkthrough of the entire train
Run time is 4 hours. Price: $45.00.
The R-1/9s would start making many fantrips, and this one in particular was the second one. It didn't last as long as expected though; the train developed a "hot box" in the Rockaways and the trip needed to be cut short at the JFK Airport / Howard Beach station. Even so, there are two hours of highlights from this trip, and here they are:
- Views of R-42s at Chambers Street
- Views facing forward, but from outside of a side window, crossing the Williamsburgh Bridge, then along the Broadway (Brooklyn) El leaving Myrtle Avenue to entering Metropolitan Avenue.
- Cab view, Metropolitan Avenue, Queens to West 4th Street, Manhattan via the upper Myrtle Ave line, the Broadway El, the Wiliamsburgh Bridge and the Chrystie Street cut.
- Views speeding under Fulton Street, Brooklyn
- Views out the side window at Rockaway Avenue, then from Howard Beach to Beach 90th Street
- Views at Beach 90th Street
- Runbys at Rockaway Park
- Cab view, Far Rockaway / Mott Avanue to Howard Beach / JFK
- Views at Howard Beach / JFK
- Runby at Rockaway Avenue.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This R-1/9 trip was a Christmas present from New York City Transit Subdivision C. The trip covered two completely different places in the borough of Queens - Astoria and Rockaway Park. It also went to an area rarely seen by railfans - the storage yard south of Church Avenue on the IND South Brooklyn Line. This video contains the following views:
- Views at 59th Street / Columbus Circle
- Cab view, 34th Street / 6th Avenue, Manhattan to the pocket track north of Queens Plaza via the IND 53rd Street tunnel
- Views at Queens Plaza and from the pocket track
- Cab view, 59th Street / Lexington Avenue, Manhattan to Astoria Blvd using the middle track on the Astoria Line
- Views at Astoria Blvd
- Runby at 30th Avenue (Astoria Line)
- Runby at Queensborough Plaza
- Walkthrough of the entire train
- Cab view, Hoyt / Schermerhorn Streets, Brooklyn to Rockaway Park, Queens
- Views at Rockaway Park
- Cab view, Rockaway Park, Queens to Shepherd Ave, Brooklyn, then from Broadway Junction to Jay Street along the IND Rockaway line and Fulton Street express
- Views from the rear crossing the Smith / 9th Street viaduct, then again at Church Ave
- Cab view, Church Ave yard to 34th Street / 8th Avenue via IND South Brooklyn local and 8th Avenue Express (we changed tracks at Jay Street)
Run time is 3 hours. Price: $40.00.
This R-1/9 trip covered the Canarsie Line and the Broadway (Brooklyn) El to 111th Street, using Broadway Junction as our means for switching between lines. A passenger accident caused us to stay on the Canarsie Line longer than intended, so we did two round trips on it to Livonia Avenue. This is also the last fantrip that traversed the Snediker Avenue El before it closed for good as part of the Canarsie Line realignment at Broadway Junction and Atlantic Avenue. This video contains the following views:
- Views at 59th Street / Columbus Circle
- Cab view, 59th Street / Columbus Circle, Manhattan to Rockaway Parkway, Canarsie, Brooklyn via the IND 6th Avenue local, Chrystie St cut, Manhattan Bridge, Broadway (Brooklyn) El and Canarsie Line
- Views at Rockaway Parkway
- Views at Livonia Avenue
- Cab view, Livonia Ave, Brooklyn - 14th St / 8th Ave, Manhattan
- Views at 14th St / 8th Ave, including some R-143s
- Cab view, Broadway Junction - Montrose Ave (the second go-around)
- View from the rear, Myrtle Ave - Wilson Ave
- View of the R-1/9s at Wilson Ave
- View from the rear, Wilson Ave - Livonia Ave
- Cab view, Livonia Ave on the Canarsie Line to Chauncey Street, middle track, on the Broadway El
- Views of R-42s at Chanucey Street
- View from the rear, Chauncey Street - Cleveland Street
- View from the rear, Crescent St - 111th Street
- Views of R-42s from the 111th St pocket track
- Cab view, 111th Street, Queens to 59th Street / Columbus Circle, Manhattan via Broadway El and Williamsburgh Bridge (at sunset!!), the Chrystie Street cut and IND 6th Avenue local
Run time is 3 hours 5 minutes. Price: $40.00.
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R-1/9 Fantrips in 2004
Besides the 2004 fantrips below, also check out the new DVDs of the R-1/9s on the V train, and more recent Nostalgia Trains in 2007 and 2008.
The north side of the Manhattan Bridge was closed to all train traffic on July 23rd, 2001 for rehabilitation. About three years later, on February 22nd, 2004, the north side reopened. Without wasing any time, a fantrip of R-1/9 cars was set up to celebrate the bridge's reopening, and to allow us to ride "the dash" between West 4th St and 34th Streets for the first time in many years. We rode it as a West End train to Coney Island, then as the 1967 - 2004 D Train from Brighton Beach to 205th Street in the Bronx. We also rode through Stillwell Avenue, which was still three months from its reopening. Finally, this was the first fantrip in many years that went to 95th Street in Bay Ridge. This video contains the following views:
- Cab view, Columbus Circle, Manhattan to 95th Street, Brooklyn via the IND 6th Avenue express, the Manhattan Bridge, 4th Avenue (Brooklyn) Express to 36th Street, then local to 95th Street
- Cab view, 36th Street / 4th Avenue to Brighton Beach via the West End Express, Coney Island Yard, Stillwell Avenue and Brighton Express
- Views at 9th Avenue / 39th Street
- A view of the R-1/9s laying up in the elevated Brighton "yard"
- A view of the train posing in the sun taken from the street at Brighton 3rd Street
- Views of R-68s at Brighton Beach
- Interior walkthrough
- Views at World Trade Center
- Cab view of the entire D train route (1967 - 2004), from Brighton Beach to 205th Street in the Bronx, express in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. Then ride the train into one of the pocket tracks at 205th Street!
- Views from the 205th St tail tracks into Concourse Yard
- Cab view, Concourse Yard to Bedford Park Blvd, to West 4th Street via the IND Concourse local and 8th Avenue express
Run time is 3 hours 38 minutes. Price: $40.00.
I'll admit that I am partial to the BMT Southern Division, having grown up in Brighton Beach and Marine Park, so anytime there's a fantrip covering the "South", I usually make a bee-line for it. Instead of a cab view down the West End Line, most of the video along this line is taken out the side windows as the train rounded curves. There is also a view of the completed Stillwell Avenue station and the vicinity taken from the Wonder Wheel. In fact, this was opening day for Stillwell Avenue! Another surprise about this trip was a visit to the lower level of 9th Avenue in Brooklyn. There's a great view of the R-1/9s sitting in the lower level station. This video contains the following views:
- Runbys of in-service trains at Columbus Circle
- Cab view, Columbus Circle, Manhattan to the lower level of 9th Avenue / 39th Street, Brooklyn via the IND 6th Avenue express, the Manhattan Bridge and the 4th Avenue (Brooklyn) Express
- Views of 9th Ave lower level
- Views out the side window as the R-1/9s left 9th Ave, entered 38th Street yard and then returned to the upper level of 9th Ave
- Views at 9th Ave upper level
- Views out the side window between 9th Ave and 20th Ave
- Interior views
- Views at Bay Parkway
- View out the side rounding the curve at 25th Avenue
- Views of Coney Island Yard
- Views entering Stillwell Avenue
- Views at Stillwell Avenue
- Views of Stillwell Avenue and vicinity from the Wonder Wheel
- Views of the Brighton and Culver Lines from the Boardwalk and West 12th Street
- Cab view, Stillwell Ave / Coney Island to Astoria, Queens via the Brighton Express, the south side of the Manhattan Bridge, BMT Broadway local and Astoria Local
- Views at Astoria
- Runby at Broadway (Astoria Line)
- Runby at Queensboro Plaza
- Rear views between Queensboro Plaza and 34th Street on the BMT Broadway Line
- Cab view, 34th Street - Times Square
- Views at Times Square
Run time is 3 hours 7 minutes. Price: $40.00.
This fantrip saw the R-1/9 cars come out for an evening and nighttime fantrip along the BMT Southern Division on the same evening that a hurricane brushed by the New York metropolitan area. Due to the impending hurricane, trains were laid up on the Culver, Brighton and West End lines, all of which will be seen during this video. This video contains the following views:
- Runby of the R-1/9s into Columbus Circle
- Cab view, Columbus Circle - Stillwell Avenue / Coney Island via the IND 6th Avenue local, the IND South Brooklyn local and the Culver local (basically the route of the "F" train from Rockefeller Center to Coney Island). While the original plans had us running on the express tracks, NYC Transit's plan IV was in effect and trains were being laid up along the Culver Line, in anticipation of flooding in Coney Island Yard (which never materialized).
- Views at Stillwell Avenue
- Cab view, Stillwell Ave - 38th Street yard via West End local, in twilight
- Views of 38th Street yard
- Evening views on the West End Line, around all curves.
- Views along Brighton Line curves, now at night. For the first time in memory, trains laid up on the Brighton line can be seen between Brighton Beach and Kings Highway.
- Views at Kings Highway
- Northbound runby at Ave J, southbound runby at Ave M. Somebody forgot to shut off the headlights in the rear of the train.
- Runby into Brighton Beach
- Runby into Ocean Parkway. It's raining pretty hard now, but at night, as the camera focuses on the train, it's hard to tell
- Rainy views out the side window into Stillwell Avenue
- Rear view of "the dash" between West 4th and 34th Streets
- Closing runby at Columbus Circle
Run time is 1 hour 55 minutes. Price: $20.00.
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Lo-V Videos
Besides the fantrips below, also check out the new DVD DV076: Lo-Vs on the Lex, March 20th, 2005.
This fantrip saw the return of the Lo-Vs to fantrip service, after having spent some time shuttling New York Transit Museum members between Brighton Beach and Kings Highway in October. All of the railfans aboard were very thankful to be back aboard the Lo-Vs, which made their last fantrip in 1998. This video contains the following views:
- Cab view, Grand Central Shuttle to South Ferry Loop via IRT Lexington Ave local, then from South Ferry to 242nd Street / Van Cortlandt Park, the Bronx via IRT Broadway / 7th Avenue Express and the middle track between 96th Street and 137th Street.
- Runbys at 238th Street of the Lo-Vs entering, then leaving, 240th Street yard
- Runby at 225th Street
- Runby at Dyckman Street
- Views of R-62As and railfans taking photos at 137th Street and 125th Street
- View from the rear of the train entering 96th Street
- Rear view into, and views of, New Lots Yard
- Cab view, New Lots Yard to Eastern Parkway / Brooklyn Museum
- View from the rear between Eastern Parkway and President Street
- Cab view, Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn - Dyckman Street, Manhattan via IRT Flatbush Ave local, IRT Broadway / 7th Avenue Express, middle track from 96th Street to 137th Street, and IRT Broadway local
- Nighttime runby at Dyckman Street
- Runbys at 207th Street, including the train entering 207th Street yard
Run time is 3 hours. Price: $40.00.
Over 3 hours of cab views through Manhattan and the Bronx covering lines that were missed during the Lo-V fantrips in 1996 and 1997. This video is a two-tape set.
The cab views are:
- Grand Central Shuttle platform to Brooklyn Bridge via Lexington Avenue Local
- The Brooklyn Bridge lay-up tracks
- Brooklyn Bridge, around City Hall Loop to 125th Street via Lexington Avenue Express
- 125th Street to Hunts Point Avenue via Pelham Express, Hunts Point Avenue to Westchester Square via Pelham Local
- Westchester Square into Westchester Yard, around the yard twice, then return to 177th Street - Parkchester via Track "M"
- 86th Street - Lexington Ave to 238th St Yard (2/5) via Lexington Avenue Thru Express
- 238th St Yard to East 180th St via White Plains Road Track "M"
- Baychester Avenue to East 180th St via Dyre Ave Line
- 86th Street to Fordham Road via Lexington Ave Express and Jerome Ave local
Views/run-bys:
- Approach into Grand Central Shuttle platform
- City Hall Loop
- 177th Street - Parkchester: stills of interior and exterior, and from street level
- Whitlock Avenue
- Hunts Point Avenue
- At 238th St yard, 4 Redbirds involved in the rear-end collision at the yard lead
- East 180th St
- Baychester Avenue
- Various exterior views rounding curves along the Lexington Avenue Thru Express
- Leaving Fordham Road
- Leaving Concourse Yard headed for IND trackage
Run time is a little more than 3 hours. Price: $40.00.
If you love the Lo-Vs, and you love cab views, then THIS is the video for you. This video runs nearly four hours and is a two-tape set. The cab views are:
- Grand Central Shuttle platform to Bowling Green (IRT #5 & 6)
- Times Square lay-up track on the Broadway/7th Ave Line (IRT #3) to New Lots Yard
- New Lots Yard to just past Nostrand Avenue (#3)
- Chambers Street to South Ferry Loop (#1)
- South Ferry Loop to 125th Street via Lexington Avenue Express (#4/5)
- 125th Street to Pelham Bay Park via Pelham Local (#6)
- Pelham Bay Park into Westchester Yard, around the yard and through the car wash, then through the yard back onto the Pelham Line, then via Pelham Express to 125th Street
- 125th Street to Baychester Avenue (#5)
- Morris Park to 86th Street (#5)
Views/run-bys:
- Approach into Grand Central Shuttle platform
- Pelham Bay Park
- Baychester Avenue
- Interior of Lo-Vs while running between 86th St and 125th St at the end of the trip
- Some exterior shots rounding curves on the Woodlawn Line (#4)
Run time approximately 4 hours. Price: $45.00.
This was the very first Lo-V fantrip that ran in 1996. Included on the video:
- Run-by entering Times Square - Grand Central Shuttle track 1
- Cab view, Grand Central Shuttle track 1 to City Hall Loop via Lexington Ave Local
- Views of Lo-Vs at City Hall
- Cab view, City Hall - 59th Street spur via Lexington Avenue local
- Cab view, Chambers Street - 242nd Street, Van Cortlandt Park via Broadway / 7th Avenue Express (#2,3) to 96th St and local to 242nd Street (#1,9) (WOW!)
- Run-bys leaving 242nd St into 240th Street yard & return
- Rear view, 242nd Street - Dyckman Street via service/express track
- Cab view, 96th St -148th St / Lenox Terminal (#2,3)
- Cab view, 135th Street - Jackson Avenue (#2,5)
- Run-by at 167th Street (Express)
- Cab view, Woodlawn - 86th Street (#4,6 - express Woodlawn - 161st St, local to 86th Street), 86th Street - Westchester Square (Pelham)
- Run-by into Westchester Yard
Run time approximately 2 hours 30 minutes. Price: $35.00.
This was the one, and only, Nostalgia train of Lo-Vs that the Transit Museum has run itself. The Lo-Vs never ran in revenue service in the IND Fulton St Subway and Rockaway Line. The video includes:
- Cab view, Transit Museum to Mott Avenue - Far Rockaway via IND Fulton Street (A) Express
- Run-bys of Lo-Vs leaving and entering Beach 116th St - Rockaway Park
- Cab view, Beach 116th St - Jay Street via Fulton Street Express
- Interior walkthrough
- Run-by at Avenue X (Culver), yard moves at Coney Island
Run time approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. Price: $20.00.
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BMT D-Type Triplex videos:
The D-Types haven't run since 2004 and there aren't any plans to run them anytime soon. But you can still enjoy many of the past fantrips aboard the D-Types in the comfort of your living room.
This DVD covers the "Steeplecab Special" fantrip held on September 22nd, 2002. Ride the D-Types being pulled by Steeplecab No. 6 on the lines of the BMT Southern and Eastern Divisions. This DVD also visits two transit yards - Coney Island and East New York. It also visits the lower Culver level of the 9th Avenue and 39th Street station in Brooklyn, the first fantrip since the 1993 "Farewell to the R-30" that did so. The majority of the Steeplecab portion of the DVD is shot out a side window of the D-Types as the train rounds curves, so you'll get to see both the D-Types and the Steeplecab in action.
Here's what's on this DVD:
- Runbys at 36th Street, Brooklyn, of a set of R-32s on the "N" train and the Special as it entered the station
- A view out the side window as the special left 36th Street and rounded the curve into the 39th Street cut.
- Views of the lower level of 9th Avenue / 39th Street, as well as the Special leaving the station. The last fantrip to visit this abandoned station was the "Farewell to the R-30s Fantrip" back in May of 1993. The station is in fair shape considering it closed in May of 1975.
- Runby of the Special entering, then leaving 39th Street yard. The video was shot from the employees-only bridge connecting the upper level platforms of 9th Ave / 39th Street with the 39th Street Yard. Views of R-68s in service on the West End Line are also provided.
- A view out the side window along various parts of the West End Line.
- Views entering and leaving Stillwell Avenue, with the complex just beginning demolition.
- Views out the side window of the Special entering Coney Island Yard from Stillwell Avenue. This was an unexpected stop because we needed to drop off one of the D-Type units due to a flat wheel which may have occurred trying to exit 36th Street station at the start of the trip. (The train could not negotiate the upgrade out of 36th Street, and we backed into the station to try it again.) While the unit was being dropped off, I took video of various equipment sitting in the yard, as well as the museum cars. After the unit was dropped off, the Special did two reverse moves to get us onto the Culver Line. During this time, you'll see more views shot out of a side window of the Special rounding the yard loop and entering the Culver Line proceeding to Avenue U.
- Views of the Special sitting at Church Avenue in the IND South Brooklyn Line
- Runbys at Bay Parkway / 22nd Avenue of the Steeplecab alone, followed by the D-Types. There are also runbys of R-46s in service on the "F" line.
- Runby of the Special coming into the Culver Line Kings Highway station southbound
- More views of Coney Island Yard and the Special as it enters the yard from the Culver Line, runs around the yard loop and connects to the Sea Beach Line at 86th Street.
- Views of the Special sitting at the Chambers Street J/M/Z station
- A runby of the Special coming off the Williamsburgh Bridge into Marcy Avenue. R-40s and R-42s in service on the "J" line can also be seen.
- Views along the Broadway El coming into Myrtle Avenue.
- Views of in-service trains at Myrtle Avenue, and again at Chauncey Street, taken from the Special as it sat on the center track on the Broadway El
- Some truly excellent views of the Special and various equipment as it entered East New York Yard from the lead south of Broadway Junction, ran around the yard and back into Broadway Junction heading northbound.
- Views of the Special shot out a side window as it ran between Hewes Street and the Brooklyn approach to the Williamsburgh Bridge.
- Interior views of the D-Types as it ran between the Nassau Street Loop and Pacific Street
- A closing runby at 36th Street, where the trip started.
Run time is about 1 hour 10 minutes. Price: $20.00.
This DVD contains a cab ride on the Nostalgia Train of D-Types run by the Transit Museum in the summer of 2002. This cab ride starts from Stillwell Avenue in Coney Island, just seven weeks before being closed for renovations, and ends at 57th Street / 7th Avenue in Manhattan. The route used was via the West End Local, 4th Avenue express, the Manhattan Bridge and the Broadway express. After the cab ride is a closing runby of the D-Types on the Brighton Line at Kings Highway.
Run time is about 1 hour. Price: $20.00.
Ride the D-Types through Brooklyn and Queens on BMT lines of the Southern and Eastern Divisions, including rare trackage such as the middle track in the Sea Beach cut. Also view runbys of the charter along the Franklin Avenue shuttle and the Brighton Line. Finally, wrap it all up entering Coney Island Yard and viewing some of the museum equipment in various phases of restoration.
The specific cab views are as follows:
- Whitehall Street, Manhattan to Prospect Park, Brooklyn
- Brighton Beach to DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn, via Brighton Express
- DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn to Broadway / East New York via Montague Street tunnel, Nassau Loop, Williamsburgh Bridge and Broadway / Jamaica Elevated
- Broadway / East New York to Rockaway Parkway
- East New York Yard to 111th Street, Queens on the Jamaica El
- 111th Street, Queens to DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn via Broadway / Jamaica El, Williamsburgh Bridge, Nassau Loop and Montague Street tunnel
- DeKalb Ave to Coney Island Yard via Sea Beach Local to 59th St / 4th Ave and Sea Beach Express (new bi-directional middle track) to Coney Island Yard
The runbys and/or stills were taken at:
- Whitehall Street
- Botanic Garden (Franklin Ave Shuttle)
- Park Place (Franklin Ave Shuttle)
- Avenue M (Brighton Express)
- Brighton Beach
- Rounding curves at Atlantic Ave and into East New York Yard
- Coney Island Yard
At the conclusion of the video, you will also see:
- A short tour of Coney Island Yard
- A view of all museum equipment in the Yard
Run time is 3 hours 49 minutes. Price: $45.00.
Take a ride on the D-Types again, this time between 59th Street / Columbus Circle and Coney Island via the IND 8th Avenue Express, the IND South Brooklyn line and the BMT Culver Line. Interesting runbys of the original Stillwell Avenue station and approaches were shot from Coney Island's Astrotower and Wonder Wheel. This video contains "highlights" from two D-Type trips held in July, 2000.
The cab views are:
- IND 8th Avenue Express, West 4th Street to 59th Street heading uptown
- Reverse cab view at 59th St, 53rd to 50th Streets, 42nd St, 2nd Avenue in Manhattan, Smith / 9th Streets and Church Ave to Stillwell Ave, Brooklyn
- IND 8th Avenue Express, 59th Street / Columbus Circle, Manhattan to Hoyt - Schermerhorn Sts, Brooklyn
- IND South Brooklyn Line, local Jay St to Smith / 9th Sts, express 4th Ave - Church Avenue and BMT Culver Line, express Church Ave to Stillwell Avenue.
Views/run-bys:
- 59th Street / Columbus Circle, from the unused center platform
- Stillwell Avenue, from the platform, the street, the Coney Island Wonder Wheel and Coney Island Astrotower (wow!)
- Old signs at the Transit Museum
- Rounding the curve at Smith / 9th Streets
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This D-Type trip traced the route of the BMT's QT Line from 57th St - 7th Ave to Coney Island, except we ran express in Manhattan instead of local. We'll ride with a cab view to Stillwell Avenue. The return trip contains footage from the Sea Beach Line, including some views along the express track under 4th Ave, Brooklyn, from the rear car. It ends with views of the R-110As and the D-Types entering Coney Island Yard from the West End connecting spur. Specifically, the video includes:
- Cab view, 57th St / 7th Ave, Manhattan to Canal Street via the BMT Broadway Express
- Cab view, Canal Street to DeKalb Ave via the BMT Broadway Local and Montague Street tunnel
- Cab view, DeKalb Ave to Atlantic Ave via Brighton Local
- Cab view, Prospect Park to Ocean Parkway via Brighton Express
- Exterior view rounding curves at Ocean Pkwy, West 8th Street and Stillwell Ave
- Runbys at Stillwell Avenue
- Views of the Coney Island Yard from the Sea Beach Line
- Interior walkthrough
- Rear-end view, Bay Parkway to Ft Hamilton Parkway
- Rear view under 4th Avenue Brooklyn, approximately 20th St, to Lawrence Street
- Run-by at 57th St / 7th Ave, Manhattan
- Run-bys of R-46s along the Culver Line at Neptune Ave
- Run-bys of various equipment in Coney Island Yard, including the R-110As and the D-Types entering the yard via the West End connecting spur
Run time approximately 1 hour 55 minutes. Price: $20.00
Highlights of three different D-Type trips are featured in this video. The first part of this "Triplex" feature is a ride out to Rockaway Park, filmed on 8/24/97, but not from the cab this time. It features interior shots, shots out the rear car and from outside the side windows as the train is running. There are also many runbys of varied equipment running on the shuttle between Euclid Ave and Rockaway Park - R-32s, R-38s and R-44s were caught that day. The second part of the video, also filmed 8/24/97, is a non-stop ride from Jay Street to the Coney Island Yard, via express all the way. A brief glimpse of the lower level of Bergen Street can be seen. (Due to the Bergen Street relay room fire a few years ago, you can't ride the express stretch of track between Jay Street and Smith/9th Streets anymore, and it may be your only glimpse of it for quite some time.) At Coney Island Yard, we also take a look at some of the museum fleet resting there. The last part of the video is a cab ride from the museum to Broadway - East New York, followed by a cab ride from 34th St / 6th Ave to Marcy Avenue, part of the route of the old "KK" line. This last part was recorded on 4/26/98.
Specifically, the video includes:
- "Runby" of the D-types entering the museum and shots from the rear leaving the museum
- Interior shots at various locations
- Exterior shot rounding curves at Grant Ave and turning onto the ex-LIRR ROW
- Crossing Jamaica Bay
- Exterior views from Hammels Wye to Rockaway Park
- Runbys at Rockaway Park of the D-Types, R-32s, R-38s and R-44s
- Exterior views rounding the curve at Hammels Wye onto one of the two bridges
- Cab view, Jay Street to Coney Island Yard via IND South Brooklyn Line (express) and BMT Culver Express
- The museum fleet in Coney Island, some of the 1995 Williamsburgh Bridge crash cars
- Cab view, Transit Museum to Broadway - East New York via Fulton St Express
- Rear views under Fulton Street
- Cab view, 34th St / 6th Ave, Manhattan to Marcy Avenue, Brooklyn, via 6th Ave local and the "KK" portion of the Chrystie Street connection
- Runbys at Canarsie Terminal
- Views of the East New York Yard
Run time approximately 2 hours. Price: $20.00
Note: The round trip to Canarsie, running 1 hour 52 minutes, is available, but the weather was rainy that day, and the cab views of the return trip are distorted from the raindrops. If you're interested in the round trip to Canarsie, just let me know.
Ride the D-Types to Coney Island via the Manhattan Bridge, 4th Avenue (Brooklyn) Express and the West End Express, through Coney Island Yard, to Stillwell Avenue. Then after "walking" through the cars, ride from West 4th St, Manhattan to Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets, back to the Transit Museum. Then, jump to Kings Highway on the Culver line and watch the D-Types approach from Coney Island Yard. Ride the D-Types from Kings Highway to Stillwell Avenue via Culver local, and then from Jay Street to Mott Avenue - Far Rockaway!
Specifically, the video includes:
- Cab view, West 4th Street to Stillwell Avenue via Manhattan Bridge, 4th Avenue (Brooklyn) Express, West End Express to Bay 50th Street, into Coney Island Yard, around outer loop into Stillwell Avenue
- Runby of D-Types leaving Stillwell Avenue
- Walk-through of all cars (interior shots)
- Cab view, West 4th Street - Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets via 8th Avenue local
- Runby into Kings Highway (Culver)
- Cab view, Kings Highway to Stillwell Avenue via Culver Local
- Cab view, Jay Street to Far Rockaway via Fulton Street ("A") Express
- Yard move at Beach 116th Street - Rockaway Park Yard
- Cab view, Lefferts Blvd to Euclid Avenue
- Runby at Avenue X into Coney Island Yard
Run time approximately 2 hours 30 minutes. Price: $27.00
This video includes:
- Cab view, Transit Museum to Broadway/East New York via Fulton St (A) Express
- Cab view, West 4th Street - Smith/9th Streets via 6th Ave local and Rutgers Street Tunnel
- Cab view, Smith/9th Streets - Coney Island via IND South Brooklyn express tracks (the first time this was done since the "Farewell to the R-30 Fantrip" in 1993) and BMT Culver Express (today's "F" train)
- Interior walkthrough
- Cab view, W 4 St - Hoyt-Schermerhorn via 8th Avenue local
- Run-by at Smith/9th Streets
Run time approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. Price: $20.00
This trip was the first Nostalgia Train that ran since the early 1980s, and it ran to Coney Island TWICE - once via Culver, and then again via the West End Line. This trip ran exactly 30 years after the last revenue train of D-Types was retired on July 23rd, 1965. This was also the first video I made available from my collection and is still one of my favourites. This video includes:
- D-Types entering Transit Museum
- Cab view, Carroll Street (F) to 4th Avenue (over the Smith/9th Street viaduct)
- Cab view, Church Avenue (F) to Coney Island Yard via Culver Local, into Coney Island Yard, around outer loop track, into Stillwell Avenue, then via Brighton Express to DeKalb Avenue, then via tunnel to Whitehall Street, Manhattan. You can almost feel the wind as the train speeds down the Brighton Line.
- Assortment of interior shots, rear-end views and side window views of D-Types around curves from Pacific Street - Stillwell Avenue on the BMT West End Line.
- Cab view, Stillwell Avenue - Van Sicklen/Neptune Avenue; rear-end Ave P - Church Ave on the Culver Line.
- Closing run-by at Avenue N (Culver Express)
Run time approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. Price: $20.00
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Redbirds: An Extinct Species
The delivery of the IRT R-142 and R-142A cars was completed several years ago, and all of the IRT "Redbirds" that we've ridden for decades have been retired. Many are now serving special passengers in Redbird Reef. To celebrate their long years of faithful service moving regular passengers and thrilling railfans, there are two series of DVDs devoted exclusively to the Redbirds, one covering fantrips, the other covering the Redbirds in regular service. Both are described below.
The Redbirds made their last revenue trip with passengers in November of 2003, so from a passenger standpoint, the Redbirds had been completely retired. As for fantrips, though, that was not the case at all. In another of the seemingly endless series of Redbird Farewell fantrips, another one was run covering the following IRT lines: the Flatbush Ave line in Brooklyn, the Broadway/7th Avenue and Lenox lines in Manhattan, and the Broadway and Jerome Avenue lines in the Bronx. This video contains the following views:
- Glimpses of various stations from the rear of the train, between the Grand Central Shuttle platform to Flatbush Ave, setting up for ...
- Cab view, Flatbush Avenue - Borough Hall
- Views at Winthrop Street
- Views at Flatbush Avenue
- Interior walkthrough of the train, setting up for ....
- Cab view, 14th Street / 7th Avenue, Manhattan to South Ferry Loop, then from South Ferry to 242nd Street / Van Cortlandt Park via the IRT Broadway / 7th Avenue Express, and the middle track between 96th Street and 137th Street
- Views of R-62As in service at 240th St, as well as the Redbirds being placed into 240th St yard
- Views of R-62As on Broadway, between 232nd and 234th Streets, shot from street level
- Views of R-62As at 238th Street, as well as the Redbirds coming back out of 240th Street yard
- Views at 225th Street, including the Redbird runby
- Views at Dyckman Street
- Cab view, 96th Street - Lenox Yard
- Views of R-62As leaving 148th Street / Lenox Terminal, taken from Lenox yard
- Cab view, 138th Street spur (Lenox Line) to 149th Street / Grand Concourse
- Rear view, 149th Street / Grand Concourse to 138th Street middle (Lexington Ave line)
- Cab view, 138th Street - Kingsbridge Road via Jerome Ave express
- More interior views
- Rear views between Fordham Road and Woodlawn
- Views at Woodlawn
- Cab view, Woodlawn - Brooklyn Bridge northbound, via Jerome Ave express and Lexington Ave express. The portion along Jerome Ave was shot at sunset.
- Views at 149th Street / Grand Concourse (Lexington Ave line)
- Closing runby at Brooklyn Bridge / City Hall
Run time is 3 hours 30 minutes. Price: $40.00.
In anticipation of the Subway Centennial, Subdivision C of New York City Transit had a goal of getting all of the museum equipment that could move in running condition by 2004. In preparation for this major event, a fantrip consisting of Redbirds and the IRT SMEE museum cars, to benefit the March of Dimes, was run on June 29th, 2003. And run they did ... there are some terrific cab views on the IRT from this video. As a bonus, there's a few minutes of R-1/9 runbys along the former BMT Fulton Street El in Queens:
- Views of the R-1/9s at 80th Street on the "A" line. You'll see 1575 with a hot journal bearing as the train was returning to Pitkin Yard.
- Views of R-62s and the SMEEs at Grand Central Shuttle track 1
- Views from the rear of the train while travelling on the Lexington Avenue Line
- Cab view, Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn to 242nd Street / Van Cortlandt Park, the Bronx via the IRT Flatbush Avenue and Eastern Parkway lines, the IRT Broadway / 7th Avenue express to 96th Street and the IRT Broadway Local to 242nd Street.
- Runbys at Dyckman Street
- Walkthrough of the entire train
- Cab view, 96th Street, Manhattan to 149th Street, Grand Coucourse, the Bronx via IRT Lenox Ave local
- 149th St / Grand Concourse (2/5) to 138th St / Grand Concourse (4) from the rear of the train, then back to 149th St / Grand Concourse (4)
- Runbys at Mt. Eden Avenue
- Cab view, Burnside Avenue into Mosholu Yard
- Views along curves, from the rear of the train, along Jerome Avenue
- Cab view, 86th Street / Lexington Avenue to Westchester Yard, the Bronx via the IRT Lexington and Pelham Lines
- Views from outside of a side window at Westchester Yard, Zerega Avenue, and from Parkchester / East 177th St to Whitlock Avenue
- Views along the lower Lexington Ave line, Brooklyn Bridge and City Hall Loop
Run time is 3 hour 23 minutes. Price: $40.00.
If you took NYC Transit press briefings at face value, 1999 was supposed to be the final year of the Redbirds. However, every year, there seemed to be a reprieve, even though by June of 2003, many R-142(A)s were already running on many IRT lines. In the summer of 2003, though, the end was not quite at hand yet, so in what seemed to be an endless series of Redbird Farewell fantrips, another one was run where the proceeds benefitted the March of Dimes.
Even though it was raining heavily by the time we got to East 180th Street, the cab views came out fine because yours truly had the opportunity to apply Rainex to the rainfan window. This will make a Rainex believer out of you, too! :)
"Yet Another Redbird Farewell" contains the following views:
- Views out the rear of the train between Grand Central shuttle track 1 and New Lots Avenue, via the Lexington Avenue local and IRT New Lots lines
- R-62As in service at New Lots Avenue
- Cab view, New Lots Avenue, Brooklyn to East 180th Street, the Bronx via the IRT New Lots Ave and Eastern Parkway lines, the Broadway / 7th Avenue Express to 96th Street, Lenox Ave local and White Plains Road
- Runbys of in-service trains at East 180th Street, some viewed from a pocket track at the East 180th St yard
- Cab view, East 180th Street - 238th Street yard via upper White Plains Road local
- Views in and around 238th Street yard
- Cab view, Dyre Avenue, the Bronx to Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan (uptown platform) via IRT Dyre Ave and White Plains Road local, and Lexington Avenue Express to Brooklyn Bridge, then around City Hall Loop to the uptown Brooklyn Bridge platform.
Run time is 3 hours 20 minutes. Price: $40.00.
This video covering the New York Division Electric Railroaders' Association's "Redbird Special" fantrip is a mixture of cab views and runbys as the train of R-33 singles travelled over the IND Rockaway Line and most of the BMT Eastern Division lines. It also travelled over the long-closed Chrystie Street connection, of which you'll get a cab view. It also rode the portion of the Canarsie Line over Snediker Avenue, which no longer exists. As such, there is a runby of R-42s and the Redbird Special as they snaked their way out of Sutter Avenue onto the Snediker Avenue portion of the line.
(For a more intensive look of the Snediker Ave El that covers it from every angle imaginable, see the description of the video V055: 2002: A Subway Odyssey)
The Redbird Special contains the following views:
- Views of the Special as it entered 59th Street / Columbus Circle
- Views out the back of the Special as it left 59th Street, as well as at 42nd Street, 14th Street, Clinton / Washington Avenues and Euclid Avenue.
- Views from the rear as the Special entered Pitkin Yard
- Cab view from Pitkin Yard to Beach 116th Street / Rockaway Park. Good speed was built up as the Special thundered across "the flats".
- Views of R-38s and R-44s in service between 80th Street and Rockaway Blvd, as well as at Howard Beach
- A view of the Special at Beach 90th Street
- A runby of the Special entering Beach 98th Street heading northbound.
- Cab view, West 4th Street, Manhattan to Broadway / Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, via the IND 6th Avenue Line, the Chrystie Street connection, the Williamsburgh Bridge and the Broadway / Brooklyn El
- Runby of both the Special and R-143s running in "M" shuttle service leaving Broadway / Myrtle
- Runby of the Special at Gates Avenue.
- Runby of the Special entering Broadway Junction
- Cab view leaving Broadway Junction on the "J" Line to Rockaway Parkway on the Canarsie Line.
- Views of the Special and R-143s leaving Rockaway Parkway
- Shot from the southern end of the closed Snediker Ave platform carrying the Atlantic Avenue station of the Canarsie Line:
- Runbys of R-143s leaving Atlantic Avenue heading towards Canarsie
- Runbys of R-42s leaving Sutter Avenue heading towards the camera on the Snediker Avenue portion of the Canarsie Line
- Runbys of the Special leaving Sutter Avenue heading towards the camera
- Shot from the southern end of the Broadway Junction platform on the Canarsie Line:
- Runby of R-42s entering Broadway Junction from Atlantic Avenue
- Runby of R-143s heading towards Atlantic Avenue
- The Special heading towards Atlantic Avenue, then doing a reverse move onto the connector to the Broadway El. A train of R-143s can also be seen heading towards Broadway Junction from Sutter Avenue.
- View of the elevated portion over Snediker Avenue that is now gone. Shot from the Special heading towards Alabama Avenue on the "J" line.
- Views of R-42s taken from the turnback north of Crescent Street
- View from the rear as the Special raced between Broadway Junction and Broadway / Myrtle. The Special was clocked at 43mph during this stretch.
- Cab view, Broadway / Myrtle, Brooklyn to Metropolitan Avenue, Queens. A number of R-143s running as "M" shuttle service can be seen.
- Runbys of R-143s and the Special at Seneca Avenue.
- Closing runby at Chambers Street (J/M/Z)
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
On the first video of what became a tradition of Redbird farewells, ride the Lexington Ave, Pelham and Jerome Ave IRT Lines. Then ride the same Redbirds into Concourse Yard and down the IND Concourse Line, where the equipment used does not normally contain a railfan window. Then ride the IND 8th Avenue express into 207th Street yard, and then use the yard's flyover to switch back to the IRT Broadway Line. Finally, ride the IRT Broadway Line using the center track to 96th Street, then via the Broadway / 7th Ave Express to Times Square.
The specific cab views are as follows:
- Grand Central Terminal track 1 to City Hall Loop via Lexington Avenue Local
- City Hall Loop to 125th Street via Lexington Avenue Express
- 125th Street, Manhattan to Westchester Yard, the Bronx, via Pelham Express
- Around Westchester Yard twice
- Westchester Yard to Parkchester / E 177th St
- 86th Street, Manhattan to Kingsbridge Road, the Bronx, via the Lexington Ave Express and Jerome Avenue local
- Kingsbridge Road into Concourse Yard, then to IND Concourse Line, from Bedford Park Blvd, the Bronx, to 135th Street, Manhattan pocket track
- 135th St to 207th Street Yard via IND 8th Avenue Express
- Around 207th St Yard, then connector onto IRT Broadway Line, then via middle track to 242nd Street / Van Cortlandt Park
- 242nd Street / Van Cortlandt Park, the Bronx to Times Square, Manhattan via express
There are runbys of the charter at Whitlock Ave, the Bronx and 207th Street, Manhattan, going into the 207th Street shop. Other in-service trains can be seen also.
Run time is 3 hours 26 minutes. Price: $40.00.
Redbirds in Regular Service
The Redbirds of the IRT Flushing Line in Queens are revisited at night. There's also some great runby viewing of the LIRR at Woodside. This video was recorded during three trips, one on 11/15/2000, one on 7/18/2001, and the last one on 11/19/2001. The entire video was done completely at night!
The runbys are:
- Ocean Parkway (BMT Brighton Line). OK - this isn't the Flushing Line, but it's at night and there's a fireworks show going on off Coney Island as this video was recorded.
- 61st Street / Woodside. It was one LIRR train after another as dusk turns to dark.
- 90th Street, Elmhurst
- 111th Street. The 2000 "subway series" trainset was captured twice here. So was a brief snow squall.
- Willets Point / Shea Stadium.
- Queensborough Plaza
- 40th Street (Lowery)
- 46th Street (Bliss)
- 52nd Street - Lincoln Avenue
- 69th Street - Fisk Ave
- 115th Street, at street level
- Where the Flushing Line crosses the Grand Central Parkway
- From the Shea Stadium parking lots on both sides of the Flushing Line
- From the overpass over the Corona Yards, including some more nighttime views of the LIRR.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This video covers the IRT White Plains Road and Pelham Lines in the Bronx while both the Redbirds and R-142(A)s provided service. There is also some brief video along the IRT West Side in Manhattan. All IRT passenger equipment that was active during the summer of 2001 can be seen in this video as more of the 1,080 new millenium cars R-142 and R-142A came on-line on the IRT Division. By the time this video was wrapped up, the first Redbirds were being sent to "Redbird Reef" off the Delaware coast.
This video is 100% runbys!
On the White Plains Road line, runbys at:
- Jackson Ave
- Prospect Ave
- Intervale Ave
- Simpson Street
- East Tremont Avenue. This station is covered twice - once during the day and once at night.
- Bronx Park East
- Bronxdale Ave & White Plains Road, from the street. A runby of the IRT Signal Dolly is included.
- Burchall Ave & White Plains Road, from the street (near Bronx Park East)
- East 180th Street. This station is also covered twice - once during the day and once at night.
- 174th Street
- Freeman Street
- 238th Street / Nereid Ave
On the Pelham Line:
- Elder Ave
- Morrison / Soundview Avenues
- From the street, near the Bronx River Parkway, and near Westchester & Metcalf Avenues
- St Lawrence Ave
- Castle Hill Ave
- From the street at Westchester & Waterbury Aves (between Castle Hill Ave & Zerega Ave stations)
- Zerega Ave
- Westchester Square, from the platform and street
- Vicinity of Westchester Yard and the Hutchinson River Parkway, from the street
- Middletown Road
- Buhre Avenue
- From the street, along Westchester Ave, between Leland Ave and the Parkchester / East 177th St station
On the IRT West Side:
- 50th Street
- Columbus Circle
- 72nd Street
- 96th Street
Interior shots of the R-142(A) and a sampling of the pre-recorded announcements are also included in the video.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This video covers the IRT Jerome Ave El and Pelham Line in the Bronx, and the Lexington Ave Line in Manhattan. This is the first video containing revenue runs of the new "Millenium Cars", the R-142As. Redbirds, R-62s and R-142As share the rails in this video debuting the first of 1,080 new cars for the IRT Division.
On the Jerome Ave El, Redbirds and R-62s can be seen at:
- Kingsbridge Road
- Fordham Road
- 183rd St
- 176th St
- 170th St
- 167th St
- 161st St
On the Pelham Line:
- Cab View, 125th St / Lexington Ave, Manhattan to Pelham Bay Park, the Bronx, via Pelham Express. The express run continues between Parkchester / East 177th St and Pelham Bay Park, a run not normally in revenue service.
Pelham Line runbys of R-62s, Redbirds and R-142As can be seen at:
- Buhre Ave
- Middletown Road
- Westchester Square
- Zerega Ave
- Castle Hill Ave
- St. Lawrence Ave
- Morrison / Soundview Avenues
- Elder Ave
- Whitlock Ave
- Hunts Point Avenue
- 138th St / 3rd Ave
Lexington Ave runbys of R-62s, Redbirds and R-142As can be seen at:
- 110th Street
- 33rd Street
- Astor Place
- Spring Street
- Brooklyn Bridge / City Hall
Interior shots of the R-142A and a sampling of the pre-recorded announcements are also included in the video.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
DV015: East Side IRT Field Trip, 11/95 to 6/97
This video was recorded during four different field trips (11/95, 11/96, 3/97 and 6/97), which covered quite a bit of the East Side IRT lines. A mixture of R-62s and Redbirds is seen throughout the video. This video contains the following:
- Runbys of Metro-North trains at the 97th / Park Ave tunnel portal
- Runbys on the IRT #6 Line at Elder Avenue at the end of the morning rush hour
- Runbys on the IRT 2/5 Lines atop the E 180th St employee bridge.
- Runbys on the IRT #1 Line at 168th St - Broadway. (OK, so it's not the East Side IRT but it was on the tape!)
- Runbys at 96th Street / Lexington Avenue (6)
- Runbys at 14th St - Union Square, 59th Street, Bleeker St, 33rd St, Brooklyn Bridge - City Hall (4,5,6). Some of this footage also includes shots from the abandoned southern end of the Brooklyn Bridge platform.
- Runbys at Chambers Street (J, M, Z) from the abandoned platform
- Runbys at South Ferry, from both the outer and inner loops (1, ex-shuttle)
- Not part of the IRT at all, but there's runbys of R-42s on the Williamsburgh Bridge. What makes this portion of the tape so interesting is that the video was recorded on the Manhattan side while the Brooklyn-bound roadway was being reconstructed. There isn't a Brooklyn-bound roadway!
- Runbys at the City Hall Loop, with very few people on the platform.
- A quick glimpse of the lower level at Nevins Street (2,3,4,5)
- Cab view, E 180th St to 149th St / 3rd Ave (2/5) running express on the center track
Run time approximately 1 hour 50 minutes. Price: $20.00
DV014: An Extinct Species on the IRT: Redbirds on the 2/5 Lines
This tape started the "Extinct Species" series. The "Redbird" days are over with the arrival of the R-142 and R-142A cars now complete. This tape, two hours and recorded in April and June of 1997, is virtually all Redbirds. It includes:
- Cab view #2 train from 241 St - White Plains Road to 149th Street, Grand Concourse. Because of construction work, the train wrong-railed between Jackson Ave and 149th Street.
- Cab view, #5 train, 149th Street, Grand Concourse to Bowling Green
- Runbys at Bowling Green
- Views of 14th St (Lexington Ave Line) under construction.
- 149th Street - Grand Concourse runbys, some from the closed pedestrian overpass at the west end of the platform.
- Many runbys at E 180th Street (2/5) including views from the long-closed NYW&B platform.
- Cab view, E 180th St - Dyre Ave shuttle, left hand running, to Dyre Ave
- Runbys at East Tremont Ave (2/5)
- View of the Union Square subway station under renovation in June 1997. The station was opened up at street level, and the subway structure under Broadway is clearly in view.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00
DV013: Red and Silver on the IRT: Redbirds on White Plains Road, R-62s on the Pelham, 10/11/98
The runbys in this video cover a good selection of elevated stations along the Bronx IRT White Plains Road and Pelham Lines. As part of the White Plains Road line, we'll see a glimpse of the now-unused transfer tunnel to the defunct 3rd Ave EL. Specifically, the video contains runbys at the following locations....
On the White Plains Road Line:
- Jackson Avenue
- 149th Street / 3rd Avenue. The closed connection to the defunct 3rd Ave El is also seen.
- Simpson Street, where the Pelham Line is also in close range.
- East Tremont Avenue
- East 180th Street
- Gun Hill Road. Remnants of the defunct 3rd Avenue El can also be seen.
- Bronx Park East
- 174th Street
- Freeman Street
- Prospect Avenue
Runbys on the Pelham Line:
- Whitlock Avenue
- Elder Avenue
- Morrison/Soundview Avenues
- Castle Hill Avenue
- Westchester Square
The following cab views are also on the video ...
On White Plains Road:
- East Tremont Ave to East 180th St
- East 180th St to Gun Hill Road
- Gun Hill Road to 241st Street
On the Pelham Line, a short cab view from Morrison/Soundview Avenues to Castle Hill Avenue is also included.
Run time approximately 1 hour 52 minutes. Price: $20.00
DV012: An Extinct Species on the IRT: Redbirds on the Flushing Line, 12/28/98
This tape runs two hours and covers the IRT Flushing Line in detail. It includes:
- Cab view #7 EXPRESS from Main Street, Flushing to Times Square, Manhattan.
- Interior views of R-36 Worlds Fair cars / runbys from rear car of a Flushing Local heading towards Flushing
- Runbys at 103rd Street of locals and the Manhattan-bound Flushing Express
- Runbys at Shea Stadium & Corona Yards at the end of the morning rush hour. Many of these runbys are from street level.
- Runbys at Junction Blvd.
- Runbys at 82nd St and 74th Street.
- Runbys at 61st St - Woodside of both the Flushing Line and the LIRR below.
- Runbys at 52nd Street
- Runbys along Queens Blvd, of the concrete viaduct, from street level and platform level, between 33rd St and 46th St
- Runbys at 45th Road / Courthouse Square
- Runbys just outside the tunnel portal at Hunterspoint Avenue, from the street. Views of mixed NJ Transit, Amtrak, LIRR and R-36s can be seen.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
Also see the An Extinct Species on the IRT: Nightbirds on the Flushing Line video for even more views of the Redbirds "flying" at night.
DV011: Redbird Country (7/21/99)
This tape runs almost two hours and extensively covers the IRT White Plains Road, Pelham and Flushing Lines, and stars (what else) Redbirds! When this video was recorded, it was supposed to be the last summer of the Redbirds. In 1998, when the video Red and Silver on the IRT was made, R-62s ruled the Pelham Line. When this video was shot on 7/21/99, it was the Redbirds who dominated, in anticipation of being replaced by the R-142As.
Along the Flushing Line:
- View of NJ Transit, LIRR, Amtrak and the IRT Flushing Line at Hunterspoint Avenue.
- Cab view, Queensborough Plaza to Willets Point - Shea Stadium aboard the Flushing Express.
- Runbys at Willets Point / Shea Stadium
- Runbys at 90th Street / Elmhurst Avenue, mostly of the express.
- Runbys at 111th Street, again, mostly of the express on the upper level El track.
- Runbys at 46th Street (Bliss).
- Runbys at 33rd Street (Rawson).
Along the Pelham Line, runbys at:
- Whitlock Avenue
- Elder Avenue
- St Lawrence Avenue
- Castle Hill Avenue
- Westchester Square
- Buhre Avenue
- Middletown Road
- Zerega Avenue
Along the White Plains Road Line, runbys at:
- Prospect Avenue
- Intervale Avenue
- Simpson Street
- Freeman Street
- 174th Street
- East Tremont Avenue
- Vicinity of East 180th Street, from the street
- Bronx Park East
- Gun Hill Road
There are also cab views along the White Plains Road Line, from Simpson Street to Freeman Street and from East 180th Street to Gun Hill Road via the express track. This express track is not normally used.
Run time approximately 1 hour 50 minutes. Price: $20.00.
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Contemporary Railfanning on the New York City Subway:
This video covers three significant events that occurred in 2003 and 2004:
- The last revenue Redbird trip on the Flushing Line, November 3rd, 2003
- A short tour of Stillwell Ave about a month before it opened for passengers. The tour occurred in April of 2004.
- The first BU "test" fantrip in the Rockaways, July 17th, 2004
There is also a short segment of the end of an SMEE fantrip laying up at 207th Street yard.
Coverage of the last Redbird fantrip consists of the following:
- Anticipation of the train's arrival at Times Square
- A view of the crowd on the last trip aboard one of the cars. You'll hear the train announced as the last Redbird in service.
- Views of the last train at Willets Point Blvd
- Yard move of the last train into Corona Yard, and views of Corona Yard
Coverage of the Stillwell Avenue station consists of a walk under the Brighton/Culver El from West 12th Street into the station, then onto the Sea Beach platform. The only trains servicing the station during this tour were D trains on the West End Line. Views of this last portion of the original Stillwell Ave station can be seen through the new construction.
There is also footage of the end of an SMEE fantrip laying up in 207th Street yard.
The first of four BU (Brooklyn Union gate car) "test" fantrips occurred on July 17th, 2004. The purpose of these "test" fantrips was to get the cars ready for the subway centennial celebration. The R-1/9s were used to tow the BU cars during the fantrip out to Rockaway Park. After some difficulty getting the cars uncoupled from the R-1/9s at Rockaway Park, the solo test runs between Broad Channel and Rockaway Park were successful. The R-1/9s followed the BU cars in the event the BUs stalled.
Coverage of the BU fantrip consists of the following:
- Views of the BUs under 8th Avenue, taken from the R-1/9s
- Interior views of the R-1/9s
- Views of old advertisements in the R-1/9s
- Exterior views of the train from out the side window at 80th St and Liberty Ave
- A rare view during a fantrip - empty R-1/9s!
- Interior of the BUs while travelling on "the flats" and nice views of Jamaica Bay on a warm, sunny summer day
- Exterior view of the train at Hammels Wye
- Yard moves at Rockaway Park
- Views of the BUs and R-1/9s, as separate trains, taken from the street at Beach 102nd Street and Beach Channel Drive
- Views of the BUs and R-1/9s, again as separate trains, taken from the street at Beach 85th Street and Rockaway Beach Blvd
- The BUs approach Beach 98th Street station
- Views of the South Channel Bridge
- Cab view on the BUs, Far Rockaway to Rockaway Park
- Views of the entire train at Rockaway Park
- Views out the side window rounding curves at Hammels Wye and again at Rockaway Blvd
- Closing runby at Columbus Circle
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
The past few years weren't just spent chasing fantrips. I did have some opportunity to cover passenger equipment in regular service. There's coverage of the BMT Eastern Division in November 2002, July 2003 and December 2003, the Flushing Line in July of 2003 where there were far fewer Redbirds, the West End Line in July 2003 and December 2003 (much of it at dusk into nighttime), the Brighton Line in December 2003 and the end of an SMEE fantrip going into 207th Street yard. This video also revisits the Broadway Junction area where the Snediker Ave El once carried Canarsie Line trains to Manhattan. That structure is seen partially dismantled in this video.
The video is 100% runbys and consists of the following views:
On the BMT Eastern Division in November 2002, runbys at:
- Myrtle Ave / Broadway
- Gates Avenue. A R-143 can be seen being tested along the center track.
- Chauncey Street
- Kozciusko Street
- Hewes Street
- The interior of an R-42 between Kozciusko St and Myrtle Ave was also recorded.
On the BMT Eastern Division in July 2003, runbys at:
- The Williamsburgh Bridge, from the north walkway
- The foot of the Williamsburgh Bridge, on the Brooklyn side, of trains heading to Manhattan
- Broadway and Driggs Ave, from the street
- Broadway and Bedford Ave, from the street
- Broadway in the vicinity of Driggs Ave
On the IRT Flushing Line in July 2003, runbys at:
- Queens Blvd and Southern Blvd
- Sunnyside Yard, along with views of the LIRR
- Queens Blvd and Skillman Ave
- The Sunnyside Yard viaduct carrying Queens Blvd and the Flushing Line, viewed from Skillman Ave
- Thompson and Van Dam Streets
- Corona Yard and vicinity
- 23rd Avenue and Ditmars Blvd (Astoria Line)
On the West End Line in July 2003, runbys at:
- New Utrecht Avenue and 15th Avenue
- 71st Street
On the BMT Eastern Division in December 2003, runbys at:
- Myrtle Ave and Broadway
- Atlantic Ave on the Canarsie Line
- Snediker Ave and Liberty Avenue, where the slow "S" curve north of Sutter Avenue used to be. It is completely gone now.
- Snediker and Pitkin Avenues
- Snediker Ave and Burch Ave, 1 block south of Sutter Avenue
On the BMT Brighton Line in December 2003, runbys at:
- Belt Parkway and East 13th Street, where a bridge takes the Brighton Line over the highway
- Homecrest Avenue and Neptune Avenue
- Brighton Beach Avenue and Coney Island Avenue, from the street
On the BMT West End Line in December 2003, starting from late afternoon into nighttime, runbys at:
- Bay 28th Street and 86th Street
- 19th Avenue and 86th Street
- 86th Street and New Utrecht Avenue / Bay 19th Street
- New Utrecht Avenue and 85th Street
- New Utrecht Avenue and 84th Street
- 16th Avenue / 72nd Street / New Utrecht Avenue
- New Utrecht Avenue and 58th Street
- New Utrecht Avenue and 46th Street / 11th Avenue
- 86th Street and 19th Avenue, now at night
- 86th Street and 21st Avenue
- 86th Street and 23rd Avenue
- 86th Street and 24th Avenue
- 86th Street and Stillwell Avenue
In order to record this video, I walked the entire West End Line from Stillwell Avenue all the way to 9th Avenue and 39th Street.
The end of the video contains closing views of an SMEE fantrip in April 2004:
- R-142 interior along the Dyre Ave line
- SMEE train of many colors at 34th Street / Penn Station
- Interior views of the SMEE train
- Runbys at Dyckman and 207th Streets
- Runby of the SMEE train entering 207th Street yard from the IRT Broadway Line
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This video, all runbys, presents views of elevated and some open cut stations covering a wide variety of lines. This is the first video to show some "Transit and Weather Together": you'll see runbys of the IRT Broadway Line in upper Manhattan and the Bronx just as an intense thunderstorm rolled in during a humid, summer afternoon. Then we cut to nighttime and there are sparks everywhere, from both the sky and the R-62As on the Broadway Line - it's quite a light show! Later on, view the D-Types at various points along the Culver Line. This video also covers an area of the Canarsie Line in great detail that is now gone - the northbound portion running over Snediker Avenue. Closed during the winter of 2003-04, this portion of elevated structure is covered from just about every angle imaginable, with both R-42s and R-143s in service.
With the exception of the Redbirds (and even they are covered a little bit at 207th Street) and the R-142s, this video contains a sampling of every current subway car in the fleet, from the R-32 to the R-143, as well as the D-Types! It also contains runbys on Metro-North of the elderly ACMU-1100s to the newer Metropolitans to the newest Genesis engines pulling push/pull coaches. If there was ever a video with variety, this one is it.
Here's what you'll find on this video.
On the Rockaway Line:
- The South Channel Bridge, shot from a dead-end street in Rockaway
- The North Channel Bridge, shot from a small park on Cross Bay Blvd
- 76th Street and Liberty Avenue (R-32s, R-38s and R-44s)
- Liberty Avenue and 84th Street
- Liberty Avenue and 101st Street
On the BMT Jamaica Ave El, a runby at street level at Jamaica Avenue and 108th St.
On the Brighton Line, see the last Q-diamond expresses at the close of a weeknight rush hour:
- At Avenue H
- At Avenue J
- At Avenue M
On the Culver Line, views of the D-Types:
- Crossing the Smith / 9th Street viaduct.
- At Ditmas Avenue
- Entering the lower level of West 8th Street.
- Along with R-68s, runbys leaving Stillwell Avenue, shot from the pedestrian bridge over all the platforms. This bridge, and most of the Stillwell Avenue station, has been demolished and rebuilt.
Also on the Culver Line, runbys at these locations:
- From the street at West 12th Street near the Luna Park houses
- In a park adjacent to Luna Park, near West 12th Street
- Stillwell Avenue facing north, taken from the Culver platform
On the Sea Beach Line, with R-68 "W" trains running on the Sea Beach middle track:
- At Avenue P and West 7th Street (R-32s)
- At Avenue O and West 12th Street (R-40 slants)
- At the Avenue U station
On the IRT Broadway Line in upper Manhattan:
- At Dyckman Street, from both the platform and street level
- At West 205th Street and 10th Avenue
- More Redbirds ready for reefing at the 207th Street shop, shot from the northbound platform at 215th Street
- At West 225th Street and Broadway, views of both the IRT Broadway Line and Metro-North (Metropolitans, Genesis engines, ACMU-1100s) near Marble Hill. During this ten minute sequence, a strong thunderstorm rolled in.
- At the West 238th Street station on the IRT Broadway Line, at night, during another strong thunderstorm. There are sparks everywhere, both natural and man-made. It's quite a spectacular light show!
We then take a close study of the elevated structure at Snediker Ave and Van Sinderen Avenue on the Canarsie Line before the Snediker Avenue portion closed. Video was taken from every angle imaginable, as follows:
- From the southbound Canarsie Line Atlantic Avenue platform. The center plaftorm is being demolished; the entire canopy has been removed and its remains have been placed in the roadbed. R-42, R-143 and LIRR runbys can be seen, too.
- A view of the long-abandoned LIRR Substation No. 2.
- The Snediker Ave El from the corner of Snediker Ave and Liberty Ave. Trains of R-143s are followed leaving Atlantic Avenue heading towards Sutter Avenue.
- The El over Van Sinderen Avenue from Liberty Avenue. R-143s in plain view.
- From Van Sinderen Avenue, facing the "S" curve at Sutter Avenue. A train of R-143s is traced leaving Sutter Avenue and followed to Atlantic Avenue.
- From the corner of Pitkin and Snediker Avenues, watch another train of R-143s negotiating the "S" curve out of Sutter Avenue. This is followed by a view of Canarsie bound trains pulling into Sutter Avenue, also viewed from the street.
- From the corner of Pitkin and Snediker Avenues, various views of the "S" curve leading onto the Snediker El as R-143s travelled over them.
- A view of the El above standing in the center of Snediker Avenue.
- Views of the Atlantic Ave Canarsie Line station, in both directions, taken from the street right near the LIRR Bay Ridge branch.
- Views of R-42s in "J" line service taken from the northbound Atlantic Avenue platform.
- Views of an R-143 followed from Sutter Avenue to Broadway Junction on the Canarsie Line, standing at the rear of the northbound Atlantic Avenue platform. This is followed by a train of R-42s leaving Atlantic Avenue to Sutter Avenue, followed again by a train of R-42s leaving Sutter Avenue heading towards Atlantic Avenue.
- A view out the rear window of an R-42 running between Atlantic Avenue and Broadway Junction.
- General views around Broadway Junction taken from the northbound "L" platform, including telephoto views of trains running over Snediker Avenue.
Finally, along the Broadway (Brooklyn) El:
- Views from the street at Union Avenue and Lynch Street. This location is very close to the Lorimer Street station.
- Views at the Lorimer Street station (J,M,Z)
- Views at the Flushing Avenue station (J,M,Z)
- From street level, views of "M" trains leaving and entering the Broadway El from the Myrtle Ave El. This was recorded at Stuyvesant Avenue, a short distance from the intersection of Broadway and Myrtle Avenue.
- From street level, at Myrtle Ave and Ditmars Street, where "M" trains over Myrtle Avenue enter the "S" curve into Broadway / Myrtle
- From street level, we follow a southbound "M" train as it enters the "S" curve into Broadway / Myrtle and watch it pull out of Broadway / Myrtle towards Manhattan.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This video presents runbys along various elevated stretches of track, mostly in Brooklyn, though there is some in the Bronx as well. There is also a cab ride on the Broadway (Brooklyn) El running express from Broadway Junction to Marcy Avenue.
Here are the runbys that you'll find on this video.
On the IND South Brooklyn Line / BMT Culver Line:
- At Smith / 9th Streets, standing on the Coney Island-bound platform, facing Manhattan. We later stand at the end of the Manhattan-bound platform capturing trains leaving 4th Avenue.
- The Smith / 9th Street viaduct, from street level. Some video was recorded from Hamilton Avenue, and from right beneath the structure at 9th Street.
- At 4th Avenue
- At Ditmas Avenue
- At West 8th Street. Approaching Q trains from Ocean Parkway and approaching F trains from Neptune Avenue were captured.
- At Avenue X
On the BMT Eastern Division:
- Broadway Junction, at street level, from various streets surrounding the entire complex.
- Atlantic Avenue, on the Canarsie Line
- Myrtle Avenue, on the Broadway (Brooklyn) El
- Crescent Street
- Cleveland Street
On the BMT Southern Division:
- Bay 50th Street on the West End Line.
- 25th Avenue, also on the West End Line
- Stillwell Avenue, captured around 11pm, videotaped from the street, a bit from the platform, and from Coney Island's Wonder Wheel.
- 62nd Street / New Utrecht Avenue on both the West End and Sea Beach Lines.
- The Franklin Avenue Shuttle at the Park Place and Botanic Garden stations
- 8th Avenue on the Sea Beach Line
- Ft. Hamilton Parkway on the Sea Beach Line
In the Bronx:
- Elder Avenue, on the Pelham Line, at night
- Pelham Parkway on the White Plains Road Line
- East 180th Street, on the White Plains Road Line, in the evening
- East Tremont Avenue / West Farms Square, including some video taken at street level
- 3rd Avenue and 149th Street (OK, this isn't elevated, but wait until you see the size of the "track rabbit" caught on video)
- 149th Street and the Grand Concourse, wrong-railing to Manhattan
And even though this isn't Brooklyn or the Bronx, we have some runbys on the Flushing Line:
- Southern Blvd at Queensborough Plaza
- Queens Blvd and 34th Street, from street level
There is also a cab ride aboard the J train between Broadway Junction in Brooklyn and Essex Street, Manhattan, running express on the segment from Broadway Junction to Marcy Avenue!
Run time is almost 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
Contrary to what the title might imply, this is NOT a home video of my family at some park having a barbecue! It's a video taken during July of 2002 covering outside portions of lines in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. It also includes a cab ride on the Sea Beach Express, running on the center track between 59th Street / 4th Avenue and Kings Highway. Runbys of trains on the middle track, an anomaly, are also plentiful.
In Brooklyn, runbys on the Sea Beach Line at:
- 20th Avenue
- 18th Avenue
- New Utrecht Avenue. I just barely caught the signal dolly on the West End Line.
- From the overpass over the Sea Beach Cut at 16th Avenue and 64th Street
- Ft. Hamilton Parkway
- 8th Avenue
- From the overpass over the Sea Beach Cut at 6th Avenue and 64th Street
- From the overpass over the Sea Beach Cut at 5th Avenue and 64th Street
Also in Brooklyn:
- Runbys at 65th Street and New Utrecht Avenue on the West End Line
- Sutter Avenue, on the Canarsie Line, where R-40Ms, R-42s and R-143s were videotaped rounding the "S" curve just north of the station.
- Livonia Avenue, where "meets" of the BMT Canarsie and IRT New Lots Avenue line were caught a few times
- A cab ride on the Sea Beach Line, express from Pacific Street to Kings Highway, using the Sea Beach middle track from south of 59th Street to Kings Highway
In the Bronx, runbys on the White Plains Road Line, at street level, at:
- East 180th Street
- East 179th Street (and DeVoe Avenue)
- Longfellow Avenue
- Pelham Parkway (from platform level), at night
Also in the Bronx, runbys on the Pelham Line, at:
- The intersection of the Sheridan Expressway and Boone Avenue, where the elevated structure takes a long 90-degree curve out of the Whitlock Avenue station onto Westchester Avenue. And, to my surprise, I caught a runby of the one (and only one) Redbird assigned to the Pelham Line for a few weeks during the summer of 2002!
- Just south of the Elder Avenue station along Westchester Avenue
- Elder Avenue station
- Castle Hill Avenue, in the evening
- Zerega Avenue, in the evening
- Middletown Road, turning into the night time
- Buhre Avenue, at night
Some video riding the line from Middletown Road and Buhre Avenue was also recorded.
In Queens, runbys on the Rockaway Line at:
- The North Channel Bridge over Jamaica Bay, taken from Cross Bay Blvd and then later from a small park adjacent to the bridge's north approach.
- The South Channel Bridge over Jamaica Bay, taken from the Cross Bay Blvd Bridge
- Beach Channel Drive and Beach 51st Street
- Rockaway Boardwalk and Beach 47th Street. This particular area provided a clear vista between the Beach 36th Street and Beach 60th Street stations on the Far Rockaway branch of the "A" train.
- Beach 102nd Street, of the Rockaway Park shuttle
- Hammels Wye Park
- A revisit of the South Channel Bridge, taken from a dead end street nearby. The bridge swung open to let a barge through (and this was close to rush hour, no less), so some video was recorded of the bridge swinging open and then closed. Then, watch the parade of backed up trains begin!
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This video takes you on a ride on the West Side IRT starting at 241st Street in the Bronx all the way to Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, and then continues with a round trip, AT NIGHT, aboard the IRT Flushing Line in Queens. There is a small, but excellent, sampling of runbys along the way, too.
The cab views are:
- West Side IRT (2, 7th Ave Express) from 241st Street / White Plains Road, the Bronx to Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, as follows:
- Local, 241st Street - Gun Hill Road
- Express, Gun Hill Road to East 180th St
- Local, East 180th Street, the Bronx, to 96th Street, Manhattan
- Express, 96th Street to Chambers Street
- Local, Chambers Street, Manhattan to Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn
- IRT Flushing Line, Times Square, Manhattan to Main St, Flushing, Queens, via express, AT NIGHT
- IRT Flushing Line, Main St, Flushing, to Queensborough Plaza, Queens, via local, AT NIGHT
Views/run-bys:
- Along the Pelham Line:
- Queensborough Plaza, IRT Flushing Line, AT NIGHT
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This video takes you on a ride on the Lexington Ave IRT starting at Woodlawn in the Bronx all the way to Utica Ave, Brooklyn. Due to the dismantling of a tower near Fordham Road, the center track was used between Woodlawn and Kingsbridge Road. After some quick runbys at Utica Ave, we board a #5 train put-in from New Lots Yard and ride it from Utica Ave to Nevins Street. We then pick up the cab view from 125th Street in Manhattan, and ride all the way out to Dyre Avenue. After some more quick runbys at East 180th Street, we take another cab ride from East 180th Street to 241st Street and White Plains Road. The video concludes with some nighttime runbys at Pelham Parkway on the IRT White Plains Road line.
This video, therefore, covers the Lexington Ave trunk line in Manhattan, the Eastern Parkway express run in Brooklyn, the White Plains Road line in the Bronx and the Dyre Ave & 241st Street branches in the Bronx. And you don't have to stand up for any of it!
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This video, recorded in the late Fall of 2001, covers mainstays of all three NYC subway divisions, and a short stretch of the new 63rd Street Line:
- The IRT Flushing Line, from late afternoon until night
- The BMT West End and Culver Lines
- The IND 8th Avenue Line above 86th Street
- The 63rd Street Line at Roosevelt Island
This video is 100% runbys!
On the IRT Flushing Line, catch the following runbys at:
- 43rd Av and 23rd Street in Long Island City, from street level
- 45th Road / Courthouse Square, from the street and platform level
- Queensborough Plaza
- Along Roosevelt Avenue, from street level, at 50th St, 56th St and 58th St
- Junction Blvd
- 111th Street, in the late afternoon
- Corona Yard, at night
- 111th Street, at night
- 103rd Street, at night
On the BMT West End Line, at night:
- 50th Street
- 62nd Street
- 18th Avenue
- Bay Parkway
- 25th Avenue
On the BMT West End Line, during the day:
- Near Transit Tech H.S., including a view of the R-16 sitting in the school yard
- At Lafayette High School
- Stillwell Avenue and 86th Street, at street level
- Interior view of an R-68A running between 25th Ave and 20th Ave
- 86th Street and Bay 19th Street, at street level
- New Utrecht Ave and 46th Street, at street level
- New Utrecht Ave and 42nd Street, at street level
- Views of the 38th Street cut at 4th Avenue and 38th Street
- The Sea Beach Line, at 6th Ave and 62nd Street
The BMT (now IND) Culver Line at:
- Kings Highway
- Avenue X
- Neptune Avenue
- Ditmas Avenue, facing the IND portal
- Bay Parkway, from street level
The IND 8th Avenue line above 86th Street, at:
- 181st Street, uptown
- 190th Street
- 110th Street
- 96th Street, downtown
- 86th Street, downtown
Runby at Roosevelt Island (F)
Run time is approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. Price: $20.00.
This video could be considered a "subway sampler" as virtually all revenue equipment across the IRT, BMT and IND Divisions is captured somewhere during this two hour video. The video also includes somber footage of the first stripped Redbirds just two weeks before they were sunk at "Redbird Reef", off the coast of Delaware.
This video is 100% runbys!
In Queens, catch the following runbys at:
- Queensborough Plaza (N, W, 7) and vicinity. This also includes the approaches of both the IRT Flushing Line and the BMT Astoria Line taken from the Queensborough Bridge at dusk, as well as views of the Astoria Line approach from 21st Street.
- Sunnyside Yard. Some late afternoon rush hour LIRR trains were captured.
- Queens Blvd & Skillman Ave (Flushing Line)
In the Bronx, catch the following runbys at:
- Yankee Stadium (IRT Jerome Ave El). There are some great runbys recorded atop all the parking garages between 160th and 165th Streets.
- Burnside Ave (IRT Jerome Ave El).
- 238th St (Nereid Ave) (IRT White Plains Road Line) towards the end of the evening rush hour. The runbys include yard put-ins into 238th Street yard.
- 225th Street (IRT White Plains Road)
- 215th Street (IRT White Plains Road) at dusk
- Pelham Parkway (IRT White Plains Road) at night
- East 180th Street (IRT White Plains Road), at night
In Manhattan, catch the following runbys at:
- 207th Street (IRT Broadway Line). Views of the 207th Street yard were also recorded from the Bronx side of the Harlem River.
- 215th Street (IRT Broadway Line). Along with the runbys of the R-62As, we have somber footage of the first Redbirds in 207th Street yard (taken from the 215th Street station) that were stripped and sent to Redbird Reef.
- There is also some interior footage of an R-62A running between 215th Street and Dyckman Street.
In Brooklyn, catch the following runbys at:
- Atlantic Ave (BMT Canarsie Line) Canarsie-bound platform.
- Remains of the Fulton Street El taken from Sutter Ave (BMT Canarsie Line)
- The now-dismantled Atlantic Ave (BMT Canarsie Line) Manhattan-bound platform, at dusk. This also includes views of the BMT Broadway/Brooklyn El at East New York Yard and Alabama Avenue.
- Bay Parkway (BMT West End Line), at night.
- Bay 50th Street (BMT West End Line), at night.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This video covers the 6th Avenue IND trunk line service changes as a result of track work that began on the north side of the Manhattan Bridge in July of 2001. The video was recorded during the first weekday of this service change and includes a cab ride from Brighton Beach, Brooklyn to Astoria, Queens via the BMT Broadway Express and Astoria local. Runbys of the new W train running express on the Astoria Line are also included. The second half of 2001 may have been the ONLY time that the Astoria Line ever saw express service.
The cab views are:
- BMT Brighton Express, from Brighton Beach, Brooklyn to 57th Street / 7th Avenue via the BMT Broadway Line
- BMT Astoria Local, from 57th Street / 7th Avenue to Ditmars Blvd, Astoria. The R-40 slant upon which the video was recorded approached 55 mph in the 60th Street tunnel.
Views/run-bys:
- Canal Street (Bridge Station), Manhattan
- Runbys on the Manhattan Bridge, taken from the recently opened pedestrian path
- Runbys on the Manhattan Bridge, taken from the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian path
- Stillwell Avenue (F, N, Q, W). Footage includes the Surf Ave entrance being torn down in preparation for the reconstruction of the Stillwell Ave terminal.
- Brighton Beach
- 30th Ave / Grand Ave (Queens N/W)
- Broadway (Queens N/W)
- 36th Ave / Washington Ave (Queens N/W)
- 39th Ave / Beebe Ave (N/W), from the Astoria-bound platform and from the street
- Queensborough Plaza (N, W, 7), from the street.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
DV024: Where the BMT & IRT Once Shared Trackage AND Canarsie, East New York and Williamsburgh Bridge Field Trip
A "double feature" video, this video contains 2 field trips - one on the Astoria and Flushing Lines:
- Cab views from Astoria Blvd to Queensboro Plaza on the BMT Astoria Line ("N") and from Shea Stadium to Queensboro Plaza on the IRT Flushing Line (#7 local). The Queens Blvd. viaduct was under construction when this video was recorded.
- Run-bys at Astoria Blvd, Queensboro Plaza (all angles, some great views from a nearby parking garage), some LIRR/Amtrak views
- Views of Corona Yards
... and the other field trip on the Broadway (Brooklyn) El and the Canarsie Lines:
- Run-bys at Marcy Ave (J,M,Z), Broadway / Eastern Pkwy interchange (J,L,Z), Rockaway Parkway (L) along the BMT Broadway/Brooklyn El and Canarsie Line
- Cab views, all from R-42s, Livonia Avenue to Rockaway Parkway and New Lots Avenue - Broadway / Eastern Parkway along the BMT Canarsie Line ("L")
- Cab view, Hewes Street (Brooklyn) to Chambers Street (Manhattan) via Williamsburgh Bridge (J,M,Z) and the BMT Nassau Street Loop left hand running
- Cab view, Jamaica Center - Broadway / Eastern Parkway along the BMT Jamaica Line (J,Z)
Run time approximately 1 hour 50 minutes. Price: $20.00.
DV023: Railfanning the BMT Southern Division, June 1995
This video focuses on the BMT Sea Beach, West End, Culver and Brighton Lines. It contains the following:
- Runbys at Stillwell Avenue in its original configuration before the 2003 rebuild
- Runbys at 39th Street (Brooklyn), before the pedestrian bridge connecting the two platforms became "employees only" (West End)
- Runbys at Van Sicklen/Neptune Ave (as it was known at the time the video was recorded; the station has since been renamed Neptune Avenue) (Culver Line)
- Runbys at Avenue X (Culver)
- Runbys at Avenue M, Beverley Road & Newkirk Avenue (Brighton)
- Runbys at Astoria Blvd (Astoria)
- Cab views aboard an R-32, Stillwell Avenue - 36 St / 4th Ave (West End), 18th Ave - Stillwell Avenue (Sea Beach). The West End Line service is now primarily R-68s; at the time this video was recorded, it was primarily slant R-40s.
Run time approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. Price: $20.00
DV022: Brooklyn Elevateds: The Broadway, Metropolitan, West End and Culver Lines 10/96 and 10/97
This video was recorded during two field trips, one year apart, and contains the following:
- Runbys at Myrtle Ave (J/Z)
- Cab view Myrtle Ave - Metropolitan Ave, the remaining part of the Myrtle Ave El.
- Runbys at Broadway Junction (L, J, Z)
- A few quick runbys at Jamaica (LIRR)
- Runbys of R-36s on the #7 Line at Shea Stadium and the Corona Yards (OK, this isn't Brooklyn, but it's on the video anyway!)
- Runbys at Smith/9th Streets (F, IND South Brooklyn Line)
- The 36th St Maintenence of Way yard in Brooklyn and the remains of the ramp and portal of the Culver Line out of the lower level of 9th Ave - 39th Street. Substantial work equipment in view.
- Runbys at 18th Avenue on the West End Line, before the start of the R-68 era. R-40 slants ran on the B and R-32s ran along the center track on the N, which was being diverted due to track work.
- Essex Street (view into defunct trolley terminal) and runbys at Marcy Ave (J,M,Z)
- More runbys at Broadway Junction, this time looking from Alabama Ave (J/Z) and Atlantic Ave (L). Some of the Atlantic Avenue shots were recorded from the abandoned platforms, which have been demolished.
- Runbys at West 8th Street (D/F) - Culver / Brighton double-El, from street level
- Runbys at Neptune Ave and again at Avenue W, Culver Line (F)
- Runbys on the Brighton Line at Coney Island Ave, from the Boardwalk
Run time approximately 1 hour 50 minutes. Price: $20.00
DV021: The Brighton Line in June 1995 and March 1998
This video was recorded during two different field trips. The first was conducted in June 1995 where R-68s were the mainstay of the Brighton Line. In March of 1998, the R-32 Budd "Brightliners" and R-40 slants were back on the Brighton Express. (The R-32s and R-40 slants have since been removed - today, it's R-68s and R-160s.) This video contains the following:
- R-68 Runbys, some at street level, some at platform level, at Brighton Beach, Ocean Parkway, West 8th Street (both levels, also from Aquarium Bridge) and Stillwell Avenue
- Runbys along the Culver Line at Avenue Z
- Cab view R-32 car 3949 from Brighton Beach to Prospect Park via Brighton Express
- Runbys at Beverley Road
- Quick runby at Avenue H
- Runbys at Kings Highway
- Runbys at Sheepshead Bay.
- Cab view, Sheepshead Bay into Brighton Beach aboard slant R-40 car 4158
- R-32 / R-40 / R-68 runbys at Brighton Beach
Run time approximately 1 hour 50 minutes. Price: $20.00
DV020: West Side Field Trip Marathon (7/12/98 to 3/12/2000)
This video could qualify as a West Side IRT field trip marathon alone, as most of it covers the West Side IRT from South Ferry to Van Cortlandt Park. The video also contains a cab ride on the BMT Broadway Express, a very rare treat at the time this video was recorded. The cab ride begins at Queensborough Plaza and descends under the East River at speeds approaching 55 mph, then runs express from 57th Street / 7th Avenue to Canal Street. This video runs an incredible 2 hours 40 minutes.
On the West Side IRT, runbys at:
- Dyckman Street
- 207th Street, including views of the IND's 207th Street yard, and the R-110As resting outside the yard
- 215th Street
- 242nd Street / Van Cortlandt Park
- 225th Street, with great views across the Broadway Bridge
- Marble Hill, of both Metro North and the IRT. A great view of the Broadway Bridge is available from the Metro-North's Marble Hill Station, and it's the only "Chicago-type" view of the NYC subway that I have been able to get.
- 125th Street, from both the platform and street levels.
- On the Broadway Bridge and at 217th Street, from a ramp leading up to a hospital. That ramp gives you a great view of the Broadway El at track level, yet you're away from it on the street!
- Times Square
- Chambers Street
- Houston Street
- South Ferry
- 191st Street
- 181st Street
- 168th Street
- 86th and 96th Streets
- Borough Hall, Brooklyn
- Cab view aboard the 7th Ave Express, from 96th Street, Manhattan to Borough Hall, Brooklyn
- 66th Street
- 72nd Street
- 79th Street
On the BMT:
- Runbys at Times Square
- Cab view on the BMT Broadway Express, from Queensborough Plaza to Canal Street
- Runbys at Canal Street, including a surprise appearance by the vacuum train (VakTrak).
On the IND:
- Runbys at Chambers Street / World Trade Center
- Runbys at West 4th Street upper level (A,C,E)
Run time approximately 2 hours 40 minutes. Price: $27.00
DV019: NYC Transit's Neighbors: PATH and SIRT
This video ventures out to the immediate neighboring systems of the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH) and the Staten Island Rapid Transit! The PATH video was recorded in 1995, and includes some behind the scenes material. The SIRT video was recorded in March of 1999.
The PATH portion of the video runs about 40 minutes and includes:
- Runbys at Journal Square
- A brief glimpse of the tower at Journal Square
- A view from the rear, from Journal Square to Harrison
- Cab view, Penn Station (Newark) to Harrison Yard. The video starts from the turnaround area beyond Penn Station, where passengers don't normally ride.
- Views of the Harrison Yard and Shops
- Cab view, Harrison Yard to Journal Square.
The SIRT portion of the video runs about 1 hour and includes:
- Runbys and views of the St George Ferry terminal, including the portal before entering St George
- Views of Clifton Yard, including R-21 subway de-icer car RD344
- Cab view, Clifton to Grasmere and from Jefferson Ave to Tottenville
- Rear view, New Dorp to St George
Run time approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. Price: $20.00
This video will take you for a ride on some of the "true" BMT lines in Brooklyn and Queens, as well as provide you with a great sampling of runbys on these same lines. The video even covers the portion of the Fulton Street El now used by the "A" train.
Cab views:
- Stillwell Avenue to Pacific Street, via BMT Sea Beach Local (N)
- Metropolitan Ave, Queens to Myrtle Ave / Broadway, Brooklyn, via BMT Metropolitan Ave line (M)
- Myrtle Ave, Brooklyn to Fulton Street, Manhattan via BMT Nassau Street Express and Centre Street Loop (J)
- 59th Street, Brooklyn to DeKalb Ave, Brooklyn via BMT Sea Beach Express (N)
Runbys:
- Nevins Street (2,3,4,5)
- Atlantic Ave (2,3,4,5)
- Pacific Street, Prospect Avenue, 59th Street, 86th Street (BMT 4th Avenue subway B,N,R)
- New Utrecht Avenue (B, N), 9th Avenue - 39th Street (B - BMT West End)
- DeKalb Avenue, Manhattan-bound (D, M, N, Q, R)
- Myrtle Av (J, M)
- Fulton Street (both levels) and Broad Street, Manhattan (BMT Centre Street Loop: J, M)
- Sutphin Blvd, Queens (both levels E,J,Z)
- 104th and 121st Street, Queens (BMT Jamaica Ave El J,Z)
- Rockaway Blvd, Queens, from platform and street (BMT Fulton Street El, today's A train)
- 80th / Hudson St, Queens, from platform and street (BMT Fulton Street El, today's A train)
- Broadway / East New York, near Alabama Avenue, from the street (J,L,Z)
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00
This video concentrates on the three BMT lines of the Eastern Division: the 14th St / Canarsie Line, the Broadway / Brooklyn El and the Myrtle Ave line to Metropolitan Ave. Cab rides from terminal to terminal on the Canarsie Line and Broadway El are included with some great runbys from all three lines.
The cab views are:
- BMT 14th St / Canarsie Line, 8th Ave, Manhattan to Rockaway Parkway, Brooklyn.
- BMT Broadway / Jamaica Line, Chambers St, Manhattan to Parsons Blvd / Archer Ave, Queens
Views/run-bys:
- The Canarsie Line:
- 14th St on 8th Ave and 6th Ave
- Bedford Avenue
- Montrose Avenue
- Wilson Avenue
- Bushwick / Aberdeen
- The Broadway / Brooklyn El:
- Fulton Street, Manhattan
- Williamsburgh Bridge Plaza and approaches in Brooklyn
- At various locations along the pedestrian walkway of the Williamsburgh Bridge
- Myrtle Ave
- The Myrtle - Metropolitan El
- Knickerbocker Ave
- Vicinity of Wyckoff Ave
- Seneca Ave
- Fresh Pond Road
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
This video covers three of the fastest runs on the IND and BMT: the IND 8th Avenue Express in Manhattan, the IND 6th Avenue Express in Manhattan and the BMT Brighton Line in Brooklyn. The video concludes with some nighttime runbys of R-40 slants going out of service at Brighton Beach and Ocean Parkway. The video was recorded in the summer of 2000, before Manhattan Bridge service changes forced the Q train off the IND on 6th Avenue onto the BMT on Broadway and 7th Avenue.
The cab views are:
- IND 8th Ave Express, Jay Street, Brooklyn to 207th Street, Manhattan (A)
- IND 8th Avenue Express, 145th Street to 59th Street / Columbus Circle, Manhattan (A, D)
- IND 6th Avenue Express, 21st Street / Queensbridge to Grand Street, Manhattan and over the Manhattan Bridge to DeKalb Avenue
- BMT Brighton Express from DeKalb Ave to Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, at dusk.
Views/run-bys:
- Stillwell Avenue (B, D, F, N - remember, this was before the Manhattan Bridge Flip)
- West 8th Street (D, F) from the upper level. Included in the runby is a great shot of the D-Types leaving West 8th Street heading back to Manhattan via the Culver Line
- 59th Street / Columbus Circle (A, B, C, D)
- Brighton Beach and Ocean Parkway, Brighton Line (D, Q) at NIGHT! Watch several R-40 slants go out of service on the express tracks between Brighton Beach and Ocean Parkway.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00.
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Transit Yard Visits, Abandoned Stations & Lines Series:
DV028: You STILL Can't Get There From Here
This video with a "behind the scenes" theme includes:
- Views of the 207th Street Shop
- Abandoned / off-limit areas:
- 91st St station, southbound Broadway local
- Grand Central tower and tunnel shots (from inside the tunnel!)
- 18th St station, Lexington Ave southbound local
- City Hall Loop
- Coney Island Shop and Yard
- wheel & axle shop
- repair shop
- BMT standard 2392 undergoing restoration
- Many views of subway cars under repair
- Views from Coney Island Tower
Run time approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. Price: $20.00
DV027: You REALLY Can't Get There From Here
This video is the most recent that continues the theme of venturing into parts of the New York City Subway System that are no longer accessible to, or not normally seen by, passengers. In some cases, portions of the system the video visits haven't been used for over 40 years and are no longer accessible by rail at all! This video includes the following:
- Views of the LIRR Hillside Maintenance Complex including a model of the shop, MUs in various states of repair and a glimpse of the LIRR prototype bi-levels, which were still undergoing testing and debugging at the time this portion of the video was recorded (11/97).
- Views of the Coney Island Shop and Yard, at night. The three museum BU cars and Steeplecab #5 were in the shop awaiting work for a possible fantrip (which never materialized). Outside, unusual consists were seen moving around the yard (such as an R-40 slant coupled to an R-68 coupled to an R-32).
- View of the lower level IND station at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue. The track leading to this level from the IND 8th Avenue Subway is no longer connected. The scenes of the subway from the movie "Ghost" were filmed in this location.
- View of the Essex Street Trolley Terminal from inside the terminal area. Portions of the trolley tracks can still be seen through the steel dust that has accumulated over the past 50 years.
- Two walks through the remains of the Polo Grounds Shuttle between the Sedgwick Avenue and the Jerome / Andersen Avenue stations. The station remains are clearly visible. A small portion of the entrance to Sedgwick Avenue can still be seen, though it is mostly filled in. Especially in the second walk, most of the tunnel itself can be seen through the beams of flashlights, and it was pitch black in there! An eerie and interesting walk, trains stopped running through here on August 31st, 1958, and unless you know it's there and how to access it, it cannot be seen from the street. In fact, the tunnels have been sealed up and it is impossible to reach them now.
- Views of the first R-142s being readied at Kawasaki's Yonkers plant for delivery to New York City Transit. The cars were being prepared for delivery late at night on 12/19/1999. Some views of Amtrak and Metro-North can also be seen.
Run time approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. Price: $20.00
This video takes you to stations long out of service to revenue passengers. The Transit Museum is no longer offering tours to these areas due to security concerns expressed by the Mayor's office, so this could be your only opportunity to visit these areas for quite some time. Topics covered:
- 91st Street (IRT #1/9), closed since the '40s
- Grand Central Tower just south of 42nd Street and tunnel view of approaching uptown #6 locals
- 18th Street (IRT #6)
- Abandoned portions of Brooklyn Bridge express platforms, southern part of the station, view of approaching #4/5 trains from Fulton St and #6 trains from City Hall Loop
- Brooklyn Bridge Tower
- City Hall Loop and Station (right hand staircase open, although very dark)
- Chambers Street abandoned areas, covered side platform (BMT J/M/Z)
- Inner loop at South Ferry (IRT #1/9)
- Roosevelt Avenue, Queens - island platform, trackways and 700 foot tunnel section beyond station; part of a never-built IND line to run south through Queens, crossing the IND Fulton Street line at Utica Avenue.
- City Hall, BMT, lower level. 3 track station never used in revenue service.
- 2nd Avenue Subway under Chinatown. 750 foot section near Grand Street.
- Runbys of in-service trains also found on the video
Run time approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. Price: $20.00.
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Museum Visits:
For those of you unable to travel to the Shoreline Trolley Museum in Branford, CT, the Kingston Trolley Museum in Kingston, NY or the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport, ME, consider this DVD. Enjoy a virtual trip through all three museums focusing on mainly New York equipment, both subway and trolley. It also includes an R-9 ride on Shoreline's 1689 from the original Nostalgia Trains from 1980.
The first part of the DVD is a trip to the Shoreline Trolley Museum in October of 1994 for one of their many "New York City Transit Days" weekends. On this first part, which runs about 35 minutes, you'll see:
- BRT trolley 4573 taking us into the museum area
- Lo-V 5466 and R-9 1689
- A cab ride on R-9 1689
- Runbys of 4573, Third Avenue Railway System cars 629 and 316, and R-17 6688
- Views of AB Standard 2773, SIRT car 388 and the Mineola
- Some advertisements posted in the cars that will bring back memories
The second part of the DVD is a ride on R-16 6398 being pulled by Whitcomb Engine 9 on a fantrip run by the Kingston Trolley Museum. This trip was held in October of 1999 and was probably the first subway car ever to travel to Kingston Point. This portion of the DVD also includes views of the Q car, Lo-V and R-9 that are being kept at the museum for eventual restoration, and runs about 35 minutes.
The final part of the DVD is a trip to the Seashore Trolley Museum recorded in May of 2004. This portion of the DVD runs about 18 minutes, and includes a ride on their recently acquired R-33 singles.
Run time approximately 1 hour 20 minutes. Price: $20.00
This DVD is a longer look at the Seashore Trolley Museum from a visit I made on May 24th, 1998. It includes a ride on R-4 800 and R-7 1440 in Seashore's collection from the original Nostalgia Trains from 1980. The DVD includes the following:
- Boston EL and subway cars: EL car 01000, Orange Line 1178, Red Line 01455 and 01450.
- Brill Bullet than ran in Philadelphia
- Double-ended PCC 3340
- LIRR MP-54
- Boston type-5 5821 and Connecticut 1391
- SEPTA PCC 2709, Liberty Bell Limited 1030, Perley Thomas 866, PRT 6618
- Very old Broad St (Philadelphia) car, Bridge Cars 1018, 1023
- State of the Art (SOAC) Cars
- R-4/R-7 800, 1440, inside and out
- CTA 6000s 6500 and 6499
- Gibbs 3352
- Picture window PCCs 3292, 3274
- Round trip ride on the R-4/R-7 duo: cab views, interior views while moving, runbys on museum trackage
Run time approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. Price: $20.00
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Toronto, Baltimore & Hoboken:
DV031: Baltimore and Hoboken
This video is a brief look at both the light rail and heavy rail rapid transit facilities of the Maryland Mass Transit Administration in Baltimore. The second part of the video covers New Jersey's Hudson Bergen Light Rail.
The Baltimore portion of the video, from September 1998, includes a cab view of the light rail line from Hunt Valley Mall to Market Street downtown, followed by runbys of the light rail line at various spots downtown. Next we'll get a brief glimpse of the subway with a cab ride from about Reisterstown Plaza to Owings Mills and some runbys at Owings Mills and Oakwood (where the subway yard is). We wrap up the Baltimore coverage with additional runbys of the light rail line, again in the downtown area, views of the LRVs in motion heading back towards Hunt Valley and finally, runbys at Hunt Valley itself.
Specifically, you'll see:
- Interior of the Baltimore LRVs
- Cab view, Hunt Valley Mall to Market Street, downtown Baltimore
- LRT Runbys at Camden Yards
- Subway at Charles Center station
- Cab view on subway, from approximately Reisterstown Plaza to Owings Mills
- Subway runbys at Owings Mills and Reisterstown Plaza
- Views of the subway yard
- LRT runbys on Market Street
- Varied LRT views heading back towards Hunt Valley
- LRT runbys at Hunt Valley Mall
The New Jersey coverage of the Hudson Bergen Light Rail consists of:
- Runbys at Pavonia - Newport
- Cab view of the short stretch of track north of Pavonia - Newport, which was not yet open at the time this video was taken (May 2002).
- Runby at 34th Street, Bayonne
- Cab view from 34th Street to the HBLR yard
- Views of the yard and shop
- Cab view out of the yard heading back towards Pavonia - Newport
- Runbys taken from the parking garage of the Pavonia Mall overlooking the elevated portion that is currently used as a turnback area
Run time approximately 1 hour 52 minutes. Price: $20.00
DV030: Toronto Volume II
This video is the second of two videos providing a comprehensive look at the rapid transit facilities of the Toronto Transit Commission. The video includes a cab view of the east/west line (Kipling to Kennedy) in its entirety. Since Toronto has quite a varied fleet, including the Scarborough Rapid Transit automated cars and the Canadian Light Rail Vehicles (CLRVs, sometimes called "Red Rockets"), they are well represented on this video, too.
From the Bloor-Danforth (east/west) line, we'll take a cab ride from Kipling to Kennedy, a terminal to terminal ride.
From the Scarborough Rapid Transit:
- Runbys from the street at the Scarborough Mall station
- Interior of the cars
- Runbys at Kennedy
From the Yonge-University-Spadina (north/south) line, you'll see these views and runbys:
- Riding from Downsview to Yorkdale, with a good view of Wilson Yard
- Along Allen Road between Yorkdale and Lawrence West
- "Alley" between Summerhill and Rosedale
- "S" curve between Rosedale and Bloor/Yonge
- At the portal before Bloor/Yonge, various views
- At Rosedale
- At Summerhill
- At Bloor/Yonge
- At St Patrick
- At Queens Park
- At Dupont
- At Eglinton West, and from Eglinton West to Lawrence West
The "Red Rockets" are well represented with the following runbys:
- On Spadina Ave, at Harbord Street, into the portal
- Spadina Ave and Dundas St, at night. Spadina cars were turned onto Dundas St due to an automobile accident that blocked the tracks on the private ROW on Spadina Ave.
- Spadina Ave and Front Street
- Queens Quay near Spadina Ave
- Canadian ALRVs along the Bathhurst Street Bridge over GO transit and VIA rail.
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00
DV029: Toronto Volume I
This video is a comprehensive look at the rapid transit facilities of the Toronto Transit Commission. The video includes a cab view of the north/south Yonge - University - Spadina line (Downsview to Finch) in its entirety. Since Toronto has quite a varied fleet, including the Canadian Light Rail Vehicles (CLRVs, also called "Red Rockets"), they are well represented on this video, too.
From the Yonge Street (north/south) line, you'll see:
- Runbys at Downsview
- Cab view, Downsview to Finch
- Runbys at Finch
- Davisville Yard and Station
- Some great runbys taken from a series of pedestrian bridges just north of Davisville station
- Runbys from the pedestrian bridge at Mount Pleasant, just south of Davisville
- Runbys at Rosedale
From the Bloor-Danforth (east/west) line, you'll see:
- Runbys at Old Mill Road
- Runbys at Kipling
- Runbys at Weston
Red Rockets can be seen from:
- Spadina Ave & College Street
- From the top of the CN Tower, nighttime views of the Red Rockets along Spadina Avenue.
- University Ave & Queen Street
- Spadina Ave & Queen Street
Run time approximately 2 hours. Price: $20.00
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Chicago and Dallas Videos:
DV032: Chicago, Volume One: Runbys on the Loop, Cab View on the Blue Line, 6/22 to 6/28/97.
- Runbys at Adams/Wabash
- Runbys at Randolph/Wabash
- Runbys at State/Lake
- Runbys at Roosevelt, facing Loop
- Cab view on the Blue Line, O'Hare to 54th/Cermak aboard Budd car 3115
- Runbys from the corner of Lake/Wabash
- Runbys along Wabash Ave, from street level and "L" level
- Runbys at Tower 18 at Rush Hour (wow!)
- Runbys over the Chicago River Wells Street Bridge
- Runbys at the "S" curve at Van Buren/Harrison
Run time approximately 2 hours. Price: $20.00
DV033: Chicago, Volume Two: Cab View on the Red Line, Runbys Along the Northwestern Elevated, 6/22 to 6/28/97.
- Cab view on the Red Line, Howard to 95th Street
- Cab view clockwise around the Loop aboard the Orange Line
- Runbys at Roosevelt, facing ex-Dan Ryan connection
- Runbys at Randolph/Wabash
- Runbys at Chicago Avenue (Ravenswood)
- Runbys at Kimball (Ravenswood)
- Runbys at Fullerton (Ravenswood, Howard/Dan Ryan, Evanston Express)
- Back-end from approximately Fullerton to and around the Loop aboard an Evanston Express
- Runbys at Merchandise Mart facing Tower 18
- Runbys facing the Lake St and Wells St Bridges over the Chicago River
Run time approximately 2 hours. Price: $20.00
DV034: Chicago, Volume Three: All Runbys, All the Time, During the Evening Rush, 6/22 to 6/28/97.
- Runbys at Van Buren/Harrison "S" Curve
- Runbys at Library/State - Van Buren
- Runbys at Quincy/Wells
- Runbys at Madison/Wabash
- Runbys at Belmont (Ravenswood, Howard/Dan Ryan, Evanston Express)
- Runbys at Howard (Howard/Dan Ryan, Evanston Express, Skokie Swift, Yard Moves, METRA)
- A quick glimpse of the Midway Yard
- A short cab ride on the Orange Line entering the Loop
Run time approximately 2 hours. Price: $20.00
This Chicago DVD covers a great deal in a very short time. It's all runbys:
- The Lake Street Bridge over the Chicago River
- Along Wabash from street level
- Along Lake Street from street level
- Lake/LaSalle at street level
- Lake/Wabash at street level
- Along Wabash at late evening
- Runbys of the Howard/Dan Ryan (Red) and Midway (Orange) lines from just outside of the Chinatown/Cermak station of the Red Line
- Sharp curve on the Green Line (Jackson Park) near King Drive
- View under the Green Line elevated structure from Dorchester to approximately King Drive
- Green Line runby between E 63rd and King Drive at street level
- Green Line runby near Halstead, Englewood Branch
- Red Line runby along the Dan Ryan Expressway between 63rd and 69th
- Blue Line grade crossing (didn't record the location)
- Blue Line runby along the Eisenhower Expressway
- Ravenswood Line runby at a grade crossing at Francisco
- The Red and Purple Lines at Loyola
- The Red, Purple and Ravenswood Lines just outside Wellington at the evening rush
- Ravenswood Line at an "S" curve near Halstead
- At Clark/Lake
- At Adams/Wabash
- At Randolph/Wabash
Run time is 67 minutes. Price: $20.00
The DART DVD is 100% runbys:
- At the vicinity of Union Station
- A view of Trinity Railway Express
- Dealy Plaza
- Pacific Ave near Union Station
- North of Thanksgiving Plaza, at night
- At "S" curve near portal leading to Mockingbird Station
- At Lovers Lane (no kidding!!)
- Mockingbird Station
- LRV interior
- Convention Center Station
- Over I-35W just south of Convention Center station
Run time approximately 50 minutes. Price: $20.00
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Boston Videos:
DV036: "T" Time: A Boston Field Trip 5/20 - 5/22/98
There's plenty of "T" in this video, with all four subway lines recorded. This video contains the following:
- Runbys on the Red Line at Charles/MGH and the Longfellow Bridge, both from the bridge and the Boston and Cambridge shores. There's even some footage taken from the top of the Museum of Science parking garage.
- Runbys on the Green Line at Government Center and the concrete bridge and El between Lechmere and North Station. The old Boston Garden is half torn down as the video was recorded.
- Runbys on the Blue Line at Bowdoin, Wonderland and Aquarium.
- Cab view, Blue Line, Wonderland to Logan Airport
- Runbys on the Red Line at JFK / UMass
- Runbys on the Orange Line at Wellington.
Run time approximately 1 hour 50 minutes. Price: $20.00
DV037: BSRA Boston Green Line Fantrip, June 7th, 1998
Ride the Boston Green Line centennial car 3495 (Boeing LRV) and picture window PCC 3295. Along the way, various runbys of current Green Line equipment can be seen. At the start of the video, we spend about 20 minutes looking at the equipment stored in the Riverside shop, including a line of LRVs waiting to be scrapped. At the end of the video, we get a close-up of type-5 5734 and the type-8 low floor prototype 3800. Specifically, the video includes:
- View and runbys at Riverside Yard and terminal.
- Cab view, PCC 3295, Riverside to Kenmore Loop
- Photostop at Chestnut Hill
- Cab view, Kenmore Loop, via Beacon Street to Cleveland Circle
- Runbys at Cleveland Circle
- Cab view, LRV 3495, in Green Line subway, to North Station
- View of Boston Garden being demolished
- Runbys at North Station
- Cab view, North Station to NorthEastern
- Runbys at Symphony
- Runbys on Huntington Avenue
- Photostop on Heath St Loop
- cab view, NorthEastern to Park Street
- Runbys at Park Street
- Rear-end views at Park Street through Kenmore
- View of low-floor prototype Type-8 (3800) and type-5 5734, others, at Riverside Yard
Run time approximately 2 hours. Price: $20.00
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Philadelphia Videos:
Besides the Philadelphia DVDs below, also check out the new DVD DV075: Philadelphia PCC Trip, May 8th, 2005.
This fantrip occurred after the East Penn Traction Club trolley meet on May 2nd and 3rd, 2003. The fantrip followed line car D-39 (now retired) on the Media Line, where it caused a short and crippled our Kawasaki LRV! Our LRV was towed back to 69th Street yard, and another car towed line car D-39 back to the yard as well. Then, the new line car CMC-2002 came out, and we followed the new line car to Sharon Hill and then back to 69th Street.
Coverage of the fantrip includes the following:
- Views of the M-4 cars of the Market/Frankford El rounding the loop at 69th Street terminal
- Views of the line car at 69th Street
- Cab view, 69th Street to Media, PA, behind line car D-39.
- View at Hilltop Ave, with runbys of in-service LRVs
- Views at a picturesque bridge over a creek of line car D-39 and the LRV.
- Runby at Woodland Avenue
- Runby at the intersection of Jackson and State, Media, PA
- Rear view looking at line car D-39 in Media, PA
- Photostop of our LRV in Media, PA
- Runbys at Drexel Hill Junction
- Rear views on the way to Sharon Hill, with another LRV right behind us
- Runbys at Sharon Hill, and the arrival of new line car CMC-2002. There's a brief interior view of the new line car.
- Photostop at a park along the route back to 69th Street
- Views at the same picturesque bridge as above, this time of the LRV and the new line car. In-service LRVs are seen, too.
- Closing runbys at 69th Street terminal
Run time is 1 hour 45 minutes. Price: $20.00.
This fantrip was sponsored by the New York Division of the Electric Railroaders Association on June 7th, 1997. The days of the "Almond Joy" cars on the Market/Frankford line are long past, with the new M-4s having replaced them. In June of 1997, however, there were only two M-4s in SEPTA's possession, and they're shown on this tape.
The video includes:
- Views of the 69th Street Shops and Yard, from within them
- Cab view, N-5 Norristown Car to Norristown Shops. Overall view of 69th St Yard. Interior view of N-5 car.
- Cab view on new M-4 Market/Frankford Cars into the 69th St Shops. The M-4 car was still undergoing acceptance testing on the day this video was recorded and only these 2 cars were on the property. Interior shots of M-4 were also recorded.
- Norristown Storage Area and return to 69th St Terminal
- Cab view on the Market/Frankford Line from terminal to terminal, 69th St to Bridge/Pratt, aboard an "Almond Joy".
- Runbys at Spring Garden
- Runbys at 13th Street
- View of restored PCC car 2733 in SEPTA Headquarters.
Run time approximately 1 hour 20 minutes. Price: $20.00.
This video covers the former lines of the Red Arrow, the Media / Sharon Hill Lines. It also includes a cab ride on the Market / Frankford Line, from Bridge/Pratt to 15th Street aboard the new M-4 cars.
The Media / Sharon Hill video was recorded during the "Daisy Picker" fantrip run by the East Penn Traction Club as part of their show weekend on May 6th, 2001. The Market/Frankford Line ride was recorded the same day as my own "extension" to this fantrip.
The video includes:
- Runbys of Kawasaki LRVs near 69th Street terminal
- Cab Ride, 69th Street to Sharon Hill
- A number of runbys and photostops at various locations along the route
- Cab Ride, Sharon Hill to Media / Sharon Hill junction (street running was omitted during the return trip).
- Round trip cab ride, Media / Sharon Hill junction to Media terminal and back to 69th Street
- A number of runbys and photostops at various locations along the Media route
- Runbys of Norristown N-5 cars near 69th Street
- Views of 69th Street yard. One trainset of Almond Joys was still there when this video was recorded.
- Runbys of SEPTA Regional Rail at 30th Street station
- Cab ride, Bridge/Pratt to 15th Street on Market/Frankford Line
- Runby of all services at 15th Street and City Hall
- Runbys of Kawasaki LRVs at 15th Street, 22nd Street and 30th Street
Run time is 2 hours. Price: $20.00
This fantrip was part of the 1997 East Penn Traction Club Trolley Meet held in Pennsauken, NJ that weekend. It covers the Lindenwold Line in detail:
- Cab view, Woodcrest to Lindenwold Shops
- Tour of the PATCO shop
- Cab view, PATCO shops to Ferry Ave.
- Runbys at Ferry Ave
- Cab view, Ferry Ave to ex-Ridge St spur to 16th St
- Runbys at 16th St
- Cab view, 16th to Woodcrest
Run time approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. Price: $20.00
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Ordering Information
Prices are as follows:
The following DVDs are $45.00:
- DV009: Lo-V Fantrip in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx, September 14th, 1997
- DV050: Old Days on the BMT
- DV057: Return of the R-1/9s, June 8th, 2003
The following DVDs are $40.00:
- DV010: Lo-V Fantrip Through Manhattan and the Bronx, September 27th, 1998
- DV049: A Redbird Farewell, May 26th, 2002
- DV056: Yet Another Redbird Farewell, June 7th, 2003
- DV058: SMEE Cars on the IRT, June 29th, 2003
- DV060: R-1/9 Fantrip in Queens, Manhattan and Brooklyn, December 27th, 2003
- DV061: R-1/9 Fantrip on the BMT Eastern Division, December 28th, 2003
- DV062: A Redbird Ramble in Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx, December 21st, 2003
- DV063: R-1/9 Transbridge Fantrip, February 28th, 2004
- DV065: R-1/9 Fantrip on the BMT Southern Division, May 23rd, 2004
- DV070: Give Thanks for the Lo-Vs, November 20th, 2004
- DV079: The July 2008 Nostalgia Train
DVD DV008: Lo-V Fan Trip in Manhattan and the Bronx, 9/08/96, is $35.00.
The following DVDs are $27.00:
- DV003: D-Types Through Brooklyn and Queens
- DV020: West Side Field Trip Marathon
- DV068: The Parade of Trains
All other DVDs are $20.00.
Postage and handling charges within the United States and Canada for mail orders are as follows:
- $5.50 for one DVD
- $6.50 for two DVDs
- $7.50 for three or more DVDs
For shipments outside of the United States and Canada, please write to me and I'll provide you shipping costs to your country.
To order, send a letter with the names of the DVDs you'd like and
a check or money order for the appropriate amount to:
Mark S. Feinman
7 Chelsea Court
Suffern, NY 10901-7405
For more information, you can write me at the above address, or send e-mail to: mark_train@hotmail.com.
Please allow 3 to 4 weeks for delivery.
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