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The gritty 70s and 80s... (photos included)


TrainFanatic

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Very interesting blog about a man's childhood memories of the subway during the gritty 70s and 80s...

 

For anyone who doesn't live here, you should know that the subway is synonymous with New York. Millions of us ride it every single day, and we complain about it to each other just as often. Besides walking, it's the main method of transportation in this city. Well, the 70's weren't kind to the subway, or to most of us. I remember when I was a kid, I had a t-shirt that said "I rode the New York City subway... AND SURVIVED!" Being about eight, I thought that was really funny at the time. But it was true - the subways were dirty, dangerous, poorly maintained and covered in graffiti.

 

Click here to read the rest of his interesting story.

 

Here are a few photos to add to the mix...

Cooper12.jpg

bruce_davidson_subway.jpg

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1220460213009-subway-smoking-boy.jpg

 

More interesting photos can be found here.

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and for some reason people say we are going back too that? r you kidding me i remember that growing up in the 80s was hell and we got out of that thank god we did it wasnt anything nice about that time and we will never go back too that dark ages

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The youtube shows the reality of subway travel in the 1980s vs. now. The system was horrible but signs of change were on the way. It is quite noticeable how clean and nice the R46 E train was and shows people that the R46 was the standard train defining the E line in the 1980s, not the R32. Looking at the R32, it looks horrible here and was noisy, hot, and not fun to ride in at all then. The refurbishing saved it. The "redbirds" were being turned to true redbirds starting with the 2 line, most of the redbirds were disasters, different colors and in a state of disrepair. Most cars had grafitti except for the new R62s on the 1 line, the rebuilt redbirds, and the R46 and many of the R44s. And that was just the equipment. So, for me, someone who rode the trains back in the 1970s and 1980s, it is dumb to here about how bad the R160s are or anything like that and how great the older equipment is. Not true at all in my experience. The R160s are fine, the older stuff, I don't miss at all. None of them. I did like the slants but their time came and went and their design was terrible.

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I love the 80s (NYCT)Crazy but adventurous at the same time.I would have love to take a trip at my age now back to that time to see first hand.The photography is beautiful!!!!

 

I agree 115pct and I really Envy the Motormen at the times .

I really Enjoyed that video I did but that R38 and 44 just floored me :tup::tup:

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Only the LIRR has the wooden covers that look flimsy. Of course with all the track work that has to be done every weekend, they need the stronger boards...
not true at all, im a police officer for transit and they do have wooden covers on some areas still today back than they did all over the NYCT, they did alot of work on the system so now we have new plastic covers, but back in the 80s it was all wood
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