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What is the best NYC subway book to read?


jrh5157

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It really depends on the info you want, one book which I can't recall the name of right now is all about the politics of the subway from its creation to a few years ago. Underground Woman by Marian Swerdlow is about her few years as a conductor. That one is a good read. If you look on nycsubway.org i think they have a list of subway related books, take a look at that.

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It really depends on the info you want, one book which I can't recall the name of right now is all about the politics of the subway from its creation to a few years ago. Underground Woman by Marian Swerdlow is about her few years as a conductor. That one is a good read. If you look on nycsubway.org i think they have a list of subway related books, take a look at that.

I just picked up Underground Woman, was reading some of the sample pages on Google books, and it seemed rather interesting. Also picked up Subwayland: Adventures in the World Beneath New York and Transit Talk : New York's Bus and Subway Workers Tell Their Stories.

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I'm surprised nobody mentioned Peter Doughertys 'Tracks of the NYC Subway'...it definitely seems to be an orgy of technical info on the underground.

 

Definitely going to get it once I get some cash money together.

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I'm surprised nobody mentioned Peter Doughertys 'Tracks of the NYC Subway'...it definitely seems to be an orgy of technical info on the underground.

 

Definitely going to get it once I get some cash money together.

 

really... I forgot to mention this!

Can't wait for an update.

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I'm surprised nobody mentioned Peter Doughertys 'Tracks of the NYC Subway'...it definitely seems to be an orgy of technical info on the underground.

 

Definitely going to get it once I get some cash money together.

 

Yup that's a good one if you want to learn tracks and if you dont' know signals there's a good intro in there too.

 

For car equipment unfortunately there's not much (unless you got connections B)), there's the Sansone book "New York Subways" but some of the information in there is wrong so I can't really say I "recommend" it.

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This I have and read, well some lol:

 

0801868866.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

 

i own the book too =)! Bought it in 2006, sad part is that it only goes up to when the R142s were "Mockedup" =(

 

Yup that's the book I was referring to. It's not bad but some of the information isn't quite accurate. However if you're looking for an overview of rolling stock over the years it's not bad, and it does have some good pictures.

 

Now the fun part.

 

A non cash prize to anyone other than Matted33 who can tell me where the photo on the left of that book cover was taken, and what car that is

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Yup that's the book I was referring to. It's not bad but some of the information isn't quite accurate. However if you're looking for an overview of rolling stock over the years it's not bad, and it does have some good pictures.

 

Now the fun part.

 

A non cash prize to anyone other than Matted33 who can tell me where the photo on the left of that book cover was taken, and what car that is

 

ShoreLine? :cool:

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Yup that's the book I was referring to. It's not bad but some of the information isn't quite accurate. However if you're looking for an overview of rolling stock over the years it's not bad, and it does have some good pictures.

 

Now the fun part.

 

A non cash prize to anyone other than Matted33 who can tell me where the photo on the left of that book cover was taken, and what car that is

 

Subwayguy, one thing about that book. the deffinition of SMEE is 100% WRONG (pictures Jeff H going on for an hour about how they guy is full of sh*t). And also I gots me them connections for some good car equipment books and not just for the R143. Oh and I won't spill the beans of "that" car but I still have not seen it.

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Sorry Brighton, but that is incorrect. Will the next contestant please step up for another round of "Guess That Car"!

 

My 3 favorite subway car equipment books (other then my R143 Manuel) are these 3.

 

New York City Subway Cars

by James C. Greller

 

Subway Cars of the B.M.T.

by James C. Greller

 

The Interborough Fleet

by Joe Cunningham

 

The latter 2 are great for anyone who wants to know about the pre IND and TA fleet.

 

Building the New Rapid Transit System of New York City Circa 1915

Xplorer Press

This one is great for some tech drawings of the IRT and some BMT tunnels. I focuses alot on the duel contract era and is a great read.

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IRT Composite

 

Nope, this could be very fun. Come on guys keep the guesses coming.

Another good subway book is:

Transit Talk: New York's Bus and Subway Workers Tell Their Stories

by Robert W. Snyder

Its a bunch of interviews with TA workers about their jobs. Its a very good read.

One book I would not suggest reading is:

The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City

by Jennifer Toth

Sadly alot of this book is pure crap. She talks about thins such as natural underground caves which do not exist and levels under Grand Central Terminal which are not there. On Joe Brennen's* abandon station site, he lists many but not all thie inaccuracy's of the book.

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Transit Talk: New York's Bus and Subway Workers Tell Their Stories

by Robert W. Snyder

Its a bunch of interviews with TA workers about their jobs. Its a very good read.

I also ordered this book along with that other book you recommended and subwayland. Should be getting them next week from Amazon. I was reading some of the sample pages of Transit Talk and wow, they got some crazy stuff. The one about the guy that saw this guy get his head smashed thanks to some douche trying to catch a train.
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Refresh my mind, what was the other book I recommended? Also with Transit Talk, I forget when it was written but I think maybe the late 80's to very early 90's. I love some of the stories they tell including a Motorman wanting to bash in a mugger's skull with his brake handle.

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Refresh my mind, what was the other book I recommended? Also with Transit Talk, I forget when it was written but I think maybe the late 80's to very early 90's. I love some of the stories they tell including a Motorman wanting to bash in a mugger's skull with his brake handle.

The other book you recommended was Underground Woman. Transit Talk came out in 1998 according to Amazon.

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