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[PHOTOS] MORE !!! Odds & Ends Of The I.R.T.

Posted by Bill Newkirk on Sun Sep 14 10:35:09 2025, in response to [PHOTOS] Odds & Ends Of The I.R.T., posted by Bill Newkirk on Sun Sep 7 10:33:09 2025.

Welcome back for some more odds & ends of the IRT. Let's get started.


The grandiose City Hall station nearly complete with natural daylight filtering through the ceilings skylights.


On this December 27, 1945 photo about a week before closure, This is how the station looked in its last days.
Protective iron fences, an illuminated gap warning sign and advertising posters are evident.


Undated photo of 103rd Street head house.


Two views of the Manhattan Valley 125th St. station. (circa 1904-05)




Construction phase of the New Lots line portal. (October 11, 1918)


Undated photo of the Flushing line approach to Willets Point.


This photo was captioned as 7th Ave. & 43rd St. If incorrect, where do you think this is ?


Broadside view of two Low Vs. Trailer car on left, motor car on right. (undated photo)


A motorman and his Low V. Posed with brake handle displayed.


1950 photo at Queensboro Plaza when Low Vs ruled the Corona-Flushing Line.
Notice the abandoned 2nd Ave. el trackage with signals years after 2nd Ave. service ceased operations.


On July 9, 1956, six R-17 cars were tested with air conditioning, music and germ killing lamps. The cars ran from Grand Central to Brooklyn Bridge to Parkchester. Regular service began July 11th. A test on the 42nd St. shuttle (August 20-21), was a failure. Later tests were done on the Broadway Express. More powerful units were installed in 1957. Conventional fans were installed in 1962 and further tests suspended. (Caption from A history of The New York City Subway System Part 1)


When the Dyre Ave. shuttle ran overnights, token booth clerks were removed and fare were collected
on board using a Johnson Model D fare box seen here mounted on the entrance.


February 16, 1963 photo of R-22 #7516 as the "automated shuttle at Grand Central.
It appears the columns were painted green for the automated shuttle operation


R-22 #7516 was in a group of R-22's that were tested with interior "plextone" paint scheme and fiberglass seating that would be the standard up until the R-38s.
These R-22's had a unique one piece storm door window. (Photo: Flatbush Ave. November 24, 1970)


R-14 #5952 and at least one R-10 had an experimental test for better ventilation with vent louvers in the doors..
The test failed and the louvers were removed, replace by a convention one piece glass.


Stored at Coney Island yard stands Low-V motor #5302 (#30183) 1917 Pullman Car Co. Reportedly the only Low-V without center doors.
Used as a revenue collector or pay car but was a work motor in her last years. Sadly it was one of one and scrapped sometime after this photo on Sept 15, 1968


Photographed at the 240th St. tower are new R-62's in service on the #2 line. These are the "A" division's first stainless steel cars. (March 1984)


The "New Tech" era in the form of experimental R-110A's are in test mode on the Sea Beach line at 18th Ave.
These cars were stored for many years before being repurposed into maintenance equipment.


And for the final photo, some in-house grafitti on a Low v at 207th St. shops. I see a sine wave and a tic tac toe on the motorman's door. Can you make out the rest ? lol
Most likely done with blackboard chalk, it would soon wash off in the next rain day and reveal the classic steel dust patina.
*****Coming soon, The Odds & Ends of the IND*****