Subway, Elevated, Trolley & Traction Lines photos

[Rufus T. Firefly]

[healey36]

That would make for a very interesting scratch-build, something quite beyond my capabilities.

Here's a shot of a subway entrance/exit at 104 East 23rd Street, New York, c.1905:



I seem to recall that one of the ceramic village manufacturers made something remarkably similar to these.

From the Detroit Publishing Company, courtesy of the Library of Congress.

[J. S. Bach]

...snip... I seem to recall that one of the ceramic village manufacturers made something remarkably similar to these. ...snip...

Dept. 56. I believe. They were not perfect but looked pretty darn good in a layout scene.

[Joseph Frank1]

Hello Dave and ALL

I got a few of these LEMAX item "1904 style IRT Subway Entry Kiosks" some years ago and put them on my sidewalks along my NYC "EL" line -- They are pretty nice -- better than nothing and do the job - see my photos below; Regards - Joe F

[healey36]

Slightly compressed, but they are brilliant, aren't they (as are the photographs of the pike, Joe).

Thanks for the manufacturer info, guys.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

[Joseph Frank1]

Hello Healey 36

Thanks for the reply and compliment.

I do NOTE that the crowned roof of the Lemax IRT Subway Kiosk entryway is a bit too high -- it may be possible to take that roof portion off and cut away a small portion of the lower 4 sides of the roof so the top dome remaining will sit lower to the Entry Body structure. Would make it a bit more close to scale visual proportions I guess. But likely not worth the effort in the scheme of things !

But those 1903-4 built IRT Subway Kiosks have been gone for nearly 60 years already. I used many of them in the 1950's-60's to enter and exit various downtown Manhattan and West Side Manhattan IRT Subway stations.

The original Oct. 1904 opened IRT first subway line stations BELOW 42nd Street south to City Hall loop had them -- and the subway stations on the continuation of the original route of the 1904 IRT line under Broadway on the West Side, north of 42nd Street, had them also. There are a few, tho not exactly as original, retro remakes of the Kiosks around City Hall Park -- and a larger retro-replacement one closer to authentic appearance at the Astor Place Subway Station on a triangular safety Island in lower Manhattan. All 1904 era original ones are long gone, removed.

Well, they do the job for my sidewalk scenes where I replicate 1940's thru 60's time frames.

Regards - Joe F

[healey36]

Thanks for the info, Joe. I made a few trips into NYC from Long Island on the LIRR back in the early 1960s with my parents and grandparents. To be honest, I don't remember much other than riding in those double-decked coaches the LIRR rostered at the time.

In the early 1980s, I took a job with Pfizer Inc. and made a few trips from Baltimore to NYC and the Pfizer HQ on East 42nd Street. I presume all of these subway entrances were gone by then, as I sure don't recall seeing any of them. I would take the Amtrak Metroliner from Penn Station in Baltimore to Penn Station in Manhattan, then the subway up to 42nd Street. NYC was pretty rough than, with Koch just starting to try cleaning things up (as I recall). Lots of people sleeping on the steam grates in front of the Pfizer Building. I trust things are better now; haven't been to the city in about fifteen years. I should do it while I can still walk, lol.

Paul

[Joseph Frank1]

Hello again Healey 36

Well, heh, be prepared for your trip to NY City -- do some you tube video research -- the Graff is coming back strong but the widespread decay and destruction of the 1970 - 1990's era is all erased, removed, rebuilt in those long ago afflicted then-neighborhoods in some of the Boros. Crime is up, more insane and criminal type people riding the subways now (as in the long ago past) - and safety from them riding with you is random at best. I follow the regular happenings up there (out of ex-resident curiosity only -- been down here in Penna. 52 years ! Its outrageously VERY EXPENSIVE up there. And most trains have full with M/M cabs so you can't look out to the tracks from the front car "storm door" window anymore. (Except on those vintage era "NYCT Museum trains" when they rarely run on special trips)!

Under the Mayor DeBlasio and his "crew" - Subway (and city) crime is ramping way up over the past few years also. So IF you go, be alert, be wary, and don't joy ride any lines at night to outer areas of the boros ! Its presently starting to turn back to the days you remember ....... I modeled the safer, cleaner and more American appearing civilized time period and era of the city and transit I remember long ago ! Per two of my layout photos below !




regards - Joe F

[healey36]

Yeah, I've heard that riding the trains is relatively safe during the day, but gets pretty dicey after the evening rush. To be honest, I've been accosted a number of times by some pretty aggressive panhandlers on the Baltimore Metro, so it's not exclusive to NYC. I haven't been on the Washington Metro for awhile, but they always seemed to do a good job with security. I distinctly recall seeing a guy getting a "wood shampoo" from a couple of Metro police in one of the stations as I went home late at night from a Capitals game years ago.

Joe, I do have one question regarding these NYC subway exit/entranceways. I notice that the roof design is different between them...was this intentional, perhaps so that someone could visually identify which was the entrance and which was the exit?



I asked my 86 year-old stepmother about these, as she grew up in the Bronx. She did recall them, but only downtown.

Thanks again for the pike photos. Your detail work is just brilliant.

[Joseph Frank1]

Hello Healey

Well, back when the IRT Subway opened in 1904, -- just like railroads of the time -- they sold trip tickets (card stock tickets) similar to the size of those the old movie theater tickets. You bought it from the movie cashier booth at the theater entrance, walked inside, along a roped line - and the usher person took your ticket, ripped it in half -- kept his half and you kept yours. THAT allowed you to prove you paid to see the movie.

The IRT when it opened in October 1904, had two kiosks..the round roof one was the ENTRANCE ONLY kiosk -- and at the bottom was a cordoned off walkway to the ticket seller booth. You bought your ticket and went to the platform to get the train. When you DEPARTED the train at a later station, your exited towards a dedicated walled off path to the Triangular roof EXIT ONLY kiosk, where at the bottom, the ticket taker took your ticket, chopped it in half at the chopper, kept his half and you got yours.

Soon later this was changed to duplicate what the EL's of the time did since handling fare tickets the 1870's .

You got your fare ticket from the ticket agent booth INSIDE the (EL or Subway) station house --- walked towards the EL (or subway) station outer trackside platform, where a ticket taker agent stood by the chopper box. He "chopped" your ticket in half and gave you your half to continue ONTO the El (or subway) station platform to get your train.

When this was done in the subway --- the EXIT kiosks were dedicated still for EXIT ONLY - as crowds then were large for the new novel subway. The round top kiosk took you directly thru a gated area to the ticket booth. At the gated area leading to the station platform -- the chopper agent cut your ticket.

When the ticket system was abandoned for TURNSTILES using nickel coins, you could not get to the track platform unless you deposited your coin in the turnstile slot -- and went thru the turnstile which then was unlocked by the dropping coin mechanism. When you departed the train at the exit station, you exited thru the turnstile which allowed "exit only" continuous movement of the turnstile in "exit" direction. . Entrance "opposite movement" direction was always LOCKED until a coin (and later years - a fare TOKEN coin) was dropped in the slot. By THAT time (sometime before 1920) - BOTH types of KIOSKS were used for both entry and exit from the subway stations. And I remember using either type to enter & exit the IRT Subway --

regards - Joe F

[E7]

Joe, Nice to see you posting here again!

Rich

[healey36]

Thanks, Joe. It's always good to understand that there was a bit of method-to-the-madness when it came to design. The pre-turnstile/token era appears to have been a pretty labor intensive operation when it came to fare collection; it's a bit easier to understand how the railroads in general employed so many people during the back half of the 19th century. It is my understanding that at or near the turn of the century, the railroads directly employed 1.33% of the general population, and if you added all of the folks employed by railroad-related manufacturing and service companies, it was probably a number approaching 5%.

[Joseph Frank1]

Joe, Nice to see you posting here again!

Rich

Hello Rich !!

Thanks for the welcome back -- PS: I sent you a private message here on MTJ. regards - Joe F

[Rufus T. Firefly]