This holiday season, ride a vintage 1930s subway around NYC

2 minutes read

This holiday season, ride a vintage 1930s subway around NYC

All photos courtesy of the New York Transit Museum

Travel back in time on a vintage New York City subway train this holiday season. The New York Transit Museum and the MTA released the schedule for the 2026 Holiday Nostalgia Rides, which will run every Sunday between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Preserved as part of the museum’s collection, the eight 1930s R1-9 train cars have a “Depression-era Art Deco aesthetic,” with rattan seats, paddle ceiling fans, roll signs, and period advertisements.

The vintage train runs every year for the holiday season, offering an old-fashioned way to get around Manhattan. The train will operate between 2nd Avenue-Houston Street on the uptown F line and 96th Street-2nd Avenue on the Q line. Rides are free with subway fare.

“As we close out the Transit Museum’s 50th anniversary year, we’re thrilled to celebrate with one of our most beloved traditions,” Regina Shepherd, acting Director of the New York Transit Museum, said.

“The Holiday Nostalgia Rides bring our collection out into the city it helped shape, giving everyone a chance to experience a piece of New York’s past.”

The Holiday Nostalgia Train will run on November 29 and December 6, 13, 20, and 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Passengers can board the train at any of the stations listed below:

Uptown stops:

2 Av–Houston St (F) (Departing at 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.)
Broadway–Lafayette St (D/F, 6)
West 4 St–Washington Sq (A/C/E, D/F)
34 St–Herald Sq (D/F, N/Q/R)
42 St–Bryant Park (A/C/E, D/F, N/Q/R, S, 7)
47-50 St–Rockefeller Center (D/F)
57 St– 6 Av (F)
Lexington Av–63 St (F, Q)
72 St–2 Av (Q)
86 St–2 Av (Q)
96 St–2 Av (Q)

Downtown stops:

96 St–2 Av (Q) (Departing at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.)
86 Street–2 Av (Q)
72 St–2 Av (Q)
Lexington Av–63 St (F, Q)
57 St–6 Av (F)
47–50 St–Rockefeller Center (D/F)
42 St–Bryant Park (A/C/E, D/F, N/Q/R, S, 7)
34 St–Herald Sq (D/F, N/Q/R)
West 4 St–Washington Sq (A/C/E, D/F)
Broadway–Lafayette St (D/F, 6)
2 Av–Houston St (F)

New this year, the museum launched a Holiday Nostalgia Ride Scavenger Hunt that invites riders to find and take photos of the vintage signs, seats, and ads. Find them all to win a prize.