New York Transit Museum

New York Transit Museum Telling the stories of New York’s public transportation and the people who make it possible.
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09/02/2026

🚍 coming to ! Today we’re featuring Bus #1263, also known as “Betsy.”

Betsy is a beloved, historic double decker bus from the Fifth Avenue Coach Company that ran in Manhattan from 1931 until 1953. Double decker buses were a common sight in the city for decades.

This year, Betsy will not be the oldest bus at Bus Festival. Something new (even older!) is coming. Stay tuned for an announcement about that next week!

Step aboard this vehicle and many others at Bus Festival 2026, presented by the New York Transit Museum and Metropolitan Transportation Authority - MTA New York City Transit.

🚌 BUS FESTIVAL 2026
📆 Saturday, September 19, 10am-3:30pm
📍 Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge Park
🎟️ FREE

Bus Festival is free! The event runs rain or shine. RSVP at nytransitmuseum.org/bus-festival for the chance to win a family membership!

09/01/2026

🥸 Until now, his identity was unknown! Secret no. 29 reveals the man behind the microphone.

You've been hearing his voice for years on Metropolitan Transportation Authority - MTA New York City Transit buses. His name is Mark Groce and now you get to meet him.

celebrates the 50th anniversary of the . Join us as we pull back the curtain like never before on New York's transportation system, revealing hidden spaces, untold stories, and the people behind the scenes who keep our city moving.

Theme by Roman Angelos.

🪙 : that bus operators in used to make change for customers? That ended in 1969, when city buses began requiring ...
08/31/2026

🪙 : that bus operators in used to make change for customers? That ended in 1969, when city buses began requiring exact fare or tokens.

This photograph shows Spanish language bus signage on the B41 bus in notifying customers that exact change or tokens would be required.

The second image shows a moneychanger (1967). Bus operators would hang these from their belts or pants waistbands.

Making change took time, so the new policy helped speed up service by simplifying the boarding process. It also reduced possible exposure to robberies, making bus operators' jobs safer.

Do you remember moneychangers on New York City buses?

🧐 that the neighborhood of Marble Hill used to be part of the island of Manhattan?Although Marble Hill currently sits ...
08/30/2026

🧐 that the neighborhood of Marble Hill used to be part of the island of Manhattan?

Although Marble Hill currently sits on the other side of the Harlem River, connected to the mainland and the , it wasn’t always that way. The old Spuyten Duyvil Creek once separated Marble Hill from the Bronx. The creek connected the Hudson and Harlem Rivers before a more direct path was created.

In 1817, a small canal was dug across the tip of Manhattan, cutting off Marble Hill and turning it into an island of its own. This waterway was expanded in 1895 to become the Harlem River Ship Canal. Construction involved cutting through the rock of Dyckman's Meadow to make the Harlem River head straight to the Hudson.

This photograph from 1906 shows the Harlem River Ship Canal Bridge which was built over the Harlem River Ship Canal, linking Marble Hill, now part of the Bronx, to Manhattan. The second image, from , shows a map of the area in 1911. Visible on the map are both the old Spuyten Duyvil Creek and the new Harlem River Ship Canal.

The old Spuyted Duyvil Creek was filled in by 1913 and Marble Hill was no longer an island. Bronx County was created the following year, but Marble Hill remained a neighborhood of New York County (also known as Manhattan).

When the IRT (Interborough Rapid Transit) subway began plans to extend trains north into the Bronx, it became necessary to replace the Harlem River Ship Canal Bridge, because it could not support an elevated subway. Instead, the Broadway Bridge now links Marble Hill with Manhattan, carrying the on its upper level.

: This 1914 photograph shows a portion of Montague Street in that no longer exists, plus a streetcar line that once...
08/29/2026

: This 1914 photograph shows a portion of Montague Street in that no longer exists, plus a streetcar line that once travelled on it.

Taken looking east from the waterfront, the image depicts Montague Street sloping downhill and passing under a stone archway. When the BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway) was constructed in the 1940s and 50s, the area underwent a transformation, disconnecting Montague Street and creating the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The second images shows this part of Brooklyn today.

Part our Subway Construction Photograph Collection, this image was taken to document the area just before the construction of the Montague Tunnel and its ventilation system. The tunnel opened in August of 1920, delivering the BMT Broadway Line (today’s R train) under the East River.

08/28/2026

🪩 Have you gotten your tickets yet for "Return to '76"? We are teaming up with vinylnights_ to host an epic one-night-only disco dance party, celebrating 50 years of the Transit Museum in !

🕺 On Saturday, September 26, the Museum transforms into a full-on disco extravaganza, powered by the analog sound of vinyl, with DJ Misbehaviour spinning disco upstairs on the mezzanine, Operator Emz playing funk down on the platform, and New Style Hustle dance lessons with Jeff Selby and DJ Miss Gypsy.

Ticket price includes 2 drinks!

🍺 Enjoy Rockaway Brewing Co.'s special release "Rockaway 1875 Pale Ale," an ode to the Rockaway Beach Branch.
🍸 Sip the "MetroGold,” a specialty cocktail from Fort Hamilton Distillery — a glittery Old Fashioned made with their signature Single Barrel Rye and bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup.
💧 Plus! Plenty of water to keep you hydrated while you dance from Open Water.

📆 Saturday, September 26, 6-9pm.
📍 New York Transit Museum, 99 Schermerhorn St, Downtown Brooklyn
🎟️ Purchase tickets at nytransitmuseum.org/vinyl-nights.

that the Q train was once designated with the color orange? From 1988 to 2001, the Q ran along the IND Sixth Avenue Li...
08/28/2026

that the Q train was once designated with the color orange? From 1988 to 2001, the Q ran along the IND Sixth Avenue Line in Manhattan. This destination sign from would have been seen in subway cars during that time.

: What other colors, shapes, or route designations from history have been associated with the letter Q?

08/27/2026

🐢 : Filmed in a station and featuring subway cars that ran at the time, this scene from the 1990 film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” follows reporter April O’Neil, who is investigating a crime wave in . April heads down into the subway, where she is attacked by the ninja foot clan. She is rescued by Raphael, one of four mutant turtles who live in the sewers below the city. He fights the clan and takes April to safety. Though it is labeled “City Hall,” this is not actually City Hall station. Do you know where it is? Can you also name the car model that passes through the station in the scene?

08/26/2026

🐕 Happy ! Secret no. 28 is a canine railfan. No matter how you spell his name, this dog was a baller.

celebrates the 50th anniversary of the . Join us as we pull back the curtain like never before on New York's transportation system, revealing hidden spaces, untold stories, and the people who keep our city moving.

Clyde was adopted from Badass Animal Rescue, a non-profit that rescues and rehabilitates loving dogs from high-kill shelters, focusing on underserved communities in the rural American south and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Theme by Roman Angelos.

Suffolk County on Long Island used to have a trolley that ran across it from north to south? : in 1909 the Cross-Isl...
08/25/2026

Suffolk County on Long Island used to have a trolley that ran across it from north to south?

: in 1909 the Cross-Island Trolley opened from Halesite to Amityville in , connecting the villages of , , , and . Operated by the Long Island Rail Road, the Cross-Island Trolley was born when the Huntington Railroad extended its line across the island.

A carnival commemorated “Trolley Day,” beginning in Amityville and traveling the length of the line. Chosen by vote, a carnival “queen” led the event. When the carnival ended in Huntington, it was greeted by athletic competitions, as well as equestrian and automobile parades. Afterward, the carnival queen and other attendees boarded a steam ship across the water to end the festivities at the Chateau des Beaux Arts resort in Huntington Bay.

If this route existed today, would you use it?

📷 from the show: “Trolley Day” in Amityville: August 25, 1909.

Address

99 Schermerhorn Street
New York, NY
11201

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

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