New York Transit Museum

Overview

The New York Transit Museum is housed in a decommissioned 1936 IND subway station in downtown Brooklyn. It is the largest museum in the United States devoted to urban public transportation history.

Highlights

• Vintage Subway Cars: The lower level features a platform full of restored subway and elevated train cars dating from the early 1900s through the 1970s, all open for boarding.
• Turnstile Collection: A complete history of subway turnstiles from the original wooden barriers to modern MetroCard readers.
• The Setting: The museum occupies the former Court Street station, closed in 1946. Descending the original staircase into a functioning-looking station that leads to a museum is uniquely surreal.

History

The decommissioned station reopened as a museum in 1976. The museum's collection includes over 80,000 objects documenting 200+ years of public transit in New York City.

Visitor Tips

• Kids Love It: One of the most genuinely engaging museums in New York for children — they can sit in conductor seats, operate doors, and explore vintage cars.
• Sunday Nostalgia Rides: The museum occasionally operates heritage subway trains on regular service routes. Check the schedule.
• Duration: 1–1.5 hours.