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Take a Ride in a Vintage Subway Car This December

By Nicole Levy | November 22, 2016 2:59pm | Updated on November 28, 2016 10:51am
 The MTA's
The MTA's "Nostalgia Shoppers' Special Train" is running on the M line between Queens Plaza and Second Avenue Sundays from Nov. 27 through Dec. 18.
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MTA/Marc Hermann

Hop on board the Nostalgia Express.

The MTA and the New York Transit Museum are rolling out their vintage train fleet each Sunday to celebrate the holidays.

The "Nostalgia Shoppers' Special Train" — made up of of eight subway cars that ran on the city's lettered lines from the 1930s to the '70s — will shuttle straphangers along the M line every Sunday through Dec. 18, making local stops between Queens Plaza in Long Island City and Second Avenue on the Lower East Side.

vintage train

A "Nostalgia Shoppers' Special Train" coming into Queens Plaza. (MTA/Marc Hermann)

Typically found on display at the Transit Museum in Downtown Brooklyn, the train's R1 through R9 subway cars feature rattan seats, ceiling fans, roll signs and incandescent light bulbs. Antique details aside, R1-9 models have the same dimensions as contemporary subway cars. They live again on the MTA rails every December and during other special events throughout the year.

More: See DNAinfo Partners' Neighborhood Picks in the 2016 Holiday Guide

A ride costs the same as a regular subway fare and is available to any straphanger who happens to be on the platform when the vintage trains pull into the station. A schedule for "Shoppers' Special" departure times can be found here.