Don’t Forget The Nostalgia Train!

by Allan Rosen

If you think you saw an ancient bus this month along Brighton Beach Avenue or Ocean Parkway, the good news is that you were not hallucinating. The MTA is running a few retired buses from its fleet along select routes as a special treat for the holidays, and the B1 is one of them.  But catching one of these buses is a hit or miss situation.

They are also operating an antique train along Sixth Avenue between Queens Plaza an Second Avenue on Sundays during the month of December and the schedule is available on their website, although it is not easy to find.

Who wants to ride an old train?  You do, even if you are not a rail fanatic. It has become sort of a tourist attraction and some people ride the train back and forth just for the hell of it. I had quite an enjoyable time this year and last.

Bring your camera but don’t stop to take pictures at Queens Plaza because the train does not wait there.  It sits at Second Avenue for 20 to 30 minutes so there is plenty of time to wander between the cars and take pictures there. I particularly like that the train has been outfitted with very old ads.  Some of the passengers even dress up in 1920s style garb.  The best part is that there is no additional charge beyond the cost of your subway fare. It is the MTA’s holiday gift to you for enduring this year’s service cuts.

Better hurry though because this Sunday is the last run of the season and if it snows you will probably be out of luck until next year.