New York Subways: An Illustrated History of New York City's Transit Cars (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "This book describes and illustrates all the passenger rolling stock that has ever operated in the New York City Transit rail system, known around the..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York Subways, Manhattan Elevated, Type New York City Cars (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"From Reviews of our Previous Edition: The humble New York subway car has its fans, as Gene Sansone demonstrates in his exhaustive survey. Featuring such curios as a private subway car built in 1904 for the director of the subway, his work also provides useful insights into such imponderables as why the cars on the F line are longer than those on, say, the 1 and 9 lines." -- Leo Carey, New Yorker

"Offers the reader a comprehensive, accurate, well-illustrated, highly documented catalog of the nearly 5,800 current New York City subway cars, along with the many thousands of long-gone cars. Every subway student or enthusiast will return to it often to browse the pages or to research a specific car series. It is an indispensable companion to prior or future general histories of one of the world's greatest people movers." -- Richard L. Allman, Railroad History

"Subway train enthusiasts, students of New York City history, and specialists in the history of technology will appreciate this reference on the city's subway system." -- Book News

"Sansone clearly knows his subject inside and out, and presents it in a fascinating, entertaining manner." -- Nate MacMaster, Railfan and Railroad

"Sansone comprehensively examines more than 5,000 New York City subway cars... The book can be enjoyed by readers interested in transit car history while subway enthusiasts will appreciate the ease with which specific cars can be researched." -- Choice

"Offers an encyclopedic amount of information and is organized in a precise and thorough manner. The book contains a wealth of history and detail for tourists and transit buffs alike." -- Amy Wanggaard, New York Transit Museum

"This is the first comprehensive examination of the history and development of the system's rolling stock. Sansone has performed a real service by pulling it together, providing useful illustrations of the cars, and vetting it all for accuracy. Sansone knows his subject thoroughly and he's clearly done his homework." -- Clifton Hood, author of 722 Miles

"Well organized and provides an abundance of data in both written and pictorial form." -- Efstathios I. Pappas, Industrial Archaeology

Product Description

The first subway line in New York City opened on October 27, 1904. To celebrate the centennial of this event, the Johns Hopkins University Press presents a new edition of Gene Sansone's acclaimed book, Evolution of New York City Subways. Produced under the auspices of New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority, this comprehensive account of the rapid transit system's design and engineering history offers an extensive array of photographs, engineering plans, and technical data for nearly every subway car in the New York City system from the days of steam and cable to the present.

The product of years of meticulous research in various city archives, this book is organized by type of car, from the 1903--04 wood and steel Composite cars to the R142 cars put into service in 2000. For each car type, Sansone provides a brief narrative history of its design, construction, and service record, followed by detailed schematic drawings and accompanying tables that provide complete technical data, from the average cost per car and passenger capacity to seat and structure material, axle load, and car weight. Sansone also includes a helpful subway glossary from A Car (the end car in a multiple car coupled unit) to Zone (a section of the train to the conductor's left or right side).

Subway and train enthusiasts, students of New York City history, and specialists in the history of technology will appreciate this updated and authoritative reference work about one of the twentieth century's greatest urban achievements.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (October 25, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801879221
• ISBN-13: 978-0801879227
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #209,391 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #47 in	Books > Nonfiction > Transportation > Railroads > Pictorial
  #89 in	Books > History > World > Transportation > Railroads

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New York Subways: The Best Got Better, December 28, 2004

By	Robert Sandewicz (Monroe Township, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When Evolution of New York Subways was published in 1997, I bought a copy immediately. Back then, I thought the book was an incredible tribute to the rolling stock of the New York City subway system. I also thought it would be a very long time before such a volume could be surpassed in any way. In 2004 (the centennial year for the original IRT subway)we have New York Subways: An Illustrated History of New York City's Transit Cars. This book is even better than its predecessor. It boasts a vertical format that is easier to handle and read. Many of the original photos have been improved, information is updated to reflect the latest subway rolling stock, and the color section has been expanded. Congratulations to Gene Sansone on an outstanding effort! Simply put, if you are a fan of the New York City Subway system, this is a must-have addition to your book collection.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a really good book!, December 30, 2004

A Kid's Review

I got a gift certificate for $25 from a relative in CA I only met once, and I bought it on this book! It's really cool! They have all the info about every subway car, they have pics and technical data, and they even have info abotu the soon-to-arrive R160! I can even use this to ask my brothers what kind of subway car they rode! As a railfan who knows all the makes and models of the subway cars, this book pwnz! So if you ride the NYC Subway, or your'e just into it, buying this book that has all the current info is a must!
[...]

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NYC Subway Cars: An Encyclopedia, September 29, 2005

By	Palal (San Francisco, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

The title says it all! This an all-in-one encyclopedia for NYC Subway cars. There is a lot of emphasis on cars prior to the unification in the 30s, and the information is very much up to date.