By Gus Saltonstall
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s the 10 train on the Upper West Side?
A strange pattern has emerged this summer regarding discontinued train lines reappearing.
In June, West Side Rag reported on an unexpected Manhattan sighting of a 9 train , which used to run through the Upper West Side. In July, an 11 train was then spotted at West 72nd Street, despite the line being discontinued more than 50 years ago.
Now, in August, a tipster sent the Rag a photo of a 10 train rolling into the West 103rd Street 1 train station.
Similar to the 11 line, the 10 train was discontinued between 1967 and 1970, when the IND and BMT lines were joined, making a segment of the former routes obsolete, including the 10, which used to operate along Myrtle Avenue, according to multiple sources related to NYC subway history.
While rare, the different train numbers, which are referred to as rollsigns, can also be used to indicate that a train is running express during rush hour.
In any case, with sightings of the 9, 10, and 11 trains now complete for the summer, please let the Rag know if you happen to spot an 8 or 12 train in the neighborhood.
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How come the UWS never had an express bus to Wall Street or Midtown like the UES did?
You mean, the 2 train?
There’s even a very rare express-only stop at Wall Street for the 2/3!
I mean the UWS version of the X90 and X92. The UWS version of the BxM3, BxM4A, BxM4B which allowed people to board on the UES and get off in Midtown before the MTA ended the policy once they took over from Liberty Lines.
UWS has more transit options than UES does.
Looks like the train pulling out of the station not in…
correct. We were on our way uptown and caught that pic as it was pulling out. That was the only appearance of that number; all the other cars were # 1.
I like the good-humored lady in the pictures, especially the first one. Spirit of the UWS!
I don’t get why everyone’s so obsessed with mislabeled train numbers
Is it really worth a bunch of articles?
yes it is worth it
A hasty internet search will reveal that there are many thousands of people – around the world – who are passionate (to the point of obsessive) about the New York City transit system. Please allow them to have their day in the sun (so to speak).
(Have you never wanted to visit the 91st Street station?)
Except that WSR is a local rag, and “people around the world” don’t read it.
For us locals, it’s an odd article—especially considering it’s not the first one
You willingly read it, though. You definitely did not have to!
You read what’s in your face. Just like the street sign.
I guess people are curious as to how MTA labels trains beyond the 7
This information changes everything about how I view this particular topic
It’s ridiculous to take up space with an article that implies something more than a mis-labeled train car means – a simple error. (And the side signs are undoubtedly displaying the correct #1.) This is not a #10 train. It’s a #1 train with the end roll sign in the wrong position. Please stop wasting time with this nonsense.
Former conductor here. Let’s not forget the fact that on those R62 cars, those extras are also colors used long after those old BMT routes ended (color bullets arraigned by trunk line is post 1976). Cause these aren’t really old BMT routes on these cars. These are numbers for IRT routes never renumbered from a plan in the 80s. Like the purple 11 (flushing) was to replace the diamond 7 express. The green ones were to be for the diamond express services on the 4, 5 and 6 lines. The only one of those that actually got used was the 9. Now if the plan to introduce a new 8, then that is when an old IRT number gets used again as the 8 was originally the IRTs Third Ave El in the Bronx.
Yes, the BMT did use numbers back in the day. But that’s not why these signs are on IRT cars using post 1976 bullet colors
The nonsense is them passing their story as the info behind these signs when it really isn’t. The story is actually what I just wrote.
And the last equipment to use BMT numbers were the R16’s, which retired them in November 1967 when the 10, 14, 15 and 16 became tbe M, JJ, QJ/JJ and LL. Interesting that the vast majority of the pre-war BMT equipment to make it into the 1960’s (Standards and Q-Types) never displayed route numbers, which began to be displayed on the IRT in the late 1950’s and became universal with the retirement of the Lo-V’s in 1964. So for a brief period in the late 50’s and early 60’s you had BMT D-Types and IRT equipment both displaying numbers 1, 3, 4 and 7. I doubt any passengers were ever confused.
I would also even wager that because these are R62 cars the new numbers are seen on, its even more curious because those R62s were introduced in the 80s and while the 9 existed, the 10 and 11 never really coexisted with R62s outside of theory or as backups.
THAT I would read.
thanks great info
Agreed!! Some things are just fun.
If you think it’s so stupid why’d you even read the article? Some people just find this kind of thing fun; it’s light, it’s an anomalous lark.
And what “space” is the article taking up? Internet “space”? Just relax. It’s not a waste of time to write an article that a lot of people seem to enjoy.
I guess I find it a bid sad that so many people take so much interest in seeing a mis-labeled subway train. I prefer “fun” articles that are reflections of human nature.
If your a Doctor Who fan this is the David Tennant train is the 10 ( and a 14) the 9 is the Chris Eccleston train the 11 is the Matt Smith train the 8 is the Paul McGann/John Hurt train the 13 is the Jodie Whittaker/ Jo Martin train
In addition the 12 train is the Peter Capaldi train
1 thru 7 is the Bill Hartnell Pat Troughton John Pertwee Colin Baker Peter Davidson Tom Baker and the Sylvester McCoy trains lol that’s how I know my number NYC subway lines
you read the article and posted about it!
Maybe this is the train to Hogwarts?
Omg my son just lost his mind! I wish the MTA would do this regularly! It’s very hard and long to get out to the train museum in Brooklyn. They should post a old discontinued subway train parade. I think they’d draw a huge crowd. And kids would LOVE it!!!
There’s a parade of trains in Brooklyn along the B,Q line every year. One was just about two months ago. The transit museum arrainges it and promotes it.
The sightings of the discontinue number lines are from roll signs that had not only regular service lines from the 1980s forward of that but also lines that were going to be reused but then discontinue or canceled. Many rollsigns that haven’t weren’t changed or edited bc they were manufactured with those lines already on it. There are roll signs online that people can purchase with both the current and retired numbeted lines on them
Also these role signs are manual signs on older trains, unlike newer trains that are digital signages that can’t be tampered with,or changed digitally . these are either rolled by train crews, or by railfans who somehow access these rollsigns. Usually they checked and corrected tobthe proper line
Thr photo is likely AI-generated. Look at the panel above the woman’s head. If you pan in, the characters are not actual text. I think we’ve been punk’d.
Ooops, it is legible, it was simply screen flicker that made it look like fake words. Nevermind!