Spirit of old New York left in any subway station?

I'm planning a trip to NYC this summer, and I plan to get some stock/B-roll footage for a story (unofficially) set in the 70s (really it's timeless, but I'm going for the gritty NYC 70s feel). Is there any particular station, or any part of Grand Central Terminal that retains that feel, or has everything underground been Disneyfied too?

Thanks in advance.

Your first stop would probably be Chambers (BMT), which has two abandoned platforms and a gritty look with filth and leaks.

You could also take the #6 downtown to Brooklyn Bridge station, ignore the instructions to exit the train and ride around the loop which goes through the abandoned City Hall station - quite beautiful tile work and lighting fixtures - an indication of what we've lost through "updating."

The Transit Musuem has some older cars open to visitors during regular hours, which could fit the 1970s theme, including a R15 R16, R17, R30 and World's Fair R33 (used on the #7 line).

R36 Combine Coach wrote:The Transit Musuem has some older cars open to visitors during regular hours, which could fit the 1970s theme, including a R15 R16, R17, R30 and World's Fair R33 (used on the #7 line).

The R(44?) cars used on the C line are very 70's-esque if you ask me

These are R46s, also on the A and R lines. The R44s have been retired except the Staten Island units.

rlbarr wrote:You could also take the #6 downtown to Brooklyn Bridge station, ignore the instructions to exit the train and ride around the loop which goes through the abandoned City Hall station - quite beautiful tile work and lighting fixtures - an indication of what we've lost through "updating."

Is that possible? Would be afraid that the train gets stopped to wait a couple of hours. Is that possible in old South Ferry loop? Would love to do that again.

In 2002 I was at Brooklyn Bridge station southbound, planning to be nice and polite hoping the train crew MIGHT let me stay on and ride around the city hall loop, when many dozens of people got on and rode around, so it seems even though it might have once been a railfan's dream it's in subsequent years become standard practice.

I haven't ridden to South Ferry for about 25 years and don't even remember what the ride around possibilities were then, let alone what they might be now.

Which lines do still return in south ferry loop?

CP-4070 wrote:Which lines do still return in south ferry loop?

I believe the 5 service uses the loop to turn when not proceeding to Brooklyn. The 1 service no longer uses the loop as it terminates in the new stub-end station.

hi55us wrote:The R(44?) cars used on the C line are very 70's-esque if you ask me

The R32 cars used on the C Line were delivered in 1964, so they are definitely 70's-esque.

CP-4070 wrote:Is that possible? Would be afraid that the train gets stopped to wait a couple of hours. Is that possible in old South Ferry loop? Would love to do that again.

the loop line at City Hall is classed as mainline trackage. when the 6 pulls into brooklyn bridge, the computer annocues it as "This the last DOWNTOWN stop on this train. The next stop will be Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall, on the uptown platform."

If you want to ride the City Hall loop on the 6, make sure you're in the back of the train; the tower still tends to kick people out.. (me, for example)