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ghporter
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Dec 7, 2007, 06:20 PM
 
[ - snip - ]

Railroad-related trivia: the members of the rock band Grand Funk named the group after the Grand Trunk Western railroad, which was created by the Canadian Grand Trunk Railway System (a predecessor of the CN) and a number of smaller Michigan and Ohio-based railroads in about 1923; Grand Trunk is effectively the American arm of the CN. The GT has lines that run through Flint, Michigan, the home of Grand Funk. Also, GT bought out the DT&I railroad, which runs through my home town of Flat Rock.
( Last edited by reader50; Dec 18, 2007 at 12:41 AM. Reason: fixing up the thread)

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
moonmonkey
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Dec 7, 2007, 07:45 PM
 
None of this would be possible without:
( Last edited by moonmonkey; Dec 8, 2007 at 12:41 AM. )
     
Kevin Moon
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Dec 7, 2007, 07:50 PM
 
Here are some pictures from Caliente, NV.





The depot was built in 1923.
     
brassplayersrock²  (op)
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Dec 8, 2007, 01:09 AM
 
now to get back on track here is another shot that I found on google image search:

link to the shot

the paintings on the side are great
( Last edited by brassplayersrock²; Dec 15, 2007 at 04:18 PM. Reason: linked to image)
     
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Dec 10, 2007, 08:29 AM
 
This really happens on the Tokyo subway: it's some guy's job to shove people into the car to get them all to fit.

     
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Dec 10, 2007, 09:29 PM
 
     
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Dec 10, 2007, 11:08 PM
 
Originally Posted by Railroader View Post
Holy ****.
     
ghporter
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Dec 10, 2007, 11:12 PM
 
Wild blackberries. The best wild blackberries I ever picked were along the CSX line in Bilox, Mississippi. My wife and I lived in an apartment near the beach, and the railroad at that point is about 200 yards off the beach, so we tended to take walks along the tracks. I don't know what it is about railroad tracks, (the slope for drainage? the gravel?) but there were a lot of places along the track that were thick with blackberries. We found wild sassafras too. Of course this was in about 1980, when they actually had people come out with equipment and cut back the undergrowth; today they just spray stuff on it and it's dangerous to even touch some of what's left.

More railroad trivia: the two most interesting railroads I've ever seen are the towing locomotives that move ships through the locks of the Panama Canal, and the cogwheel train that goes up Pike's Peak. Oh, and I used to work in a building that was part of the magazine system for a group of 16" naval rifles (as in the main guns on the battleship Missouri) placed to defend the Panama Canal. The buildings stored either projectiles or powder bags and these were moved to the guns on a narrow-gage railroad system. Really interesting stuff. To me, anyway.

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Dec 12, 2007, 11:30 AM
 


Probably one of the most unusual trains in history was the German build Schienenzeppelin or rail zeppelin. It was a high speed train powered by an aircraft engine and propeller.

The train was built at the beginning of 1930 in the Hannover-Leinhausen works of the German Imperial Railway "Deutsche Reichsbahn" company. The work was completed by autumn of the same year. The train was 25.85 m long and had just two axles, with a wheelbase of 19.6m. The height was 2.8 meters. As originally built it had a BMW VI 12 cylinder petrol aircraft engine of 600 horse power driving a four-bladed (later two-bladed), fixed pitch wooden (ash tree) propeller. The driveshaft was raised 7 degrees above the horizontal to give the vehicle some downwards thrust. The chassis of Schienenzeppelin was designed aerodynamically having some resemblance to the era's popular Zeppelin airships and it was built in aircraft style to reduce weight. The interior of the railcar was spartan and designed in Bauhaus-style.
On May 10th 1931, the train exceeded a velocity of 200 km/h for the first time. Afterwards, it was exhibited to the general public throughout Germany. On 21 June 1931 the train set a new world railway speed record of 230 km/h on the route Berlin-Hamburg between Karstädt and Dergenthin, which was not surpassed by any other train until 1954. The railcar still holds the land speed record for a petrol powered rail vehicle This high speed was attributable, amongst other things, to its low weight, which was only 20.3t (metric).
In 1932 Kruckensberg began a new project with the rail car involving significant modifications. It was cut just behind the forward wheels and received a complete new front end with a two-axle bogie, resembling the later 137 155 railcar. The rear single axle remained as it was. The modifications were completed by November 1932. The aircraft engine was still used, however, the power transmission was hydraulic through two Fottinger- Fluid drives for both directions of travel, these were fitted on the forward bogie. A pointed fairing was installed in place of the propeller. These changes meant that the earlier 1-1 wheel arrangement was replaced by B-1 with the front axle replaced by a powered bogie.This version of the vehicle reached 180km/h at the beginning of 1933.
Due to many problems with the Schienenzeppelin prototype, the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft decided to go their own way in developing a high speed railcar. In 1933 the DRG built a high-speed railcar of their own design and called it Fliegender Hamburger (Flying Hamburger). DRG's new design was suitable for regular service and served also as the basis for later railcar developments. However, many of the Kruckenberg ideas, based on the experiments with Schienenzeppelin and high speed rail travel, found their way later to DRG's railcar designs.
At the beginning of 1934 the train was rebuilt for the last time, and a Maybach GO 5 engine was installed. In July 1934 it was sold to the "Deutsche Reichsbahn" (German Imperial Railway) company for 10,000 Reichsmarks. Five years later, in 1939 the rail zeppelin was finally dismantled because its material was needed by the German army.
The failure of Schienenzeppelin has been attributed to everything from the dangers of using an open propeller in crowded railway stations to fierce competition between Kruckenberg's company and the Deutsche Reichsbahn's separate efforts to build highspeed railcars.


An early prototype:

( Last edited by Mastrap; Dec 12, 2007 at 04:03 PM. )
     
Sijmen
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Dec 13, 2007, 09:59 AM
 
My hometown, years, and years, and years ago!



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brassplayersrock²  (op)
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Dec 13, 2007, 08:07 PM
 
wow. those are really good shots sijmen
     
BadKosh
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Dec 13, 2007, 09:34 PM
 
     
brassplayersrock²  (op)
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Dec 14, 2007, 11:39 AM
 
[ - snip - ]

here's a link to a spectacular train shot

Norfolk Southern EMD SD70M-2
( Last edited by reader50; Dec 18, 2007 at 12:49 AM. Reason: fixing up the thread)
     
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Dec 14, 2007, 06:32 PM
 
     
dcmacdaddy
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Dec 14, 2007, 08:22 PM
 
Originally Posted by brassplayersrock² View Post
[ - snip - ]

here's a link to a spectacular train shot

Norfolk Southern EMD SD70M-2
Nice Pic.

That site seems like the railroad equivalent of airliners.net: Full of lots of cool pictures of trains and train-related matter. Good find!

<edited>
They even have a section relating to train accidents like airliner.net does for planes. There are some beautiful trains on that site.
(Although, watch out for the talking banner ad offering you a chance to "win an iPhone". Annoying doesn't begin to describe the voice.)
( Last edited by reader50; Dec 18, 2007 at 12:52 AM. Reason: fixing up the thread)
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Dec 15, 2007, 12:24 AM
 
Back on topic:



April 1956- New York Central introduced two modern, innovative trains in an effort to spark more interest in passenger travel. Riding on an air-cushioned suspension, designers hoped the trains would offer a smoother ride with less weight and smaller motive power. Not quite. The ride was considerably harsher than with regular lightweight cars, and the Ohio Xplorer's engine was notoriously unreliable.

The Great Lakes Aerotrain ran from Detroit to Chicago until July, when it moved to Toledo and ran over Toledo West until October 1956. To quote from the April 29, 1956 timetable: "The Central's fast, lightweight Aerotrain introduces dozens of delightful new ideas to rail coach travel. The Aerotrain's coaches are lower and shorter (half the length of a normal rail car)- yet wonderfully roomy and sumptously comfortable. And there'll be food service for everyone! Though not primarily designed for speed, the Aerotrain can top 100 mph with ease and comfort, while you enjoy a smooth, level ride on its bellows-like air suspension system- at no extra fare!"

The Ohio Xplorer ran (that is rarely under its own power!) on the CCC&St.L. (Big Four) line from Cleveland to Cincinnati. To quote the timetable again: "For a smoother ride, a unique suspension system literally floats your coach on a column of air. The low center of gravity and ingenious torsion units keep it- and you- always on an even keel. Interiors are strikingly modern and handsomely functional. Windows are big, unobstructed, soothingly tinted. Food is delicious...and comes right to your seat on a rolling buffet!" The poor Xplorer often failed to make it to its destination under its own power and had to be towed around by lesser power such as GP7s or F7s.

Both trains proved a failure and were dropped- the Aerotrain in October 1956 and the Ohio Xplorer in 1957. Passenger travel continued to decline up until the end on February 1, 1968.
     
brassplayersrock²  (op)
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Dec 16, 2007, 12:31 AM
 
[ - snip - ]

a little train history:
Lionel Train History - Invention of Lionel Trains
( Last edited by reader50; Dec 18, 2007 at 12:59 AM. Reason: fixing up the thread)
     
gumby5647
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Dec 16, 2007, 11:54 AM
 
Originally Posted by Mastrap View Post
Back on topic:

it might be of interest to note that the "xplorer" is the grandfather of modern day Spanish Talgo trains....Americans living in the Pacific Northwest have five sets of TP200 Talgo's for use on Amtrak's Cascades Service....

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Dec 16, 2007, 11:56 AM
 
This was one of my favorite objects at the first museum I worked at in DC.


Here is a link to a high-res picture of the train. It is a HUGE locomotive.
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BadKosh
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Dec 16, 2007, 05:40 PM
 
Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy View Post
This was one of my favorite objects at the first museum I worked at in DC.


Here is a link to a high-res picture of the train. It is a HUGE locomotive.
Actually the 1401 is a medium to small engine. The Norfolk & Western "J" or "A" or "Y" class engines all dwarf the little Southern engine. The Chesapeake and Ohio H8 Allegheny 2-6-6-6 was the heaviest American engine at 778,800 Lbs for JUST the engine. The Norfolk & Western Y6b produced the highest tractive effort of 170,000lbs at about 4 mph. The Union Pacific "Big Boy's" weren't the biggest or most powerful.
     
brassplayersrock²  (op)
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Dec 16, 2007, 06:22 PM
 
it's still chugging along i think

here is another shot that i enjoy

     
dcmacdaddy
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Dec 16, 2007, 06:33 PM
 
[ - snip - ]

Check out this pic of an old (but restored) steam train in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
RailPictures.Net Photo � Canadian Pacific Railway Steam 4-6-4
Someday I am going to take that special train trip that goes through the Canadian Rockies to British Columbia. I hear it is absolutely beautiful.
( Last edited by reader50; Dec 18, 2007 at 01:01 AM. Reason: fixing up the thread)
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Dec 16, 2007, 06:41 PM
 
You know what, I was just thinking that the grand passenger trains of yesteryear must have been greeted with as much attention as the new airplanes of today have been. Just think about all the hullabaloo surrounding the A-380 double-decker or the Dreamliner and I can just picture people doing the same thing back in the day for some shiny new steam locomotive on the Pennsylvania Railroad or the Union Pacific out West.
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Dec 16, 2007, 07:49 PM
 












( Last edited by Lateralus; Dec 16, 2007 at 09:35 PM. Reason: 7 posts in a row? Not necessary...)
     
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Dec 16, 2007, 09:28 PM
 
one post closer to five stars
     
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Dec 16, 2007, 09:41 PM
 


DCMcDaddy, I mean no disrespect for you or 1401. I saw it sitting on the siding in 1959-1960 era before the Smithsonian moved and restored it.

I'm a fan of the N&W, and belong to their historical society. My dad belongs to the Southern Railroad Historical society. Below is a photo taken in 1979 in Alexandria after SRR #722 had returned from a fan trip.
I'm still looking for a good photo of the Allegheny, and The N&W "J".
( Last edited by BadKosh; Dec 16, 2007 at 10:04 PM. )
     
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Dec 16, 2007, 09:42 PM
 
     
Dork.
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Dec 16, 2007, 09:53 PM
 
This thread is making me want to get Railroad Tycoon III back out....

     
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Dec 16, 2007, 10:20 PM
 


[ - snip - ]
( Last edited by reader50; Dec 18, 2007 at 01:06 AM. Reason: fixing up the thread)
     
imitchellg5
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Dec 16, 2007, 10:22 PM
 
Germany has the best rail system. Ever.
     
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Dec 16, 2007, 10:32 PM
 
Nice one.

The most romantic train journey I ever took went from London to Cologne in Germany. I was very young and the train was considerably cheaper than flying at the time. I took the train from London, the ferry to Calais. The train waiting in Calais was going all the way to Moscow and some of the cars were Russian rail cars. It was excellent, all hammer an sickle, red velvet seat and faded glory. Old ladies were selling tea from a samovar. It was February and as we went to Belgium we went through a snow storm - it was excellent. I really wanted to just stay on that train and go all the way to Russia.
     
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Dec 17, 2007, 01:32 AM
 
Best train trip was Moscow to Tashkent, Uzbekistan... a two and a half day trip in May of 1998, then 2 months overland to Paris via Turkmenistan, Iran, the Caucasus and Turkey. In rural Kazakhstan old ladies would come on to sell dried fish, bread and beer. Us and an Aussie couple were the only Westerners.

Just north of the Aral Sea we stopped at the small station of Aralske More, the most desolate, middle-of-nowhere train platform I've been to. We had about a 20 minute stop so I got off and climbed to the foot-bridge over the tracks and got some great photos in the late afternoon sun... no digital camera in those days.
     
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Dec 17, 2007, 02:14 AM
 
     
BadKosh
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Dec 17, 2007, 06:23 AM
 
The heaviest American Steam Locomotive. The C&O H8 Allegheny 2-6-6-6. Built by the Lima Locomotive Works.



     
Sven G
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Dec 17, 2007, 09:51 AM
 
Originally Posted by imitchellg5 View Post
Germany has the best rail system. Ever.


For example, the great four-track line concept of Richtungsbetrieb - where trains in the same direction go on adiacent tracks, as in motorways - is something Germans already applied at the beginning of the 20th century (see Cologne Hbf, for example).

France isn't bad, either (avec le TGV, biensûr): but certainly not at the same level as Germany.

In southern Europe, Switzerland and Spain seem to be the most dynamic countries on the railway front; sadly, Italy, while with a great potential with the future high-speed lines from Turin to Naples (the first high-speed line in Europe was indeed the "Direttissima" Roma-Firenze, in the '70s), still suffers from the usual "political" delays.

Well, that said, the really speedy "railway" of the future probably will be the Swissmetro:

Swissmetro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

... or Eurometro (or "Amerimetro", even?), eventually, who knows...

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Dec 17, 2007, 10:33 AM
 
     
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Dec 17, 2007, 10:38 AM
 
     
Sven G
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Dec 17, 2007, 10:58 AM
 
Best railway station in the world, IMHO:

Berlin Hauptbahnhof - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

- i.e., 6 high-level through tracks (4 for the east-west Fernbahn/Regionalbahn and 2 for the S-Bahn on the elevated Stadtbahn) and 8 low-level through tracks in Richtungsbetrieb (for the north-south Fernbahn/Regionalbahn, on the four-track Tiergartentunnel), and with the option of 2 more S-Bahn tracks at the low-level, underground part of the station (for a new north-south S-Bahn railway connection).

An enourmous potential, that is...

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Dec 17, 2007, 11:12 AM
 
I always thought that the monorail looked pretty cool, but I guess this design only works for trains that are high above ground... Anyone know how fast the current iteration of monorail (which I'm assuming is electric?) can go?

     
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Dec 17, 2007, 11:44 AM
 
[ - snip - ]

I once saw a rat as big as a cat in the DC metro once.

( Last edited by reader50; Dec 18, 2007 at 01:12 AM. Reason: fixing up the thread)
     
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Dec 17, 2007, 11:47 AM
 
Originally Posted by BadKosh in other train thread
DCMcDaddy, I mean no disrespect for you or 1401. I saw it sitting on the siding in 1959-1960 era before the Smithsonian moved and restored it.

I'm a fan of the N&W, and belong to their historical society. My dad belongs to the Southern Railroad Historical society. Below is a photo taken in 1979 in Alexandria after SRR #722 had returned from a fan trip.
I'm still looking for a good photo of the Allegheny, and The N&W "J".
You did seem a bit "dismissive" in your talk about the 1401 but no biggie, I was not offended. It's hard to read intentions on the intarweb. When I said HUGE I meant it's a big-ass train, nothing more; I wasn't using HUGE in a technical sense. Your post did send me looking for a pick of the H8, though. But, there aren't too many pics of it out there on the web (at least ones that I could find). I'm glad you posted more here in this thread.

I just like trains. I wish we had more of a train culture here in the US. I love taking the trains when I am Europe, even the little rickety ones in Ireland or rural parts of Germany were fun to ride.
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Dec 17, 2007, 11:48 AM
 
Originally Posted by dcmacdaddy View Post
I just like trains. I wish we had more of a train culture here in the US. I love taking the trains when I am Europe, even the little rickety ones in Ireland or rural parts of Germany were fun to ride.
Yeah I'd rather be on a train than a plane I think. Just because I would FEEL safer regardless of any real safety problems. I have issues with heights.
     
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Dec 17, 2007, 11:48 AM
 
When I was in college in Buffalo, I used to take Amtrak from Buffalo to New York City often. The stretch from Westchester to Albany goes right up the Hudson River (I believe along the Eastern bank), and so I always made sure to sit on the side of the train that went along the river for a nice view. I believe if you take the train between New York and Cleveland or Chicago, you end up on the sane stretch. Everyone ought to do it once for the view!
     
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Dec 17, 2007, 12:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by Dork. View Post
I believe if you take the train between New York and Cleveland or Chicago, you end up on the sane stretch. Everyone ought to do it once for the view!
I drove that before many times.. but never by train. Hmm. Me and Bekah are getting married this summer and we are thinking about ways to travel. We aren't going to NY, but ARE staying in the states. I wonder what kinds of deals I can get on a train. I think that would be more romantic than a plane.

She has never been on a "real" train before either. Hmmm..
     
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Dec 17, 2007, 12:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by Kevin View Post
I once saw a rat as big as a cat in the DC metro once.

I love DC's Metro... But come to NYC for some real rats - like the size of a VW bug

The coolest trains imo are in Japan - silent, fast, clean (sterile clean!) and they have pictures of hot naked chicks in ads + you can drink a beer on 'em too.

Most interesting subway: Beijing. Very clean, but the whole system smells like lead paint. Looks like 1950's nyc.

Worst: NYC. The subways are a sewer - one of the richest cities on earth - but you would never know it by the subways. An embarrassment to humanity.

Best lighting: Montreal. I think the designers focused on color correct lighting and shadows. Everyone looks beautiful on these trains.
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Dec 17, 2007, 12:15 PM
 
NYC's subway is also one of the oldest (I think Boston's is older by a bit), and when some lines have been around for nearly 100 years (and, for the most part, running 24/7), it's bound to get a bit dirty. But NYC's is easily the most comprehensive that I've encountered, it goes all over Manhattan and the Bronx, and through a good part of Brooklyn and Queens as well, Most other cities don't have nearly that percentage of coverage, even accounting for their smaller size.

I remember riding the Toronto subway once, and noticing that at least back then, the subway cars were carpeted. My first thought was, "This would never work in New York."

I used to take the East Side 4/5/6 lines on a regular basis, and the stations downtown (like City Hall and Canal Street) have tile mosaics on the walls that date from the time when the stations were first built. The story I heard is that they were put there so immigrants who could not read English could still find their way around.
     
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Dec 17, 2007, 12:16 PM
 
The New York one It is one of the most extensive public transportation systems in the world, and is also notable for being among the few rapid transit systems in the world to run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Among the ten busiest systems in the world in terms of annual passenger traffic, it is the only one to hold such a distinction. IT was also first built in 1865.. So it's going to be old and rough. Though I agree, they should redo it. Have Trump finance it

"Many stations are decorated with intricate ceramic tile work, some of it dating back to 1904 when the subway first opened for business."

I am sure all of this would be cool if it were renovated.
     
 
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