As subway riders where waiting for a northbound Lexington Avenue local train to take them to their destination, out of the tunnel on the out of service express track a relic from the early days of rapid transit was passing through the station.
After some research, I found out that this type of rolling stock is known by subway buffs as the Standard Lo-V.
Lo-V, which stand for Low Voltage due to the cars form of propulsion control, were build by various rail car manufactures between 1916 and 1925, and ran on the Interborough Rapid Transit lines (today's NYC Transit's numbered lines) until 1969 when they were replace by the famous Redbirds cars.
Same train passing Grand Central heading north towards the Bronx. Good sight to see. pic.twitter.com/HrzSfs8jQH— Lester Francis (@lestergfrancis) October 30, 2016
According to one follow straphanger at Grand Central, where the second video was taken, these cars had comfortable rattan seating, which were better than today's plastic "bone crushers."
Normally, this five car train which is housed at the New York City Transit Museum in Downtown Brooklyn, operates on special runs, such the Subway Series between the Yanks and the Mets, or during the holidays. But on this spooky night, this train was traveling north on the out of service express track to the Bronx. Possessively to one of three rail yards in the borough, or to be transfer over to the Seventh Avenue Line at 149th Street-Grand Concourse.
Either way, New Yorkers and visitors got a rare look out one piece of subway rolling stock that moved millions of straphangers for 53 years.