Riding the Rails to the Holiday Train Show
Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 14 2011, by Matt Newman
Hopping a train in New York City is one of the most memorable rites of passage there is, though it can be a bit intimidating to greenhorns and tourists. And trust me–I can vouch for this. Having only been here for a few months now, I’m still not jaded enough to wedge myself into the crush of commuters on the Times Square shuttle without a little caution or uncertainty. But on the other hand, I can’t help being taken with the serpentine tracks and train cars that make the NYC transit system one of the best (and biggest, and busiest) in the world. Metro-North, the LIRR, even the subway–there’s a charm to their permanence.
There’s now a 20-year history behind the models at the NYBG’s Holiday Train Show, something that scales to the reality just as well as our replicas do to the real McCoy.
Hitch a ride on the rail and you’ll get a sense of that legacy if you’re looking for it. It’s not just the gaudy orange and yellow seats of the older cars. It’s about the subway stations, and the fading marker tiles with their careful arabesques and florid letters; it’s about the vaulted stone of Grand Central’s main hall and the “klok” of heeled shoes on the marble floor. And every time you stand on a drafty platform or listen to the sing-song announcements of an oddball operator over the speaker, you’re becoming one of the millions of strap-hangers to do so over the last century.
When you join us for the Holiday Train Show, think about leaving the car at home, skipping the traffic, and taking the rail instead. We have our own train station, after all! Just hop on Metro-North’s Harlem line and you’ll be dropped at our doorstep (it’s only 20 minutes from Grand Central to our Mosholu Gate). And if you’d rather take the subway, the B, D, and 4 trains let off right up the street on Bedford Park Boulevard.
It really pulls the whole experience together to live what we’re celebrating here–a city of motion and history lit up with holiday cheer. And while the landmark replicas that dot our conservatory (over 140 of them!) are maybe the most charming thing you’ll see all year, you’ll spot a bit of the railroad’s own history in the trains that buzz to and fro along a quarter-mile of garden-scale tracks.
I thought I’d put together a small collection of railway regulars–electric, diesel, and coal–that have chugged along through our display over the years. Some of their real-life counterparts have been retired for quite some time, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate them in miniature!
[Not a valid template]While the trains run 24/7, 365 days a year at most stations around the city, our Holiday Train Show isn’t here forever, so be sure to check times and reserve your tickets today! We’ll be celebrating from now until January 16th, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to stop by.
Want to save 30% on a weekday visit to the Holiday Train Show? Click here for more information on our MetroCard partnership, and take advantage of huge savings for up to six people.
