Brooklyn’s Underground Gem: The New York Transit Museum

I’d had my eye on the New York Transit Museum for a while, but on previous trips to New York, we just never made it down there. So on this quick weekend trip, we decided to go. I think subways are fascinating, especially the New York subway system and the history behind it. It’s such an important piece of commerce, transportation, and logistics. So I was definitely on board for a visit to the Transit Museum.

The museum is located in Brooklyn, and we, of course, went by subway from the Radio City Music Hall area. The museum sits inside a decommissioned subway station, which makes it all the more interesting. You actually enter through an old subway entrance, heading down the stairs into the underground world of transit history.

Going Underground

The museum occupies the old Court Street Station, which opened in 1936 as part of the Independent Subway System (IND). It closed in 1946 due to low ridership and later became the home of the Transit Museum in 1976. It’s still a working subway environment, with tiled walls, columns, and platforms just like an active station.

Descending the stairs feels like stepping back in time, exactly what this museum is all about.

Life Beneath the City

The exhibits start with how New York’s subways were built. One of my favorite displays featured the “sandhogs,” the tough men who dug the tunnels under the rivers. It’s hard to imagine the conditions they worked in…pressurized air, darkness, and mud…all to create the tunnels that still carry millions of commuters every day.

Nearby, artifacts like a dented metal lunch pail make it easy to picture those early workers stopping for a quick meal deep underground.

The Art and Design of the Subway

The museum also preserves station design details like this ornate ceramic “W” from the long-closed Worth Street station.

Another section showcases historic subway signage from different eras, everything from hand-painted boards to enamel signs. You can see how fonts, colors, and wayfinding styles evolved over time as the system expanded.

There’s also a gallery of old posters and advertisements. Some are serious public service announcements, while others are pure whimsy, like the bright pink elephant mural that catches your eye the moment you walk in.

Fare Control Through the Years

Turnstiles have changed a lot since the subway first opened. Early versions were all metal and manually operated, with a click you could feel as you passed through.

I loved this old subway entrance lantern. It’s the kind of sign that once glowed above sidewalks all over the city, letting riders know they’d found their way to the trains below.

Modern fare collection machines stand side by side with older models, showing just how far transit technology has come, from tokens to magnetic swipes to digital tap-and-go systems.

The Vintage Train Collection

Then comes what is easily the highlight of the museum: the platform full of historic subway cars. Rows of vintage trains stretch down the length of the old Court Street station, each one restored and open for visitors to explore.

Some cars date back nearly a century, like this BMT D-Type Triplex Car from 1927 that once ran to Coney Island.

Inside, you can see the rattan seats and hanging handles that commuters once used.

A little farther down, mid-century trains show off red vinyl seats and metal trim—sleek and modern for their time.

By the 1960s, subway design had evolved again, with stainless steel finishes, fluorescent lights, and tiled floors that feel familiar even today.

Walking along the platform gives a sense of how these trains once lined up day after day, moving New Yorkers to work, school, and home.

Learning the Story of Court Street Station

One of the final exhibits explains how this very station came to house the museum. The Court Street IND station opened in 1936 but closed just a decade later. When it was reopened for the U.S. Bicentennial in 1976 as part of a temporary exhibit, it proved so popular that it never closed again.

A Must-See for Transit Fans

The New York Transit Museum gives you a real sense of what makes this city move. It’s more than a collection of trains and tokens. It’s the story of the people, engineering, and grit that built one of the most impressive transit systems in the world. Whether you’re a transit buff or just curious about how it all works, this museum is worth the ride to Brooklyn.

Check out the rest of our weekend adventures in the Big Apple: Unforgettable Weekend in New York City