IRT Steinway Car #4751, 1916 Queens Boulevard Viaduct, 1916
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Reconstruction of Steinway Tunnel, 1915
Jackson Avenue and Bridge Plaza, 1920
Willets Point Boulevard Station, 1963 Queensboro Plaza at Dusk, 2013
Queens’ population exploded as a result
of the new line, which provided a
short commute to Manhattan. Between
1910 and 1930, the borough’s population
jumped 300 percent from 284,000 to
1,079,000.
The exhibit features images of the line
from as far back as 1916 and as recent as
2016 by photographer John Sanderson.
The museum will also display a New York
and Long Island City ferry ticket from the
late 1800s, station wayfinding signs dating
from between 1928 and 1949.
In addition, the exhibit will include a
Queensboro Bridge Railway token from
1945 and archival transit maps will highlight
the expansion of the subway and elevated
lines in Queens.
“We are incredibly proud to share this
story of Queens and how it was transformed
from bucolic farmland to the
world’s cafeteria in the span of a century,”
said museum director Concetta Bencivenga.
“At its inception, the New York City subway
was a means to decongest lower Manhattan
and draw the population of the city
northward. The story of Queens, and by
extension the 7 train, was and continues to
be, one of vision; whether a hundred years
ago with the Steinway Tunnel, or right now
with Hudson Yards, the 7 train established
communities, a neighborhood, and an entire
borough, by providing people with access
to transportation.”
In recent years the line has caused
headaches for many Queens residents,
especially with the explosive growth of
Long Island City. Residents aren’t the
only people frustrated with the service
and overcrowding. In 1999, then Atlanta
Braves pitcher John Rocker ranted about
the subway and how much he disliked the
city and Mets fans.
Mets fans on the other hand have adopted
the subway’s name and created The 7 Line
Army, a fan club and clothing company. Additionally,
a 2000 documentary called “The
#7 Train: An Immigrant Journey” highlights
the diversity of 7 train riders.
“7 Train: Minutes to Midnight” will run until
Oct. 29 at New York Transit Museum Gallery
Annex & Store at Grand Central Terminal. The
gallery will be open Monday through Friday
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Between Queensboro Plaza and 33rd Street, 2016
Photo by John Sanderson
Photo by John Sanderson
Photo by John Sanderson