Ride six different vintage trains in Brighton Beach this weekend to celebrate Father’s Day

Is there anything more dad-approved than trains and tattoos to celebrate Father’s Day? Not much! This weekend, celebrate with pop at the New York Transit Museum’s 4th Annual Parade of Trains. Hop on and off six different types of vintage train cars, including the oldest train cars in the Transit Museum fleet, dating from 1904.

Visitors can also stop by the museum’s membership station to get a super cool, Father’s Day temporary transit tattoo while learning more about the New York Transit Museum’s ongoing exhibits. The event takes place Saturday (6/16) and Sunday (6/17) from 11 am to 4 pm at the Brighton Beach (B/Q) station. The Parade of Trains shuttle rides are free with the swipe of a MetroCard and will run continuously to and from the Brighton Beach station B/Q platforms.

A Brooklyn Union Elevated Car (1903 – 1907) will be found at Parade of Trains

Passengers will only be able to get on and off of the trains at the Brighton Beach (B/Q) station although the vintage trains will be traveling in both directions, making a short round trip to Ocean Parkway and a longer round trip to Kings Highway.

Some of the other trains on displays are the BRT Brooklyn Union Elevated Cars, which date from 1903 – 1969. The oldest cars in the Transit Museum’s vintage fleet, they were typical of the first motorized cars as their design featured a lightweight wooden body mounted on steel underframes. The BRT trains were known informally as “gate cars” as its passengers entered and exited through open-air vestibules at the front and back of each car.

Also on display are the BRT/BMT Standards, dating from between 1914 and 1969. These cars were modeled after Boston Elevated Railway cars and measure 67 feet long and 10 feet wide. Their large standing capacity of 182 people helped with the chronic overcrowding of the early subway years.

The BMT D-Type Triplex, dating from 1925 to 1965, moved away from wooden cars in favor of steel and their three-car articulated units allowed passengers to walk from one car to another.

With so many other cars displayed, stop by and take a ride. And learn more about New York transit history here.

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All images courtesy of NY Transit Museum