The red subway cars that ran under New York from 1959 to 2003 are going back out on the tracks on Saturday, November 7, and both trips leave from a Financial District station the public has not been able to use since 2017. The New York Transit Museum is running two Fly Away Redbirds nostalgia rides that start and end at the Old South Ferry station, which opened in 1905.

What the ride is

The Redbirds carried riders for 44 years, from 1959 until 2003. On this excursion, riders board at Old South Ferry, where there is time before departure to photograph the train on the platform and look at the station's original mosaics and terracotta details. The train then heads up to the Bronx, passes through a train yard for a behind-the-scenes look, and returns downtown to Old South Ferry. The museum puts the ride at 90 to 100 minutes.

Times and prices

  • Morning ride: Saturday, November 7, 10 a.m. to noon.
  • Afternoon ride: Saturday, November 7, 2 to 4 p.m.
  • Tickets: $60 for adults and $40 for children; museum members pay $50 and $30.

Tickets went on sale to members in August and to the public soon after, so check the museum's ride pages for what remains before heading down.

What to know before you go

All ticket sales are final. If you cannot make the ride, the museum treats the unused ticket as a tax-deductible donation, and tickets cannot be moved to another date. Children 2 and older need their own ticket, and anyone 15 or younger must ride with an adult. The rides run rain or shine, and the museum notes that the equipment, route and timing can change. There are no restrooms on the trains, and riders are asked to stay behind the yellow line on the platform, keep hands and cameras inside the cars, and not sit on the platform.

Why Old South Ferry

Old South Ferry sits at the southern tip of Manhattan, near the Staten Island Ferry terminal. It opened in 1905 and has been closed to the public since 2017, so a ticketed ride is the way onto its platform. The museum points riders to its original mosaics and terracotta in particular.

More from the Transit Museum this month

The museum runs other programs through November, including guided Underground NYC tours and family workshops at its home in a former subway station on Schermerhorn Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The full calendar is on its website.

How to book

Both rides are listed on the New York Transit Museum's site under Nostalgia Rides. The South Ferry area is served by the 1 train at South Ferry, the R and W at Whitehall St and the 4 and 5 at Bowling Green.

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