The New York MTA just announced a new program in which items from retired subway cars will be available for purchase — and everything must go. Collectibles include station signs, maps, vintage tokens, lighting fixtures, seating and even the doors.
Ride over to New York City Transit for more items, and keep in mind the inventory is updated monthly. What's more, prices aren't too crazy. Maps run about $150. You can buy a set of passenger doors for $175 — think about walking through these into your kitchen? Globes are about $150 — perhaps a hallway light fixture? And pick up a subway pole for just $25 (let your imagination run wild).
And if you're having trouble finding that perfect piece, the 1st photo comes courtesy of Underground Signs, a company that replicates NYC subway signs with custom lettering. Visit them at the Brooklyn Flea currently being held in Manhattan at the corner of 4th Street and Lafayette during weekends in December.
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Nomade Express Slee...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
Summer Cocktail Staple: Campari & IPA Spritzer
These could be fun for anyone living in NYC. It's a little piece of local history. I think the maps, or a sign...even the globes are cool. The doors you'd need a lot of room or imagination...maybe in a loft.
That just screams HELVETICA at me. I don't think I could have it in my place, though I really like the concept.
i grew up in nyc - this is pretty freaking awesome. except, there is a $50 processing fee for all orders - including for the $2.25 subway tokens! wtf?!?!
NY Subway Token Gifts:
http://www.everythingnyc.com/nycaccessories.html
My favorites are the cufflinks...
Merm, the tokens are specifically excluded from the $50 fee. and the fee also only applies to some orders less than $300.
I LOVE THE SIGN!!!!!!!! IT'S SOOOO COOOOL!!!! i'll have one in my living room any time!!!!
I bought a reproduction of the sign to my husband's subway stop a couple of years ago as a gift since. It's a little piece of his former home hanging in our office. Now if I could get an authentic recording of the garbled recorded message they used to play he'd be set. Every time we visit NYC and hear a clearly spoken recorded stop announcement on the subway it creeps him out. He says it's not natural to understand those recordings.
My partner and I recently purchased our first home together. We're both railroad conductors and have quite a bit of memorabilia to display, but mostly Boston and Philadelphia stuff.
Hot! I love it!
I'm not a big Helvetica fan, so I'll pass on the signs, but having a map in the house would be a great piece of design-as-art and functional!
Helvetica hatred????? Blasphemy!!!! :)
Now I want to hear more about the two railroad conductors co-habitating!!!! Wooof!
Patrick (the other one) you are too funny! :-)
I happen to like Helvetica as well, it's, so, graphic.
"Now I want to hear more about the two railroad conductors co-habitating!!!! Wooof!"
So do I!
Reminds me of a couple whom I met aboard ship a few years back - One was a former cruise director and keeps a townhouse in Baltimore filled to the brink with memorabilia from various passenger ship companies and defunct airlines (PanAm, Braniff, TWA, Eastern, etc.)