From a Nickel to a Token Book
by Andrew J. Sparberg
From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA
Streetcars “are as dead as sailing ships,” said Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in a radio speech, two days before Madison Avenue’s streetcars yielded to buses. LaGuardia was determined to eliminate streetcars, demolish pre-1900 elevated lines, and unify the subway system, a goal that became reality in 1940 when the separate IRT, BMT, and IND became one giant system under full public control.
In this fascinating micro-history of New York’s transit system, Andrew Sparberg examines twenty specific events between 1940 and 1968, book ended by subway unification and the MTA’s creation. From a Nickel to a Token depicts a potpourri of well-remembered, partially forgotten, and totally obscure happenings drawn from the historical tapestry of New York mass transit. Sparberg deftly captures five boroughs of grit, chaos, and emotion grappling with a massive and unwieldy transit system.
Hardcover; 192 pages; 10.1 x 0.9 x 7.1 inches;
In stock
Description / From a Nickel to a Token Book
by Andrew J. Sparberg
From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA
Streetcars “are as dead as sailing ships,” said Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in a radio speech, two days before Madison Avenue’s streetcars yielded to buses. LaGuardia was determined to eliminate streetcars, demolish pre-1900 elevated lines, and unify the subway system, a goal that became reality in 1940 when the separate IRT, BMT, and IND became one giant system under full public control.
In this fascinating micro-history of New York’s transit system, Andrew Sparberg examines twenty specific events between 1940 and 1968, book ended by subway unification and the MTA’s creation. From a Nickel to a Token depicts a potpourri of well-remembered, partially forgotten, and totally obscure happenings drawn from the historical tapestry of New York mass transit. Sparberg deftly captures five boroughs of grit, chaos, and emotion grappling with a massive and unwieldy transit system.
Hardcover; 192 pages; 10.1 x 0.9 x 7.1 inches;
What's The Story
| The iconic NYC subway token was first introduced in 1953. Over the next 50 years, 6 variations were designed and minted, becoming well-known symbols of the bustling underground transit system. Just after midnight on April 13, 2003, these iconic tokens were phased out. |
