This week, some subway passengers will have the eerie experience
of entering their regular train to see that its exterior is no
longer stainless steel, but wood; the plastic seats have been
replaced by wicker; and instead of those computer-generated red-
dots that announce each destination, there will be old-fashioned
incandescent light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. These are not
the run-down trains that gained for the New York Subway system
the designation as “The Most Awful Ride in the World” way back
in 1938. They are even older than that; so old that transit
officials are calling them “vintage trains" now. Some of them
were built as early as 1904, the year the subway began. The
surprise rides in these old subway cars, which will be placed at
random throughout the city, are meant to celebrate a special
anniversary. On October 27th, the New York subway system turns
100. For weeks now, people haven’t just been riding the subways;
they’ve been watching films about it, and listening to lectures,
taking guided