Welcome to the New York Transit Museum! The New York Transit
Museum is one of the largest museums in the United States devoted
to urban public transportation history!
Instructions:
This scavenger hunt is not a race, so take your time. While you are thinking about the
questions, discuss the answers with your group. (There are no wrong answers!)
Remember, look with your eyes, not with your hands. You can sit on the floor to work
on drawings, but please do not lean on the museum walls. Have fun!
Please remember to:
 Stay with your group!
 Meet for lunch at 1pm!
Layout of the museum:
1) You will first enter the History of New York City’s Subway system.
2) Then you will enter the First Floor which includes the exhibitions on Bridges,
History of Turnstiles and Tokens, and the LIRR.
3) Walk down the stairs and you will find a real subway station equipped with old
and new models of subway cars.
4) End your visit by walking in to the back room which displays information about
buses and trolleys.
1900-1925: Steel, Stone and Backbone: Building New York’s Subways
1) When did the digging begin for the new Rapid Transit Subway? March 24, 1990
2) Why did New York want a subway? Wanted to stand as America’s leading
commercial and manufacturing city
3) What were sandhogs? They had no expertise in a particular trade, but specialized
in under severe conditions.
4) What was a spoil cart used for? Mining equipment used to remove shatter rock
from subway tunnel blast sites.
5) Draw a lunch bucket and canteen that the workers used.
How does it differ from what you use today?
6) How much were the workers paid?
$1.50 to $2.00
7) How much did these following items cost:
a. Movie $0.09
b. Hot Dog $0.05
c. Haircut $0.10
8) What happened to NYC once the subway was completed?
Brought people from their homes in the outlying boroughs to commercial,
manufacturing, and entertainment districts in Manhattan
First Floor: Bridges, History of Turnstiles and Tokens, and the LIRR
9) Why was the Triborough bridge built?
To link the boroughs of Manhattan,
Queens and Bronx
10) There are three parts to the bridge. Draw the 3 different bridges and give their
names.
1) Suspension bridge to Queens
2) Vertical lift span to Manhattan
3) A truss to the Bronx
11) What is special about the Manhattan lift span? Moves up and down to allow tall
ships to pass
12) It used to be lifted more than 2,000 times a year. Now, how many times is it
lifted annually? 4 times
13) Who was the man behind all the construction of bridges, highways, tunnels, etc?
Robert Moses
14) How many of each was built under him:
a) Bridges – 13
b) Tunnels – 2
c) Miles of Highway – 416 miles
d) City playgrounds – 658
e) Swimming pools – 10
History of Turnstiles and Tokens
15) How much did it cost to take a subway from 1920 – 1948? A nickel
16) Draw the token for 1986 – 1995? Bull’s Eye Token
17) During the 1900’s what type of turnstile did the subway system use? Pedal
operated models – attendants pressed a foot pedal to release the arm and let
passengers through
18) Name the manufacturer of several of the turnstile models. Perey Manufacturing
Company
19) Draw your favorite turnstile. Give the year.
20)
How much do New Yorkers spend every day to ride the city’s subway and
buses? Almost 9 million dollars
Long Island Railroad
21) The LIRR is celebrating its ________ anniversary. 175th!
Visit the Track Downstairs
22)Draw one of the old subway cars:
a) Which one do you like better?
b) What are some of the differences?
23) Draw one of the new subway cars:
24)Find your favorite car. Write down the year and its model.
New York City’s Trolleys and Buses
25)What is Rosa Parks remembered for?
1956 U.S. Supreme Court Case that gave
African Americas the right to sit anywhere in a
public bus in Alabama because she refused to
move from the white section
26)What is the name of the women who did the same thing with a horse car 100
years earlier? Elizabeth Jennings
27)Press some of the buttons and hear what the people have to say about their jobs!
28)Name some of the negative effects the transportation system has on our
environment:
a. Smog – lung disease
b. Global Warming
c. Soot – lung disease and global warming
29)What are some of the ways they are dealing with it?
a. New diesel engines
b. Diesel hybrid-electric engines
c. Petroleum
d. Compressed natural gas (CNG)
e. Fuel cells – hydrogen + oxygen