Bruce Davidson’s Subway was originally published in 1986 and last August was given an update by Steidl. The book has been printed from new scans of the photographer’s Kodachrome slides and new images have been added. As a big fan of Davidson’s work, I was very excited to spend my cash on this book when it came out. The photographs transport you back to the time when it wasn’t a clever time to ride the subway in NYC. Davidson himself was mugged whilst making the book, loosing the camera he was working with.
Davidson says on the making of the book “I became addicted to the Subway. When I heard the rumble of the express train running serveral floors below our apartment, and felt the walls shake, my senses heightened, like a werewolf responding to the full moon”
Amtrak routes as subway lines!
From the same designer who brought us the brilliant U.S. Highway system as subway routes.
1 Train in the ’80s. Is this Bruce Davidson?
KEITH HARING 1983
Fresh!
(Source: sc73)
Typography rugs.
( via Design Milk )
SEPTA - We’re Getting There… NOT!!
As part of my Twitter #clusterfuckonrails campaign, I’d like to share this photo of my Market-Frankford El train commute this morning. I waited about 15 minutes at 15th street as three trains passed in the opposite direction. Once the Westbound El finally got there, the conductor announced that the train was going straight to 60th street (probably to make up for lost time).
The photo above is of the second train, way too packed for anyone else to get on. The third one wasn’t much better. It sucks to see SEPTA accepting bids for a multimillion dollar fare-card system when they don’t even have the infrastructure to support a system used by millions (or at least hundreds of thousands) of commuters each day. They should put those dollars into improving signals and getting a system like the DC Metro where you can see when trains are coming (and they come every three minutes or less during rush hour) before they invest in a farecard system. I’d rather deal with tokens and get to work on time instead of being crammed into a subway car with a bunch of sweaty Philadelphians (although I do love me some sweaty Philadelphians, we family, we so excited).
This is the type of video I dream about.
NY SUBWAY 1986
The graffiti gets serious around the 4:25 mark. Also, tokens!
Also, the K and the CC lines.
I love this.
