Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

Photos: The Subway In The 1960s, When Platforms Had Horoscope Machines

By

Jen Carlson

Published Apr 26, 2013

Modified Apr 26, 2013

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

"Helped by railway staff shining torches, passengers make their way along a ledge in a subway tunnel after underground trains had stopped during a power failure in New York." But why is everyone SO HAPPY? November, 1965. (Getty Images)

 

Gothamist

View all 10

By

Jen Carlson

Published Apr 26, 2013

Modified Apr 26, 2013

Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

The 1960s: when people smiled when being evacuated through subway tunnels and the platforms had horoscope machines on them. We asked the MTA about the machines—which you'll see in the second photo here—and they have no idea. We're checking in with the Transit Museum and will update if we find out more about those and other old platform offerings, in the meantime, click through for a look at the subway during the Mad Men-era of the 1960s, and here's some mass transit footage from the decade:

And a 1961 documentary about a day in the life of NYC's transit system.

You can also spend an hour inside 1960s NYC right here.

Tagged

1960s

flashback

history

subway

original

Jen Carlson

Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE arts-entertainment

Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.

A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.

By

Sonia Rao

Published Sep 26, 2026

There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.

See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.

By

Hannah Frishberg

Arts & Entertainment

There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.

See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.

By

Hannah Frishberg

A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.

By

Hannah Frishberg

How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest

By

Sonia Rao

NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says

By

Hannah Frishberg

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .