25 hours - Passing
all Stations
The first line of
the city-owned and operated Independent Subway System (IND) opened
in 1932; this system was intended to compete with the private
systems and allow some of the elevated railways to be torn
down.
In 1940, the city purchased the two privately-owned
systems, the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) and
Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). With this
purchase, New York City became the sole owner and operator of all
subway and elevated lines. The Second Avenue, Sixth Avenue
and Ninth Avenue el in Manhattan,
and Fifth Avenue el and portions of Fulton Street el in Brooklyn
were abandoned. 1,
2
Two days before the
IRT, BMT and IND were unified in 1940, Herman Rinke, an
electric-railroad buff, became the first person
to tour the entire system on a single 5-cent fare, doing it purely as a
"sentimental gesture." 3
Rinke, who was the
National Secretary of the Electric Railroaders Association, rode
for 25 hours that day. Since then, more than 70 others - recorded
in an unofficial file at the TA Public Relations Department - have
ridden the entire system. 3
(1) from
the NY
Post
(2) from Wikipedia
(3) from
Atari
Archives
