Subway turnstiles introduced
One hundred years ago today … The Interborough Rapid Transit (I.R.T.) began an experiment with subway turnstiles operated by the insertion of a nickel, replacing ticket takers.
1921 NYC subway turnstile. Electric Railway Journal 58. 22. 26 November 1921, p. 940. Smithsonian Libraries.
The turnstiles were installed at the 51st Street and Lexington Avenue Station. According to the Herald, the company intended to equip all its East Side stations with the devices by January 1, 1922, and then proceed with the West Side.
New York Herald, 23 January 1921, p. 19. Chronicling America.
The Times explained that the turnstiles, if effective, would save the company “the wages of ticket choppers, amounting to $1,500, 000 a year.”
New York Times, 23 January 1921, p. 16. The New York Times.
As the Times reported, an earlier version of the turnstile, tried out at 77th Street, had “arms that caught and held a passenger.” It had proven unwieldy, causing congestion.
– Jonathan Goldman, January 22, 2021
TAGS: transportation, technology, subway, infrastructure, jobs, labor, wages