Nostalgia Ride gives Yankee fans a train trip through the past on their way to Opening Day

NEW YORK — In 1917, the Yankees and their crosstown baseball rivals, the Giants, both made their homes at the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan. The same year, a less famous Big Apple institution, the Lo-V subway train, was making the daily trundle from Manhattan to the Bronx.

The Yankees would make the same move in 1923, when they opened the House That Ruth Built. The Giants would relocate to San Francisco in 1958. The last of the Lo-Vs were in action until the late 1960s.

On Thursday, with a touch of Old New York flair, all three were back. The Yankees, featuring New Jersey phenom Anthony Volpe, hosted the Giants on baseball's Opening Day. And a few dozen surprised fans got to ride to the ballpark in a vintage four-car Lo-V train, part of the New York Transit Museum's annual "nostalgia ride."

Riders waiting at Grand Central Station for the No. 4 train heading north to the Yankee Stadium stop were elated at the sight of the historic 106-year-old cars rolling up to the platform.

The lucky passengers who boarded the Lo-V (short for low-voltage) were able to check out the various throwback features on the cars: the military-style olive green paint job, incandescent lightbulbs, cushioned rattan seating, ceiling fans and vintage advertisements for Runkel's Cocoa and the "Lone Ranger" radio show.

Julie Guerrero, a Brooklyn resident, was sporting her Yankees jacket and cap while proudly holding a sign that read "FIRST OPENING DAY." She's been a fan since the 1980s when her family would visit her Yankee-loving uncle in the Bronx and go to games. She loved riding in style to see her favorite team.

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"This is just awesome. I have chills," said Guerrero. "As a New Yorker, you can't really beat this."

She was looking forward to the thrill of a Yankee Stadium crowd on the first, crisp day of 2023 baseball. Volpe, who like Guerrero is part Filipino, was a special attraction.

"Of course, I'm excited about him. He's Filipino! I mean he's half, but that's good enough. We have a lot of pride in that," she said.

Volpe, who played as a youngsters for the Delbarton School in Morris County, received a standing ovation when he came up for his first at-bat. The Yankees' new shortstop worked a walk and stole a base as part of the team's 5-0 win.

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The Lo-V trains ran regularly on the Lexington Avenue Express for decades until their midcentury retirement. Several of them were saved from the scrap yard, restored to their original condition and have been put back into service on Opening Days and for other events.

Jodi Shapiro, curator of the New York Transit Museum, which was responsible for organizing the unique ride up to the stadium, and for preserving the train, said two of the four cars in use Thursday dated back to 1917 while the other pair were from 1922. She said modern trains run on 600 volts, but the low-voltage trains have a battery convertor that allows them to run on current tracks.

Shapiro said Yankees fans who have boarded the train on past Opening Days typically have two different reactions.

"It's pretty funny. Over the years, I've noticed that people are either very excited to get on the train because they know that it's a vintage train, and sometimes people get on it and don't even notice that it has ceiling fans and rattan seats until they actually pay attention." Shapiro said. "I've seen people get off the train because they thought it was the wrong train."

From Grand Central, the train ran express for the next 25 minutes until it reached its final destination at 161st Street. There, the travelers decked in Yankees gear, many bundled up for the chilly early spring game, disembarked in upbeat spirits as they made their way to the Stadium.

Longtime Yankee fan Mimi MacCowatt, who grew up in Summit and now lives in Manhattan, said it was "very cool" to ride on an antique train for the first time while going to the coldest Opening Day game she ever attended. It was about 40 degrees at game time.

"I love old-school New York things and it's perfect for Yankees Opening Day," MacCowatt said.

Ricardo Kaulessar is a culture reporter for the USA TODAY Network's Atlantic Region How We Live team. For unlimited access to the most important news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter: @ricardokaul

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees fans crowd Nostalgia Train ride to Opening Day 2023