32 Rare Photographs Of New York City's Dreadful Subway In The '70s And '80s - AKA "Hell On Wheels"
These are a peculiar, vivid realm of their own rather than the inky blackness of the underground.
New York City’s subway was a rough place to be in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and Willy Spiller was there with a camera to catch it all. The Swiss photographer lived in New York from 1977 to 1984, documenting graffiti, street style, and the tense energy underground as crime climbed and the city changed fast.
By 1980, the NYPD had thousands of officers patrolling the subway system, but Spiller still found moments that felt strange, vivid, and unforgettable. His photos first appeared in 1984, then returned in a restored 2016 edition of Hell On Wheels, bringing these gritty snapshots back into the spotlight.
Scroll through the images and see why this subway series still hits so hard.
1. The warriors have come out to play...
Willy Spiller2. Well, this looks pretty cool
Willy Spiller3. I adore the fashion sense back then
Willy Spiller
The subway had its own style, and not much of it was subtle.
4. My first thought is, hey, Freddie Mercury
Willy Spiller
5. It's definitely Mary from Little House on the Prairie... or maybe not
Willy Spiller
6. Boarding the train
Willy Spiller
7. I think the person on the right was male
Willy Spiller
Even the quiet moments still feel a little uneasy.
8. Kubrick?
Willy Spiller
9. Just switch paper for a smartphone
Willy Spiller
10. Hey, what's going on over there?
Willy Spiller
11. I guess this is the only photo that doesn't have this eerie atmosphere
Willy Spiller
12. This is awesome on many levels
Willy Spiller
That mix of grit and personality is what makes these photos stick.
13. A lovely photo I could totally hang
Willy Spiller
14. The bus wall looks like a street wall that has so many paintings
Willy Spiller
15. This is either Jeff Goldblum or Serpico
Willy Spiller
16. Maybe he was from India...
Willy Spiller
17. Did I hear Stephen King?
Willy Spiller
Some of these shots look like movie stills, just with more subway grime.
This pairs nicely with the past’s wildest, most chaotic historical moments, captured in raw photos.
18. He's like, "Surprise, Mother F**ker"
Willy Spiller
19. Now, cigarettes are bad
Willy Spiller
20. What are you talking about, Willis?
Willy Spiller
21. Was the spray can just invented?
Willy Spiller
22. Every train in the city is accessible through one of these many portals and ramps
Willy Spiller
The city above ground may have been changing, but the underground had its own rules.
23. The Broadway
Willy Spiller
24. Cagney and Lacey???
Willy Spiller
25. Zombie alert
Willy Spiller
26. The fancy, clean side of the subway near Saks Fifth Ave
Willy Spiller
27. Where all the famous walked among upside streets and sidewalks
Willy Spiller
28. The clean side goes from east to west side
Willy Spiller
29. Is this moving underneath Park Avenue & Hunter College?
Willy Spiller
30. Welcome Back, Kotter
Willy Spiller
31. It must've been a relief to finally get out of the subway
Willy Spiller
32. All of these pictures make me remember the Welcome Back, Kotter song
Willy Spiller
These photos make the past feel close enough to touch.
In science fiction movies and books, we can easily travel back in time via time machines to see how our favorite cities, like Paris, London, NYC, and others, were years ago. But in real life, we rely on pictures and videos.
We cannot be thankful enough for these throwback pictures that take us back in time. Which of the pictures caught your fancy the most?
Read on.
Want more “built different” energy, like the grandparents who somehow survived the “good old days”? See 77 vintage photos of grandparents who look like they ran on pure audacity.
