Design Study: B-Div Rollsigns of the 1970s

[MHV9218]

One of my favorite things is to trace the subway's graphic design language through the colorful and vibrant late-1960s and 1970s during the Vignelli period. Colors were vibrant, designs were crisp, and changes were incredibly frequent. I think the best looking designs the system's ever had came during these years, and thanks to the great photo archive on nycsubway.org, we're able to look back on that period with total clarity. While there are many photos here, this is more of a discussion thread, so I've put it here in this section rather than the photos one.

 

The first design I want to focus on is what I'll call the "central-color" roll. These rolls accompanied the 1968 'color explosion' and were the first time color was ever used on a subway roll. Until then, lines were listed in white text on a black background only. But in 1968 that changed as the newly-arriving R40 cars brought these new rolls with them.

 

These cars actually predate the introduction of Akzidenz-Grotesk (Standard) into the system as brought by Vignelli, so the cars use the block font all-caps of some of the 1950s and 1960s signs with a colored square for the line in the center.

 

Joe Testagrose collection

 

 

Joe Testagrose collection

 

As you can see, the front of the cars used the same block font over a massive colored roll:

 

 

Doug Grotjahn photo

 

That design was slowly altered, however, and R40Ms and R42s arrived with the center-color design using Akzidenz-Grotesk as the font, lower-case letters, and the first circular 'bullet' design of any cars.

 

This is the general design of these rolls (houseofmemories802 photo):

 

 

At the front of the trains, the same colored roll was used, but now with smaller letters in Akzidenz-Grotesk:

 

 

Joe Testagrose collection

 

The R44 fleet, which arrived slightly later, used an identical side roll. At the front, rather than a colored rectangle, was an enlarged version of that 'bullet' on the center of the side signs.

 

This is how that looked:

 

 

Doug Grotjahn photo

 

Those rolls could also be used, rarely, on R40s/R42s:

 

 

Doug Grotjahn photo

 

Keeping track of the year is important here, however. The R44s were built beginning in 1971, according to the design specs of the late 1960s years. By 1972, Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda had codified the design system for the subway, and they outlined the new rollsign design in their graphics manual. The bullet, using the same 1968 color scheme, would go on the left of the sign over a white background, while the destinations would be printed on the right-hand side. New IRT rolls were printed with a version of this (not many were made, however--see the R17 rollsign thread I started to see how those were used and then modified), and I believe a design was planned for R32-R38 B Div cars to follow this format. The immediate result was that R46s, arriving beginning in 1975, would follow this design:

 

 

Here's that design in action--note that at the front is a colored bullet of today's general standard, for the first time:

 

 

Doug Grotjahn photo

 

One eBay seller now lists these rare R46 rolls on his page. The prices are high, but very negotiable, and quite rare. Here is the design for the N line:

 

 

houseofmemories802 photo

 

That design, introduced with the R46s, would then spread to the rest of the R40, R40M, R42, and R44 fleet. Between the mid-1970s and 1979, new signs were printed for many of the cars following Vignelli's new standards.

 

In this photo, you can see an R42 set at left with the original rolls and an R40M set at right with the new, mid-1970s rolls with the new standards:

 

 

Steve Zabel photo

 

At the front of the trains, new rolls were also being printed that followed the bullet design. Like the originals, these rolls (still using 1968 colors) scrolled vertically rather than horizontally:

 

 

Steve Zabel photo

 

 

David Pirmann collection

 

That new pairing of a circular, Akzidenz-Grotesk bullet with 1968 colors and the side roll with a white backing and left-justified bullets would be retrofitted onto cars right up until the 1979 transition to trunk line colors. Many cars kept the old rolls--including the out of date colors--well into the 1980s. For me, those designs are cleanest the subway ever saw. The late-1980s retrofits to the rollsigns were clunky Helvetica without the white backing that made the Vignelli signs so crisp and clear. Upon GOH, R40s and R42s lost the single-piece rolls--which were admittedly impractical, as they only had the colors and lines of a certain section of the system--for three-piece signs that last today. And by the early 1990s, a significant portion of the fleet--all R44s and R46s--had lost side rollsigns entirely. But those bullets live on, and Vignelli's design remains the best the subway has seen.

[46Dover]

The roll sign styles on the GG and the N are my favorites. I wanted to see more of the same styled roll signs back in those days, but I was too young to travel the subway in those days

[MHV9218]

The roll sign styles on the GG and the N are my favorites. I wanted to see more of the same styled roll signs back in those days, but I was too young to travel the subway in those days

 

I agree: beautiful looking signs. This sign for the E is so crisp with that light blue:

 

 

(houseofmemories802 photo)

 

That was followed by a design in the mid-1980s using the new bullets with something following this scheme, using a condensed Akzidenz design:

 

 

(credit unknown)

 

The same design went for R40s/R42s:

 

 

(Eric Oszustowicz photo)

 

And finally, that last design was replaced (for R44s and R46s) right before GOH in 1988 with this Helvetica design:

 

 

(houseofmemories802 photo)

 

Still nothing as clean as that white backing as in the Vignelli era signs.

[Eric B]

IS that condensed Akzidenz, or condensed Helvetica? The main key to be able to tell is missing, which is the way the letters are cut. Here, they are cut horizontally, like Helvetica (and thus what it seemed more like). But I imagine Akzidenz would do it that way as well (the old R-32 rollsign had the condensed block letters i.e. vertical sides, but the "S" and "6" (and maybe a few others) were still cut at an angle. Always reminded me of the "Star Trek" font a bit).

So we would need to see a capital "Q" or "R".

[MHV9218]

IS that condensed Akzidenz, or condensed Helvetica? The main key to be able to tell is missing, which is the way the letters are cut. Here, they are cut horizontally, like Helvetica (and thus what it seemed more like). But I imagine Akzidenz would do it that way as well (the old R-32 rollsign had the condensed block letters i.e. vertical sides, but the "S" and "6" (and maybe a few others) were still cut at an angle. Always reminded me of the "Star Trek" font a bit).

So we would need to see a capital "Q" or "R".

 

Good question. I can never be totally sure. Sometimes the font used has been Akzidenz-Grotesk Extra Bold Condensed, I think, but on other occasions it's Helvetica Inserat. They're almost identical. Utica and Hoyt-Schermerhorn both have signs in an unclear variation of this, while Euclid and Grant were something else entirely. I would assume the earlier designs from the mid-1980s like Hoyt and indeed like the rollsign would still be using a variant of Akzidenz since that was the font of choice, while later ones would use a variant of Helvetica (by 1987-1988, the new standard). But it's very hard to say.

[Eric B]

Wow, looking up both, even the R in the Akzidenz has the wave, like Helvetica. The Q for both has the tail on the outside only, but they're slighly different; Akzidenz is more curved (and the end forced into a horizontal position), and looks similar to the one in Franklin Gothic.

[MHV9218]

Wow, looking up both, even the R in the Akzidenz has the wave, like Helvetica. The Q for both has the tail on the outside only, but they're slighly different; Akzidenz is more curved (and the end forced into a horizontal position), and looks similar to the one in Franklin Gothic.

 

It's almost impossible -- I think only the J is the differing letter, as the Akzidenz J is still a 'half-J' with no loop.

 

Something I noticed recently and might also mention is that the Vignelli R46 signs had some system of Identra codes that I still don't fully understand. I'm aware of Identra being present on the Flushing Line (who could miss those disc antennas?), but I don't know much about B-Division implementation. The R46 rolls included a call number for the Indentra setting, as listed below:

 

 

(houseofmemories802 photo)

 

For the JFK Express, it was 54. For some lines, it was a sequence of numbers, as in "55, 56, 57." I think some lines were as high as the 70s. Does anybody understand exactly what this meant? I assume this had something to do with, as on the Flushing line, express track preference for certain trains, but I've only ever known Identra as 'A,' 'B,' or 'C.'

[46Dover]

Does this mean we'll be asking you to do signs in the graphics page?

[MHV9218]

Does this mean we'll be asking you to do signs in the graphics page?

 

Ha, always happy to if you guys want. I can do 'em up in Pages or in Photoshop. 

[Lance]

It's almost impossible -- I think only the J is the differing letter, as the Akzidenz J is still a 'half-J' with no loop.

 

Something I noticed recently and might also mention is that the Vignelli R46 signs had some system of Identra codes that I still don't fully understand. I'm aware of Identra being present on the Flushing Line (who could miss those disc antennas?), but I don't know much about B-Division implementation. The R46 rolls included a call number for the Indentra setting, as listed below:

 

<pic removed>

 

(houseofmemories802 photo)

 

For the JFK Express, it was 54. For some lines, it was a sequence of numbers, as in "55, 56, 57." I think some lines were as high as the 70s. Does anybody understand exactly what this meant? I assume this had something to do with, as on the Flushing line, express track preference for certain trains, but I've only ever known Identra as 'A,' 'B,' or 'C.'

If I had to wager a guess, they could be codes for the signs. As part of the push for "new technologies" of the 1970s, the 44s and 46s came equipped with electronic rollsigns. Perhaps those numbers were the codes the conductor punched in for the signs to turn to the appropriate reading. Of course, whether or not they actually did so was another story entirely what with those bulky behemoths of sign curtains.

 

Good question. I can never be totally sure. Sometimes the font used has been Akzidenz-Grotesk Extra Bold Condensed, I think, but on other occasions it's Helvetica Inserat. They're almost identical. Utica and Hoyt-Schermerhorn both have signs in an unclear variation of this, while Euclid and Grant were something else entirely. I would assume the earlier designs from the mid-1980s like Hoyt and indeed like the rollsign would still be using a variant of Akzidenz since that was the font of choice, while later ones would use a variant of Helvetica (by 1987-1988, the new standard). But it's very hard to say.

Those mid-'80s signs are probably in Standard/AG. In its condensed form, it resembles Helvetica more with the horizontal ends for the C and S, but the Qs are definitely AG.

 

Courtesy nycsubway.org

 

This is a nice look back into the sign curtains. What you mentioned is a part of the reason why I started the rollsign gallery last year, which I hope to expand upon soon.

[R3216068E]

Took this today they still have these old signs at forest hills.

 

[Eric B]

If I had to wager a guess, they could be codes for the signs. As part of the push for "new technologies" of the 1970s, the 44s and 46s came equipped with electronic rollsigns. Perhaps those numbers were the codes the conductor punched in for the signs to turn to the appropriate reading. Of course, whether or not they actually did so was another story entirely what with those bulky behemoths of sign curtains.

 

Those mid-'80s signs are probably in Standard/AG. In its condensed form, it resembles Helvetica more with the horizontal ends for the C and S, but the Qs are definitely AG.

 

Courtesy nycsubway.org

 

This is a nice look back into the sign curtains. What you mentioned is a part of the reason why I started the rollsign gallery last year, which I hope to expand upon soon.

Oh, and the 7 also is a feature of other versions of AG. (Though not the "Medium" version used on route bullets, car numbers, etc.)

[MHV9218]

Took this today they still have these old signs at forest hills.

 

 

Yep, that's a sign I trace to somewhere between 1979 and 1984. The half-J means it's one of the older Akzidenz signs, but those are definitely the colors of the 1979 subway. Many signs which might have lasted longer have been replaced due to double letters. The re-opening of the Fulton St. exit revealed some small-letter Akzidenz signs, but intersting with the small G. That dates them pretty well between 1985 and 1987, as before would have meant the GG and after would have meant Helvetica. Separately, the only station I'm aware of with visible pre-1979 bullet colors is Bowling Green. If anybody knows of others--and some stations on lines which have kept generally the same color, like the D--let me know!

 

If I had to wager a guess, they could be codes for the signs. As part of the push for "new technologies" of the 1970s, the 44s and 46s came equipped with electronic rollsigns. Perhaps those numbers were the codes the conductor punched in for the signs to turn to the appropriate reading. Of course, whether or not they actually did so was another story entirely what with those bulky behemoths of sign curtains.

 

Those mid-'80s signs are probably in Standard/AG. In its condensed form, it resembles Helvetica more with the horizontal ends for the C and S, but the Qs are definitely AG.

 

Courtesy nycsubway.org

 

This is a nice look back into the sign curtains. What you mentioned is a part of the reason why I started the rollsign gallery last year, which I hope to expand upon soon.

 

That sounds like a good guess -- I forgot that the 44/46 rolls were electric; a code would definitely make sense, and that could explain why they aren't present on the 40/42 rolls. That analysis of the A-G is helpful...weird mix of fonts at the time!

 

I always love seeing posts from the rollsign gallery, look forward to more. I actually reached out to Trans-Lite (who produced a lot of these signs) not long ago, but I got no response. One interesting thing I should mention in regard to this post is that I was told by the seller of the 46 rolls that his only included one GG reading to Smith-9. Your guess why is as good as mine, but it could help explain why I've never been able to find a photo of an R46 with the Church Ave reading up. 

[Lance]

There were two versions of the 46 sign curtain produced in the '70s. The digital recreation I made last year was based on the original signs produced in '75. The version your seller mentioned, produced in '77 or '78, had much fewer readings to go along with the service reductions made throughout the decade. Comparing the '78 version to the '75 version, most of the options were removed as the was running to the Rockaways at the time and the EE and GG route options were kept to the ones that actually ran at the time.

 

As for stations with the older bullets ('80s style), as mentioned, Bowling Green has them in a couple of locations. The transfer passageway between 51 Street and Lexington Av is another location, but I fear that with the ongoing renovations there, those circular signs may come down as they are looking a bit worse for wear.

[MHV9218]

There were two versions of the 46 sign curtain produced in the '70s. The digital recreation I made last year was based on the original signs produced in '75. The version your seller mentioned, produced in '77 or '78, had much fewer readings to go along with the service reductions made throughout the decade. Comparing the '78 version to the '75 version, most of the options were removed as the was running to the Rockaways at the time and the EE and GG route options were kept to the ones that actually ran at the time.

 

As for stations with the older bullets ('80s style), as mentioned, Bowling Green has them in a couple of locations. The transfer passageway between 51 Street and Lexington Av is another location, but I fear that with the ongoing renovations there, those circular signs may come down as they are looking a bit worse for wear.

 

Gotcha--wasn't aware of that. That explains the lack of at least two of the destinations. I'm curious to see what a Manhattan roll looks like--I've yet to see any, and some of those rolls I linked are definitely a little newer in style.

 

The Lex transfer is a good spot to look, you're right. I think those have been saved because they are such cumbersome, strange old signs. The Lex line in general (especially in the Bronx) keeps a lot of those 1980s older bullet signs. I brought up Bowling Green as its bullets are actually, in some spots, from the 1970s. The is pink, and the is black, itself a replacement sticker over a grey underneath. I'm not aware of anywhere else that dates as far back, just as I'm not aware of any black-on-white Vignelli signs still up beyond warning "All persons" signs.