8. Pump Train
Like many of the work vehicles in the New York City subway system, the pump trains are made up of retired passenger cars. These specialized trains only come out when there is extreme weather. On a usual day, water is pumped out of the subway system by hidden “pump plants” connected to a drainage system.
Pump trains can remove 5,000 gallons of water a minute. There are five pump trains in the MTA’s fleet. In the photo above from November 2012, workers are dealing with flooding in the L train’s tunnel under the East River after Hurricane Sandy.