Retired NYC subway cars sleep with the fishes

Intrepid New York Times transit reporter Michael Grynbaum highlights a beautiful photo series showing the watery end of retired New York City subway cars, which are dramatically dropped into the ocean to become artificial reefs for sea creatures.

The city decided 10 years ago to donate the old cars so that mussels, barnacles, and even some sharks could glom on and weave in and out of the structures off the Eastern seaboard. Photographer Stephen Mallon captured these images of ocean-bound cars from 2008-2010 that all ended up off the coast of Virginia, Delaware and Maryland.

Sadly, Grynbaum reports that newer cars have too much plastic to be disposed of in this environmentally friendly (and cheaper) way, so the city is looking for a new fate for its elderly trains. Check out the entire series here.