“Hell On Wheels” – Amazing Photographs Of The NYC Underground In The 80s

In 1979, there were 250 serious crimes reported in the New York subway system – per week. There were six murders in the first two months alone. No other subway in the world was more crime-ridden and infamous.

“Hell On Wheels” is a joyous and soulful trip in the bygone era of the New York subway system in the years between 1977-1984. Swiss photographer Willy Spiller, living in New York at the time, documented his underground travels with the curiosity of a foreigner, fascinated by the rush and the madness of its time. It’s the period of the first rap music, graffiti, The Warriors in the cinema, Guardian Angels on the trains and Ed Koch in charge of a broke and crime-riddled city. Willy Spiller’s images are as much a visual document of this incomparable realm as they are a syncopated, colorful poem to the city of New York and its people.

Mote info: “Hell On Wheels” (h/t: vintag.es)



















If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

More Inspiring Stories

German Artist Turns Google Earth Pictures Into Amazing Photographs

Southeast Asia From Above: Stunning Drone Photography By Ali Olfat

London During the Blitz Through Powerful Color Photos

The Tutu Project By Bob Carey

Striking Winning Photos from National Portrait Gallery’s 2025 Teen Portrait Competition

Rare and Amazing Photographs of Warsaw, Poland From the 1850s

Beautiful Award-Winning Nature Photos from the Chromatic Photography Awards

Amazing Winning Photos from the Shape Category from the 2025 AAP Magazine Awards

Photographer NIU NIU Captures The Neo Tokyo Vibes

"Beyond Heaven And Earth": The Superb Travel Photography By Sergey Bratishchev

2012 Miss Reef Calendar

Beautiful Black-and-White Winning Photos from the MonoVisions Awards

Magical Urban And Natural Landscapes In Japan By Hiroki Furukawa

A World Where Dreams Come True: Stunning Photo Works of Mücahit

Royal Meteorological Society: The Winners of Weather Photographer of the Year Competition 2021

6 Little Secrets To Help You Look Absolutely Perfect On Photographs

2014 Military Photographer Of The Year Awards

Animal Orchestra

Auto Mechanics Strike A Pose With Hilarious Renaissance-Style Paintings

Still in Steel

Facebook's New Headquarters in Menlo Park, CA

Artist Andrey Shcherbak Continues His Photographic Journey With Huge Cats In Urban And Rural Landscapes

The 11 Winners Of The Prestigious 2021 Audubon Bird Photography Contest

Kiss Me, My Fool!: Theda Bara, the Original Vamp, Posing With a Skeleton as Publicity for the Silent Film ‘A Fool There Was’, 1915

The Superb Black And White Photography By Jason M. Peterson

Southwest: A Small World Project

Fascinating Images from the Past You Won’t Find in Any History Textbook

Meet The Father Who Makes Amazing Sculptures Out Of Toast For Daughter Who Has Severe Food Allergies

Stunning Artistic, Portrait and Surreal Photography by Man Ray in the 1920s and ’30s

Amazing Large-Scale Murals by Doras