Pelham Dispatchers Still Avoid 1:23

Because of "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three", New York subway dispatchers avoid allowing Manhattan-bound trains to leave Pelham Bay Park at 1:23 a.m. or p.m. In Morton Freedgood's novel and its 1974, 1998, and 2009 film adaptations, hijackers seize a train that departs the Bronx terminal at 1:23 p.m., giving it the name Pelham 123. After the 1974 film, the New York City Transit Authority formally banned departures at those times to avoid reminding passengers of the hijacking. The authority eventually lifted the rule, but dispatchers continued avoiding 1:23 out of superstition.

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