The Interborough Rapid Transit subway, which broke ground in 1900
after many years of political manovering, was not the first attempt at
rapid transit in New York City, nor the first attempt at transit
tunneling in New York City. Photo above depicts the junction of the
2nd and 3rd Avenue Els at Chatham Square in Manhattan, when the trains
were still hauled by small steam
locomotives.
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Beach Pneumatic
Transit
An overview and some
period articles about the most well-known early attempt at transit
tunneling in New York. |
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Early Rapid
Transit In Brooklyn, 1878-1913
The story of the rise of rapid transit in Brooklyn, including
the early days of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit, from 1878 until the
signing of the Dual Contracts in March of 1913. |
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2nd Avenue El
Photos of the El's stations and some period news
articles. |
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3rd Avenue El
Station-by-station photos of the El's stations and
some period news articles. |
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6th Avenue El
Some photos of the El's stations and
surroundings. |
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9th Avenue El
A history of Manhattan's first elevated railway,
some period news articles, and a walking tour of its remains in the
Bronx. |
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The Bridge Builders'
Triumph.
A 1902 article about the
construction of the Williamsburg Bridge, which would become a vital
rapid transit link between Manhattan and Brooklyn, carrying both
streetcars and subway trains. |
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Rapid Transit In Great
Cities (1891)
A 1891 article
describing the necessity for rapid transit brought on by population
growth in major cities. |
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Rapid Transit in Cities
(1892)
An article from
Scribner's Magazine that discusses the effects of rapid transit
on the evolution of cities, not just New York but also Chicago,
Berlin, London, Paris, and Boston. |
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Fifty Years of
Rapid Transit (1918)
This 1918 book by James Blaine Walker details the politics
behind the development of New York's elevated lines, its first subway,
and the Dual Contracts. |
