The Elevated Railways of Manhattan

The Elevated Railways of Manhattan PDF Author: Eric Oszustowicz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780692694602
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
Many New Yorkers rushing through the streets of Manhattan today are completely oblivious to the fact that at one time there was an extensive elevated railway system that traversed most of the island from the Battery through Midtown, Harlem and on into The Bronx and later into Queens. Certain narrow downtown streets, such as Pearl Street, were shrouded in darkness by the elevated structure, even on the sunniest of days.But without these elevated railways, it would not have been possible for New York City to develop as fast as it did. Development would have been delayed about 25 years until the first subways opened since there was no other way to move the massive crowds through the City. Partially due to the constant expansion of the underground subway lines and to a great extent real estate interests, the elevated lines that ran into southern Manhattan were all torn down from 1938 to 1955.Although New York has its own unique and extreme dynamism and is one of the great cities of the world, one could only wonder what New York would be like today if one or more of the elevated lines were still standing.

The Elevated Railways of Manhattan

The Elevated Railways of Manhattan PDF Author: Eric Oszustowicz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780692694602
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
Many New Yorkers rushing through the streets of Manhattan today are completely oblivious to the fact that at one time there was an extensive elevated railway system that traversed most of the island from the Battery through Midtown, Harlem and on into The Bronx and later into Queens. Certain narrow downtown streets, such as Pearl Street, were shrouded in darkness by the elevated structure, even on the sunniest of days.But without these elevated railways, it would not have been possible for New York City to develop as fast as it did. Development would have been delayed about 25 years until the first subways opened since there was no other way to move the massive crowds through the City. Partially due to the constant expansion of the underground subway lines and to a great extent real estate interests, the elevated lines that ran into southern Manhattan were all torn down from 1938 to 1955.Although New York has its own unique and extreme dynamism and is one of the great cities of the world, one could only wonder what New York would be like today if one or more of the elevated lines were still standing.

The Elevated Railways of Brooklyn and the BMT Subway

The Elevated Railways of Brooklyn and the BMT Subway PDF Author: Eric Oszustowicz
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781736430507
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
During the hot summer months, people wanted to get to the beaches quickly and the fastest way to get anywhere in the 1860s and 1870s was by steam train. What would become the BMT subway and elevated lines began with these steam train operations.Most of the subway and elevated lines in Brooklyn today owe their origins to steam railroads constructed in the late 19th century. If one looks at a steam railway map from that period, it partially resembles a present-day subway map. These steam railways, which operated on both elevated structures and along streets, would eventually evolve to become the lines of the Brooklyn Manhattan Transit (BMT) system. Although the Interborough Rapid Transit Co. (IRT) and the city owned Independent (IND) would also construct their own lines in Brooklyn, this publication will primarily focus on the BRT/BMT system. Coney Island was the major reason most of the steam railroads were built. All of today's subway lines that terminate in Coney Island were once steam railroads that operated all of their mileage on the streets of Kings County.

Fifty Years of Rapid Transit, 1864-1917

Fifty Years of Rapid Transit, 1864-1917 PDF Author: James Blaine Walker
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Local transit
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description


The Wheels That Drove New York

The Wheels That Drove New York PDF Author: Roger P. Roess
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642304842
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 441

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Book Description
The Wheels That Drove New York tells the fascinating story of how a public transportation system helped transform a small trading community on the southern tip of Manhattan island to a world financial capital that is home to more than 8,000,000 people. From the earliest days of horse-drawn conveyances to the wonders of one of the world's largest and most efficient subways, the story links the developing history of the City itself to the growth and development of its public transit system. Along the way, the key role of played by the inventors, builders, financiers, and managers of the system are highlighted. New York began as a fur trading outpost run by the Dutch West India Company, established after the discovery and exploration of New York Harbor and its great river by Henry Hudson. It was eventually taken over by the British, and the magnificent harbor provided for a growing center of trade. Trade spurred industry, initially those needed to support the shipping industry, later spreading to various products for export. When DeWitt Clinton built the Erie Canal, which linked New York Harbor to the Great Lakes, New York became the center of trade for all products moving into and out of the mid-west. As industry grew, New York became a magnate for immigrants seeking refuge in a new land of opportunity. The City's population continued to expand. Both water and land barriers, however, forced virtually the entire population to live south of what is now 14th Street. Densities grew dangerously, and brought both disease and conflict to the poorer quarters of the Five Towns. To expand, the City needed to conquer land and water barriers, primarily with a public transportation system. By the time of the Civil War, the City was at a breaking point. The horse-drawn public conveyances that had provided all of the public transportation services since the 1820's needed to be replaced with something more effective and efficient. First came the elevated railroads, initially powered by steam engines. With the invention of electricity and the electric traction motor, the elevated's were electrified, and a trolley system emerged. Finally, in 1904, the City opened its first subway. From there, the City's growth to northern Manhattan and to the "outer boroughs" of Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx exploded. The Wheels That Drove New York takes us through the present day, and discusses the many challenges that the transit system has had to face over the years. It also traces the conversion of the system from fully private operations (through the elevated railways) to the fully public system that exists today, and the problems that this transformation has created along the way.

City Beneath Us

City Beneath Us PDF Author: New York Transit Museum
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393057973
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
Reproduces photographic prints from the collection of the New York Transit Museum.

Metropolitan Railways

Metropolitan Railways PDF Author: William D. Middleton
Publisher: Indiana University Press
ISBN: 9780253341792
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
"Metropolitan Railways" is a large-scale, illustrated volume that deals with the growth and development of urban rail transit systems in North America.

Twenty Minutes in Manhattan

Twenty Minutes in Manhattan PDF Author: Michael Sorkin
Publisher: North Point Press
ISBN: 0865477582
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
Every morning, the architect and writer Michael Sorkin walks downtown from his Greenwich Village apartment through Washington Square to his Tribeca office. Sorkin isn't in a hurry, and he never ignores his surroundings. Instead, he pays careful, close attention. And in Twenty Minutes in Manhattan, he explains what he sees, what he imagines, what he knows—giving us extraordinary access to the layers of history, the feats of engineering and artistry, and the intense social drama that take place along a simple twenty-minute walk.

722 Miles

722 Miles PDF Author: Clifton Hood
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801880544
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
When it first opened on October 27, 1904, the New York City subway ran twenty-two miles from City Hall to 145th Street and Lenox Avenue—the longest stretch ever built at one time. From that initial route through the completion of the IND or Independent Subway line in the 1940s, the subway grew to cover 722 miles—long enough to reach from New York to Chicago. In this definitive history, Clifton Hood traces the complex and fascinating story of the New York City subway system, one of the urban engineering marvels of the twentieth century. For the subway's centennial the author supplies a new foreward explaining that now, after a century, "we can see more clearly than ever that this rapid transit system is among the twentieth century's greatest urban achievements."

Interborough Rapid Transit

Interborough Rapid Transit PDF Author: Interborough Rapid Transit Company
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Local transit
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Book Description


The City at Eye Level

The City at Eye Level PDF Author: Meredith Glaser
Publisher: Eburon Uitgeverij B.V.
ISBN: 9059727142
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 226

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Book Description
Although rarely explored in academic literature, most inhabitants and visitors interact with an urban landscape on a day-to-day basis is on the street level. Storefronts, first floor apartments, and sidewalks are the most immediate and common experience of a city. These "plinths" are the ground floors that negotiate between inside and outside, the public and private spheres. The City at Eye Level qualitatively evaluates plinths by exploring specific examples from all over the world. Over twenty-five experts investigate the design, land use, and road and foot traffic in rigorously researched essays, case studies, and interviews. These pieces are supplemented by over two hundred beautiful color images and engage not only with issues in design, but also the concerns of urban communities. The editors have put together a comprehensive guide for anyone concerned with improving or building plinths, including planners, building owners, property and shop managers, designers, and architects.