Why Does New York's Subway have Ghost Stations? (History of NYC public transport) IT'S HISTORY

Рет қаралды 637,154

Күн бұрын

Play World of Tanks here: tanks.ly/3G2kssD and use the code TANKMANIA to get for free:
7 Days Premium Account
250k credits
Premium Tank Excelsior (Tier 5)
3 rental tanks for 10 battles each: Tiger 131 (Tier 6), Cromwell B (Tier 6), and T34-85M (Tier 6)
Thank you, World of Tanks for sponsoring this video.
The promo code is only for new players who register for the first time on the Wargaming Portal.
Serving millions of New Yorkers every day, there is little question as to the incredible impact the New York City subway system has had on the city’s reputation as a massive hub of transportation. But this system was hundreds of years in the making and it evolved from horse trams and steam trains before moving below the ground-today on It’s History, we’ll be taking a look at how New York City’s mass transportation systems have changed over time.
IT’S HISTORY - Weekly tales of American Urban Decay as presented by your host Ryan Socash.
Chapters:
The History of NYC’s Public Transportation - 00:00 - 00:52
New York public transport in the 19th century - 00:56
What were New York City's first forms of mass transit? - 02:53
New York City’s sanitation crisis - 06:00
What replaced horse drawn vehicles in New York? - 07:29
What was the first underground subway system? - 09:37
World of Tanks sponsorship - 11:17
New York’s New Subway line - 12:49
Building the New York subway system - 14:50
Opening day of the New York subway system - 17:30
The abandoned City Hall station - 18:11
The lost Worth Station - 20:00
New York City’s ghost station - 20:23
The future of New York City’s subway lines - 21:27
» CONTACT
For brands, agencies and sponsorships, please contact us at itshistory@thoughtleaders.io
/ ryansocash
/ ryansocash
» CREDIT
Scriptwriter - Imana Schoch
Editor - Rishi Mittal
Host - Ryan Socash
» SOURCES
/ itshistory
» NOTICE
Some images may be used for illustrative purposes only - always reflecting the accurate time frame and content. Events of factual error / mispronounced word/spelling mistakes - retractions will be published in this section.
Correction: The subway opened October 27, 1904

Пікірлер: 606

@ITSHISTORY 2 жыл бұрын

@metropod 2 жыл бұрын

@@robvancamp2781 the city did have cable car lines before electric traction became available. And once it was... since overhead wires are not allowed in Manhattan, they weren't technically trolleys since there was no trolley pole, wheel or wire. Instead, the cable vaults were converted for the conduit 3rd rail system that was selected. However, given this guy's poor track record for facts, I can see how easily he could get confused.

@undefined7141 2 жыл бұрын

You forgot New York’s rampant corruption as one of the reasons for their rise.

@JasonFlorida 2 жыл бұрын

I know right cable cars and trolleysare different and easily indentifiable! At 16:25 I am confused how McDonald was going to lose the bid when he bid 35 million dollars and the bid he was going to lose to was for 39 million? Did he mean 29 million? It's a shame we can't count on quality content

@wohnai 2 жыл бұрын

RIP to my earballs during the intro...

@gotoyourhometv 2 жыл бұрын

There was three different Subway companies you should be talking about that

@bj5rn 2 жыл бұрын

As usual, great and interesting content. But please reduce intro volume.

@tt2468 2 жыл бұрын

blew my ears out

@howa08 2 жыл бұрын

I damn near shit my pants

@beff5058 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, seriously WTF was that shit. Not fucking cool.

@AndreaFrancoise 2 жыл бұрын

I'm here to advertise the opening of Deaf Anonymous Anonymous

@clintgirard677 2 жыл бұрын

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!

@MattLarose 2 жыл бұрын

The Pneumatic tunnel is still there, just heavily damaged. The city hall line ran right through it. In fact, it was completely forgotten about until they dug the new tunnel and found the old one. The tunnel itself has been bricked off but it IS still there, in pieces, and you can still find ventilation grates among the ground of city hall park if you know where to look.

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

You are 100% right! I saw a documentary on it some years ago!

@HereForAStorm 2 жыл бұрын

@@retroguy9494 Ghostbusters lol

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

@@HereForAStorm HAHA. Something like that. It was on the "secrets" of the NYC subway system. Including the secret track under the Waldorf Astoria that was used by FDR when he was president. That's still there too! Along with one of the rail cars that was part of the presidential train!

@sionapink1560 2 жыл бұрын

I want to see it 😊

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

@@sionapink1560 So would I. But we can't because its sealed off. The best we have is pictures from when they discovered it in 1912.

@larrybrennan1463 2 жыл бұрын

The first subway opened in 1904, not 1914. About 40% of the system is not in tunnels - it's on the ground, in cuts, on embankments, or on steel elevated structures.

@BebeNow 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah at the beginning he said 1914 and then he corrected himself and said 1904, it’s in the middle of the video. But great video right?

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

Well, the kid tried his best. But unfortunately, he got some of his facts 'corn-fused!'

@bohemoth1 2 жыл бұрын

Apparently he didn't do his research on the New York City Subway System.

@bohemoth1 2 жыл бұрын

@@BebeNow NOPE

@mikepignatelli273 6 ай бұрын

1904.....

@plazasta 2 жыл бұрын

wonderful video, but you might want to lower the volume of the intro next time, it was way too loud compared to the rest of the video

@gilgamesh2009 2 жыл бұрын

exactly

@1981menso 2 жыл бұрын

Hurt my ears

@bobbyrice 2 жыл бұрын

Word, Homes.

@jonleibow3604 2 жыл бұрын

And you're watching It's History BWWWAAAAHHHHHHHHH

@nodammit 7 ай бұрын

🤣🤣🤣@@jonleibow3604

@ArmchairGuru 2 жыл бұрын

interesting content. the intro music being a different volume and destroying my eardrums is a turn off though. thanks

@JimTheFly 2 жыл бұрын

One thing I've always found wild is that the NYC subway isn't actually operated by the City of New York, but actually by the STATE of New York. The MTA, which is responsible for the NYC subways and buses, the LIRR, Metro North railroad, and the Staten Island railway, is owned by the state. So if any work needs to be done to the subway of the city, the approval has to go all the way to Albany and then back.

@1575murray 2 жыл бұрын

That situation has only existed since 1968 when the MTA took control of all the city operated bus and subway lines in New York. The SIRT originally belonged to the B&O Railroad but was taken over by the MTA several years later. MNRR was created a few years later to operate the former NY Central and New Haven commuter lines. The city bought out the IRT and BMT in 1940 after constructing the IND (Independent) which opened in 1932 and was expanded in sections between 1932 and 1940 as the city was able to obtain funding during the Depression. It took many years afterwards for transfer points to be established and track connections constructed so that the three divisions were unified into one system. As you know the MTA has become a big money pit taxing and tolling the residents of the New York metropolitan area into oblivion.

@JimTheFly 2 жыл бұрын

@@1575murray Now THIS is a nice bit of info drop. Good on ya. And for a fun little bit of trivia on the gaming front that I remember: in the 2016 video game The Division, if you look at subway maps in the game they are accurate with maps from about maybe 10-15 years earlier (I forget exactly), due to there being a line in there that hadn't been used in quite some time (I legit forget what one it was, possibly the V?). But the wild part was that, in a game set in the mid-2010, the subway map still referred to the IRT and BMT, which was WILD when I pointed out to my friend who was an NYC bus tour guide.

@1575murray 2 жыл бұрын

@@JimTheFly The old division names aren't used officially by the MTA but the railfans still use them frequently. I lived near IRT lines in the Bronx and Queens for many years so I am partial to them although I frequently rode the IND and BMT too. Today I live in Lynbrook, NY with the LIRR Long Beach branch viaduct directly across the street from my home. I hear trains on that branch and the Babylon branch adjacent to Sunrise Highway at all hours of the day and night. It is like music to my ears except when trains pass which have flat spots on their wheels.

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

It all boils down to money guys. All those railroads were losing money and going bankrupt so the State started taking them over much the same as the Federal Government did with the Penn Central and Erie Lackawanna when they formed Conrail!

@bohemoth1 2 жыл бұрын

Before the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was established, trains and buses were governed by the NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT AUTHORITY with its headquarters on Jay Street in Brooklyn New York City.

@savage_dankclaw5320 2 жыл бұрын

0:55 - Well, my whole neighborhood is awake now

@kurtpena5462 2 жыл бұрын

"Steam-Powered Cable Cars" means a stationary steam engine that moves cables under the street (like the ones preserved in San Francisco), not a steam locomotive as you show.

@scotianbank 2 жыл бұрын

I'm pretty sure he knows that, he's talked about steam cable cars before and mentioned the cables even diagrams of how they looked under the road. Maybe he just messed up when he was looking for stock images.

@breenseaturtlegaming9990 2 жыл бұрын

@@scotianbank probably the editors fault

@The1000sTime 2 жыл бұрын

When will my hearing come back?

@kurtpena5462 2 жыл бұрын

@@scotianbank ...hence my remark, right?

@Tmanaz480 2 жыл бұрын

@@scotianbank if "he knows", then it's an even bigger mistake.

@davidmfriedman 2 жыл бұрын

dang. this video is supposed to be about ghost stations, but it took 18 1/2 minutes of a 23 1/2 minute video before you talked about any of them.

@bikeny 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for taking one for the team. I can now skip out of it.

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

Well, at least its not clickbait. He DID actually mention the ghost stations for about 2 minutes! LOL

@R42ToMoffat 2 жыл бұрын

91st Street was one of the original 28 subway stations, and it saw use before it was closed due to platform extensions at 86th & 96th. The unused 6-track station is South 4th Street, which is located at the north end of the Broadway station on the G (IND Crosstown Line)

@mdgsdg1152 2 жыл бұрын

There is also an “unused” 6-track station on the IND Sixth Ave line (F Train), the 2nd Ave Station. This station is still in use (though only 2 platforms currently operate) and you can very clearly see two abandoned island platforms intended for heavy transfer use, which, much like S 4th St, it never saw. It’s an incredibly large station and there’s portions of it where you can see higher cuts in the ceiling where there was planned to be a 2nd Ave subway that would’ve technically intersected this station.

@brklyn345 7 ай бұрын

@@mdgsdg1152 I think you're confused with Hoyt-Schermerhorn Station on the A/C/G lines. That station is 6 tracks, with the outermost tracks connecting to the repurposed Court Street station, now the Transit Museum. The 2nd Ave Station has 4 tracks, with the center tracks used as a layup or terminus for rerouted trains. Those tracks were supposed to connect to the never-materialized Utica Ave line.

@masterbastard7521 2 жыл бұрын

Please adjust volume of intro music

@cjc363636 3 ай бұрын

Yeah, that was an 'unfortunate' mix.

@clowchan 2 жыл бұрын

You should specify you need to take the downtown 6 to see the old city hall station (it loops back around at the Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall stop.) It's best to do so on a sunny day so you can fully admire the architecture

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

Yea that train is loopy! LOL

@Ceerads 2 жыл бұрын

It’s not “passerbyers, it’s “passersby.” As a lifelong Brooklynite, I found this video to be especially interesting.

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

@Mr. Shlock And how is DEAR Victoria Schermerhorn? LOL Sorry that's a line from an old movie.

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

Yes he mispronounced many words and used words which aren't actually words! LOL

@eyestoenvy 2 жыл бұрын

This was excellent, thank you. As a native New Yorker I cannot imagine my city without the subway system, it makes owning a car an unnecessary burden. However though I am all for improvements & innovations, I am against losing our history. While I hate trash, graffiti, and filth I do however love nostalgia. It is a dam shame to eliminate the vintage lighting lamps, station tile work, classic turnstiles, and etc. Not to mention the wooden platforms that were once prevalent on elevated lines. Heck even the subway token too. I'm just saying, NYC does a terrible job at preserving its history. Remember our large yellow checkerboard taxi cabs? Hot dog (not food trucks) carts on almost every corner? Gone. By the looks of its the subway of yesterday will soon join them as well. Thanks for the content.

@roseeze166 2 жыл бұрын

I disagree with NY not preserving history. That's why there's the subway museum. Things ALWAYS change. Innovation, modernisation

@citylightsish 2 жыл бұрын

Graffiti? You realize it has it’s own culture as well? It isn’t just gibberish nonsense that most people assume it is, a little respect goes a long way.

@eyestoenvy 2 жыл бұрын

@@citylightsish I can see your point, can you see mine though? Sure some of it was beautiful, expressive, and could even brighten up an area. But what portion of the stuff that covered much of the rolling stock back then was exactly that? How much of it was offensive? Or ugly? Or say obstructive on windows, signage, seats, intercoms, advertisement displays, station billboards, & etc? While a good portion of the city considered some of it to be art, the vast majority however did not. To each his/her own.

@jonbase6004 2 жыл бұрын

@@citylightsish Hey why not.. BASE1 GOD...

@markjensen7091 2 жыл бұрын

New York could follow what San Fransisco did with their PCC Streetcars and simply create a "historic" or "heritage line." The idea being to preserve the old style stations, platforms, and cars. But as for the rest update them.

@JorgeCat78 2 жыл бұрын

0:18 - the system actually opened on October 27, 1904 - 10 years earlier

@kwbalance108 2 жыл бұрын

If this is in regards to our abandoned station, oh do we have a lot. On the original IRT route/on the first official subway line, 91st, 18th, Worth and the original City Hall stations are abandoned and are all in pretty good shape still albeit w/ a lot of graffiti. City Hall station hasn't been tagged up thank goodness. When I was a kid, 91st street's lights were always on though a bit dim. At the end of the 90s, it was still on for sure, 00's it was also on because they were storing stuff there when they built the new (at the time) 96th street entrance. With growing numbers of riders, the train cars grew in number and length. City Hall was too curvy...gap distance too long. The other stations were just pointless to be extended due to being too close to others. Fun Fact - you can see where the 91st street entrance was (it's now an emergency hatch on the right hand side of 91st and Broadway). The City Hall entrance is still standing, though the fancy kiosk is now just a regular ass entrance. To see it you have to look through the gates. The Subway globe has a red emergency light now. All of the skylights are there iirc (it's been a decade since I checked). You can't see in the station of course, but they are still there. Just look at the ground around City Hall for glass blocks on the floor. For other abandoned stations, again we have a lot but I live off the IRT line so that's the only one i've looked into since I was a kid. Oh yeah, stay on the downtown 6 train to get a sight of the City Hall station for yourself. If you're brave enough, stand in between cars but hold on tight because that curve has a lean to it....actually nvm don't do it just stay inside lol.

@newyorkvisionary 2 жыл бұрын

I always stand between the cars to view it. It’s so much better! 😂

@kwbalance108 2 жыл бұрын

@@newyorkvisionary It truly is the best way!

@1575murray 2 жыл бұрын

The City Hall station is closely watched by the NYPD for security reasons because of its close proximity to City Hall. This dates back to the days when Rudy Giuliani was in office as the city's mayor. That's probably why it hasn't been tagged by the graffiti vandals.

@kwbalance108 2 жыл бұрын

@@1575murray Of course. No one is getting in from street level. You can't get in from Brooklyn Bridge station especially after 2001 and w/ those motion cameras.

@newyorkvisionary 2 жыл бұрын

@@1575murray I just passed through it yesterday with my gf. It’s tagged up now. There were at least 7-10 graffiti markings on the station. Such a shame. At least they could clean it if they decided to. Since they do paid tours of the station I assume the MTA will clean it at some point

@jakubhanak41 2 жыл бұрын

You mixed up the abandoned stations. 91st Street station in in the Upper West Side, on the IRT Broadway-7th Ave line, and it's one of the original stations (so are City Hall, Worth St and 18th St). The one with 6 tracks is the upper level of the Broadway station in Brooklyn on the IND Crosstown line. It's only a shell and it's not very long. It's usually reffered to as South 4th Street. And the purpose of the outer tracks at Hoyt-Schermerhorn wasn't to connect to Manhattan. They continue to Court St, where they terminate. The IND wanted the local lines to run within the boroughs and the express trains to connect between them. There were (and still are) some unofficial proposals to connect the Court St station to Whitehall St-South Ferry station in Lower Manhattan, however, those are just railfaners dreams.

@1575murray 2 жыл бұрын

If the Second Avenue Subway is ever completed through lower Manhattan (I don't expect it in my lifetime) it is possible that a new tunnel under the East River would connect with the IND at the west end of the Court St. station which would force the Transit Museum to move to another location. The museum has been there since the 1970s. The station has been used for film making as it makes it possible to do that without interfering with normal service.

@IslemTav 2 жыл бұрын

Exactly, everything you’ve said. I was thinking that the narrator was confusing train lines.

@flyingspirit3549 8 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! This is a wonderful, nostalgic visit to the city where I lived until four decades ago. While living there, I rode the NYC subway system almost daily, so much of what you showed I remember.

@MrEnricoOL 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this informative video. I’ve always found the history of the NYC transit system as fascinating and one of the most incredible achievements. The mention of the horse manure is new. I’ve never heard of that.

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

You didn't know that horses constantly shit wherever they are dude? LOL 22 pounds of horse crap per horse per day and each omnibus had 8 horses assigned to it. Hmmmmmmmmmm

@CoasterTeaFox 2 жыл бұрын

Smashing video as always, but I had trouble hearing the narration, the levels seem a bit low compared to the music. Thanks for providing another educational, thought provoking video; Have a Merry Christmas😁

@hoboogre8023 2 жыл бұрын

So much so, the intro music startled coffee into my nose! Ya man, might wanna brush up on volume-balancing. Thanks.

@brianfaherty31 2 жыл бұрын

18:00 mins just to get to the topic about what this video is supposed to be about..

@Zenas521 2 жыл бұрын

That isn't a steam powered cable car. That is a steam powered trolley. The cable car doesn't have any onboard power source. A cable car latches onto a cable which pulls it along a track. The cable is then powered by a stationary engine kept at the engine house. In the early days they were steam engines but today they are electric motors.

@larrybrennan1463 2 жыл бұрын

Well, not a trolley, either. It is more accurately a steam dummy, a small locomotive, often enclosed, that hauled cars through city streets and often out to suburban areas. These were common in America in the Nineteenth Century, where an improvement over horsecars was needed, not only for increased speed and carrying capacity, but for accessing more remote areas. Steam dummies were used as early as the 1860s. The one shown here is obviously European. Trolley means an electrically-powered streetcar. The cable cars in San Francisco are not trolleys, but the PCC cars used on the Embarcadero are.

@jimhenderson6162 3 ай бұрын

Yes. There was indeed a cable car route on Broadway, powered from the Cable Building on Houston Street. But, far as I know, no usable pictures exist.

@mickael486 2 жыл бұрын

I want to see those unused subway tunnels with the elaborate chandeliers. Crazy.

@Cruising_On_Lake_Havasoma 2 жыл бұрын

You mean City Hall station? Take the 6 train to Brooklyn Bridge and duck behind your seat, if the conductor doesn't catch you you can ride around the loop. Or just get tickets for the tour.

@benzlick Жыл бұрын

Awesome Playlist! Thank you for making this 😀👍

@BebeNow 2 жыл бұрын

Just happened to stumble upon this video. Great job I like the video a lot. I actually sent it to my coworkers. We work for a museum in New York City. This is something they would enjoy. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your videos. Thanks

@incarnateTheGreat Жыл бұрын

Fantastic video! Thank you!!

@troyf6734 2 жыл бұрын

The abandoned station at the BK Bridge stop is cool to see. There is also a abandoned station on 96st (1,2,3 line). I would love to see that City hall station.

@kwbalance108 2 жыл бұрын

8:40 Anyone walk through Columbus Avenue and wonder why it's so wide? Ever wonder why the section of 110th street between Columbus/Riverside Drive and Central Park West is so wide? That's because of this Ninth Ave Elevated. The street was made wide to accommodate it. It turned left on 6th avenue. It's station on 6th ave was also, unfortunately, a spot many commited suicide.

@landocalrisian2014 Жыл бұрын

This was amazing to watch. Thank you!!

@IRgEEK 2 жыл бұрын

Another great post! Now the song 'Omnibus' from the band XTC makes way more sense! :-) Thank you again for dropping all the cool knowledge that you do!

@michaelmckinnon7314 2 жыл бұрын

The first Subways in New York City were built in 1885 and the original subway tunnels are currently maintenance tunnels.

@philliplyn2692 11 ай бұрын

Loving this one thanks for sharing very information blessed love to all knowledge is power hopefully everyone pays attention keep up the good work 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

@carlavision6143 2 жыл бұрын

Very interesting, really enjoyed your video!

@lorrainestevens4295 2 жыл бұрын

Some of you might know the pneumatic transit system from Ghostbusters 2!

@vassa1972 2 жыл бұрын

Great video

@jstoney6471 2 жыл бұрын

NYC Subway opened in 1904 NOT 1914

@ITSHISTORY 2 жыл бұрын

Please share your source and we will post a retraction.

@jstoney6471 2 жыл бұрын

@@ITSHISTORY in the opening statement the narrator said Nov 27, 1914. Also made an error when he said later that system opened in October not November.

@jonathanfactor6688 2 жыл бұрын

Great video thanks

@michaelmorales1475 2 жыл бұрын

Great Video!!!

@marmaly 2 жыл бұрын

Did he really say, "Passer by-ers"? "street line car"...? and "Lost their lifes"?

@jbauern57 2 жыл бұрын

Your videos are very interesting. Thanks

@brianpower3159 2 жыл бұрын

This is my favorite channel. Thank you. And can you guys do one on the Croton Aqueduct or the Unbuilt IND Second System lines. Thank you again and keep up the good work.

@ITSHISTORY 2 жыл бұрын

We have noted them down!

@samanthab1923 2 жыл бұрын

Aqueduct is a great idea. I’ve been listening to Manny Grossman’s channel on Son of Sam.

@paulbklyn4742 2 жыл бұрын

Great history lesson

@lrod312 2 жыл бұрын

When I was a young boy (1996ish) I was still able to see parts of the old street car rails on the ground when walking through certain parts of Astoria Avenue. Though, I’m not sure if you can still see them today.

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

DAMN you're young bruh! And yes, you can still see them if the the pavement is damaged or dug up by snowplows or the like. They never removed all those tracks.

@billadams4924 2 жыл бұрын

Answering your question of whether or not updating the subway would lessen its charm -- speaking as a handicapped man, nothing about inaccessibility is charming. In fact, it's a godawful pain in the ass and a constant source of frustration.

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

I have disabilities too. And I know exactly what you are saying. But I'm sure there is a way to make some of those beautiful old stations handicapped accessible and ADA compliant without lessening their charm. Well, perhaps not ADA compliant. Ever since the Supreme Court Coleman V Maryland case in 2013 states no longer have to comply with the ADA. But I think New York State has its own law which would make them do it.

@WAX6428 2 жыл бұрын

This video begins at 18;00, this guy LOVES to hear his own voice and he practically reads the Old Testament before he ACTUALLY EXPLAINS THE ABANDONED STATIONS.

@danielb3228 2 жыл бұрын

I'M EXCITED SKSK!!!

@arrow1414 2 жыл бұрын

The Subway opened in 1904, not 1914.

@JR-gh8lp 2 жыл бұрын

I live in NYC and take the subway…. There’s no charm needed just cleaner and safer

@anasevi9456 2 жыл бұрын

0:53 holy heck my ears! X_X almost jumped out of my chair.

@MegaOhhboy 2 жыл бұрын

I love any doc dealing with the nvc subway

@embo4887 2 жыл бұрын

You should do a video on the Wabash Cannonball. I saw the Wabash fright station sign in one of the photo. I’m from Wabash, IN. I think it would be neat.

@unc1589 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks great video! Even the most die hard born and bread New Yorkers have marveled at the NY subway system at some point in their lives. Poets scholars millionaires scientists construction workers garment workers bankers clerks, every race on the planet cohabitated in an underground world that was invisible to the people on the streets but often ran through our neighborhoods. Hearing the rumble was just part of life. My brother was part of the first graffiti crews and we spent countless hours in those subways. Some of those guys like Lonnie (Phase 2) went on to become real artist and lived in France. You had to know everything about trains to survive in those deep and dangerous tunnels. I got too many stories. The greatest achievement was to write your name on all the dead train stations. Only other artist would see it. But it was a super risky adventure to get to them because you had to walk the tracks from the closest station. Spooky stuff. The original “ Taking of the Pelham 123” was the best subway movie ever made to me and my guy’s. It explained a lot we never knew. We lived in those tunnels and were super fascinated by them our entire childhood.

@lavietesp Жыл бұрын

I first saw the abandoned Myrtle Ave. station (you didn't mention that one at all - the one just before the train goes onto the Manhattan Bridge) when I was 10 years old, and I have been hooked on subway history ever since!

@KiegKillsReality 2 жыл бұрын

Great video but dear god turn down the intro theme a little lmao

@jean-clauded5823 Жыл бұрын

Worthy of note is that the IRT line trains were built narrower than the rest. This was a trick to keep the underground lines from being used to haul freight. The freight trains would be too wide to the tunnels and stations. This is also why the IRT has the older cars, even today, instead of the more modern cars of the other rail lines. I don't know if it is still there, but I worked at Transit museum in Brooklyn where they would walk people thru the history of the various tran models. At the time, the R-46 was the newest model and is similar to the mode used today.

@kwbalance108 2 жыл бұрын

Another fun tidbit. 125th street original station (IRT 1 train now....speaking of which, ya'll remember the 9 train?!) doesn't go "up" from under street level as it appears in the train. It stays darn near level with it's fore/after stations through the cut and cover and is instead a viaduct between them. That would have been such a waste of time and money going under Manhattan Valley. The land under the street was probably super soft too.

@irt3rdavenueel172 Жыл бұрын

There was also the long abandoned Lexington Avenue-18th Street station on the Lexington Avenue line that sits between 14th Street-Union Square and 23rd Street that we can see through the tunnel if you take either train on the Lexington Avenue line between Grand Central and 14th Street if you take the 6 line you can probably see it better than the 4 and 5 line when the 4 line is going express with the 5, sometimes you can see it from the local 4 line after 23rd Street heading down to Brooklyn Bridge via the 6 line

@valmarsiglia 2 жыл бұрын

Well, no, it's not quite the case that the "omni" in "omnibus" means that it'll serve everyone; the entire word "omnibus" means literally "for all." It's where the word "bus" comes from. It's not like the word "bus" already existed and they just stuck "omni" in front of it.

@Nitro99999 2 жыл бұрын

This was very good I really enjoy it I am a New Yorker and I Love Trains

@rmglover3191 2 жыл бұрын

And with this, you've finally beaten my subscription out of me!

@pupununu5541 2 жыл бұрын

7:24 actually appears to be a Philly trolly, looks like it serviced west Philly up into Manayunk judging by the signage.

@sportsgt Жыл бұрын

THAT INTRO MUSIC ALWAYS GETS ME.... HOLY SHEEEEET THATS LOUD

@kwbalance108 2 жыл бұрын

IIRC the initial Beech "station" was stumbled upon when they were doing some track work but never let it known to the public.

@sharonelaine5419 2 жыл бұрын

Great story

@amirablue.b186 2 жыл бұрын

I love to see and learn all the history about my home New York City Manhattan ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🤗🤗🤗🤗

@TheCodeDaemon 2 жыл бұрын

Of course if you want to do the world's first underground Train system you need to cover The Tube, London's underground system which dates back to the 1860s

@BroWCarey 2 жыл бұрын

As several others noted, NYC never had cable cars. If you look at hold photos of Manhattan streetcar tracks, there is a center slot between the rails. But unlike true cable cars, as seen in San Francisco, this slot held a power line, not a moving cable. The rest of NYC had overhead catenary lines to power streetcars, but in Manhattan, overhead lines were not allowed, so they were put under the street, between the rails.

@FoxRob93 2 жыл бұрын

The city hall station is a beautiful station sadly it is closed to the general public and I went there with a Boy Scout trip that was done with the MTA Museum.

@sarge6870 2 жыл бұрын

It can be seen in passing on the Downtown #6 train before entering the Brooklyn Bridge Station. Brooklyn Bridge Station is where the #6 ends it's downtown trip and returns back uptown towards Pelham Bay Park.

@vintagenysubwaylover333 2 жыл бұрын

The only reason new york has abandon subway station is due to low ridership. On those lines. All abandon stations from the line and one line. Was because 91 City hall. 18 street worth street 91 all closed due to expanding. Of those stations. In my time i have saw 4 stations close. Bowery. Canel. Are just 2. But i used a lot. Today just like then due to lack pf riders. Will close.

@susanyoung5447 2 жыл бұрын

As to why, In the title, I read somewhere that the newer cars were too long to stop at the beautiful old stations. The old tiled stations with their Tiffany glass chandeliers and tile mosaics. I believe they called them baroque in style. If I remember correctly, I read that they found one of these stations under Grand Central Station and turned it into an elegant restaurant and bar.

@purplealice 2 жыл бұрын

That couldn't be the Grand Central Oyster Bar, though.

@CrisHelmare1 Жыл бұрын

Great stuff. Don’t think I’ve ever heard of the steam powered trollies. Not sure why the term “cable car” was used for these in the video, as they are clearly steam powered and not driven by cables.

@promiscuous5761 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you..

@sheldonhchambliss1385 2 жыл бұрын

a very interesting video

@2012photograph 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you for knowledge but there a Flickr page some stations that were mention in your vid?

@Mechasonicrocks 10 ай бұрын

18:42 Wow...I can see where the 1978 "Superman" film clearly got its inspiration for Lex Luthor's underground hideout, which was also an abandoned Metropolis subway terminal with near-identical design aesthetic to the one seen here.

@HeavilyCensoredKitty 2 жыл бұрын

Because Ghosts have a right to enjoy life as well...

@samanthab1923 2 жыл бұрын

Spooky scary 👻🎄

@eleazargardea4583 2 жыл бұрын

I like the history on the Brooklyn Dodgers name 👌🏽

@m.rei85 Жыл бұрын

A great Video, with high information density, answering a few of my questions, not covered in some classic documentaries, as well as providing a few new, at least to me, details. I'd say a modernization wouldn't destroy the charm of the subway. Modern, accessible and clean stations, as well as reliable and efficient systems, from trails, to switches, signals and trains, are a necessity. I've seen public transportation slowly evolve over the years. No matter if people with disabilities, veterans, elderly, people with baggage or parents with baby carriages, everybody should be able to use public transportation. Back wegen I was young, there busses with steps, long wie steep stairs and barely any elevators in most of the train / subway stations. As far as I know, the NY subway is in dire need of improvements and modernization, as the system as a whole is worn, run down and has probably lasted much longer than every engineer designed it to. Some other subway systems have undergone renovations and got new trains, while keeping their history in mind. The new trains for example somewhat resemble the design of a very popular and long term used iconic type of subway car in my home town, while being more spacious, energy efficient and also equipped with AC and modern information systems.

@thesparkmeister3906 2 жыл бұрын

The Brooklyn trolley Dodgers that’s funny

@MichaelBeeny 2 жыл бұрын

Music is far too loud.

@wickideazy Жыл бұрын

The Tremont Street subway is not only the first subway line in the US, but it is still in use today. Take the Green Line from Government Center to Boylston Street or beyond and you are traveling through that exact tunnel.

@Hayatory 2 жыл бұрын

Wow that intro was loud

@6idangle 2 жыл бұрын

I kind of agree, I like the dingy subway it feels like home. I take the 2 train most places from crown heights and It’s modern enough

@DaarkCloud 2 жыл бұрын

I keep forgetting the intro volume is so much louder than the rest of the video... I jump every time xD

@CerveloR5 2 жыл бұрын

20:36 I thought the 91St. station belonged to the IRT? And it's on the 1,2,3 lines under broadway. The station is only a two platform station.

@Bloodborne11639 2 жыл бұрын

had my headphones on, the intro volume startled me

@BlackDragon-xn2ww 2 жыл бұрын

the city hall station looks steam punk that would make for a good upgrade to the subway line do it all in steam punk to give it a modern style

@HarryHamsterChannel 2 жыл бұрын

My, what chair-blasting music.

@jackholmesdiscovereranglos7891 2 жыл бұрын

Horse Drawn trams like you mentioned first appeared in Sydney streets from 1861 to 1866. Then in 1878, Hay burners then made way for Coal burners aka Baldwin Steam trams aka Sydney steam tram motors. Right up until the 1890s that Electric Trams start to take shape. Sydney Did have steam powered cable trams. North Harbour of Sydney and Sydney to Edgecliff. Melbourne unlike Sydney started Cable trams in a rapid way. Until replaced by Electric trams in 1925 Boston Subway was actually an Underground tramway. 18:36 this reminded me of Museum Railway Station and St James Railway Station in Sydney that were built on the City Circle Line. St James was Originally built for Not only the City Circle but for the Western and the Eastern Suburban railway.

@purplealice 2 жыл бұрын

Boston had "trackless trolleys" that ran on the streets like buses, getting their electric power from overhead wires. And the Melbourne trolleys reminded me a lot of the Bosto trackless trolleys, although they were more fun to ride.

@jackholmesdiscovereranglos7891 2 жыл бұрын

@@purplealice trackless trolleys of Boston. Did you meant Trolley buses. We had trolley buses in Sydney. And trackless trolleys aka trolley buses had replaced the Kogarah Steam tramway in 1937 by premier Bruxener Stephens who decided to replace trams with buses and trolley buses. That was the starting point for the Sydney tramway closure towards 1961

@paulwarner5395 2 жыл бұрын

x Sydney Baldwin Steam tram 100 is still alive and well at MOTAT , Auckland , New Zealand.

@jackholmesdiscovereranglos7891 2 жыл бұрын

@@paulwarner5395 well I’m glad to hear that Because I checked on the internet already And 2 other steam trams of Sydney still preserved and alive. 28a at loftus and 103a at valley heights

@jmichaelvandenberg 2 жыл бұрын

My great x3 uncle W.G Wagenhals invented the third rail for metros and the first USPS mail car!

@thecoolchannel6431 2 жыл бұрын

The difference in volume of voice and opening theme literally gave me a heart attack

@nycchris8743 3 ай бұрын

It LITERALLY gave you a heart attack? Which hospital were you taken to? And yet, you survived and were well enough to comment on the volume.

@visionpersistance 2 жыл бұрын

I believe that first photograph is not of the original IRT Subway Cars, but, I believe, The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad or “Hudson Tubes” or the Path or Port Authority Trans Hudson rail line between Lower and Midtown Manhattan and Jersey City, Hoboken and Newark in New Jersey.

@nuyorican91st Жыл бұрын

I was raised on 91st in the late 80s early 90s That abandoned station fascinates me till this day

@rickbaier1042 2 жыл бұрын

Warriors come out to play. Them on that train EPIC

@kanyeweast4561 2 жыл бұрын

hey, could you please make the intro music louder? other than that, amazing video (not sarcasm, you make informative videos, thank you)

@AlphaGator9 2 жыл бұрын

I enjoyed this video. Thank you for sharing. *** One question came up - do cities, any city, currently use something akin to subways to still deliver goods around a city? i.e. - possibly help remove trucks, etc. from the local streets? *** not a protestation, but a sincere question.

@purplealice 2 жыл бұрын

A lot of cities installed pneumatic tubes for business mail in the central business district - and many large buildings (anything from banks to department stores) used pneumatic tubes within the building.Would the mail system count?

@retroguy9494 2 жыл бұрын

Well, I don't know about ALL cities, but New York definitely does NOT. Rail and trucks only. Which is why double parked trucks sometimes make driving around NYC nightmare. But the controlled unions aren't about to give up all that trucking because its so lucrative. But Ace Lightening is correct about the pneumatic tubes in buildings. I've seen them.

@graphtonix6607 2 жыл бұрын

Can you please do a video on the history of the BART train???

@gregoryignatius4282 2 жыл бұрын

Charm? Only an insane person would ride the subway for charm.

@peccatumDei 2 жыл бұрын

Someone in the last few years DID make in into the city hall station, and recorded video. I've seen it here on You Tube, but I don't remember the title.