[PRCo] Fwd: NYC The El & Subways

[Fred Schneider]

Another series of films forwarded from Peter Folger....
I've expanded some of his captions.   Remember that I am a generalist so do not hold me to exact precision.   The brain housing group doesn't maintain every tiny detail.

I am not going to try to tell you where every picture was taken in New York City.   Sure, I recognize some things like Coentis Slip curve.   But some of those subway and elevated stations, to an outsider, begin to blend together and all look alike.   

This may sound insulting to the New Yorkers.   About five years ago, an old friend of mine who grew up in the New York area, and I went there for a short vacation.   I instigated it.   I suggested that we both needed to try to put our arms around the city.  Before the end of the week we both gave up and left town.   I think we found driving out to Teddy Roosevelt's home more interesting that the city itself.   

Begin forwarded message:

NYC The El & Subways.
 
110th Street Curve, New York, Elevated ('El') Railway 1899.   The film is miscaptioned.   It's the 110th St. curve where the 8th Avenue Elevated shifted from Eighth (Columbus Avenue) over to Ninth Avenue.   It was also known as Suicide Curve.  See the map below to confirm that the firm is wrong.

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?17506
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9XLGc7d0zA&feature=related
 
Elevated Railroad, New York City, 1903.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h4CJIZ46bI&feature=related
The end of the Third Avenue El.   I think this was 1955.   At the end it was a weekday only service.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtE2gC_fJ7Y&feature=related

THIRD AVENUE EL - "The Vanishing El" - New York City's last "El" trains. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85SoH6cjiOc&feature=related

3rd Avenue El - early 1950's.   The cars were segregated from the subway ... wooden cars were not permitted in the subway because of potential accidents; steel subway cars were too heavy for the cast iron elevated structure.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEG4re43ub8&feature=related

New York City Rapid Transit -1950's. - fascinating for those of us who remember it.   None of those cars are running today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxbn8jDp0Gk&feature=related

An advertisement for service to the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkMHe0udrjQ&feature=related

IRT Low Voltage cars at Yankee Stadium.  -- This needs a detailed explanation.   Has absolutely nothing to do with the motors or the third rail.   The cars did not run on a lower voltage.

It was the Interborough Rapid Transit Corporation's way of referring to Westinghouse cars with HL or AL or AB or HB control schemes.  

Westinghouse used low-voltage for control functions.   That is the power passing through the motorman's controller to work the motor controller under the car was low-voltage, i.e. 32 volts DC either from a batter (the B) or by passing line voltage through a dropping resistor (the L).    General Electric historically used high voltage at very low amperages to accomplish the same function in their type M or PC control schemes.   

So when you see IRT Low-V cars mentioned, just think Westinghouse remote control (multiple-unit control).   

A train of the Lo-Vs has been preserved by the "Transit Authority" and is available for special movements such as those you see here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko0jYkr756Y&feature=related

A Ride on the IRT Low-Vs to Yankee Stadium.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F828Uee9F5U&feature=related

Low-V Excursion - East 180th Street - Dyre Avenue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHznyPJhPuE&feature=related

Nostalgia Train - NYC Vintage Subway Ride.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKm_N_QfTDc&playnext=1&list=PL102C54DC61F39477

IRT Nostalgia Train on the 1 Line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DikmTeVhCY&NR=1

NYC Subway: New York Transit Museum's Coney Island Nostalgia Train.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy1oXjcZrVg

Peter Folger
P.O.Box 1741
Biddeford, ME 04005-1741
transitman at maine.rr.com