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72 Comments
- brandita, on 03/24/2009, -2/+19The sad part is it looks exactly the same today but has even less lines on it. The black lines are lines that are no longer existent for the most part. They really haven't built ***** in the last 70 years minus a few minor things. We need to make transit a priority again in this country. Otherwise the map is easy on the eyes.
- Doofy, on 03/24/2009, -0/+14The map is the very end of private transportation in NYC, all built from 1909-1939. The government refused to allow any fares to be raised over 30 years, until they all went broke.
In 1940, the city bought out all the companies, immediately doubled the fares, and started closing down lines.
The newly "public" transportation system closed the 2nd, 3rd, and 9th ave. L's. and hasn't built anything to replace them since. - archivedigger, on 03/24/2009, -2/+16Much respect to city planners back in the day: Lincoln and Holland Tunnels, Hoboken Ferry, the A/E/C, 2/3, 4/5/6, 7 cross-town, the F, all good. Plus, Yankee Stadium uptown at E. 161 St. & River Ave. Damn, I wish I could have seen it then.
- hazard, on 03/24/2009, -0/+10Sadly, this system is still better than today's cities with a similiar populations. All the biggest cities have some sort of mass transit rail system, but growing cities still believe highway expansion and express toll lanes are the solution.
- kplo, on 04/01/2009, -0/+7Very cool. Lovin' the color scheme.
- mrplinko, on 03/24/2009, -4/+11Looks like the walls of most subway restaurants.
- Aliwalla, on 03/24/2009, -2/+9For comparison this is the london underground in 1933:
http://uk.geocities.com/lhsoicher/images/1933a.jpg
This is it today:
http://www.yourwired.co.uk/images/underground_map. ... - Spoonsy, on 03/24/2009, -0/+6This would explain why the R train sucks so much. Same as it ever was since 1939.
- Zalazane, on 03/24/2009, -1/+7lame
- cmart332, on 03/24/2009, -1/+7nothing makes me more angry than this map. I can't wait to pay more for less frequent trains.
BDFV represent! - inactive, on 03/24/2009, -0/+6Plus streetcar companies were responsible for repairing and electrifying and snow clearing their own track... Not like county/city money poured into snow removal for the roads...
- Nubhole, on 03/24/2009, -0/+6Mmm...BMT Subway....
- Kapowpapow, on 03/24/2009, -2/+7because some people find it interesting.
- HappyScrappy, on 03/24/2009, -0/+5The legend says the black lines are elevated trains.
And there are not more trains now by a wide margin. If you look at this map, the only thing that's not there is the BDFV up 6th av, the F out across Roosevelt island to 21st St/Queensbridge, the big chunk of A out to the Rockaways, the section of 5 from E 180th to Eastchester and a single station (179th) in Jamaica. Also added is the WTC stop at the end of the E, but it's of course closed right now.
And a lot of elevated train was removed at 2nd ave, 3rd ave, 9th ave/Colombus and in Brookyln.
That's not much change for 60 years. It's sad actually. - phramus, on 03/24/2009, -0/+5Awesome 1939 Google Maps.
- pxmm, on 03/24/2009, -1/+5Reminds me of playing Mafia
- DirtPile, on 03/24/2009, -2/+6I can see my house from here.
- Yankees368, on 03/24/2009, -0/+4Loving the fact that LGA is named North Beach Airport, Ebbets Field, Polo Grounds, World's Fair, and how so many (not so new) things missing!
- Misinformant, on 03/24/2009, -0/+4Roosevelt Island used to be called Welfare Island?
Hah. Explains a bit. - Homerr, on 03/24/2009, -1/+51939 NY is still decades ahead of 2009 Seattle.
- britva836, on 03/24/2009, -0/+4It seems that most of the train routes are the same as now. Actually I'm struggling to find the differences other than the train names. It's always cool to think of how long these stations have been in use and how the individual neighborhoods have changed over the years.
Ridin' the 7 train at 46th St .....Eat me John Rocker! - inactive, on 03/24/2009, -0/+4Nice find. I need to quit living in the past.
- djm19, on 03/24/2009, -1/+4Los Angeles use to have the largest rail system in the world:
http://www.planetizen.com/files/u11/redcarmap.gif
Downtown area:
http://www.uncanny.net/~wetzel/1938lary2.jpg - bontzmachine, on 03/24/2009, -0/+3actually the fact that it hasn't changed much is really a testament to the fact that the design for it was utterly unbelievably simply exquisite. I have lived in many cities before this one and in New York I get everywhere I need to go extremely easily. There is almost no other city where it's easier to take public transit than surface roads. Amazing system and it should be commended. Now bring down the prices and I'll be very happy.
- inactive, on 03/24/2009, -0/+3http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI3Avp2TSCo
(8:53)
"Just as important is rapid transportation..."
Uh... we haven't worked out all the kinks yet, it's slow... - inactive, on 03/24/2009, -0/+3"New York City has eight million people all wanting to live together, so it must be the happiest place on earth" Crocodile Dunne
- kctp702, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2Seems there used to be an 18th st stop on the 6...had to have been the most useless stop ever. can understand why they shut that down.
Also used to be a Myrtle ave stop in Brooklyn on the broadway line before the Manhattan bridge...if you ride the Q manhattan bound you can see that cool zoetrope they put in the (now abandoned) station right before the bridge. - poptoppyramid, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2The sponsor is uniquely appropriate.
- inactive, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2Ebbets field is funny because the whole reason the team was called the dodgers was because of the insane amount of trolley traffic and track that had to be braved to enter the stadium. Pretty pathetic that the name remained Dodgers in Los Angeles where streetcars like in many cities were torn up to the last rail and replaced with ridiculous highways.
- inactive, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2The solution is making online meetings and web business and work from home a normal thing. I love railroads, but this country will never have a national high speed system or effective widespread light rail :-( . American politicians just don't have the spine to spend a lot now to make life easier later, just look at how spending money to SAVE THE ECONOMY FROM UTTER COLLAPSE has met so much resistance and chicken little ranting.
- Xmoneyx9, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2Just change the colors around a little and that's what it looks like today.
- HappyScrappy, on 03/25/2009, -0/+2Rhoderunner:
They didn't buy up all the lines. They only bought some of them, and I think the fine was smaller than $5,000. Part of the reason for the fine being so small is because the companies they didn't buy ceased operations, not just the ones they bought. So it was presumed that these companies were going out of business due to market forces and not just oligarchial practices. - spongya77, on 03/24/2009, -3/+5And you can guess the reason. It's a bad thing the public transportation, the rail lines, and all were systematically destroyed everywhere in the US. If it wasn't so sad, I'd laugh at the irony: even today Florida is about to let the only commuter train it has die, because they don't want to fund it. Congested roads, environmental reasons, helping people to save money by offering a cost-effective way to commute -these matter not apparently.
- mstachiw, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2Depositing Loads (of Cash) since 1939
- utahband, on 03/24/2009, -1/+3Another way to look at it is that it's pretty impressive that over 70 years ago they had such a complex system in place. Good planning.
- biofreak12, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2Nice, my stop is there :)
- charlie55, on 03/25/2009, -0/+2the black lines with overlay are elevated trains. black lines are streets.
- oboshoe, on 03/24/2009, -1/+3
NYC is a city that would loathe to live in, and I really don't like even visiting (too many people)
But. I love looking at old NYC maps and photos. I love looking at the ones from the 1600's and then mapping it out as best you can to modern day NYC.
I guess I've got a love/hate thing with NYC. I love it as a monument to mankind with all its architecture and rich history. I hate it as a place to live. - Cannonballkid, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2Yeah Flushing
- Mship, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2To all the complainers about the fare hike in places in D.C. I have a brother who has to pay 6 bucks each way on their transit system to get to work each day. Im sure if the nyc government wasnt involved we would be paying somewhere close to the same.
- rdoger6424, on 03/25/2009, -0/+2Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was... - lostarchitect, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2That's exactly what I was going to ask about. Weird!
- HappyScrappy, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2Actually, looking again, the section of 5 from E 180th ot Eastchester was already there, it just wasn't integrated into the subway system, it is listed as a train.
- Rain12913, on 03/24/2009, -0/+2The same way it has numerous times in the past.
- AnLegend, on 03/25/2009, -0/+1Isn't that the damn truth. Not one single useful expansion project. It took nearly 70 years for them to break ground for the 2nd Avenue, and they may not even finish it. The flushing line extension? scrapped. Service to Staten Island? scrapped. Now the MTA is considering raising the fares once again, while even cutting more services. NYC is definitely the city with the shrinking subway.
- otaku22, on 03/25/2009, -0/+1Almost monopoly. We still have PATH.
- Travelsonic, on 03/24/2009, -0/+1Too bad the NYW&B railroad had ceased operation 4 years previously and at this point was rusting away, having not yet been dismantled for WWII when that came around.
- speel, on 03/24/2009, -0/+1and now the MTA is a huge monopoly
- otaku22, on 03/25/2009, -0/+1My great grand-uncle was in a mental institution there because he was a coke addict before it was fahsionable.
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