New York Subway 1905

[youraverageuser]

great way to go back in time!

[MattTheSaiyan]

These old films are the next best thing to a time machine.

[RetroToledo]

@MattTheSaiyan At least you're a lot more realistic about this than the usual comments I see here.

[Falsel1ght]

It's odd watching videos like this. People rushing around, doing their business, everything seems so important to them, yet everyone in that video is now dead, Strange feeling

[jordanyeap1]

Wow can't imagine it's from 106 years ago. VideoCam and Subway, New York must be so exclusive and advanced back then.

[wannamlwithu]

whoa..Grand Central platform looked so classy back then! :) now feels like...oh well..:p

[RetroToledo]

@wannamlwithu You see how standards and taste have declined over time.

[AlienBusDriver]

0:02 Someone running from the train and then disappears?

[RetroToledo]

@AlienBusDriver Since I can tell there's a slight jump in the film there, I think the guy was running over to the stairway you see on the left to get down to the platform.

[TheNHLcanucks]

Huh......Makes me wonder.....If anyone from this film that we saw was still alive today lol

[Wolfen443]

@TheNHLcanucks, not likely but their chikldren maybe proud of seen someone of their past featured there. 

[victor042696]

@TheNHLcanucks there's no way anyone from this film could ever be alive today. they would be like 130 lol

[TheNHLcanucks]

@victor042696 Well if you think about it lol. Maybe a girl that looked 6-7 years old could be still alive at like 117 or something lol

[ironmikekiddynomite]

wow why was everybody dressed so fancy back then 

[HistoricFootage]

@ironmikekiddynomite Maybe because they didn't want to look like slobish filth, the standard for most people these days. 

[wjuneau]

The film has been edited to delete the credit for the experiment. The cameraman was Billy Bitzer, known mostly as D. W. Griffiths cameraman, who shot just about every picture Griffith made. The credit should be included in this film, at least for mass viewing.

[kasyapa]

private enterprise did this and so much more. we need to go forward to economic freedom.

[k4nbc]

Nobody went out without a hat back in the day.

[Kingcire72x]

@k4nbc Being born & raised in the 5Boros maybe that's why I love hats so much aside from having a football head

but the ladies still think I'm sexy Hahaha

[1x93cm]

america....what happened to us....

[Kingcire72x]

@1x93cm Greed,hatred,racism. Drugs,Gangs,Thievery. The lack of honesty and loyalty.

The fall of self pride Democrats & Republicans Not enough family and people looking out for each other.

We can still get it right if everybody stands together

[1x93cm]

@Kingcire72x you forgot feminism- now two ppl have to earn the income of one

[Kingcire72x]

@1x93cm Oh yeah I forgot that one.

Thanks

[ReDRuM868]

You can tell how new and fresh the infrastructure is, very cool to see.

[hotfuzz199]

Funny how the the train tunnel actually lines up exactly with the contuor of the train itself. Talk about precision.

[dehBix]

And they all are wearing hats.

[bbperv]

wowww...would love to see a london underground version from that time

[solinvictus39]

A snapshot of America when people dressed nice and weren't obese and slovenly. Makes you think about whether we are evolving or devolving.

[stevefromPA2]

a piece of visual history

[zbt518]

This ride, at the end, is today impossible.

Since this was filmed, the tracks connecting the Park Avenue tunnel to the tracks leading West under 42nd Street (from Grand Central to Times Square) have been disconnected.

Now, the station featured at the end of the vid is used only by the "S" line (the oft-forgotten shuttle which runs back and forth between Times Square and Grand Central)

[germxv]

where in the hell did you dig this up? wow

[silx2000]

rare and rich video. Best regards from Brazil.

[pennyf9]

this is from 1905?! damn! what a quality picture!

[kyolym]

@pennyf9 it has been restored the original is very dark and grainy it does look fantastic

[pennyf9]

@kyolym i know.

[bundangbear]

Now this is art!

[Jere616]

I'm glad this survived.

[joehuify]

better quality than many youtube vids

[RastafariPoet]

Holy shit look at this!

[Classic905]

@thebigrene1972 from the comments, your the one who needs one lol yelling at these kids for nothing acting all tough lol its youtube buddy, calm down

[SebJS74]

@thebigrene1972 Thankyou for backing up my point :)

[SebJS74]

@thebigrene1972 - Jeez, chill out mate. Anyone would think it was your time of the month...

[mwr0585]

How it was so clean lol

[bigben1986]

the trainstations look rather dark.

[StalkinCows]

tracks look alot cleaner than todays trains.. xD

[kmothersil]

This is a great video of the subway months after it opened.

[gsotodotcom]

Man, they went slow back then.

[xliver4]

@thebigrene1972

How long ago was that argument? I dont even remember what i was talking about, nor do i care.

oh btw, calm down. Your getting mad about a subway...

[ordjay]

incredibly clear imagery considering the age of the film. Historical document. Part of our heritage. Thanks for posting.

[nyamininthamanor]

cheers, interesting

[teletubetodd]

Marvelous cinematography for its time, considering how the motion picture (and the New York subway) were in their infancy when this movie was taken. Grand Central subway station looked great at the end — an appropriate "terminal" for the film. It's hard to believe everyone dressed so well even to take the subway — must have been Sunday. Thanks for posting this!

[MgKGaMbIT]

i bet the person filming this is 6ft under by now

[Friedtoenails]

every single one of these people are dead.

[sandman9705]

Wow thanks for taking me back in time do u or anyone have 1 riding in side 1 of those

[Eightbanger]

This is fantastic.!!...the film is so clear. And it's glaringly obvious to all that this film is from the turn of the Century, just take a look at the clothes, in particular the Bustle dresses and big Hats on the ladies. No dame in the 1930's would have been seen wearing that.

[Xerobeat]

thats one freaking slow train.

[wgw214]

Flivver or Steinway Cars

[the1909house]

I believe this IS from 12905. Take a look at the clothes at about 5:00 and 5:30 on. Deffinately early century!

[RoteKampfSocke]

I don't think the footage is from the year 1905 ... Just have a look at the "light-source" which is mounted on the train driving on the parallel track.. Fluorescent Lamps (in that form) were not available until the 1930ies....

[teddybeareleventeen]

An incredible piece of footage! Anyone with the slightest interest in railroad/subway historywill ove this! Definitely going in my favourites!

[1958debs]

My, it was dark in there. No budget for lighbulbs?

[oxide393]

This video is brilliant in many ways, great with no music. How was the footage taken I would like to know if anyone can answer this?

[forwardbias]

WOW, for 1905, digital movie cameras with time overlays. Never knew they had security cameras back then with CCD technology with digital overlay. jk... Fake.

[BirthOfTheMovies]

@forwardbias Funny you should say "fake" I'm just looking at this, and thinking the exact same thing,

[karolynruffin1]

My Great Grandmother was 4 at the time, and harriet Tubman was still alive. Ms. Tubman passed in 1913, my great grandma in 1989. How close we are. How small the world is.

[store275]

Even that little girl at the end is a pile of bones six feet under now --- creepy.

[latinslim]

@store275 lol damn that was funny comment you left but true.

[miguelmouta]

Congratulations , very nice video.

[tamisweetie]

it looks so different!

[auaiao9]

This footage is remarkably well preserved and very interesting.

[GeraldProductions80]

come on now...to all those people who are commenting on how clean it looks...can you really tell from this 100 year old b&w footage?? lets be real

[magiclard]

@GeraldProductions80 every bit of the subway was kept spick and span by an endless army of pretzel welders who suplemented their income thus. I think. Maybe not.

[gvt2u]

Hate to say it, but life must have been incredibly boring back then. And no, they didn't have better morals. They just didn't bring things out into the open, so if a woman or child was raped, for example, no one was going to do anything about it. In fact, not even around that time was child abuse illegal.

[TheBigfan69]

wow...the subway was actually clean and things weren't destroyed in stations etc....bigg difference from then and now

[RWSGameTapes]

@TheBigfan69 u try keeping a 100 year old system clean

[jooshiscrazy]

@TheBigfan69 This was filmed just several months after the subway opened. The stations are often the same as they were 100 years ago, so it makes sense they would look like that now.

[ljtatts]

The clothing they wore. Awesome.

[xxKOZTRAxx]

it looks of the 30's

[mtattrain]

OMG, there was a 75-foot car tester!

[EvanescentIcee]

its so hard 2 believe that it actually looked like this in NYC

[famousamosguy]

That's when our country was clean.

[d4seasons]

yes it was. our ancestors & elderly folks had better morals & respect for everything back then. i wished i was able to ride on the brooklyn bridge in that cable car. would love to travel back in time for one day. this picture quality is B&W beautiful.*

[auaiao9]

@d4seasons I want to travel back in time too for a day. I want to be the way I am now, know it's 2010 but go back to 1905 or thereabouts. I want to visit my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee and experience how it was at that time.

[magiclard]

@auaiao9 If you visit chatanooga its most likely pretty much the same /

[TheSweety3000]

thanks I already loved the video link to my Portuguese teacher we are looking at the story (rice from heaven)

[TheSweety3000]

obrigada eu adorei já o link do video para a minha professora de português estamos a estudar o conto (arroz do céu)

[21ricky666]

nowadays theyd never let trains go that close to eachother.

[dragonfist76]

Outstanding !! Any idea what line it waz ?

[MontagTheMagician]

Thanks a MILLION for not adding any music to this! Too many of these have some crappy music dubbed in.

[d4seasons]

@MontagTheMagician the footage is beautiful. it doesn'y look old. beautifully retouched & remastered.damn. early 1905.+***

[andrew39611]

my friend got 2 ride on 1 of these sunday. im so jealous. liek the v line had one of these every sunday in spirit of the holiday season

[benja85us]

back then train stations looked sparkly clean

[vibra64]

Clean because there were no slobs or animals in the subway back then. Now we have pigs.

[MrHonwe]

looks like someone broke a picture tube in the camera(joke,jaja)

[cammicty]

Thank you for sharing this footage.

[vacuumtube56]

kind of spooky !

[mustang2005]

no i dont think that's the atlantic ave tunnel

[rabqaiser]

nice histeroy kool thx

[Modeltrainguy]

Amazing! 5 Stars!

[bdienstag]

What station is this?

[sovetskii52]

It is on the IRT Lexington avenue Line. It starts at 14th street/Union Square on the local track and goes uptown. It passes 18th street(now abandoned), stops at 23rd, 28th, 33rd, then makes a 90 degree left turn and ends at Grand Central/42nd street on what is now the IRT 42nd street Shuttle platform. Review the subway's history.

[behahve1]

They sure did dress dour in those days.

God Bless Adidas, God Bless Air Ones, God Bless Bright Colour!

If you think I'm being materialistic, go Fuck yourself :-)

[vibra64]

If these people were alive today they would be amazed at how stupid our country has become. Just like you!

[AntoDamicoShow]

were soo lucky we were not in tose times

[Larsky1010]

Cool having the lighting equipment riding along on a train on the left track. It still is amazing the photography is so good considering the camera equipment and film available at the time.

[JimiKiwi]

And, what about the Motormen? Nice driving, too

[NYSteamerMan]

great piece of hsitory. suppose this was a special occasion filming the system? trailing rrain kept remarkably close and steady. at last scene note two gents in top hats walking arm in arm am sure that was just a way they comported themselves 104 years ago. Sobering to think all those people even the little kid is long gone

[northlanderdude]

WOW ! that was awesome !

[sw052491]

amazing video, like someone above said it's like traveling back in time. Although I expected the station to have more ppl, since I read that new york was ridiculously crowded in the 19th and turn of the century.

[MargaritasAntesPorco]

why did everybody wear hats back in those days..?

in this video,..men, women, even children had hats on.

like, whats going on here...

[Maserati7200]

that was the culture back then. People who wanted to dress with propriety wore hats.

[insanityrecordings]

@MargaritasAntesPorco i know im late on this answer but back in those days it was considered respectful and proper to wear a hat on your head i dont quite understand it myself thats just how it was

[MargaritasAntesPorco]

yeah--guess thats the way it was.

in retrospect, seems a bit conformist though, heh..(?) like a guy couldn't go outside the house w/o his hat...bit bizarre.

prefer not to wear any hats myself.

[clarabella1234]

wow, the ending when you could see all the people was the best part. so interesting

[redonionsauce]

I agree. They actually tell you where the track is. This film was over 100 years old. They have changed some of the names of the lines since then.

[DangerSteve]

Sad cases arguing about train lines. Get a girlfriend.

[nagaempress]

When Subway hobbists attack?

[LilSC19]

@DangerSteve Lol

[spamdude060]

i know that this is the lexington line, but is this train the 4, 5 or 6?

[inwoodliver]

the fact that this FILM survived is wonderful

[SteveXnycperformance]

WOW! we had a work subway before the bankers took over the U.S. in 1913....God bless the 1776 constitution. we the people are great, the bankers are a rape and rap.

[SteveXnycperformance]

PLUS, i`m sure the camera was MADE IN THE U.S.A. for the chink to copy...

[StylistecS]

WOW.

[bettygoodbody]

or was there a phone of some kind? got to check again. no antibiotics vd meant death. no al capone was in the twenties, friend .

[bettygoodbody]

before world war one, before the titanic, before radio before telephone, but there was wire telegraph.

[bigrene2]

Wow, this video is over a century old...

I think the train in this vid, is the Hi-V "Gibbs", built by the American Car & Foundry Company. It was also first all-steel passenger car in the world.

The train in this vid runs from the 14th Street-Union Square station on the IRT Lex Ave Line to the Grand Central station, where the 42nd Street Shuttle currently uses (The Grand Central-42nd Street station on the Lexington Avenue Line opened in the summer of 1918).

[PCXPBOY]

wow no one that was there in the video is alive now... and its weird that this was in 1905... didnt know subways would sitll resemble the same tubular design they do now

[packr72]

most subways in new york were built between 1900 and 1940 all basically used the same design called cut and cover.

[xliver4]

no not anymore. they do still have some old subways, but some of them are new. for instance the 123 is a fairly new subway (at least the interior is).

[skymunro]

no one calls it the 123..it hasn't been called that since the IRT days of the early 70'sWhat the fuck is wrong with you migrant?? been watching too many shitty remake movies lately?? Its the 6 line bro..goes up to pelham pkwy..the 5 goes by pelham bay park and the trains are new, 15 years ago they were the red cars that you still see on the 1 line....the 1-2-3 is referring to the westside line...1, 2 or the 3....RIP the 9 train...

[xliver4]

calm down. i was refering to the 1-2-3 i think. i dont live in New york, but on the board it clearly had 1, 2, and a 3 in a red bubble. i took it to chambers.

[xliver4]

oh and the 1-2-3 doesnt even go to pelham pkwy you dumb fuck. the 6 train does.

[skymunro]

you dumb mother fucker!! the 123 is the 6!!! they called it the 123 during the IRT days...is your reading comprehension that bad???: Graduate you dumb fuck!! Pelham bay park is the last stop...your not even from NYC..i was born and bred you lilly bitch!!! THE EXACT REASON WHY YOUR WRONG IS WHY I CALLED YOU OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! YOUR DUMB!!!!!

[xliver4]

i have the map right in front of me, and the 1-2-3 is not the 6

[skymunro]

yo....retard....listen to me you fucking retard...you stupid proud ego centric fuck...you said the 123....not the 1 line..the 2 line or the 3....you dumb little fuck bag....READ WHAT THE FUCK I WROTE YOU STUPID SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!! READ MY ORIGINAL POST!! you called the 6 train the 123...why?? b/c you see some stupid remake movie of a classic Walter Matthau film so you're a little confused. i don't understand how you have the nerve to be combative with me over this.

[xliver4]

oh shit what will we do. i didnt call it the 1 line 2 line and 3 line. a fucking mentally retarded 10 year old will know what im talking about if you give them a map of the subway and tell them to find the 1-2-3. my bad i didnt put a "-" in it.... and you have major fucking problems.

[skymunro]

As simply as it can be put...the 123 does not exist anymore...the 123 was what is now know as the 6 train you lily little bitch...ITS THE SAME TRACK!!!

[xliver4]

the 6 starts at pelham pkwy. the 1 starts at van cortlandt park and goes to 1-2-3 and 72nd street. its hard for something to not exist when i took it last week...

[skymunro]

do i confront and challenge you about where the gazebo is on the green in your small town?? ESPECIALLY WHEN I KNOW YOUR GOING TO BE RIGHT!?!? little shit bag. I am 27 years old. I was born and raised in Manhattan, Yorkville, 92nd &3rd...to be precise..Ive been a courier in this city...right now as I type this Im on 15th st (where I live now) Im no migrated transplant nor yuppy tourist like you...

[skymunro]

known

[skymunro]

123....HAHAHAHAHA!!! stupid stupid boy...stay in perspective, don't open your mouth unless you know what your talking about...

[xliver4]

lol your a dick. you think your the shit because you know about the subways. go fuck yourself

[louisEX2]

u r rite the subways look like the same thing

[Chris08TT]

isnt crazy that they had movies before tv

[ET471082]

cinema?

[redonionsauce]

Thank Edison for the clip. If your family lived in NYC back then, they may have been in the station sceans

[140woburn]

This a great video od new yorks early sbuway system.

[firewilson81]

oh my god, i am absolutely pulled into this stuff like a magnet it is just almost like time travel. look at the men on the platform looking like they are wearing uniforms> and the women were larger too. wow. the great video in this group is the coney island 1905 girls school. did you see this one?

[ishouldntbeyoutubing]

These same subway cars, or cars that looked just like them, ran until the mid-1960s. Very historic...but not air conditioned. The Lex in summer was called the Black Hole of Calcutta.

[wirelesselectrode]

what the hell are u talking about ? what advanced? the first Subway was running in london U.K and then the 2nd was in Budapest Hungria.. that was advanced ground breaking!

[Razorblade12161216]

al-capone days..

[TheLastBrainLeft]

Much earlier than Capone.

[Razorblade12161216]

yea forgoten haah

[paulgreenfields]

The train looks pretty. Well, pretty for a train in 1904.

[George21T]

man This is great looking back at time 96 years before i wasnt even thought of culture was so different then.

[boksic73]

amazing

[xandervaliya]

This is the best copy of this film I've ever seen. Such detailed quality compared to the others. Very mesmerizing.

Notice at 0:04 that the entire boarding and unboarding scene at Union Square has been edited out. I hope the original wasn't left on the cutting room floor, gone forever. The boarding and unboarding scenes are the highlights of the film.

@ 5:43 - Little girl on the right, "Look mommy, movie camwah!"

@ 5:45 - Gentleman w. lady on the right, "The camera whirls round and round..."

[mariners67]

trains used to b behind trains bak den???

[8thRRFS]

Note that the first station the train passes after 14th st. is the now abandoned 18th st. station which was closed in 1948 after the 14th st. station was extended.

[robhagle]

There was alot of crime back then too. just not as many people

[Subwaynut666]

This is beautiful. I'm amazed that someone made this video in 1905 - and how exactly were they following the train?

The old tracks that ran to the present day shuttle platform is a great touch of nostalgia.

[Poofyponcho]

they all were so innocent back then. what a trip

[hjiqnz]

man the 1980"s look innocent now . never mind 104 years ago !!

[Poofyponcho]

haha yeh seriously. imagine the culture shock, if you could warp back in time, or if they could warp to now. damn. trippy.

[nvm0]

This is interesting. Nice video

[19lfm12]

Fascinating to me, as I have ridden this route many times! The local stop platforms (18th, 23rd, 28th, 33 sts) are on the right - and are much shorter then now. The local trains then were 3-4 cars long; express were 8-10 cars

That is why there were the old signs in the express stations "trains stop at center of platform: for the local trains...as they were much shorter then:)

[Keezie27]

This is so cool to see!

[NetworkLive]

simply.. amazing

[ILOVEDC4LIFE32]

still looks the same lol!!

[gunter98]

I would do anything just to ride the subway back then.

[bettygoodbody]

anything?

[trackseventeen]

Wow.... How cool is that? I didn't know "moving Picture" technology goes back as far 1905... i thought it came out in the teens. It's amazing how everyone dressed up back then... Thanks for posting this.

[GeorgeT50]

i like watching this looking at what the people back then where like haha

[precinct]

good for you George, good for you.

This video is fascinating from a subway buff's point of view for a few reasons, not the least of which are:

1. The train starts at Union Square, and you can see the local platform on the righthand side, which has now been blocked up and grated over.

2. The train goes through 18th St. station, which is now abandoned, graffiti'd up, and in total darkness.

3. The video ends