Elevated Railroad, New York City, 1903

The film was photographed from the front platform of a train traveling over elevated tracks in New York City. Although many of the buildings alongside the tracks can be seen, it is difficult to determine the exact location of the scene.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Elevated
• Railroad
• New
• York
• actuality

[bobhymes]

Notice the beginnings of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on the left (around 00:11), with St. Luke's Hospital behind it. Then we look up Morningside Drive (00:14), the continuation of Columbus Avenue above 110th, with Morningside Park to its right (the railings and posts on the left edge of the park look exactly the same today), and then the train makes its way around the curve to the right into 110th Street. When the right turn is complete we start to see Central Park on the right.

[dogshitlover]

i cant believe that this kin of video still exixt today, I love coz I can see the life from the past......

[TheAlmightyBassist]

Is there a blu ray of this?

[America100000able]

This is the Ninth Avenue Elevated. I presume the suicide curve.

[gayforlife2020]

My grandfather was 15 when this was built. The New York of his day was messy, disorganized, but full of promise. The El was what allowed the city to sprawl. Few cities have such a complicated rail system: already bound by buildings, and water everywhere. I know the racket & light are a problem, but I wish they left one El trailing through Manhattan: the views from up there were spectacular.

[awaseniu]

This is a nice video. By the way, I have one on the Third Avenue Line before it was torn down over on my channel.

[JeffOrnstein01]

This film may even be earlier than 1903. The forney locomotives were pretty much reitired by then, as electrification of the elevated lines occurred around 1902.

[TheLastBrainLeft]

@davesgcr Definately 9th Ave, near 110 St, the infamous "suicide curve". The el moved off of 9th and onto 8th.

[TheLastBrainLeft]

I had thought all the els were converted to electricity by this date.

[avcomth]

Hard to imagine how NY city had this over 100 years ago and some countries just have this kind of elevated MRT a few years ago. People elsewhere were living in jungles and huts during the same period as in this footage.

[intercityrailpal]

@huwjead We have Anthracite in Pennsylvania. Yes, it's a great fuel. New Yorkers used to use it for heat. But the oil companys after getting rid of the els to get the big trucks in to NY they got NY to use Oil for heat and fuel! Which bankrupted the freight railroads. So now it's trucks, for everything and everyone! Smelly air, and traffic jams. Bailouts for Detroit. They did a great job derailing america!