Print this page IRT: New York’s First Subway
J.M. Syken
Course Outline
In this course, we will examine the background and history of the creation New York City’s first underground rapid transit railroad, the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Subway. We will examine early attempts/plans to build an underground railway in NYC and the chronic problem of overcrowded streets and insufficient capacity of the existing surface and elevated transit lines in the post-Civil War years. The political and economic obstacles to the creation of a viable subway system in NYC and the methods and means of overcoming these obstacles will also be discussed at length.
The physical creation of the IRT Subway from groundbreaking in March 1900 to its opening on October 27th 1904 will be examined in great depth and detail. This will include the “cut and cover” method of near-surface tunneling inclusive of both steel I-beam and/or reinforced concrete construction, steel viaducts, concrete lined deep rock tunnels and sub-aqueous tunnels (under the Harlem and East River/s). The plant and equipment used by the IRT (i.e. power generation, distribution, signal system, rolling stock etc.) will be reviewed as will the initial operation and plans for the systems’ expansion. The overall impact on the extended development of the City of New York will be highlighted as well.
This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.
Learning Objective
At the conclusion of this course, the student will:
- Understand/appreciate the problem of overcrowded street traffic and insufficient capacity of existing surface and elevated transit lines in NYC and the need for a subterranean rapid transit system to alleviate the problem in the late 19th century;
- Understand/appreciate the role played by former New York Mayor Abram S. Hewitt and the New York Chamber of Commerce in creating an arrangement whereby the Subway could be built with municipal ownership yet at no financial risk to the city;
- Understand/appreciate the important role/s played by financier August Belmont, Jr. and General Contractor John B. McDonald in the creation of the IRT Subway;
- Understand/appreciate individual roles of the sub-contractors responsible for the actual construction based on fifteen sections;
- Understand/appreciate the route chosen for the IRT Subway;
- Understand/appreciate the reasons for including a Brooklyn Extension;
- Understand/appreciate the “cut and cover” method of near-surface excavation and the use of steel I-beam an/or reinforced concrete construction in this application;
- Understand/appreciate the problem of subsurface infrastructure including sewers, conduits, pneumatic tubes etc. and how these obstacles were overcome;
- Understand/appreciate the excavation/underpinning problem encountered at the Columbus Circle monument and how it was overcome;
- Understand/appreciate the need to underpin surface structures (i.e. buildings, elevated lines);
- Understand/appreciate the erection of steel viaducts;
- Understand/appreciate the digging of deep rock tunnels;
- Understand/appreciate the creation of sub-aqueous tunnels;
- Understand/appreciate the power generation/distribution requirements of the IRT Subway;
- Understand/appreciate the unique signal system developed for the IRT Subway;
- Understand/appreciate the equipment use by the IRT including cars, motor/trailer trucks etc.;
- Understand/appreciate the repair and maintenance facilities required;
- Understand/appreciate the immediate need for expanding the system upon its completion in 1904; and
- Understand/appreciate the impact on the outward expansion and development of NYC due to the creation of the IRT Subway.
Intended Audience
This course is intended for architects, engineers and other design professionals.
Benefit to Attendees
The attendee/s will gain an intimate knowledge and insight into one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th Century: the IRT Subway system in New York City.
Course Introduction
The course includes an in-depth PowerPoint presentation and the viewing of a documentary film
Course Content
In this course, you are required to view/study the following slideshow and the materials contained in the web pages:
IRT: New York’s First Subway (printable handout in PDF, 9 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)
IRT: New York’s First Subway (non-printable slideshow for screen-viewing only, 29 MB, see Note A below for downloading instruction)
Archival/Documentary Film:
TITLE: New York Subway 1905 (Silent)
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjKL8_er34s
DURATION: 05:49
TITLE: NYC's Abandoned City Hall Station
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0TQkX_zLt0
DURATION: 08:10
TITLE: Abandoned NYC Subway Station
LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qx_hsNYD2w
DURATION: 27:27
Note A: Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader from your computer.
Course Summary
It was not the first urban subway in the world; London could claim that distinction having opened their Metropolitan Railway over forty years earlier (in 1863) nor was it the first attempt at a sub-surface railway; Alfred Ely Beach’s short-lived pneumatic tube subway of 1870 (below Broadway for a few blocks) has that distinction. But the Big Apple’s first true subway was unique in many ways. Unlike London’s seven stations only making local stops and fares based on distance traveled, NYC’s IRT included forty-eight stations with both local and express tracks and a flat-fare of a nickel no matter what the distance traveled – this was revolutionary. London also abandoned the “cut and cover” method used for "The Met" for future lines as too disruptive to surface traffic, preferring the “deep tunneling” method instead. Though inconvenient and disruptive initially, the long-term benefits of near-surface stations outweighed the disadvantages and for the most part, most stations are near the surface allowing natural light and ventilation. Also, electric multiple unit traction was used on the IRT as compared to the initial use of steam powered locomotives in London. So too, the power generation/distribution, switch and signal system and fireproof cars of the IRT set standards still followed today. The IRT was an immediate success spawning outgrowths in all directions still on-going today. If the skyscraper was the means by which the city could expand vertically, the IRT Subway and its offshoots (BMT, IND etc.) surely provided the means by which the great city could/would expand horizontally.
Related Links
For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_IRT_subway_before_1918
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interborough_Rapid_Transit_Company
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxbn8jDp0Gk
Quiz
Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.
DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.
