American Experience - “The Race Underground” (America's first subway)

[Sam Hill]

I happened to catch this documentary last night on PBS. It’s about America’s first subway – built in Boston in the 1890s. It’s very well done and really fascinating. It documents Boston’s transition from horse-drawn streetcars to electric streetcars, and then tells the story of how the Tremont Street Subway came into being and how Bostonians finally overcame their fear of traveling “below the earth”. As I was watching it I thought my fellow geeks would enjoy it. So there you go geeks.

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by Sam Hill

I happened to catch http://www.pbs.org/video/2365945692/ this documentary[/URL] last night on PBS. It’s about America’s first subway – built in Boston in the 1890s. It’s very well done and really fascinating. It documents Boston’s transition from horse-drawn streetcars to electric streetcars, and then tells the story of how the Tremont Street Subway came into being and how Bostonians finally overcame their fear of traveling “below the earth”. As I was watching it I thought my fellow geeks would enjoy it. So there you go geeks.

Wow! Very interesting. I will definitely to watch it. Thanks for sharing this.

[Busy Bee]

Yeah I meant to catch it last night but totally forgot. Hopefully it's on the app or on demand...

PBS did a NOVA on London Crossrail which was freaking awesome if you haven't seen it...

[Swede]

Not in the US so I don't get to watch

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

PBS did a NOVA on London Crossrail which was freaking awesome if you haven't seen it...

There's also this about Crossrail:
• Video Link
• Video Link
they're about an hour long each.

[TomW]

Originally Posted by Swede

Not in the US so I don't get to watch

There is a link (http://www.pbs.org/video/2365945692/) to the documentary in the initial message above so you can watch it online.

[tayser]

Originally Posted by TomW

There is a link (http://www.pbs.org/video/2365945692/) to the documentary in the initial message above so you can watch it online.

it's geo-blocked - you can only watch it if you're in the US (or have a US VPN).

[Swede]

Originally Posted by tayser

it's geo-blocked - you can only watch it if you're in the US (or have a US VPN).

Yup, "We're sorry, but this video is not available in your region due to right restrictions."

[volguus zildrohar]

Just watched it - nicely done but through I learned that I might've been pronouncing 'Tremont' as in Tremont Street wrong all my life.

[Leo the Dog]

Originally Posted by volguus zildrohar

Just watched it - nicely done but through I learned that I might've been pronouncing 'Tremont' as in Tremont Street wrong all my life.

Tray-mont is the correct pronunciation.

Named after the 3 primary hills of the Shawmut Peninsula. Beacon Hill and to a lesser extent Copp's Hill are the largest remaining hills even though they were significantly downsized.

Copp's Hill burial ground is a present day tourist hotspot and played a significant role in the Revolutionary War and the battle of Bunker Hill.

[Busy Bee]

That Sprague really got "Tesla'd" that's for sure. Damn Sam Waterston sure can make a doc sound good.

[lrt's friend]

Is this subway corridor still in use today?

[lrt's friend]

The way they explained the social history of the time really brought this story to life. Very well done.

What happened in Richmond Virginia with electric street cars exploded across North America in less than 10 years. Amazing how that technology caught on so fast.

[Leo the Dog]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Is this subway corridor still in use today?

Yes. This is the present day green line from Park St to Boylston. There is an abandoned spur that you can still see that continues down Tremont as the present day line makes a 90 degree turn down Boylston.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

The way they explained the social history of the time really brought this story to life. Very well done.

What happened in Richmond Virginia with electric street cars exploded across North America in less than 10 years. Amazing how that technology caught on so fast.

Before there was electric powered streetcars in cities across the USA, there was horse or mule pulled streetcars, and horse or mule pulled carriages. Running the wheels of the carriages on rails eliminated rough rides caused by potholes and wheels getting stick in mud when it rained. The wheels on steel rails required less horsepower to pull the carriage due to far less friction. Electric motors replaced the horse and mules which did what all animals do in the streets even today. Ever marched in a band in a parade behind a horse ensemble? Trust me that there were worse sticky things besides gum in the streets. The electric power streetcar companies were allowed to distribute and sell electricity on the side, many electric utilities in the USA can trace their roots to streetcars and suburban rail companies. So of course electric powered streetcars spread across America quicker than Apple's iPhones.
A story you might find amusing....about Mandy the Mule.
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2017/...eetcar/512672/

[scalziand]

Originally Posted by electricron

The electric power streetcar companies were allowed to distribute and sell electricity on the side, many electric utilities in the USA can trace their roots to streetcars and suburban rail companies.

Part of the reason US streetcars suffered such a dramatic decline were new regulations that disallowed the streetcar lines to sell electricity on the side, cutting off that revenue source.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public...ny_Act_of_1935

[ardecila]

Yes, that's part of the reason. It also forced utilities to divest themselves of real-estate development activities, which were often the impetus for streetcar extensions. During the Depression when real estate ground to a halt, these companies were often stuck without a large portion of their revenue. They continued to operate streetcar service but did not invest in regular maintenance, so the systems deteriorated.

Many systems could no longer afford to operate during this period and in certain cases were prohibited from raising fares beyond 5 cents to bring in more revenue. Ultimately the operators went bankrupt and city governments were left holding the bag with systems that were crumbling and growth in car ownership cutting into ridership (and creating traffic that slowed down service). It's no wonder that virtually every system in the US converted to buses at the earliest opportunity; it was cheaper to operate and more versatile on congested streets.

It's interesting to think about whether this business model would ever work again... it's probably unlikely outside of a few certain select locations (M-1 in Detroit comes to mind). So-called "value capture" models are coming back into vogue, although at least in Chicago they rely on special property tax overlays so they're not really private-sector at all.

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by ardecila

Yes, that's part of the reason. It also forced utilities to divest themselves of real-estate development activities, which were often the impetus for streetcar extensions. During the Depression when real estate ground to a halt, these companies were often stuck without a large portion of their revenue. They continued to operate streetcar service but did not invest in regular maintenance, so the systems deteriorated.

Many systems could no longer afford to operate during this period and in certain cases were prohibited from raising fares beyond 5 cents to bring in more revenue. Ultimately the operators went bankrupt and city governments were left holding the bag with systems that were crumbling and growth in car ownership cutting into ridership (and creating traffic that slowed down service). It's no wonder that virtually every system in the US converted to buses at the earliest opportunity; it was cheaper to operate and more versatile on congested streets.

It's interesting to think about whether this business model would ever work again... it's probably unlikely outside of a few certain select locations (M-1 in Detroit comes to mind). So-called "value capture" models are coming back into vogue, although at least in Chicago they rely on special property tax overlays so they're not really private-sector at all.

The whole GM, Goodyear conspiracy has always been a simplistic view of the failure of streetcar lines in North America.

What you presented covers more of the reasons.

And it went beyond the declining revenues because of the Depression and car ownership. One of the big killers was the wear and tear that streetcar networks faced during World War II. Because of shortages and the resulting very high ridership, the networks were pushed to their limits with very little maintenance. By the end of the war, the rolling stock and infrastructure was so worn out, that massive re-investment would have been necessary. After 15 years of neglect, motor buses were much more attractive and cost efficient. This is also why trolley buses were popular for a short time. I have read a local story of how the in-street rail beds were in such poor condition following the war years, that streetcars had to slow down for risk of derailment because of swaying cars. The buried ties had totally rotted away and the rails were only being held in place by the pavement alone.

[ChargerCarl]

Also buses could go around obstacles that streetcars would get stuck behind, which was a big problem with shared ROWs with cars.

For the most part the streetcar is an obsolete technology for modern cities.

[Matthew]

It was interesting to learn more about Frank Sprague. They do ask for your local PBS station before allowing you to see it.

Winston-Salem was among the early cities with Frank Sprague's streetcars. He was invited to invest in Winston-Salem's West End Resort development in the late 1880s. Electric streetcars would connect the resort hotels, healing springs, and development lots with downtown and the train station. The streetcars originally had "Sprague System" on them. Four or five years later, the streetcars had the name of the resort on them. Finally, they had the city's name. Winston-Salem's Sprague Street was named for Frank Sprague and I think it was the far southern end of the system. The streetcar system investors would develop several of the city's Victorian neighborhoods.

When the system opened, there were reports of people traveling from up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) away, to see them. For the first few days, the crowds would ride them over the city's hills, like theme park rides, late into the night.

To build the streetcar system, some of the city's hilly streets had to be leveled-out, creating sidewalks sometimes two or three feet below the street-level. You can see history markers describing this in some areas where the sidewalks are below the street-level.

During the early years, it was possible to take the seats and sides out of the streetcars and use them during the off-hours to haul freight through the streets. This was an additional revenue stream. To haul freight with the city's hills and have additional cars attached, the motors had to be powerful. Fries (pronounced "Freeze") Electric already existed before the streetcars (as a hydroelectric system on the Yadkin River) to power the factories in the city and later owned the streetcars. The streetcar system built attractions at the far ends of the lines to also increase revenue, with everything from a park with early movies to a zoo.

First day of Winston-Salem Streetcar System with Sprague System Livery:

Saved photograph - Source unknown?

1890 Winston-Salem's West End Resort with Streetcar:

Saved photograph - Source unknown?

1894 Streetcar with West End Resort Livery:

Winston-Salem / Forsyth County Public Library

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by ChargerCarl

Also buses could go around obstacles that streetcars would get stuck behind, which was a big problem with shared ROWs with cars.

For the most part the streetcar is an obsolete technology for modern cities.

Yes, totally obsolete when you are talking about streetcars running in mixed traffic.

Unfortunately, a lot was lost when the streetcar networks were pulled up and I am talking about the private right of ways that parts of streetcar networks ran on in most cities. With growing traffic congestion, buses in the long-run would not compete with a streetcar running on a private right of way.

In Europe, I saw a lot of this. The bulk of the streetcar network ran in private right of ways, often in the centre median and only in mixed traffic in relatively small sections in the city centre where space was limited. This was surprisingly effective.