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The Wheels That Drove New York - A History of the New York City Transit System (Hardcover, 2013 ed.)
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The Wheels That Drove New York - A History of the New York City Transit System (Hardcover, 2013 ed.)
Series: Springer Tracts on Transportation and Traffic, 1
Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days
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"The Wheels That Drove New York" tells the fascinating story of how
a public transportation system helped transform a small trading
community on the southern tip of Manhattan island to a world
financial capital that is home to more than 8,000,000 people. From
the earliest days of horse-drawn conveyances to the wonders of one
of the world's largest and most efficient subways, the story links
the developing history of the City itself to the growth and
development of its public transit system. Along the way, the key
role of played by the inventors, builders, financiers, and managers
of the system are highlighted.
New York began as a fur trading outpost run by the Dutch West India
Company, established after the discovery and exploration of New
York Harbor and its great river by Henry Hudson. It was eventually
taken over by the British, and the magnificent harbor provided for
a growing center of trade. Trade spurred industry, initially those
needed to support the shipping industry, later spreading to various
products for export. When DeWitt Clinton built the Erie Canal,
which linked New York Harbor to the Great Lakes, New York became
the center of trade for all products moving into and out of the
mid-west.
As industry grew, New York became a magnate for immigrants seeking
refuge in a new land of opportunity. The City's population
continued to expand. Both water and land barriers, however, forced
virtually the entire population to live south of what is now 14th
Street. Densities grew dangerously, and brought both disease and
conflict to the poorer quarters of the Five Towns. To expand, the
City needed to conquer land and water barriers, primarily with a
public transportation system.
By the time of the Civil War, the City was at a breaking point. The
horse-drawn public conveyances that had provided all of the public
transportation services since the 1820's needed to be replaced with
something more effective and efficient. First came the elevated
railroads, initially powered by steam engines. With the invention
of electricity and the electric traction motor, the elevated's were
electrified, and a trolley system emerged. Finally, in 1904, the
City opened its first subway. From there, the City's growth to
northern Manhattan and to the "outer boroughs" of Brooklyn, Queens,
and the Bronx exploded.
"The Wheels That Drove New York" takes us through the present day,
and discusses the many challenges that the transit system has had
to face over the years. It also traces the conversion of the system
from fully private operations (through the elevated railways) to
the fully public system that exists today, and the problems that
this transformation has created along the way."
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