Beach Pneumatic Transit, Pioneer subway demonstration in Lower Manhattan, US
Beach Pneumatic Transit was a demonstration line beneath Broadway with a single car propelled by compressed air through a tube about 91 meters (300 feet) long. The single carriage traveled back and forth between Warren Street and Murray Street through the narrow tunnel.
Alfred Ely Beach built this experimental line in 1870 after secretly obtaining permits for supposed postal tube installations. The line operated for only a few years and was later rediscovered during construction work for other subway lines.
The underground waiting rooms contained mirrors, fountains and separate areas for men and women following Victorian conventions of the time. Female visitors admired the station decor while the technical installation itself remained rather functional.
The system operated between the two streets for a fare of 25 cents per ride, with the money collected going to a school for war orphans. Today the installation no longer exists and cannot be visited.
A huge blower weighing roughly 48 tons pushed and pulled the car through the tube by reversing the direction of airflow. The machine stood at the end of the tunnel and generated enough pressure to control movement in both directions.
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