Extreme Engineering: Subways in America

[Y2Julio 206]

Was watching some Discovery Channel videos online when I hit this little gem. It's a great documentary about the NYC Subway System. Has a rare video clip of the R110B :eek:, shows how the inspection car works and shows some clips of the R143s being built. It's split into 5 parts so make sure to start with the first video and go down till you watch the last one.

 

Part I:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAuwKfhpbZc

Part II:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDEyE5BUjwc

Part III:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N66pxqgy9JA

Part IV:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGq_YbCnt7Y

Part V:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82YpuAmxP1o

 

Enjoy! :cool:

[SubwayGuy 2,314]

Thanks for posting this...it was showing in the transit museum screening room several months back but I didn't get a chance to watch the whole thing until now.

[Maserati7200 31]

OMG! at 56 seconds, you se an R110B!!

[MTR Admiralty 4]

Wonderful!

[NYtransit 457]

omg i watch part 1-5,i got so much info!!!! still i felt bad on the part about 9/11. you can hear the R110B propullsion if you listen closely

[N-Trizzy2609 11]

BTW, that's a R143! R160's weren't even thought of yet.

[SevenEleven 2,357]

Just finished with the whole thing. Very interesting. Learned a lot. Thanks for the share. Now I'm sleepy.

[2 Av 0]

Cool video. I learned alot of info,.

[Eric B 988]

When think of the "Extreme Engineering" show; I think of a "subway" tunnel under the ocean. Or an elevator to the moon.

[Paul P 0]

Awesome find with lots of info.

Thanks for sharing.:tup:

[Forest Glen 4]

BART pwns! I criticize the MTA on a daily basis but it was remarkable what they did after 9/11. Excellent video!

[MAA89 0]

Thanks a lot for posting the videos. It certainly portrayed the future in a very optimistic light. I wonder if NYC has the money to carry out all the projects that are mentioned, however.

[Maserati7200 31]

Now that this thread has been bumped, I would like to mention a lot of things wrong with this documentary. I watched this like 5 times since y2julio posted it.

 

1) When they are talking about the new "smart cars" (which are the R143's) the narrator says they are "stronger, faster, lighter, and more durable. Actually Mr. narrator sir, the R143 was the heaviest car in the system at that time.

 

2) He talks about the new 'super system' for the NYC subway. I would hardly call the East side access project a "super system that will once again make New York's the greatest in the world." hahahah, sure. In addition, this super system they keep raving about isn't even part of the subway!! It's part of the Long Island Rail Road. Not the subway.

 

3)It didn't even mention the SAS!!?! I would think the Lex line overcrowding is a big issue. And that SAS has been in the works since 1929 and that though the years it was barely getting done. Talk about the nYC financial crisis in the 70's and how it stopped progress of the SAS. What about our efforts now to continue building the SAS?

 

But this documentary was fun to watch.

[SubwayGuy 2,314]

Now that this thread has been bumped, I would like to mention a lot of things wrong with this documentary. I watched this like 5 times since y2julio posted it.

 

1) When they are talking about the new "smart cars" (which are the R143's) the narrator says they are "stronger, faster, lighter, and more durable. Actually Mr. narrator sir, the R143 was the heaviest car in the system at that time.

 

2) He talks about the new 'super system' for the NYC subway. I would hardly call the East side access project a "super system that will once again make New York's the greatest in the world." hahahah, sure. In addition, this super system they keep raving about isn't even part of the subway!! It's part of the Long Island Rail Road. Not the subway.

 

3)It didn't even mention the SAS!!?! I would think the Lex line overcrowding is a big issue. And that SAS has been in the works since 1929 and that though the years it was barely getting done. Talk about the nYC financial crisis in the 70's and how it stopped progress of the SAS. What about our efforts now to continue building the SAS?

 

But this documentary was fun to watch.

 

It's done by scientists, not historians, and based on plans, not actual conditions. The stuff they did show that was "real" not projected, is pretty cool, like the TGC, and the way yards worked. Working on subway cars is very difficult and sometimes dangerous work. Anything that simplifies the process is great.