Mass Transportation Sites

The bridge carrying Albee Avenue over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in 1940, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).

The Annadale station of the Staten Island Railway was redeveloped during the late 1930s, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). Work included construction of a new station house on Annadale Road, which is still in use.

The bridge carrying Annadale Road over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in 1938, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).

The Bachmann railway station was demolished during the mid-1930s as part of a massive grade separation project along what was then the South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway. The Bachmann Station "was located east of Tompkins Avenue, between Lynhurst and Chestnut Avenues." The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) loaned the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad $900,000 for 16 streamlined cars, one diesel-electric locomotive , and enough "... to rebuild a steam engine to develop exceptionally high speed” (The Bangor Daily News, 1934). The Lady Baltimore and a similar locomotive, the Lord Baltimore, were favorites of the train-watchers; then, "... there came a day in August 1935, when the watchers between New York and Washington saw a new and strange sight as the Royal Blue sped past their bewildered eyes. Instead of the sharp staccato blasts of the Lord Baltimore’s exhaust, they heard...

In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) lent $900,000 to the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) Railroad, which used it to buy 16 streamlined, lightweight train cars and a new diesel locomotive (see our project page, “Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Locomotive No. 50 – St. Louis MO”), with, “The remainder... set aside to rebuild a steam engine to develop an exceptionally high speed… covered with a streamlined jacket to cut down wind resistance” (The Bangor Daily News, 1934). The rebuilt locomotive was the Lady Baltimore, which played a prominent role in the B&O’s experiments during the 1930s to determine whether the company’s...

In 1934, Daniel Willard, president of the Baltimore & Ohio (B&O) railroad, “negotiated a $900,000 Public Works Administration loan which would be used to make B & O’s New York-Washington line an industry-wide proving ground for various types of lightweight train construction and high-speed steam and diesel power” (Harwood, 1990). Among the equipment constructed with this loan was the Royal Blue, a streamline train set consisting of eight cars made out of aluminum and lightweight steel. The Royal Blue was a reincarnation of a popular B&O train service from the turn of the century plus “a quarter of a century of...

NYC Subway Station on the IND Concourse Line. Part of the IND Subway Line construction in the 1930s, built with the aid of PWA funds along with other IND stations of the time.

The Belair Road railway station was rebuilt as a concrete structure during the mid-1930s as part of a massive grade separation project along what was then the South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway. The station "at Vermont Avenue, between Belair Road & St. Johns Avenue." Long since abandoned (as the line was discontinued in 1953), the structure has since been demolished. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

In conjunction with what was known as the Ridge Avenue Connector, "the high speed electric rail transit line which connects the Ridge Avenue—Eighth Street—Locust Street Subway in Philadelphia with a terminal near the Broadway Station of the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines in Camden, is the largest of the completed Public Works Administration projects in Pennsylvania," as of 1937. Work involved development of a rail line across what is now the Ben Franklin Bridge.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) lent $100,000 to the Boston & Maine Railroad company to purchase locomotive #3713, known as "The Constitution," built and delivered in 1934. On May 11, 1934, The Boston Globe reported a $2.5 million equipment purchase by the Boston & Maine Railroad: “The purchases include 21 suburban passenger coaches and 10 air-conditioned de luxe coaches, five Pacific-type passenger locomotives, five mountain-type freight and passenger locomotives, two Diesel electric locomotives, and two Diesel electric switching engines… Money for the purchases was provided by a loan from the Public Works Administration, on which the railroad pays 4 percent interest.” The...

The Works Progress Administration completed drainage system improvements at Camp Conley in Point Pleasant WV. Construction began on the camp in 1927. Named for Wiliam Gustavson Conley (1929–33) in 1929. The state police used the camp to train in 1928 and 1935. In 1935, the guard applied to the WPA for drainage improvements. The camp was used twice by Governor Homer Holt as a refugee camp there for 1933 and 1937 flood victims. The Camp Conley appears in the property maps in a subdivision of housing dating to the 1940s to 1950s. The site appears no longer extant.

The Cedar Avenue railway station was rebuilt as a concrete structure during the mid-1930s as part of a massive grade separation project along what was then the South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway. The station was located around Cedar Avenue, at about Jackson Ave. and Retner St. Long since abandoned (as the line was discontinued in 1953), the structure has since been demolished. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

In 1934, the Public Works Administration (PWA) loaned the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company $7 million for equipment repair, new track installation, and new equipment purchases.  Among the new purchases was the $250,000 Comet, a streamlined Diesel-electric train. The Comet was built in 1935 by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation of Akron, Ohio. “The Aluminum Co. of America furnished the aluminum alloy sheets and castings. The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. made the Diesel engines and electrical equipment” (The Indianapolis Times, 9-7-1935). It began service that same year, running a regular route between Boston, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island. The blue,...

The overpass carrying Dehart Avenue over what was then a freight and passenger railway (the North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway) was constructed during the mid-1930s, in conjunction with the lowering of the railroad right-of-way, as one link in a massive grade crossing removal project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

This is one of three subway stations along the Broad Street subway line, south of City Hall, whose construction was enabled by federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds. As a result of this project the subway was extended from Lombard South Station to Snyder Ave. Service here was inaugurated on Sept. 18, 1938.

A new Elm Park railway station was constructed during the mid-1930s as one link in a massive grade separation project along what was then a freight and passenger railway (the North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway). Developed as a two-track, two-side platform facility, located just east off Morningstar Road, the structure has long since been abandoned. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

The Eltingville station of the Staten Island Railway was redeveloped during the late 1930s, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). Work included construction of a new station house on Richmond Avenue, which is still in use and bears a 1939 PWA dedication plaque.

Bartlett, Texas's Tribune and News in mid-1939 noted an "unusual" PWA-financed project under construction in Avoca, Louisiana: a ferry boat.

A railway-crossing bridge carrying Fingerboard Road was built during the mid-1930s as part of a massive grade separation project along what was then the South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway. The line has long since been abandoned (as the line was discontinued in 1953) and the space beneath the bridge has been filled in, though there is still a drop-down from the south side of the road. The bridge had been imprinted with a 1935 date stamp. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in...

The Flying Yankee train was built in 1934-1935 at a cost of $275,000 (about $5.8 million in 2021 dollars). The Public Works Administration (PWA) financed the train’s construction with a loan. The Flying Yankee’s route started in Portland, Maine and ended in Boston, Massachusetts, and it ran from 1935 to 1957 for the Boston & Maine and Maine Central railroads, sometimes under different names, such as “The Business Man.” When it first arrived on the scene it was viewed as a futuristic, technological wonder, with many innovations. It was lightweight, quiet, economic, capable of 100+ mph, and made of stainless steel....

The Fort Wadsworth railway station was rebuilt as a concrete structure during the mid-1930s as part of a massive grade separation project along what was then the South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway. The station was located between Fingerboard Road and the intersection of Tompkins Ave. and Lyman Ave. Long since abandoned (as the line was discontinued in 1953), the structure has since been demolished. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

The bridge carrying Giffords Lane over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in 1939, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).

The overpass carrying Granite Avenue over what was then a freight and passenger railway (the North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway) was constructed in 1937, in conjunction with the lowering of the railroad right-of-way, as one link in a massive grade crossing removal project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

The Great Kills station of the Staten Island Railway was redeveloped during the late 1930s, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). Work included construction of a new station house on Giffords Lane, which is still in use.

A bridge carrying Greaves Avenue over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in the late 1930s, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). The project was referred in an article as Great Kills Road (possibly a former name for Greaves). National Bridge Inventory data indicate that the bridge has since been replaced.

In early November, 1934, the Illinois Central (I.C.) Railroad contracted with the Pullman Car & Manufacturing Corporation to build the I.C.’s first streamline train, consisting of a 1,200 horsepower Diesel-electric locomotive, a mail & baggage car, two passenger coaches, and a lounge car.  Then, on November 26, 1934, the I.C. requested the Interstate Commerce Commission approve a $2 million loan from the Public Works Administration (PWA), a portion of which was to finance the new streamliner (the PWA had awarded this loan in October).  The loan was approved sometime thereafter, probably in early 1935. The “Green Diamond” cost $425,000 to construct...

The overpass carrying Harbor Road over what was then a freight and passenger railway (the North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway) was constructed during the mid-1930s, in conjunction with the lowering of the railroad right-of-way, as one link in a massive grade crossing removal project. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

The Harbor Road railway station was constructed during the mid-1930s as one link in a massive grade separation project along what was then a freight and passenger railway (the North Shore Branch of the Staten Island Railway). Developed as a two-track, island platform facility, it was located off Harbor Road to the west. The station was long since abandoned before its demolition in 2004. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

In 1934, the New Deal’s Public Works Administration (PWA) loaned the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company—popularly known as the “Milwaukee Road”—$8.6 million (about $194 million in 2022 dollars) for infrastructure improvements and new equipment.  The latter included two streamliner passenger trains, the coaches to be built by the Milwaukee Road’s own shops and the locomotives to be built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in Schenectady, New York for $90,000 each (about $2 million each in 2022 dollars). Each train set consisted of an engine and seven cars.  The locomotives were numbered 1 and 2 (see photos) and...

A railway-crossing bridge carrying Hope Avenue was built during the mid-1930s as part of a massive grade separation project along what was then the South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway. The line has long since been abandoned (as the line was discontinued in 1953) and the space beneath the bridge has been filled in, though there is still a drop-down from the south side of the road. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

The bridge carrying Huguenot Avenue over the newly sunken Staten Island Railway was built in 1938, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA).

The Huguenot station of the Staten Island Railway was redeveloped during the late 1930s, as one link in a large grade crossing removal project sponsored by the Public Works Administration (PWA). Work included construction of a new station house on Huguenot Avenue, which is still in use.

In 1938-1941 the WPA constructed this Boston subway extension, part of the Boston Elevated Railway which now appears to be part of the MBTA Green Line underground light rail route. WPA Bulletin, 1937: HUNTINGTON AVENUE SUBWAY TO EMPLOY 1400 A YEAR Work for 1400 men for about a year will be provided by the $2,000,000 Huntington avenue subway in Boston on which initial construction has begun. At its peak the project will employ about 1400 on a six-shift basis. Engineers, engaged in preliminary work, carefully inspected every building and every building foundation along the route of the subway extension to determine what steps will...

Construction of New York's Sixth Avenue subway line was enabled by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA) during the 1930s. The PWA supplied a massive loan and grant totaling $23,160,000 for the project, one of the largest New Deal construction undertakings in the country.  The Sixth Avenue was a branch of the original IND Eighth Avenue line, opened in 1932. Four stations opened in southern Manhattan in January 1934; an extension to Brooklyn opened April 1934.  An extension taking the line up Sixth Avenue, with six new stations, opened December 1940.

The Sixth Avenue branch trunk line of New York City's Independent Subway (IND) was constructed during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. On December 15, 1940, six IND subway stations opened along Sixth Avenue. The 14th Street subway station was one of the six to open at this time.

The Sixth Avenue branch trunk line of New York City's Independent Subway (IND) was constructed during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. On December 15, 1940, six IND subway stations opened along Sixth Avenue. The 23rd Street subway station was one of the six to open at this time.

The Sixth Avenue branch trunk line of New York City's Independent Subway (IND) was constructed during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. On December 15, 1940, six IND subway stations opened along Sixth Avenue. The 34th Street–Herald Square subway station was one of the six to open at this time.

The Sixth Avenue branch trunk line of New York City's Independent Subway (IND) was constructed during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. On December 15, 1940, six IND subway stations opened along Sixth Avenue. The 42nd Street–Bryant Park subway station was one of the six to open at this time.

The Sixth Avenue branch trunk line of New York City's Independent Subway (IND) was constructed during the 1930s with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. On December 15, 1940, six IND subway stations opened along Sixth Avenue. The 47th–50th Streets – Rockefeller Center subway station was one of the six to open at this time.