Other Books

Maps

A truly fantastic book (4 stars). If you enjoy N.Y.C. transit-related maps this is the book for you. The book's editor has taken 12 of his favorite maps, reproduced them to original size and colors, put them into their own envelope sleeves (for safe keeping) and detailed a brief history of each map. Said maps are suitable for research and/or framing. The book is out of print and getting harder to locate, but can still be found on barnesandnoble.com under "12 Hist. Maps of NYC", even though that is not the correct title. Go get your copy today, you will be glad you did. Review by John93059@aol.com

Author John Landers in conjunction with H&M Productions (handmproductionsbooks.com) have once again struck gold with the release of Twelve Historical New York City Street and Transit Maps Volume II, 1847 to 1939. If New York transit maps pique your interest then this boxed collection is a must buy.

This collection includes a map issued in 1939 by the New York City Board of Transportation showing an ambitious expansion of the entire subway system, including a College Point line coming off the #7 Flushing Line and a Ft. Hamilton Parkway line in Brooklyn cutting through a Narrows tunnel to Staten Island, where it branches off in two directions. A Long Island Rail Road map from 1885 shows passenger service on the Long Beach branch to desolate sand dunes of Point Lookout and a fantastic 10 year comparison of the same map issued by Rand McNally in 1904 and again in 1914. In one decade the growth of the services within the boroughs is startling. There are 8 more delectable NYC transit-related maps. The collection also comes with a booklet in which the author chronicles each of the twelve maps in an informative and sometimes humorous manner.

New York City transit maps from this era are very rare and when they do show up in an auction often sell for one hundred dollars or more. These reproductions match the original sizes and colors and are the next best thing to owning the actual map. They can be easily framed and are an excellent educational tool for today's student. (Review by SHARKAIDE@aol.com)

Trolleys

Exhaustive photo-history of trolley operations in Brooklyn, 1898-1956. Includes some color photography and a fold-out map of trolley routes.

A memoir of growing up in Brooklyn, using the trolley lines as the organizing metaphor. Many photographs.

A detailed account of the New York Railways streetcar line in Manhattan, 1912-1936.

Elevated Railroads

Over 160 color photos of the Third Avenue El and the neighborhoods it traversed. "Seldom have I seen a collection of unique images that is so comprehensive and realistic." - Joe Franklin.

Photographs and track maps.

Many black & white photos and track maps of the Second Avenue El in Manhattan, with a brief history.

PATH/H&M

"Souvenir presented at the "Beefsteak Smoker" tendered to the construction staff of the Hudson & Manhattan Railroad Company by the engineers, Messrs. Jacob and Davies ... March 11, 1909." An online version of the book is available.

Extremely hard to find history of the H&M (PATH) system and the building of the PRR Hudson River tunnels. 2nd edition 2002 from Fordham University Press includes updates and more photos.

History and photographs of the H&M, predecessor of the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) system.

The Hudson & Manhattan tunnels (Wm. G. McAdoo, Pres.) uniting New York and New Jersey : in picture and story.

NYW&B

This book, an interesting companion to Arcara's Westchester's Forgotten Railway details the building and the demoition of the New York, Westchester, and Boston Railway. Photos taken during the railroad's operation are compared with more modern photographs showing what's left of the NYW&B.

The pre-eminent history of the NYW&B railroad, which operated between the Bronx and White Plains and Port Chester in Westchester County, from 1912-1937. Many photographs accompany Arcara's description of the rise and fall of this state-of-the-art commuter railroad. The Third Edition includes "When the Westchester Was New", a collection of documents from various trade publications describing the construction and early operation of the railroad.

New York Railroads

A photographic look at the terminal railroad operations of the Brooklyn waterfront, including the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal's locomotive and tug boat fleet, the South Brooklyn Railway operations of New York City Transit, and the current New York Cross Harbor Railroad. A fascinating look at little-seen rail operations along the edge of New York Harbor.

A history and description of the LIRR Rockaway branch passenger train operations. A look at the line after it was absorbed into the NYC Transit System is included.

New Jersey Railroads

A historical look at rail, trolley, and ferry operations serving Hoboken's Lackawanna Terminal, as well as some coverage of the Erie-Lackawanna across New Jersey to Scranton.

A beautifully laid-out guide to the rail routes of New Jersey Transit- the Morris & Essex, Northeast Corridor, Erie-Bergen County lines, Atlantic City line, and the Newark City Subway. Includes both historical and current photographs. Highly recommended.

Enjoy a ride on New Jersey's largest trolley system.

A detailed description of the routes of the Public Service trolley system in Hudson, Essex, Bergen, Passaic, Morris counties and the interurban lines to Camden.

General Transit History

A history of urban mass transit in North America. Traces the growth of public transportation from the horse-drawn streetcar, through the development of cable cars, subways, buses, and light rail systems.

A history of the world's subways. This book is an excellent account of the origins of underground transport, from ancient times to modern, with descriptions of the beginnings of the London, Paris, New York and Moscow subway systems. Beach's pneumatic subway is described in detail.

This reference is available only in German and costs a bit over $50 US. Norbert van Haaster wrote that this book is "...a richly illustrated account of 127 of the world's metros from Alger to Yokohama, curiosities like the Metro Alpin in Saas Fee, technical details, very thorough..."

Reviewed by Kevin Walsh

Frattini is a pretty young guy (in his foreword he cites Albert Belle, Kid Rock and "the hotties on the US Women's Soccer Team") but he has done his homework on the history of the IND, BMT and IND, and apparently, he has visited all 450+ NYC subway stations and gives a capsule review of each.

The station reviews are kind of brief and superficial, but he does notice things like the old Subway Sun signs at the IND Broadway station, for example. But, there are occasional jarring errors, such as referring to lines by color throughout ("the A,C, E [the Blue Line])"; nobody I've
ever met calls NYC subway lines by color. He also claims "The open cut stations of the N and R lines...pierce through the neighborhood backyards of Bensonhurst and Sunset Park in Brooklyn." First, the R does not travel in an open cut; secondly, it goes nowhere near Bensonhurst; and no NYC subway goes 'through' anyone's back yard.

Frattini, besides his subway reviews, mentions a neighborhood eatery that's in the vicinity of each station, nearby landmarks, and local unusual spots. These are all quite helpful (but may become outdated in a couple of years).

Basically, if you're looking for detailed, specific descriptions of NYC subway stations, stick with nycsubway.org. But, if you need a quick and
dirty field guide when you're out rail fanning, this book is pretty decent for the money (abt $16).