there was a time when elements of the power grid were so massive that they needed to be hidden
in plain sight both below the ground and above it and unlike today elements of urban infrastructure
also contained aspects of artistry and allure such was the case with the sprawling on-scene sections
of new york's subway system sections known as substations these facilities were once essential
in powering the great underground network but today they're mostly forgotten and abandoned
so join me as we discover the story of these invisible giants this is a story of
unprecedented laborers fantastic industrial might and gears which cease to turn today
we discover new york city's substations i'm your host ryan socash and you're watching it's history
few places represent abstraction as well as new york city does consider it with the subway and
convenience stores open all night this densely populated metropolitan is transformed into a
24-hour free-for-all for nearly eight and a half million people who call it home over four million
of those people take the city's vast subway system every single day whether it's to go to work
to grab a slice visit a friend the public transit is at the heart of the city but did you ever
wonder what keeps its heart pumping what's been powering this train for a hundred years
the answer to that question are the substations hidden behind vast yet unassuming facades are
hundreds of thousands of pounds of machinery and hundreds of machinists who have operated new york
city's substations for decades and brought the subway line to life but why was this all necessary
to simplify an otherwise complex question we need to discuss electricity there are two important
types of electric currents alternating current or ac and direct current or dc these two make up the
vast majority of electrical systems and they have different usages power stations especially in the
late 1800s were only producing dc as that was what was used for lighting in other electronics however
the low voltage of dc power generation meant that light bulbs plugged in just
5 000 feet from the power station were dim and faded compared to those closer to the station
it was prohibitively expensive for companies to build the dozens of power stations in the density
required to give the city proper power coverage and obviously when it came to trains you couldn't
have a weakening current as the train distance itself from the power source hence the substations
were a solution to that problem instead of trying to transmit dc power over long distances
ac was well suited for the task but dc was still how things like electric motors and lights were
powered so instead of an extreme density of power stations throughout the city the electric
companies built substations to convert ac power that can travel long distances into localized dc
power just to put a little emphasis here new york's transit system needed to become cutting
edge the very first elevated rail in the city didn't even run on electricity at all rather
it was a steam locomotive blowing unthinkable pollution into people's homes and offices as it
passed basically at the turn of the century the non-stop steam engine operation from railways
was choking the city with fumes and this needed to stop which takes us to richmond virginia in the
year of 1888 when the town successfully installed an electric powered streetcar eliminating the
noise fumes and cinders of the steam locomotives but also providing a simpler more efficient system
of getting around rather than having a single engine which drags an entire train each car on
an electrified rail became individually powered allowing the train to start and stop much quicker
it was easier cheaper faster and cleaner than steam locomotives after the absolute success of
the richmond system new york began to follow suit and electrified their rail system between 1898 and
1903. two unintended consequences of the switch to electric rail were due to the limited supply
of available electricity the rail company would be required to build their own power stations and
substations throughout the city but it was well worth it because after eliminating the smoke
and fumes trains could now feasibly run entirely through the underground tunnels without choking
its occupants thus the new york subway system was born that being said i would be very curious to
know how much coal smoke was produced in the generation of electricity to power the trains
as compared to the individual steam engines that would have otherwise dragged them along
for each new line built during the rapid expansion of the rail system in the first half of the 20th
century many of these now abandoned substations had to be constructed in concert when in operation
each of the 78 substations were generally staffed by two men a maintainer and a helper
they were responsible for adjusting the number of conversions operating at a time to keep up with
demand in the dead of night only one converter might be online but during the morning commute
an entire substation might be pumping these two men also had to keep the converters physically
synced with the alternating current coming from the power stations and the way electricity of
the time was managed sounds downright terrifying from today's perspective remember no computers yet
workers would utilize a synchroscope to manually adjust the synchronization by hand if the current
wasn't synced the power coming into the substation would deliver a powerful electric shock that would
jolt the whole system sometimes even causing the 60 ton converters to physically jump up from their
foundations furthermore the converters themselves worked on an oil circuit breaker due to the high
voltages creating dangerous conditions arcs would form between contacts which had to be doused
with oil quickly because when left unchecked the workers could have faced a catastrophic explosion
these oil circuit breakers could approach 19 000 volts enough to kill a person instantaneously
this job was dangerous to say the least and few men served the substations without
picking up at least one gruesome tale of someone meeting their electrocuted fate
if not their own the safety regulations of the time were relatively lacks so workers would
for example test whether or not equipment was energized by tapping it with a wooden stick that
had a metal tip if a spark and a hiss appeared it meant that the wire or the contact was not dead
as crazy as this sounds i need to remind you that their official method of preventing
a high current explosion was by manually dousing massive arches of electricity in oil
the construction of the substations was a massive challenge new york city is dense there isn't a
lot of spare room lying around to build dozens of industrial eyesores hence the buildings were
disguised accordingly to suit their environment standing tall they could often be distinguished
from the surrounding neighborhood by their tall windows and lack of signage one substation even
went as far as to fake a commercial facade putting out consumer appliances in the front window as if
they were in the business of selling dishwashers not powering the subway every machine inside the
station had a twin so that in the event that there was an electrical or mechanical failure
there would be little disruption to service the beauty of the interiors was not a concern during
construction but as electric current was often flowing in high voltages there was a need to
properly insulate tools and systems wooden handles and marble paneling served as excellent insulators
and gave the substation system a unique and charming look as well as protecting the workers
from unintended shocks the anonymity of the substation lends it an air of mystique and drama
that most industrial equipment does not possess based on exterior cosmetics any building could
have been a substation chugging electricity empowering the world right under your nose
there were numerous different station types offering a variety of architectural stylings
some rail lines even hired famed architectural firms to build their stations some were towering
proud works of beaux arts or rugged modern boxes we didn't have to build them beautifully
but we did the substations slipped into the streets of new york city and
pumped her heart for decades millions of new yorkers rode the transit system while it was
powered by them without even knowing they existed like scattered forgotten graves they are among us
if we saw them we'd probably instinctually feel that they were once of importance
but no one knows exactly why so now let's talk a little bit about their decline and abandonment
of course technology changes and the manually operated rotary converters that were typical
of the substations began to be replaced by miniaturized mercury arc rectifiers
while lacking in the romantic appeal and industrial beauty department
mercury arc rectifiers are essentially maintenance free and can be operated entirely remotely the
technology advanced and the new substations were no longer grand halls dedicated to man's dominion
over electricity but rather underground closets or windowless boxes sleek convenient and modern but
if you ask me something was lost the conversion was a slow process new york edison announced the
switch in 1928 but it wasn't until 1978 that the company retired its last substation by the time
new york subway was no longer a jewel in the cap of america's industrialization but rather a vast
underfunded headache the substations had been built to last prepared for indefinite service
they required less upkeep than the new solutions even in their advanced age so throughout the
course of this long conversion when parts of the old stations were no longer available
repair crews would actually cannibalize old equipment and decommission some substations
to keep others operational well some mercury arc rectifier stations were built as early as 1932.
it wasn't until 1959 that the transit system dedicated itself fully to the conversion the
transit authority sold its power stations to the con edison company and the terms of
that sale bound con edison to deliver power to the substations until 1999 this would give the transit
authority time to complete a full conversion and eliminate the old substations from their system
the last manually operated substation was substation number 42 on 57th street in manhattan
once powering almost all of broadway and lexington avenue by 1999 substation 42 was a
dinosaur she was only ever powered up at peak hours to provide just a little bit of extra power
by the end of 1999 khan edison discontinued service to the station and new york's
once cutting edge substation system never saw the 21st century the buildings
weren't all torn down though construction is expensive and these buildings were made to
last with thick walls and solid foundations so many of the substations were transformed
after their retirement new york keeps the soul of the substations alive by repurposing the
structures to new ends movie theaters auto repair shops warehouses office buildings are now standing
in place of where 60 ton oil circuit breakers and rotary converters once sat with that being
said let's have a look at what remains of some of these substations on 108 east 19th street
architect john van vellick and paul c hunter built this handsome renaissance inspired powerhouse
as a part of the initial phase of construction on the interboro rapid transport subway between 1902
and 1904 this substation is a premium example of just how elegant an industrial facade can be
have a look at the details of the window crestings and the masonry work if you were just driving
down this street you'd never associate it with something like the subway although i
have to admit that the windows on the second and third floor look pretty dusty and creepy
on 225 west 53rd street is a strikingly similar setup as if these buildings were just copy and
pasted old style fencing in front of the garage doors offer this substation a zest of the old
and if you look carefully at the windows behind that same fencing it would almost seem that the
sun shines through the back part of the building a rather unusual luxury on ground floor in manhattan
the substation on 264 west 96th street looks totally gloomy with its windows being
boarded up and the highest levels of the brickwork being secured for the pedestrians passing below it
there are plenty of other examples of such substations throughout the entire city some
are in a state of total disarray and surprisingly some are still marked with high voltage signs on
the front door this type of hiding in plain sight makes me wonder about what other elements of the
subway system we might fail to notice but it also makes me appreciate the charisma of a part of the
city most people would consider as looking seedy and that's pretty ironic because in their day
these buildings would have almost looked regal now they look like haunted houses additionally and for
context i'd like to present you one example of a power station that had produced the electricity
for these forgotten substations perhaps the most beautiful example was the powerhouse
strategically located between 11th 12th and 58th and 59th streets directly off the hudson river
massive amounts of coal to fuel its generators could be delivered by barge routinely without
impeding city traffic this plant covered an entire city block and originally powered the entire
subway system the plant was decommissioned when power for the subway was purchased from con ed
this magnificent structure was built at the same time as the original subway projected by
the notorious architectural firm mckim contrasting its white brick and terracotta template this plant
pumped out smoke from six tall smokestacks as produced by its massive coal furnaces so
as new yorkers enjoyed the reduction in smoke that would have otherwise been put out by steam engines
those right across the hudson they probably got a lungful the invisible labor behind our everyday
lives is harder to see than ever but it's vital to understand how deliveries get to your doorstep
or food to your table or even electricity to your subway car and the progression required to bring
us all these comforts we now take for granted should at minimum be noted thinking back to those
men who would literally tap a scary electronic installation just to see if it was live makes me
wonder about what obvious foolishness we partake in in our modern world and well after giving some
consideration to the question i'd suggest that in 1905 the dangers were physical but in our modern
era they're very psychological and if the internet now is comparable to the advent of electricity
then one look into any social media platform will be enough to know about the foolishness
of our times just imagine how the historians will be baffled in the future so keep this story alive
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more tales of urban decay click the playlist on this card finally if you have an idea for an
episode feel free to write it in the comments section below this is ryan socash signing off