WI the Beach Pneumatic Transit gains support

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A tube, a car, a revolving fan! Little more is required!
- Alfred Beach​

"Certainly the most novel, if not most successful enterprise that New York has seen for many a day is the Pneumatic Tunnel under Broadway..."
- The New York Times ~ February 20, 1870​

In 1912, a group of New York construction workers excavating for the BMT Broadway line stumbled upon something very puzzling: a completely intact tunnel and the remains of a subway car that they had no idea existed. The tunnel was actually one of the last surviving fragments of Alfred Beach's brainchild. In 1860, he was appalled by New York's nightmarish traffic. After seeing the Metropolitan Railway in London, Alfred proposed a solution: build an air-powered train underground. Unlike many of his peers, he advocated pneumatics instead of the traditional steam engine to prevent disturbing the street above.

Unfortunately, Alfred ran into some opposition in his proposal from some well connected property owners from Broadway who feared that the underground project would damage buildings and interfere with street traffic as well as one of the most powerful officials in New York, Boss Tweed. To outsmart his opposition and gain public support, Beach decided to build a 312 foot long subway tunnel beneath Broadway in total secret. Furthermore, he had the gall to run the tunnel right under City Hall. As a cover story, he claimed that he was building a pneumatic tube to carry messages between buildings and received a permit to construct a small series of tubes underground. Construction began in late 1869 and finished in 58 days.

In February of 1870, the doors were opened to a fascinated public. Beach had spared no expense in furnishing the station. The station was adorned with frescoes and Zircon lamps. There were statues and a gold fish pond in the station that people could look at while they waited for their turn to enter the ride. Easy chairs were spread throughout the station for one to relax while waiting for their ride. Although there was only one car, which could seat 22 people comfortably, over 400,000 rides were made in the first year.

The public approved of the project, but Beach was delayed in getting permission to expand for various reasons. By the time he got approval in 1873, a stock market crash killed investor interest. Beach reluctantly sealed the tunnel up and it was soon forgotten.


So what if Beach obtains permission to expand his project earlier? Bills for Beach's subway passed the legislature in 1871 and 1872 but were vetoed by Governor John T. Hoffman, after pressure from Boss Tweed. What if Hoffman does not veto one of these bills, allowing Beach to find financial support for his project?
 
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3425406.jpg

A tube, a car, a revolving fan! Little more is required!
- Alfred Beach​

"Certainly the most novel, if not most successful enterprise that New York has seen for many a day is the Pneumatic Tunnel under Broadway..."
- The New York Times ~ February 20, 1870​

In 1912, a group of New York construction workers excavating for the BMT Broadway line stumbled upon something very puzzling: a completely intact tunnel and the remains of a subway car that they had no idea existed. The tunnel was actually one of the last surviving fragments of Alfred Beach's brainchild. In 1860, he was appalled by New York's nightmarish traffic. After seeing the Metropolitan Railway in London, Alfred proposed a solution: build an air-powered train underground. Unlike many of his peers, he advocated pneumatics instead of the traditional steam engine to prevent disturbing the street above.

Unfortunately, Alfred ran into some opposition in his proposal from some well connected property owners from Broadway who feared that the underground project would damage buildings and interfere with street traffic as well as one of the most powerful officials in New York, Boss Tweed. To outsmart his opposition and gain public support, Beach decided to build a 312 foot long subway tunnel beneath Broadway in total secret. Furthermore, he had the gall to run the tunnel right under City Hall. As a cover story, he claimed that he was building a pneumatic tube to carry messages between buildings and received a permit to construct a small series of tubes underground. Construction began in late 1869 and finished in 58 days.

In February of 1870, the doors were opened to a fascinated public. Beach had spared no expense in furnishing the station. The station was adorned with frescoes and Zircon lamps. There were statues and a gold fish pond in the station that people could look at while they waited for their turn to enter the ride. Easy chairs were spread throughout the station for one to relax while waiting for their ride. Although there was only one car, which could seat 22 people comfortably, over 400,000 rides were made in the first year.

The public approved of the project, but Beach was delayed in getting permission to expand for various reasons. By the time he got approval in 1873, a stock market crash killed investor interest. Beach reluctantly sealed the tunnel up and it was soon forgotten.


So what if Beach obtains permission to expand his project earlier? Bills for Beach's subway passed the legislature in 1871 and 1872 but were vetoed by Governor John T. Hoffman, after pressure from Boss Tweed. What if Hoffman does not veto one of these bills, allowing Beach to find financial support for his project?

The horsecar lines would've protested, that's for sure. Also, how powerful a fan would've been needed? I suspect Beach might have switched to more conventional tech such as cable cars (which were an available technology at the time; San Francisco's cable cars were just beginning their run, and New York's "el" system started off with cable hauling of the cars, rather than the steam locomotives that soon followed). Electricity would've probably followed in another couple of decades.
 
Any ideas on how this would effect the layout of New York? Toward the late 1870s, elevated railways began appearing throughout the city setting the pattern for rapid transit development in New York for the rest of the 19th century. This was a result of the success of the Greenwich St and Ninth Ave railway, which operated with a small steam engine starting in 1870.

If both initially seem practical, what happens to rapid transit development?
 

FDW

Banned
The horsecar lines would've protested, that's for sure. Also, how powerful a fan would've been needed? I suspect Beach might have switched to more conventional tech such as cable cars (which were an available technology at the time; San Francisco's cable cars were just beginning their run, and New York's "el" system started off with cable hauling of the cars, rather than the steam locomotives that soon followed). Electricity would've probably followed in another couple of decades.

The reason why the Greenwich switched to steam power in the place was the unreliability of the Cable, so really, until electric traction is invented Steam power the way to go. Though the large fan that Beach had could be used for ventilation purpose to ensure can breathe while riding the system. From there, all you is kill tweed, get him out of the way and you have a Manhattan subway in the 1870's.
 
Well I am certainly interested into the alternate routes that you have planned for this expanded Beach Pneumatic Transit system especially in the Bronx and Manhattan.
 
The horsecar lines would've protested, that's for sure. Also, how powerful a fan would've been needed? I suspect Beach might have switched to more conventional tech such as cable cars (which were an available technology at the time; San Francisco's cable cars were just beginning their run, and New York's "el" system started off with cable hauling of the cars, rather than the steam locomotives that soon followed). Electricity would've probably followed in another couple of decades.

According to the New York Times article, the train was powered by a fifty-ton fan that rotated at a rate of about 40 revolutions per minute. The fan used sent about 1600 cubic feet of air per revolution.

Beach wanted to extend the line down the length of Broadway. While there presumably would have been multiple stations down the line I am not sure how frequent these stations would have been. What Beach (illegally) constructed in our universe was more of a 'test' line to grab the public's attention and gain financial support. He was quite ambitious about the project.


I've tried to illustrate what his initial plan was (or at least seemed to be based on old newspaper articles). Forgive me for using a modern map. I am unable to find a New York 1870 street map.

buzKb.png


Red shows the original line that was sealed in 1873.
Blue shows the expansion he wanted to build assuming he got permission and financial support

I cannot find the source now, but I read that if the extension proved successful he wanted to construct a line going west. This is shown with yellow.
 
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