HAsn’t it been 100 years since the NYC subway first opened? And, if so, what did it run off of? Was there a small DC power grid in NYC at the time??? - Jinx
Yes, 2004 marked the centennial of the NYC subway. The system opened in 1904 as a single-line, 9.1-mile route that began at City Hall, headed north to Grand Central, turned west to Times Square, then north along Broadway to 145 Street. There were only 28 stations. The most powerful coal-burning power station ever built (100,000 hp.) supplied the electricity. (There were more powerful hydro-electric plants at the time.) Local substations stepped down the voltage and converted the AC to DC for train use.
Oh yeah, the electrical plant was located on the westside, at 59th Street at the Hudson River. It is still there, but no longer serves the subway. I don’t know if it is running at all, in fact.