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Introduction (2:52)
A Dangerous Depot (8:48)
In the late nineteenth century, railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt's Grand Central is considered by many to be the worst train station in the world.
Manhattan Bans Steam Locomotives (12:24)
In 1902, steam engines are banned after a terrible accident kills 15 passengers in the smoky, dark Park Avenue tunnel. Engineer William Wilgus devises a radical solution.
Moving Trains Underground (7:14)
Construction crews build down sixty feet into Manhattan bedrock. Electric trains will travel safely underground, and the railroad will sell air rights above the tracks to real estate developers.
Problems with Electric Engines (8:08)
After another tragic accident in 1907, the New York district attorney calls for the indictment of high-ranking officials at the New York Central -- chief among them, chief engineer William Wilgus.
"The Greatest Station in the World" (10:57)
At midnight on February 2, 1913, three thousand people rush into Grand Central Terminal for the first time. By day's end, over 150,000 New Yorkers, from every corner of the city, have come to gaze at their newest monument.
Credits (2:05)
More About the Program Grand Central
Train Yard, Grand Central Depot. Collection of the New-York Historical Society
On the morning of January 8, 1902, a southbound commuter train traveling through a smoky, congested tunnel in New York City's Grand Central Depot slammed into the rear of another train, instantly killing seventeen people, and injuring thirty-eight. Screams filled the darkened tunnel as fire fighters arrived on the scene to search for survivors.
The tragedy in New York that day, and a self-taught engineer's innovative response to the crisis that ensued, ultimately gave birth to one of America's greatest architectural and technological monuments: Grand Central Terminal.
This American Experience recounts the dramatic story of the famous landmark's construction. When Grand Central Terminal opened on February 12, 1913, the press heralded it as the greatest railway terminal in the world. By 1947 over sixty-five million people -- the equivalent of forty percent of the population of the United States -- had traveled through the station. Today, it remains one of New York and America's most famous spaces, and a living monument to the nation's great railway age.
Introduction
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Transcript
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Acknowledgements
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Credits
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AMERICAN EXPERIENCE is closed captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers by The Caption Center at WGBH.
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