Air Conditioning Saves the Train
It's only mid-June and already it feels like August. Hot, humid days are not kind to straphangers. And, to pour salt on the wound, I just missed my train as I was coming to work today.
Once my the train did arrive, I boarded the cool car and wondered how insanely uncomfortable the subway must have been before air conditioning. How did anyone survive August on the subway?
A crowded train car.
Air conditioning on the train is a relatively recent addition. The first air-conditioned train hit the rails in 1967. Prior to this date, people believed because the train is constantly stopping that the air conditioning would be ineffective. The experiment was a success, and more trains were ordered and in service by 1969. Of course, today we have a fully air-conditioned stock—we no longer hope the minute windows will open or the car has a fan. Imagine that the next time you board a crowded, rush-hour train. Then, gaze into the dim bulbs that trace the tunnel and reveal the dusty air.
I have a relatively short commute—80 blocks—from Washington Heights in northern Manhattan to the Upper West Side. This trip on the 1 train takes about 10-15 minutes, enough time to read a few pages, although I prefer people watching or pondering life.
Cut-and-cover method for subway construction. Construction at Broadway and 135th Street in 1904.
With the trains now climate controlled, the stations are a relic of a bygone era when awnings and fans ruled the day. The stations can be so hot that sweat will often bead on my forehead—hair product will melt, causing coiffure calamities all over town. Imagine stepping into an EZ Bake oven: not hot enough to actually bake, but warm enough to be rather irritating.
The reason for this is that most stations, in Manhattan at least, were constructed using the cut-and-cover method. This involved digging a trench up the middle of the street, laying the track, building the supports, and covering it all over with the street. The resulting layer between the station ceiling and the road surface is quite thin, and covered with asphalt, of course. Sure, the stations have vents to the outside, but this certainly provides little or no rescue on a hazy, hot day. I suppose it would be too much to ask for fans in the stations? Well, god knows what people would jam or pour in them. While the subway is generally becoming more civilized, we're not quite there yet.
At the conclusion of my ride today, I'd finally become cool and collected and was ready to step onto the sweltering streets to continue my commute on foot.
