‘World’s oldest’ railway turntable discovered in the UK
A 19th-century railway turntable, which is believed to be the world’s oldest, has been discovered in Birmingham, England. The remains of the roundhouse were found near Curzon Street railway station in Birmingham as part of construction for the U.K.’s HS2 high-speed railway link. Built to a design by the 19th century engineer Robert Stephenson, the roundhouse was operational on 12 November 1837 – meaning the recently discovered building is likely the world’s oldest railway turntable, according to HS2. [foxnews.com]
Glimpsing New York’s 91st Street ghost station
It’s a little-known fact that 1 trains run express from 86th Street to 96th Street – sort of. If you look at a modern New York City subway map, you won’t see any stops along the Seventh Avenue IRT Line between 86th and 96th Streets, but that doesn’t mean the trains don’t skip a station. You may have noticed that the 10 blocks between stops is a slightly larger gap than normal, especially if you’ve ever been caught in the rain somewhere in the middle. [ilovetheupperwestside.com]
The art of the ‘L’ in Chicago
If you’re sprinting up the stairs to catch the train on your morning commute, you might miss that the public transportation system that takes you to work each day is also a vast network of public art. There are 145 ‘L’ stations across the city, and many of them display diverse art in a variety of mediums. ‘L’ riders can find everything from soaring, steel sculptures and glass murals to mosaic portraits and ornately tiled ceilings. The photographs below are just a sampling of that artwork and architecture. [wttw.com]
Iconic fish train in Japan completes last run
An iconic train used for transporting fish caught off the Ise-Shima region in Mie Prefecture, central Japan to Osaka has completed its last run, drawing to a close its history of some 56 years. The special train, operated by Kintetsu Railway, was reserved for fish dealers and catches. The number of users had constantly been in decline since peaking at over 100 per day, prompting Kintetsu to end the service. [nippon.com]
Fix everything wrong at 23 subway stations? It beats his last job
Even on a good day, Michael E. Brown’s job is infinite. He is a group station manager for the New York City subway system in charge of 23 stations, mostly along the F line in Brooklyn. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority created the position in 2018 to be the place where the buck stops for every conceivable impediment to the smooth operation of a subway station. [nytimes.com]
