Sunday 16 January 2011

Over head

This is utterly delightful (if also a bit sad) -- a 2 minute, 1955 newsreel of the last gasp of the New York 'El':



I'm a huge fan of the Chicago 'L', and deeply sorry that the New York version was dismantled long before I got to see it.

If that film has whetted your appetite, here's a 10 minute colour job, "A Day in the Life of..." style, that's surprisingly inventive for amateur footage from this date, even if some of the editing tricks now look a bit forced.



How cool was that?

To end this trio, another take on the last days -- with some cheesy narration by an 'El' train itself, but lots of joyful photography.



England only ever had one 'El', in Liverpool, again long-since demolished.

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