built in 1844, the atlantic avenue tunnel is the oldest subway tunnel in the world. a history shrouded in myth, speculation and blatant lies kept the tunnel a mystery until 1980, when it was rediscovered. partially renovated in 1982, it is now open to the public once a month for tours given by the brooklyn historical railway association.
to get into the tunnel, you have to climb into a manhole that's literally in the middle of a busy brooklyn intersection.
waiting in line.
someone actually brought a baby and a stroller.
manhole love.
this shallow part of the tunnel was discovered first. when it was found, it had dirt up to a foot from the ceiling and the hole where it says "watch your step" appeared to be a cap on the tunnel which at the time was reported to be filled up. our guide said he had seen raiders of the lost ark the night before and after crawling through the one-foot clearance, had a crazy idea to start digging with his hands. he came back later with heavier tools to open the wall, revealing a fifteen foot drop into the huge tunnel in the following photos.
humid and warm = fogged over camera lens, but you can imagine how the guy must've felt when he knocked through the wall and saw this for the first time.
looking back at the shallower tunnel.
you can see how humid it was.
the guy who discovered the tunnel did so with the permission of the utility companies. when they broke through the wall to the main tunnel, the company said he wouldn't be able to enter the tunnel since there was no way to get a ladder through the shallow tunnel. this was his solution:
remants of the 1980 excavation.
i dunno what this says, it just looked cool...
there were probably about 100 ppl in our tour, but everyone was really cool and you could hear everything the guide said, even standing towards the back.
our guide. he's also the guy who discovered the tunnel, though he mentioned he was a tad skinnier the day he crawled through the one-foot clearance in the shallow tunnel.
the ceilings were painted white at one point to reflect any sunlight that entered through several vents. the black hole area at the bottom of this photo is one of those vents.
weird mold growing on rotten wood on the floor of the tunnel.
this is our group exploring the wall at the back end of the tunnel. it's believed that behind the wall lies a steam engine locomotive and a station. unfortunately, there are currently-used utility pipes running through the wall (which i think means someone, somewhere had to have known the tunnel existed) and the ceiling here is not stable enough to excavate without the use of expensive machinery. the bhra hopes to raise enough funds to remove the wall eventually.
close-up of the wall made mostly of cement. note the pipes running through this mess.
the ceiling appears as if it might give way any second. several bricks even seem to be "mid-fall."
something weird growing on old 2x4s
to get into the tunnel, you have to climb into a manhole that's literally in the middle of a busy brooklyn intersection.
waiting in line.
someone actually brought a baby and a stroller.
manhole love.
this shallow part of the tunnel was discovered first. when it was found, it had dirt up to a foot from the ceiling and the hole where it says "watch your step" appeared to be a cap on the tunnel which at the time was reported to be filled up. our guide said he had seen raiders of the lost ark the night before and after crawling through the one-foot clearance, had a crazy idea to start digging with his hands. he came back later with heavier tools to open the wall, revealing a fifteen foot drop into the huge tunnel in the following photos.
humid and warm = fogged over camera lens, but you can imagine how the guy must've felt when he knocked through the wall and saw this for the first time.
looking back at the shallower tunnel.
you can see how humid it was.
the guy who discovered the tunnel did so with the permission of the utility companies. when they broke through the wall to the main tunnel, the company said he wouldn't be able to enter the tunnel since there was no way to get a ladder through the shallow tunnel. this was his solution:
remants of the 1980 excavation.
i dunno what this says, it just looked cool...
there were probably about 100 ppl in our tour, but everyone was really cool and you could hear everything the guide said, even standing towards the back.
our guide. he's also the guy who discovered the tunnel, though he mentioned he was a tad skinnier the day he crawled through the one-foot clearance in the shallow tunnel.
the ceilings were painted white at one point to reflect any sunlight that entered through several vents. the black hole area at the bottom of this photo is one of those vents.
weird mold growing on rotten wood on the floor of the tunnel.
this is our group exploring the wall at the back end of the tunnel. it's believed that behind the wall lies a steam engine locomotive and a station. unfortunately, there are currently-used utility pipes running through the wall (which i think means someone, somewhere had to have known the tunnel existed) and the ceiling here is not stable enough to excavate without the use of expensive machinery. the bhra hopes to raise enough funds to remove the wall eventually.
close-up of the wall made mostly of cement. note the pipes running through this mess.
the ceiling appears as if it might give way any second. several bricks even seem to be "mid-fall."
something weird growing on old 2x4s
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