Before today's subway system in New York City was built, there was another attempt to create an underground transit system. This system was the Beach Pneumatic Transit Company. Yes, that's right, pneumatic trains filled with people were pushed along underground tracks using the same principle of compresses air propulsion like you see at bank drive-through windows or the message system in Brazil. Sadly, for various reasons, this system never made it past the early couple of stations.

I know, not SF, but still an extremely cool example of Victorian Era technology. I could see this concept being used in an alternate history story, along with working Babbage Engines and the like.

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Posted by JP Frantz at Friday August 05, 2005 at 7:35 PM
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