Gilbert / Sixth Avenue Elevated Railroad print. Original hand colored wood engraving from Harper's Weekly, May 18, 1878. The Gilbert Elevated Railroad, also known as the Sixth Avenue Elevated, was the second elevated railway line in New York City. Vignettes feature the exterior and interior of a car, and the process of raising the car onto the track over an inclined plane. The elevated trains were steam-powered locomotives, providing faster travel but creating significant noise and blocking sunlight on the streets below. Though eventually replaced by underground subways, the elevated railway was a significant development in New York's urban transportation history.
