Some Noteworthy Tunnels

So here's a topic that no one seems to have posted yet -- tunnels. As I was sifting through my collection for other threads, I realized I had a handful of interesting cards on this subject that were begging to be shared. And I know there are more out there.

A couple river tunnels -- the Hudson River subway tunnel going into a curve and the Detroit River rail tunnel, headed for Windsor, Ontario.





Southern Pacific locomotives heading through the Sierra Nevada range had to tunnel through snow sheds designed to spare the tracks from avalanches.



The Mitchell Point Tunnel was one of the iconic features along the historic Columbia River Highway, with its carved "windows" and view of the Gorge. Sadly it was blasted away to make room for Interstate 84.



The Wawona Tree tunnel was opened for through traffic in 1881, well before Sequoia National Park was established. It stood until 1969, when a heavy snow load brought down the tree. It can still be seen in the park, but is now known as the Fallen Tunnel Tree.

Here's a nice split image card with above and below ground views of the Loop Station and City Hall in N.Y.C. Cancel is dated Sep 28, 1907 4 PM, with 2 Cincinnati arrival cancels; one is Sep 29, 6PM (not shown) and the other, a station E flag dated Sep 30, 7 AM.

I recently the discovered the 1905 b/w version of this tunnel postcard!

One more tunnel from my home state of Oregon. This is the Oneonta Tunnel on the Historic Columbia River Highway. It was abandoned and filled in back in the 1960s when Interstate 84 was constructed. After a big public effort the tunnel was cleared in 2006, reinforced and reopened to foot traffic in 2009. I walked through it a month or so after it opened and it smelled like a freshly sharpened pencil.

While digging through a dollar box I uncovered another tunnel that needs to be added to this thread.

Here's one from Ireland sometime around 1900. (I had to crop a bit off each side to get it under 200k.)

Here's another Ireland postcard view of the tunnel(s) at Glengarriff.

Finally, here's a photo of what the same tunnel(s) looked like in about 2010.

Very neat pictures -- thanks for posting. Those remind me a lot of the Mitchell Point Tunnel card I posted a while back.

Btw, the NYC City Hall subway station, posted earlier, still exists in most of its former glory.

http://www.businessinsider.com/city...sive-2015-10

Thanks GregAlex. Nice link. Also, according to the "untapped cities" website :

"The New York Transit Museum hosts tours there 16 times a year, but they are only available to museum members who must pay an additional $50 per ticket."

Great thread!

Yeah, they milk that like a cash cow. But I'm going to be in New York in August -- I might try a sneaky ride-through when they turn around the #6 car. Wish me luck!

That is not a problem, I rode the 6 around the loop last week. The conductors expect it.

You have to look quick and at night you won't see much. There is another unused platform at 18th st on the 6 line.

This is a printed Rotograph I bought last year at the Garden State Postcard Club annual show in Parsipanny. Always a great show..

And I did! It's very easy to ride to the south end of of the #6 subway line, then stay on through the abandoned City Hall Station as they turn around. No one even cares if you don't exit the car. Unfortunately the lighting and movement is not good for photos, but it was definitely a neat experience.