Grand Central Terminal developed through successive stations at 42nd Street to unify rail service from northern and eastern lines in Manhattan. Backed by Cornelius Vanderbilt, Grand Central Depot was built between 1869 and 1871 as a vast and technologically advanced station, but rapid growth and dangerous street-level approaches soon forced major improvements, including the sinking and covering of tracks along Fourth Avenue. Rebuilt and renamed around 1900, the site was transformed again after a 1902 steam train collision led to electrification and construction of the present terminal, opened in 1913. Saved from later demolition plans and restored in the 1990s, it remains a vital rail gateway.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

New York, New York · USA