A Mammoth Move: Relocating the 50th Street Substation [History]

The present Grand Central Terminal on 42nd Street in midtown Mannhattan, New York City, opened in 1913. A recent article in this column described in detail the electrification of the terminal to eliminate the need for steam locomotives in its operation (see Figure 1). This project included the construction of a steam plant and a power substation at 50th Street, several blocks north of the new terminal. In 1929, the imminent construction of a new Waldorf-Astoria Hotel at that location required the removal of this facility. The need for a steam plant was eliminated by the decision to purchase the steam from a commercial steam supplier instead. The substation, however, was still necessary since its rotary converters supplied the direct current (dc) for the third rails, which powered the trains in and north of Grand Central Terminal. Consequently, it was decided to move the entire substation to a location within Grand Central itself.