Proposed New Railway System for the Transportation and Distribution of Freight by Improved Methods in the City and Port of New York

Full buckram with title stamped on cover. fine condition. 102, 43 pp. Many plates and folding maps and plans, including photographs showing the state of various surface streets in lower Manhattan. This is a detailed, very ambitious, proposal, submitted to the Public Service Commission for the First District by the Amsterdam Corporation, for moving freight in Manhattan, calling for a rail terminal on West Street and an underground network of subway tunnels for smaller cars to distribute freight around the city. It called for tunnels under both the Hudson and East Rivers for the movement of freight. There was also an element of the plan for passenger trains. Wilgus was recognized as a brilliant engineer. He was one of the principal planners of Grand Central Station, and was responsible for its double-level of track design. He is also sometimes credited as being the first proponent of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, though this credit has not been universally recognized.