Our ‘transportation series’ (see Tuesday’s post) continues with this marvelous ten-minute short film about the history and vanishing of New York City’s elevated trains. In the first half of the twentieth century the city was jammed with El trains–2nd Ave, 3rd Ave, 6th Ave, 9th Ave, 10th Ave all had trains running high above them. The sound must have been deafening, the smoke and fumes punishing. Add the fact that during the first decades of the century horse-driven pushcarts were still in regular use, and you can imagine what Manhattan smelled like (think, if you dare, about the summertime in particular). This doc, part of a series called ‘If Things Could Talk’, features a fanciful first-person narration  by the El Train itself, describing its history and demise. When this was made the 3rd Avenue El was still running–but not for long. It came down in 1955 and with it the history of the Elevated trains in Manhattan came to an end. Many thanks to my pal Marc Myers of JazzWax for hipping me to this terrific little film.