In the late 19th century, as America's teeming cities grew increasingly congested, the time had come to replace the nostalgic horse-drawn trolleys with a faster, cleaner, safer, and more efficient form of transportation. Ultimately, it was Boston, a city of so many firsts that overcame a litany of engineering challenges, the greed-driven interests of businessmen, and the great fears of its citizenry to construct America's first subway.

Originally released by PBS, 2017. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on June 01, 2018.

Blizzard of 1888 (2:43); --Underground Transportation (8:35); -- First Electric Motor (2:40); -- Boston's Transit System (4:31); -- Frank Sprague's First Railcar (7:46); -- Rapid Transit Commission (6:44); -- Approval of the Boston Subway (4:27); -- Boston Subway Explosion (8:33); -- Future of the Electric Railway (5:53); -- Credits: The Race Underground (1:21); .