There is Light at the End of the Tunnel, after all on 42nd Street

In this remarkable photo obtained from the New York Public Library Archive, we see a 42nd Street trolley pose at the east end of a short tunnel on 42nd Street.  This photo is dated 7/23/1939 and is labeled from P. L. Sperr.  This photo is only used for research purposes showing not a well known tunnel, called the Prospect Hill Tunnel.

You are facing west on 42nd Street I believe at 1st Avenue.  The East River is to the photographer's back.  This is a great photo.  Tudor City was built by this time.  What a classic shot and a great streetlamp above on the street.

42nd Street Ramp Mystery Solved

Several years ago, a reader sent me an aerial image from 1928 showing a strange image of a ramp east of 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan.  According to the ERA maps that I posted of the area, the area between 2nd Avenue and the East River shows two streetcar tracks but no ramp or tunnel.   A 1920's map of Manhattan showing buildings and streets shows a ramp at that location but no trolley tracks.   Please find below two photos that were taken at the location.

These photos come from the digital archive of the New York Public Library and they are used here for research purposes.  The top photo is taken east of 2nd Avenue on April 25, xx by the Brown Brothers.  The second photo is facing 300 East 42nd Street.  The bottom photo was taken on September 9, 1928 by P. L Sterr of the "Prospect Hill Tunnel".  The top photo is facing east towards the East River and looks to have been taken from the 2nd Avenue El.  The bottom photo is facing the south east intersection of 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue showing the El station and a streetcar in the ramp  We can see clearly the streetcar tracks in the ramp in the top photo.