A Hundred Years of Planning
A Decade of Construction
New York City’s Future
Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built tells the remarkable story of New York's newest subway line, from promises to reality.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
Three subway stops have never been more important to a nation.
Learn how the future of New York began under Second Avenue.
A hundred-year history.
Read the story of the politicians, city planners, engineers, union workers, and everyday New Yorkers that made it happen.
Meet the beast.
At the heart of the project was “the Beast,” a 675-foot-long tunnel boring machine.
Muck happens.
Admire the backbreaking work of tradespeople toiling long hours in subterranean muck.
New York’s largest public art exhibit.
Explore the color, imagination, and humanity on display under Second Avenue.
What’s the point?
It’s the subway. For over a century, the subway has been the beating heart of New York.
Featured in Crain’s New York Business
ABOUT THE BOOK
Second Avenue Subway:
Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built
A 350-page hardcover book, featuring 256 stunning and mostly unpublished photographs, that tells the story of the multi-faceted challenges faced by critical infrastructure projects—challenges involving politics, engineering, community relations, technology, and even unexpected geology. And it tells how this project—almost miraculously, after nearly a hundred years of planning—was finally completed through the grit and determination of everyone involved, from the union workers toiling in subterranean muck, to project engineers, and all the way up to the governor of New York.
Dan McNichol is the best-selling author of the book The Big Dig.
Bill Goodrich, co-author, was the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) senior executive in charge of building Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway.
Patrick Cashin, an award-winning photographer, worked with the MTA for more than twenty years.
Book specifications:
First edition
Non-fiction
Hard cover
Page count: 350
Image count: 256
(mostly unpublished)Publisher: Big Dig Productions, Inc.
Dimensions: 10" x 10" x 1.75”
Weight: 4.65 lbs.
Price: $65 per book, plus shipping (no sales tax)
Never-Before-Published Photographs
From the roar of “the Beast” to quiet moments of craftsmanship, explore the unseen side of New York’s biggest engineering feat in a century.
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![Second Avenue Subway book - The Best “Hogs”—January 21, 2011]()
The Best “Hogs”—January 21, 2011
A crew of Sandhogs relaxes alongside the tunnel boring machine (TBM).
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
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![Second Avenue Subway book - Muck Train Tracks—January 21, 2011]()
Muck Train Tracks—January 21, 2011
Looking toward the Launch Box from inside the west bore. Two tradespeople straddle opposite sides of temporary railroad tracks set up to haul muck from mining operations taking place farther downtown, as much as a mile away. An air duct providing fresh air into the west bore hangs at the top of the twenty-two-foot-diameter tunnel.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
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![Second Avenue Subway book - Twin Tunnels—April 7, 2011]()
Twin Tunnels—April 7, 2011
Inside the Launch Box looking towards Downtown.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
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![Second Avenue Subway book - TBM Launch Countdown—May 11, 2010]()
TBM Launch Countdown—May 11, 2010
Beneath 92nd Street, Sandhogs ready the 450-foot-long, 500-ton tunnel boring machine (TBM) just days before its official launch.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
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![Second Avenue Subway book - Breakthrough—September 22, 2011]()
Breakthrough—September 22, 2011
At the 63rd Street station, a Sandhog climbs the cutter head of the giant tunnel boring machine moments after the Second avenue Subway project’s mining work was done.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
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![Second Avenue Subway book - Sandhog Hopper Hustle—July 11, 2013]()
Sandhog Hopper Hustle—July 11, 2013
Union workers known as “Sandhogs” from Local 147 hustle a hopper of concrete coming down from Second Avenue.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
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![Second Avenue Subway book - Massive Mezzanine—January 11, 2014]()
Massive Mezzanine—January 11, 2014
Bay Crane’s rubber-tired crane works inside the mezzanine of the future 86th Street station, assisting workers (top left) who are erecting concrete forms.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
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![Second Avenue Subway book - Upper East Side’s Hell’s Kitchen—November 2, 2016]()
Upper East Side’s Hell’s Kitchen—November 2, 2016
The heat in the kitchen was building with only seven weeks to go till opening day.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
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![Second Avenue Subway book - Life Imitates Art—November 2, 2016]()
Life Imitates Art—November 2, 2016
Vik Muniz’s artwork was first made visible to a tradesman (on the right, in a yellow shirt) who was at work installing the Seventy-Second Street station’s finishes when the piece was revealed.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
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![Second Avenue Subway book - Yorkville’s Sneak Peak—December 30, 2016]()
Yorkville’s Sneak Peak—December 30, 2016
Patrick Cashin’s award-winning photo captures Yorkville residents exercising their invitations to a sneak peak of the new Eighty-Sixth Street station.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
Reviews
“I was immediately pulled in by its detailed diagrams, stunning photography, sensible layout, and thoughtful pull-out quotes.”
“I am already looking forward to the next edition, and encourage you to put Second Avenue Subway on your reading list.”
— Inga Velten, Railroad Heritage magazine
“With blunt words and thrilling images they took a full auditorium on a 100-year journey through deep, dark, dangerous tunnels as well as perils of politics and money to the happy ending of shiny, safe trains speeding hundreds of thousands of passengers each day to their destinations. Cities can thrive only with low-cost speed, and the Q train story is a precious recent American success.”
— Jesse Ausubel, Chairman of The Richard Lounsbery Foundation and Director of the Program for the Human Environment at The Rockefeller University, remarking on the Second Avenue Subway book team’s presentation at The Rockefeller University.
“This book…exemplifies why one should not take ‘behind-the-scenes’ efforts for granted.”
“Any reader interested in New York City lore or transportation history will find enjoyment in this book, and aspiring engineering and design students are sure to draw inspiration. The writing is concise and engaging, with just the right amount of detail.”
— Inga Velten, Railroad Heritage magazine
News & Events
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Take a Ride Under Second Avenue
Come down to Book Club Bar to find out what it REALLY takes to build a subway in NYC.
Meet the authors of the groundbreaking new book Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City's Most Famous Thing Never Built for an evening of conversation, underground intrigue, and inspiration for your city's future.
Book Bar Club
197 E 3rd St, New York, NY 10009Thursday March 12, 2026 | 8:00PM-9:00PM
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Why is Building Trains in America So Hard?
Find out on the American History Hotline podcast as Bob Crawford calls up Second Avenue Subway author Dan McNichol, and editor and transportation expert Joe Stanford to unpack how the U.S. went from rail-building powerhouse to transit gridlock.
January 7, 2026
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Railroad Heritage Reviews Second Avenue Subway Book
Railroad Heritage features a new review by Inga Velten praising Second Avenue Subway for its insight, design, and behind-the-scenes perspective on one of New York City’s most ambitious transit projects.
2026:1 Winter Edition
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Official Launch of the Second Avenue Subway Book Today!
Big Dig Productions excited to announce the official launch of Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built with a nationwide press release and media kit.
Thursday December 11, 2025
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Uncover the Incredible Story Beneath Second Avenue
Learn from authors Dan McNichol and Bill Goodrich about the improbable—and incredible—story of New York’s newest subway line at this event proudly presented by the Edwards Public Library.
Glendale Ridge Vineyard
15 Glendale Road, Southampton, MAThursday November 13, 2025 | 5:30PM
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Inside the Second Avenue subway: Former MTA executive on getting Phase Two right
Crain’s New York Business interviews authors Dan McNichol and Bill Goodrich.
Wednesday September 17, 2025
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Second Avenue Subway Celebration
Organized by Arup, this event celebrated the company’s role in Phase 1 of Second Avenue Subway.
Arup’s NYC Office
140 Broadway
New York, NY 10005September 10, 2025 | 5:30 - 8:00 PM
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![Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built book with Tri-State Transportation Campaign]()
The Art of Mobility
A fundraiser gala organized by Tri-State Transportation Campaign featured Patrick Cashin’s photos and a preview of the Second Avenue Subway book.
White Space Art Gallery
530 W 25th Street
New York, NYMay 9, 2025 | 6:00 - 9:00 PM
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![Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built book at New York Transit Museum]()
Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built
Authors Dan McNichol and Bill Goodrich, along with photographer Patrick J. Cashin, participated in a panel presentation that featured stories from their upcoming book and fielded questions from the audience.
New York Transit Museum
Schermerhorn Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201October 23, 2024 | 6:00 - 8:30 PM
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![Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built book at The Rockefeller University]()
Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built
Authors Dan McNichol and Bill Goodrich and photographer Patrick J. Cashin shared the tortuous history of New York City’s most debated, promised, and—until recently—undelivered subway line.
The Rockefeller University | Carson Family Auditorium
1230 York Avenue at East 66th Street
New York, NY 10065MAY 24, 2024 | 5:30 – 6:30 PM
ABOUT US
Changing the Narrative of Building Big
Big Dig Productions seeks to drive the national dialogue about America's vital infrastructure by telling compelling stories about megaprojects and the people who build them.
Photo: Patrick J. Cashin | MTA
Team
Dan McNichol
Author
Patrick Cashin
Photographer
Denisse Leatxe
Creative Director
Joe Stanford
Editor in Chief
Bill Goodrich
Co-author
Per Christiansen
Adviser
Dan McNichol Books
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![Second Avenue Subway: Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built book]()
Second Avenue Subway
Building New York City’s Most Famous Thing Never Built
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The Big Dig
The Largest Urban Construction Project in the History of the Modern World
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The Big Dig at Night
A follow-up to the Big Dig book, with a gallery of night-time photos
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The Roads that Built America
The Incredible Story of the U.S. Interstate System
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The Big Dig
Trivia Quiz Book
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Paving the Way
Asphalt in America
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The Big Dig
Mapping America’s Great Public Project
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A Legacy of Leadership
Governors And American History
Chapter 4 Governing the 1950s | Connecting the United States: Governors and the Building of the Interstate System
