IRT Ninth Avenue Line

Last updated

IRT Ninth Avenue Elevated
NYC Elevated RR 110thSt.png
The Ninth Avenue El's "suicide curve" at 110th Street, in 1896
Overview
Other name(s)West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway
West Side and Yonkers Patent Elevated Railway Company
Westside Patented Elevated Railway Company
Ninth Avenue El
History
CommencedJuly 1, 1867 (1867-07-01)
OpenedJuly 1, 1868 (1868-07-01)
CompletedApril 1868 (1868-04)
Cable railway 1868
Regular ServiceFebruary 14, 1870
Electrification 1903
ClosedJune 11, 1940 (1940-06-11) (South of 155th Street) August 31, 1958 (1958-08-31) (North of 155th Street)
Technical
Number of tracks2–3
Character elevated railway
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification DC third rail
Route map

Contents

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167th Street
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Anderson–Jerome Avenues
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Sedgwick Avenue
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159th Street Yard
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155th Street
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151st Street
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145th Street
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140th Street
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135th Street
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130th Street
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125th Street
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116th Street
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110th Street
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104th Street
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99th Street
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93rd Street
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86th Street
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81st Street
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72nd Street
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66th Street
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59th Street
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50th Street
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42nd Street
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34th Street
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30th Street
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23rd Street
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14th Street
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Christopher Street
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Houston Street
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Desbrosses Street
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Franklin Street
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Warren Street
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Barclay Street
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Cortlandt Street
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Rector Street
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Battery Place
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South Ferry

The IRT Ninth Avenue Line, often called the Ninth Avenue Elevated or Ninth Avenue El, [1] was the first elevated railway in New York City. It opened in July 1868 as the West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway, as an experimental single-track cable-powered elevated railway from Battery Place, at the south end of Manhattan Island, northward up Greenwich Street to Cortlandt Street. By 1879 the line was extended to the Harlem River at 155th Street. It was electrified and taken over by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company in 1903.

The main line ceased operation in June 1940, [2] [3] after it was replaced by the IND Eighth Avenue Line which had opened in 1932. The last section in use, over the Harlem River, was known as the Polo Grounds Shuttle. It closed in August 1958. [4] This portion used a now-removed swing bridge called the Putnam Bridge, [5] [6] and went through a still-extant tunnel with two partially underground stations. [7]

The line had the worst accident in the history of New York City elevated railways, on September 11, 1905, when a train derailed and fell to the street. There were 61 casualties. [8]

History

West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway

West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway test run, 1867 Harvey Cable Car.jpg
West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway test run, 1867

The predecessor of the Ninth Avenue Elevated was the West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway, which was built on Greenwich Street by Charles T. Harvey and ran from July 1, 1868, to 1870. The line used multiple one-mile-long (1.6 km-long) cable loops, driven by steam engines in cellars of buildings adjacent to the track. Each loop was started when a car neared it and stopped when it had passed. The cables were equipped with collars that the car connected to with "claws". As the claws could not be "slipped" the car was jerked each time it moved to the next cable. The system proved cumbersome, broke down several times and eventually the company ran out of money and the system was abandoned. The new owners replaced the cable cars with steam locomotives.

In 1885, the first demonstration of an electric traction engine in New York took place on the Ninth Avenue El. [9]

Extension

The Ninth Avenue Elevated was extended up Greenwich Street and Ninth Avenue by 1891. The Ninth Avenue El and several other lines of the Manhattan Railway Company were taken over with a 99-year lease by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company on April 1, 1903. [10] [11] The Ninth Avenue Elevated extended over 100 feet (30 m) above the street at "Suicide Curve", where the line made two 90-degree turns above 110th Street to travel from Columbus Avenue to Eighth Avenue. [12] On September 11, 1905, the worst accident in the history of New York's elevated railways took place at a curve at 53rd street, resulting in 13 deaths and 48 serious injuries. [13] The rebuilding project was extended all the way north to 116th St., creating Manhattan's first three-track elevated, although center-track express service did not begin until 1916.

Berenice Abbott photograph of Ninth Avenue El station at 72nd Street, 1936 El' station, Sixth and Ninth Avenue Lines- downtown side, 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, Manhattan (NYPL b13668355-482803).jpg
Berenice Abbott photograph of Ninth Avenue El station at 72nd Street, 1936

The line began at South Ferry and ran along Greenwich Street from Battery Place to Gansevoort Street in lower Manhattan, Ninth Avenue in midtown (joining with the Sixth Avenue El at 53rd Street, continuing along Columbus Avenue in upper Manhattan between 59th Street and 110th, turning east on 110th and running north on Eighth Avenue (Central Park West and Frederick Douglass Boulevard) until the Harlem River. [14]

In January 1917, the installation of a third track was completed. [15] The third track allowed the IRT to begin running express trains on the line in July 1918, from 125th Street to 155th Street; trains began using the new express station at 145th Street for the first time. [16] At the same time, the line was extended to 162nd Street in the Bronx, and stations were opened at Sedgwick Avenue and Anderson–Jerome Avenues. [16] In December 1921, Lexington Avenue–Jerome Avenue subway trains began running north of 167th Street at all times, replacing elevated trains, which ran to Woodlawn during rush hours, but terminated at 167th Street during non-rush hours. [17]

As of 1934, the following services were being operated:

Closing and Polo Grounds Shuttle

Most of the line was closed June 11, 1940, and dismantled, following the purchase of the IRT by the City of New York. [2] [3] A small portion of the line north of 155th Street remained in service as the "Polo Grounds Shuttle". [18] [19] Service ended in August 1958 as a result of the departure of the New York Giants baseball team, which had relocated to San Francisco, and the ending of passenger service on the New York Central's Putnam Division. [4] [20]

Station listing

From north to south, the stations were:

StationTracksOpening dateClosing dateTransfers and notes
Anderson–Jerome Avenues ExpressJuly 1, 1918 [16] August 31, 1958 [4] Still exists in ruins; continued north via the Jerome Avenue Line to 167th Street, and later to Woodlawn on January 2, 1919 [21]
Sedgwick Avenue ExpressJuly 1, 1918 [16] August 31, 1958 [4] Still exists in ruins; transfer point with NYC Putnam Division [21]
155th Street ExpressDecember 1, 1879 [22] August 31, 1958 [4] Built next to NYC Putnam Division southern terminus, former transfer point until Putnam Division service to Manhattan ended in 1918 [21]
151st Street LocalNovember 15, 1917June 11, 1940 [2]
145th Street ExpressDecember 1, 1879June 11, 1940 [2]
140th Street LocalSeptember 27, 1879June 11, 1940 [2]
135th Street LocalSeptember 27, 1879June 11, 1940 [2]
130th Street LocalSeptember 27, 1879June 11, 1940 [2]
125th Street ExpressSeptember 17, 1879June 11, 1940 [2]
116th Street ExpressSeptember 17, 1879June 11, 1940 [2]
110th Street LocalJune 3, 1903June 11, 1940 [2]
104th Street LocalJune 21, 1879June 11, 1940 [2]
99th Street LocalJune 21, 1879June 11, 1940 [2]
93rd Street LocalJune 21, 1879June 11, 1940 [2]
86th Street LocalJune 21, 1879June 11, 1940 [2]
81st Street LocalJune 9, 1879 [23] June 11, 1940 [2]
72nd Street LocalJune 9, 1879 [23] June 11, 1940 [2]
66th Street ExpressJune 11, 1940 [2]
59th Street LocalJune 9, 1879 [23] June 11, 1940 [2] Transfer to Sixth Avenue Elevated
55th Street LocalJanuary 18, 1876Before 1887
53rd Street LocalJune 2, 1878Before 1887
50th Street LocalJanuary 18, 1876June 11, 1940 [2]
42nd Street LocalNovember 6, 1875 [21] June 11, 1940 [2]
34th Street ExpressJuly 30, 1873 [21] June 11, 1940 [2]
30th Street LocalDecember 13, 1873June 11, 1940 [2]
29th Street July 3, 1868 [24] 1873Original northern terminus
23rd Street LocalOctober 21, 1873June 11, 1940 [2]
21st Street LocalOctober 21, 1873Before 1887
14th Street ExpressJune 11, 1940 [2]
Little West 12th Street LocalJune 17, 18721880?
Bethune Street LocalNovember 5, 1875Before 1887
Christopher Street ExpressNovember 3, 1873June 11, 1940 [2]
Houston Street LocalNovember 3, 1873June 11, 1940 [2]
Watts Street LocalMay 6, 1872Before 1887
Desbrosses Street ExpressNovember 23, 1873June 11, 1940 [2]
Franklin Street LocalJanuary 21, 1873June 11, 1940 [2]
Warren Street ExpressFebruary 14, 1870June 11, 1940 [2]
Barclay Street LocalFebruary 14, 1870June 11, 1940 [2]
Dey Street July 3, 1868 [24] 1874Original southern terminus
Cortlandt Street ExpressMay 25, 1874June 11, 1940 [2]
Rector Street LocalMay 25, 1874June 11, 1940 [2]
Morris Street LocalAugust 15, 1872
April 15, 1877
March 19, 1873
September 27, 1879
Battery Place ExpressJune 5, 1883 [25] June 11, 1940 [2] Sixth Avenue Line
South Ferry ExpressApril 5, 1877June 11, 1940 (9th Avenue)
December 22, 1950 (other services) [2]
Second, Third and Sixth Avenue Lines; various ferries

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dual Contracts</span> Transit contracts in New York City

The Dual Contracts, also known as the Dual Subway System, were contracts for the construction and/or rehabilitation and operation of rapid transit lines in the City of New York. The contracts were signed on March 19, 1913, by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company. As part of the Dual Contracts, the IRT and BRT would build or upgrade several subway lines in New York City, then operate them for 49 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interborough Rapid Transit Company</span> Defunct subway operator in New York City (1904–1940)

The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT was purchased by the city in June 1940, along with the younger BMT and IND systems, to form the modern New York City Subway. The former IRT lines are now the A Division or IRT Division of the Subway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford Park Boulevard–Lehman College station</span> New York City Subway station in the Bronx

The Bedford Park Boulevard–Lehman College station is a local station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Bedford Park Boulevard immediately west of Jerome Avenue in the Bedford Park neighborhood of the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times. It is also the only station on the Jerome Avenue Line north of 170th Street that is not located above Jerome Avenue. This station was constructed by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company as part of the Dual Contracts and opened in 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingsbridge Road station (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)</span> New York City Subway station in the Bronx

The Kingsbridge Road station is a local station on the elevated IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Kingsbridge Road and Jerome Avenue in the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood of the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times. This station was constructed by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company as part of the Dual Contracts and opened in 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">176th Street station</span> New York City Subway station in the Bronx

The 176th Street station is a local station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 176th Street and Jerome Avenue in the Morris Heights neighborhood of the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times. This station was constructed by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company as part of the Dual Contracts and opened in 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Eden Avenue station</span> New York City Subway station in the Bronx

The Mount Eden Avenue station is a local station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Mount Eden and Jerome Avenues in the Highbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times. This station was constructed by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company as part of the Dual Contracts and opened in 1917.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">167th Street station (IRT Jerome Avenue Line)</span> New York City Subway station in the Bronx

The 167th Street station is a local station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of 167th Street and River Avenue in the Concourse neighborhood of the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times. This station was constructed by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company as part of the Dual Contracts and opened in 1917.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">IRT Third Avenue Line</span> Former New York City rapid transit line

The IRT Third Avenue Line, commonly known as the Third Avenue Elevated, Third Avenue El, or Bronx El, was an elevated railway in Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City. Originally operated by the New York Elevated Railway, an independent railway company, it was acquired by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) and eventually became part of the New York City Subway system.

The BMT Astoria Line is a rapid transit line in the B Division of the New York City Subway, serving the Queens neighborhood of Astoria. It runs south from Ditmars Boulevard in Astoria to 39th Avenue in Long Island City above 31st Street. It then turns west and serves Queensboro Plaza over Queens Plaza.

The IRT Jerome Avenue Line, also unofficially known as IRT Woodlawn Line, is an A Division New York City Subway line mostly along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. Originally an Interborough Rapid Transit Company-operated route, it was built as part of the Dual Contracts expansion and opened in 1917 and 1918. It is both elevated and underground, with 161st Street–Yankee Stadium being the southernmost elevated station. The line has three tracks from south of the Woodlawn station to the 138th Street–Grand Concourse station. The Woodlawn Line also has a connection to the Jerome Yard, where 4 trains are stored, just north of the Bedford Park Boulevard–Lehman College station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IRT Sixth Avenue Line</span> Former New York City rapid transit line

The IRT Sixth Avenue Line, often called the Sixth Avenue Elevated or Sixth Avenue El, was the second elevated railway in Manhattan in New York City, following the Ninth Avenue Elevated.

The 155th Street station was an elevated railway station in Manhattan, New York City, that operated from 1870 until 1958. It served as the north terminal of the IRT Ninth Avenue Line from its opening until 1918 and then as the southern terminal of a surviving stub portion from 1940 until its closure in 1958. It had two tracks and one island platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IRT Second Avenue Line</span> Former New York City rapid transit line

The IRT Second Avenue Line, also known as the Second Avenue Elevated or Second Avenue El, was an elevated railway in Manhattan, New York City, United States, from 1878 to 1942. It was operated by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company until 1940, when the city took over the IRT. Service north of the 57th Street station ended on June 11, 1940; the rest of the line closed on June 13, 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">161st Street–Yankee Stadium station</span> New York City Subway station in the Bronx

The 161st Street–Yankee Stadium station is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the elevated IRT Jerome Avenue Line and the underground IND Concourse Line. It is located at the intersection of 161st Street and River Avenue in the Highbridge and Concourse neighborhoods of the Bronx. It is generally served by the 4 train at all times; the D train at all times except rush hours in the peak direction ; and the B train weekdays until evening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">42nd Street station (IRT Third Avenue Line)</span> Former Manhattan Railway elevated station (closed 1955)

The 42nd Street station was an elevated express station on the demolished IRT Third Avenue Line in Manhattan, New York City. It had two levels with the lower level having three tracks. The main line tracks were served by two side platforms. A side platform connected to the southbound platform was used for shuttle service to Grand Central. The upper level was built as part of the Dual Contracts, and had one track and two side platforms over the two local tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedgwick Avenue station</span> New York City Subway station in The Bronx (closed 1958)

The Sedgwick Avenue station was an elevated, ground level and underground station on the Bronx extension of the IRT Ninth Avenue Line in Highbridge, Bronx, New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Putnam Bridge (New York City)</span> Former bridge (1881–1958)

The Putnam Bridge was a swing bridge that spanned the Harlem River and the adjacent tracks of the New York Central Railroad in New York City. The bridge connected Harlem in Manhattan to Concourse, near the current location of Yankee Stadium, in the Bronx. It carried two tracks of the New York and Putnam Railroad, and later the 9th Avenue elevated line of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), as well as two pedestrian walkways outside the superstructure.

References

  1. "Remembering the 9th Avenue El". MTA.info. October 26, 2011. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Ninth Avenue Elevated Closure Poster
  3. 1 2 "Two 'El' Lines End Transit Service". New York Times . June 12, 1940. p. 27.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "imagejpg1_zpse1f8a458.jpg Photo by JavierMitty – Photobucket". Photobucket.
  5. "Image 8282". nycsubway.org. June 14, 1958. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
  6. "Image 8296". nycsubway.org. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
  7. Walsh, Kevin (December 25, 1999). "When Is a Subway Not a Subway?". Forgotten NY. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
  8. Shaw, Robert B. (1961). Down Brakes: A History of Railroad Accidents, Safety Precautions and Operating Practices in the United States of America. London: P. R. Macmillan. OCLC   2641112.
  9. Sansone, Gene; P. Roess, Roger (August 23, 2012). 9783642304842. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9783642304842.
  10. Feinman, Mark S. "Continuing the Story of the 9th Avenue El" . Retrieved August 4, 2009. On April 1, 1903, the entire Manhattan Elevated system was leased to the IRT Company for 999 years. Subway system construction was planned to connect with the Els at various points. By June 25, 1903, the last steam-powered elevated train was operated in passenger service on the 9th Ave El.
  11. Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit, 1864-1917. pp. 182–186.
  12. History, Bloomingdale (September 13, 2013). "The Ninth Avenue El". bloomingdalehistory.com. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  13. Robert C. Reed, The New York Elevated, South Brunswick, NJ and New York: Barnes, 1978, ISBN   0-498-02138-6, p. 138.
  14. The Red Book: New York. New York: Interstate Map Co. 1935.
  15. Senate, New York (State) Legislature (1917). Documents of the Senate of the State of New York.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Open New Subway To Regular Traffic — First Train On Seventh Avenue Line Carries Mayor And Other Officials — To Serve Lower West Side — Whitney Predicts An Awakening Of The District — New Extensions Of Elevated Railroad Service" (PDF). New York Times. July 2, 1918. p. 11. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  17. "An Improvement in Service for Passengers on the Jerome Avenue Line North of 167th Street". pudl.princeton.edu. Interborough Rapid Transit Company. December 11, 1921. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  18. Norwood, Stephen (2018). New York Sports: Glamour and Grit in the Empire City. Sport, Culture, and Society. University of Arkansas Press. p. 351. ISBN   978-1-61075-635-8.
  19. Sansone, G. (2004). New York Subways: An Illustrated History of New York City's Transit Cars. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 43. ISBN   978-0-8018-7922-7 . Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  20. "Annual Report For The Year Ended June 30, 1959". New York City Transit Authority. October 1959. p. 15.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 "The 9th Avenue Elevated-Polo Grounds Shuttle". nycsubway.org. 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  22. Brennan, Joseph. ""The two roads are in perfect accord" 1878-1879". Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  23. 1 2 3 "The Manhattan Company — Opening of the West Side to Eighty-first Street — The Sunday Trains" (PDF). New York Times. June 10, 1879. p. 8. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
  24. 1 2 Walker, James Blaine (1918). Fifty Years of Rapid Transit, 1864-1917. Law Print. Company.
  25. "A Station at Battery Place". New York Times. June 5, 1883. p. 5. Retrieved September 22, 2020.