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Re: Nighttime Shot of 3rd Ave El at 67th Street (1953)

Posted by JOE @ NYCMTS - NYCTMG on Sun Dec 10 17:57:32 2017, in response to Re: Nighttime Shot of 3rd Ave El at 67th Street (1953), posted by qveensboro_plaza on Sun Dec 10 11:12:25 2017.



Hello Queensboro Plaza

Thank you for that very interesting & nostalgic recitation of your boyhood memories -- on the 3rd Ave El and the train store. Its possible your father was a one time motorman on the El - and went to the "subway division" --sounds like the handle he had was a cutting key handle, or a larger thicker heavier brake handle.

Here is an image of a typical brake handle




There is some bare land existing where the El ran in the alley -- here below is an aerial shot showing your your school, looking north across E. 138th street -- the alleyway with cars is where the E. 138th St double deck El station was where it crossed E.138th St. The brown brick building behind the tenements at left across from your school PS 49 is an IRT Power Substation that fed the nearby IRT subway and also the 3rd Ave EL - in front of the words WILLIS playground.


AERIAL VIEW NORTH ACROSS E 138 St - Alleyway for the EL survives

BELOW is a photo from 1915 when the Alley EL was widened for wider platforms and double deck stations - view north along the old narrow E. 138th Street Station - the original S/B track was moved about 10 feet to the west along the alleyway. The 2 tenements seen across E. 138th Street still remain today


N to E.138St during rebuilding and widening Alley EL in 1915



The Alleyway for the El at is long ago E. 133rd St Double Deck EL Station remains for 1/2 block -- seen (IMAGE LINK BELOW) in lower center of photo next to a MacDonalds -- here is the aerial image looking north. The actual path of the El is clear (no buildings) from 133rd St to E. 143rd St.


EL ALLEYWAY to left of MacDonalds off E.133rd St


PS-- Bloomingdales was a middle-upper class upscale department store - my mother shopped there a lot and dragged me there via the EL to the S/B E. 59th St Station --- we walked down the narrow stairway with the very narrow escalator stairs parallel. Here is a photo of it looking northeast to the corner of Bloomies and the S/B EL Station about from 1915 --way before my time (my mom was a small girl then, heh) but it looked the same right up to the end of the El 5-12-1955.





Here is an interior shot looking up from sidewalk level from 1955





Likely you went to two places -- MADISON HARDWARE on E. 23rd Street off the 23rd St Express Station of the EL - a legendary LIONEL sales and service store in its time.

Below is a link to a page of photos of the Store - each image opens a link to a specific website / page that the photo is associated with - for more reading.


PHOTOS PAGE OF MADISON HARDWARE STORE

Or you went to the American Flyer Trains Hall of Science Storefront Train Layout and showroom -- bordered by 5th Avenue, W. 25th street (the main entrance) and Broadway. Here is the American Flyer Website which has many yellow tabs for links to its past history, layouts, displays, etc,


AMERICAN FLYER TRAINS WEBSITE & historical pages

BELOW is the 2013 street view of the original building bordered by 5th Avenue, W. 25th street (the main entrance) and Broadway. the large picture windows and entry with dark grey walls was the showroom -- looks the same today as back in the 50's; Note - on the page you can scroll around for different angle-views)



American Flyer Trains Showroom - Layout Store Location - 2013


I was at both places numerous times in the 1950's and 1960's !

The (3rd Ave) "EL" was a major part of so many peoples lives as well as to many kids of the much saner, safer slower paced era so long ago -- I suppose the present day still existing NYC EL's are somewhat the same for kids today except that kids today have far more interests and distractions than kids of my time back in the 1950's.

regards - Joe F

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