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| Re: Tuscarora Almanac for March 23 (1508116) | |||
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Re: Tuscarora Almanac for March 23 |
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Posted by IRTRedbirdR33 on Sun Mar 24 19:24:29 2019, in response to Re: Tuscarora Almanac for March 23, posted by Express Rider on Sun Mar 24 08:31:02 2019. Thank you for the info. and dates about the Westchester Avenue branch. I had asked others (not here) about the abandonment dates and usage, and people just weren't sure about it. Prior to 1946, it had been used in revenue service? Regularly? Was it for 3rd ave. Rush hour express trains or for non rush service as well? Details welcomed! There are three elements to this story. Firstly we have the Westchester Avenue Branch. This was a two track connection between the 3rd Avenue El just north of the 149th Street station and the West Farms line west of the Jackson Avenue station. This line was in service from November 26, 1904 to March 23, 1950. (Some reports say that that the line was removed shortly after that but I believe that it lasted until at least 1952. Maybe the Elkeeper knows for sure.)(Note: I said that this line was in service from 1904 to 1950. It was used in revenue service from 1904-1917 and again by 3rd Avenue trains during the Saturday noon rush from 1940-46. It was however used throughout this time by non-revenue trains.) The Bergen Avenue Cutoff was a two track line connecting the 3rd Avenue El north of the 143rd Street station with the West Farms Line west of the Jackson Avenue station. (The Bergen Cutoff actually connected first into the aforementioned Westchester Avenue Branch first and then almost immediately into the West Farms Line. This line was in service from July 2, 1917 to November 5, 1946. It was not taken out of service until November 10, 1949 and was torn down in the summer of 1950. The upper level of the 3rd Avenue Line extended from 143rd Street to and through the 125th Street station. This line was in service from July 2, 1917 to May 12, 1955 when revenue service was discontinued south of 149th Street. However it was necessary to retain the structure as far south as the ramp between 143rd Street and 138th Street in order to reverse trains. This continued until July 1956 when a double crossover was placed in service north of 149th Street. At that time the line south of 149th Street was taken out of service. The elevated structure of the original subway was completed before the tunnel under the Harlem River. Accordingly 2nd and 3rd Avenue trains using the Westchester Avenue Branch to serve the stations between Jackson Avenue and 180th Street. This began on November 26, 1904. Subway train began using the elevated structure on July 10, 1905. 3rd Avenue service was discontinued at this time and 2nd Avenue trains were cutback to Freeman Street. 2nd Avenue-Freeman Street service may or may not have been continuous but was certainly running by October 1, 1907. 2nd Avenue-Freeman Street trains began using the center express track of the 2nd Avenue El in Manhattan January 17, 1916. Thereafter they were known as “2nd Avenue-Freeman Street Express”. The Bergen Avenue Cutoff opened on July 2, 1917 and the Freeman Street trains were routed over this connection. This remained the same until June 11, 1940 when the 2nd Avenue El was closed between 129th Street and 60th Street. The Freeman Street trains were then routed over the 3rd Avenue Line until November 5, 1946. Recall that during this period most folks worked a five and a half day workweek. So on Saturdays there was an AM rush and a noon rush as well. 2nd Avenue trains always used the Bergen Avenue Cutoff from 1917 to 1940. 3rd Avenue trains used the Bergen Avenue cutoff as well except for the Saturday noon rush trains which ran via the Westchester Avenue Branch. The 3rd Avenue Thru-Express began operating on July 2, 1917 and continued to run until May 12, 1955. This train and the 2nd Avenue-Freeman Street trains were the only ones to use the upper level tracks regularly. Considering the time and expense that went into constructing the Bergen Avenue Cutoff and the upper level tracks it’s amazing how little they were used. Although the service may have varied over the years basically the 2nd Avenue-Freeman Street Express ran for about two hours in the AM rush and one hour and forty minutes in the PM rush. Likewise the 3rd Avenue Thru-Express ran for about one hour and forty minutes during the AM rush and one hour and twenty minutes during the PM rush. If you have further question don’t hesitate to contact me. Larry, RedbirdR33 |
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