The Names Of The I.R.T. Lines

[EE Broadway Local]

I thought you may find this interesting. From my W.P.A. New York City Guide 1939 we had:

 

West Side:

Broadway-Seventh Avenue Express (New Lots Avenue - West 242d Street-Van Cortlandt Park)

Broadway-Seventh Avenue Local (South Ferry - 137th Street)

Seventh Avenue Express (Flatbush Avenue - East 180th Street-Bronx Park)

Seventh Avenue Local (South Ferry - 145th Street-Lenox Avenue)

 

East Side:

Bronx Park Express (Atlantic Avenue - East 180th Street-Bronx Park)

Jerome Avenue Express (Atlantic Avenue - Jerome Avenue-Woodlawn)

White Plains Road Express (Atlantic Avenue - East 241st Street-White Plains Road)

Pelham Bay Park Local (City Hall - Pelham Bay Park)

 

Forty Second Street Shuttle (Times Square - Grand Central Terminal)

 

Queens Lines:

Astoria Line (Times Square - Ditmars Boulevard-Astoria)

Corona (Flushing) Line (Times Square - Main Street-Flushing)

 

I.R.T. Elevated:

Second Avenue Line (South Ferry - Freeman Street-Southern Boulevard (The Bronx); 111th Street-Roosevelt Avenue (Corona))

Third Avenue Line (South Ferry -East 241st Street-White Plains Road)

Sixth Avenue Line (South Ferry - West 155th Street-Eighth Avenue-Polo Grounds)

Ninth Avenue Line (South Ferry - Jerome Avenue-Woodlawn)

 

Notes:

Despite the names,express service on the Broadway-Seventh Avenue Express and the Seventh Avenue Express began and ended at 96th Street.

 

In 1939, express service was offered to Utica Avenue Rush Hours and Saturday A.M.. Atlantic Avenue other times.

 

City Hall is the same station the pass through to this day - it closed in 1945. 18th Street (Fourth Avenue) and 91st Street (Broadway were active local stations. 18th Street closed in 1948 and 91st Street in 1959.

 

The Second Avenue Line did not run Midnight to 4:00am.

 

The elevated terminal was the second story of South Ferry Terminal at the southern end of Whitehall, adjacent to Battery Park. From here, you had a choice of four I.R.T. Elevated Lines, two I.R.T. Subway Lines. The B.M.T. Whitehall Station and the I.R.T. Bowling Green Station were also close-by.

 

I.R.T. Station Entrances were marked by blue lamps.

[mark1447]

Didnt the 3rd Ave EL ended at Gun Hill Road?

[EE Broadway Local]

The Third Avenue El did from (I think) May 12, 1955 until April 29, 1973. There also were a few years in the 1950's when it terminated at Chatham Square. The Third Avenue El was the longest lived of Manhattan's four els.

[mark1447]

The Third Avenue El did from (I think) May 12, 1955 until April 29, 1973. There also were a few years in the 1950's when it terminated at Chatham Square. The Third Avenue El was the longest lived of Manhattan's four els.

 

Yup, wat was the second longest tho? 9th Ave Line?

[Trainmaster5]

Didnt the 3rd Ave EL ended at Gun Hill Road?

 

The Third Ave el provided service from 241st to Manhattan . When the subway was built from West Farms to Gun Hill Road it had to climb from Burke Ave to what's now the (upper) Gun Hill Road station. The Third Ave el station was on the lower level at that time. When it was cut back to a Bronx only el line the storage yard was at 239th St yard where the stores it's trains now and the terminal became Gun Hill Road. I think that 241 St- WPR was an East Side line terminal originally and that's why you have Lexington Ave trains running to and from 238th St-Nereid Ave even today during rush hours. With the demise of the full length Third Ave elevated the service was shifted to the White Plains thru express instead of the Third Ave thru-express.

[EE Broadway Local]

The Ninth Avenue El, or more correctly, the Polo Grounds Shuttle. This actually outlived the Baseball Giants by a little until the Putnam Division was closed in 1958.

 

Too bad the shuttle wasn't around when the Mets played at the Polo Grounds during 1962 and 1963.

 

The Shuttle stopped at 155th Street, Sedgewick Avenue, Anderson-Jerome Avenues and 167th Street.

[MTR Admiralty]

I thought you may find this interesting. From my W.P.A. New York City Guide 1939 we had:

 

West Side:

Broadway-Seventh Avenue Express (New Lots Avenue - West 242d Street-Van Cortlandt Park)

Broadway-Seventh Avenue Local (South Ferry - 137th Street)

Seventh Avenue Express (Flatbush Avenue - East 180th Street-Bronx Park)

Seventh Avenue Local (South Ferry - 145th Street-Lenox Avenue)

 

East Side:

Bronx Park Express (Atlantic Avenue - East 180th Street-Bronx Park)

Jerome Avenue Express (Atlantic Avenue - Jerome Avenue-Woodlawn)

White Plains Road Express (Atlantic Avenue - East 241st Street-White Plains Road)

Pelham Bay Park Local (City Hall - Pelham Bay Park)

 

Forty Second Street Shuttle (Times Square - Grand Central Terminal)

 

Queens Lines:

Astoria Line (Times Square - Ditmars Boulevard-Astoria)

Corona (Flushing) Line (Times Square - Main Street-Flushing)

 

I.R.T. Elevated:

Second Avenue Line (South Ferry - Freeman Street-Southern Boulevard (The Bronx); 111th Street-Roosevelt Avenue (Corona))

Third Avenue Line (South Ferry -East 241st Street-White Plains Road)

Sixth Avenue Line (South Ferry - West 155th Street-Eighth Avenue-Polo Grounds)

Ninth Avenue Line (South Ferry - Jerome Avenue-Woodlawn)

 

Notes:

Despite the names,express service on the Broadway-Seventh Avenue Express and the Seventh Avenue Express began and ended at 96th Street.

 

In 1939, express service was offered to Utica Avenue Rush Hours and Saturday A.M.. Atlantic Avenue other times.

 

City Hall is the same station the pass through to this day - it closed in 1945. 18th Street (Fourth Avenue) and 91st Street (Broadway were active local stations. 18th Street closed in 1948 and 91st Street in 1959.

 

The Second Avenue Line did not run Midnight to 4:00am.

 

The elevated terminal was the second story of South Ferry Terminal at the southern end of Whitehall, adjacent to Battery Park. From here, you had a choice of four I.R.T. Elevated Lines, two I.R.T. Subway Lines. The B.M.T. Whitehall Station and the I.R.T. Bowling Green Station were also close-by.

 

I.R.T. Station Entrances were marked by blue lamps.

 

I have that book!!!!!!

They decided to keep the locals on one track and the expresses on another after 96th. It was more efficient that way because it minimises the need for any switching.

 

The Second Avenue el ran from City Hall, up Park Row to Chatham Square, making a right on Division Street. Then a left on Allen. Allen would then become First Avenue. Trains would swing into 2nd Avenue around the Twenties.

There are vestiges of this, if you go to Chinatown you can see this brown building at Division and Allen. There is an unusual angle at the northwest corner of the intersection. The building reads, Manhattan Railway Co. (precursor to the IRT El lines). The angle roughly delineates the path of the el as it swings from Division to Allen.

 

IIRC, East 180th-Bronx Park is a different station from the one on the WPR today.

[Trainmaster5]

I have that book!!!!!!

They decided to keep the locals on one track and the expresses on another after 96th. It was more efficient that way because it minimises the need for any switching.

 

The Second Avenue el ran from City Hall, up Park Row to Chatham Square, making a right on Division Street. Then a left on Allen. Allen would then become First Avenue. Trains would swing into 2nd Avenue around the Twenties.

There are vestiges of this, if you go to Chinatown you can see this brown building at Division and Allen. There is an unusual angle at the northwest corner of the intersection. The building reads, Manhattan Railway Co. (precursor to the IRT El lines). The angle roughly delineates the path of the el as it swings from Division to Allen.

 

IIRC, East 180th-Bronx Park is a different station from the one on the WPR today.

You are correct about the 2 stations. The original terminal was 3 blocks straight up the street from West Farms-East Tremont. That was Bronx Park. When the subway was connected to the line they built a sharp curve from West Farms to the present East 180th St station and on to the White Plains Road line. The old station became unnecessary and was eventually torn down and the trackage and structure removed. There are still vestiges of the structure visible at the north end of the West Farms-East Tremont station.