Forgotten NY: NYW&B [the Series].

[KeystoneRegional]

Forgotten-NY - "There’s a New England undercurrent running through the Bronx. The New York Yankees’ rivalry with the Boston Red Sox began when the Sox’ owner Harry Frazee sold his pitching and slugging star, Babe Ruth, to the Yankees before the 1920 season, and the subsequent championship tally, 27 to 2 in favor of the Yanks, has ratcheted the antagonism toward insanity at times, especially when both teams contend, as has been the case, as of 2012, for over a decade.

 

But there are other places and landmarks in the Bronx that point toward New England, such as the New England Thruway, the name that Interstate 95 takes between the confluence of the Bruckner Expressway and Hutchinson River Parkway and the Connecticut state line (as named, the New England Thruway actually never touches a New England state; as a New York Jets fan, why does there have to be a road in New York City called “New England”?).

 

One of the Bronx’ longest roads is Boston Road, which arises at Third Avenue in Morrisania and roars northeast to the city line in Eastchester, with a break for the Bronx Zoo. In northeast Bronx it assumes the mantle of United States Route 1, which runs from Key West, Florida to northern Maine, and if you follow US 1, which is called the Boston Post Road for part of its route, you will indeed catch sight of the Prudential Center and The Hancock Tower after several hours’ driving, though I-95 is much faster.

[see Eric Jaffe's excellent The King's Best Highway for the complete Boston Post Road story.]

That brings us to the former New York, Westchester & Boston Railway, which is celebrating its centennial in 2012. When conceived, it was assumed that it would eventually reach Boston, but instead at its lengthiest, it ran from southern Mott Haven in the Bronx to two terminals in Westchester County, at White Plains and at Port Chester. Originally conceived in 1872, it was delayed for a few decades by the Panic of 1873, essentially a depression. Once emerging from receivership in the early 1900s, the railroad began construction in 1906 and built north, with the northernmost stations at Rye and Port Chester opening in 1928 and 1929. When most stations opened in 1912, the NYW&B was considered state of the art for its time, taking power from overhead lines, no grade crossings, high platforms to enable comfortable boarding, and spacious, architecturally attractive ticket offices/station houses.

Despite its advantages, the NYW&B was not a success. When it opened, the automobile industry was beginning to take off — by the 1920s, scenic parkways had appeared to handle intracity auto traffic, and the NYW&B could not reallly compete as a commuter railroad because it ended its run in Mott Haven and riders had to detrain and switch to the Third Avenue El to get to Manhattan. It soldiered on for a decade, but finally declared bankruptcy in 1937, ending service.

 

But all was not lost. The City of New York saw a golden opportunity to expand service into Pelham Gardens and Eastchester, and purchased the NYW&B right of way, stations, and tracks. After making modifications like adding a third rail, the NYW&B became the Dyre Avenue Shuttle in 1940, and after new tracks were installed to connect it with the White Plains Road el in the 1950s, the full-fledged Dyre Avenue Line, today the home of the #5 train.

 

In early April 2012 I walked the route, or the closest possible approximation along the tracks, from the Bronx Park East station all the way northeast to Dyre Avenue. It gave me a chance to traverse the Pelham Gardens and Eastchester sections of the Bronx, which I’m in just a few times per year, and to approach both the subway route and the neighborhoods it travels through with a fresh perspective."

 

Continue Reading Part 1 via This Link: http://forgotten-ny.com/2012/04/new-york-westchester-boston-railroad-part-1/

[Joel Up Front]

I used to love going to that site until he managed to fook it up beyond all recognition... his transit section always interested me.

[KeystoneRegional]

Well, things change to meet the every changing society, people nowdays want things to be good for the general audience, not just a hobby group. But, it's still cool to read Forgotten-NY's articles and explore the places he recommends. This is an article series I would read along...

[IRT Bronx Express]

I can't wait to read about the Dyre Avenue station.

[KeystoneRegional]

I can't wait to read about the Dyre Avenue station.

 

 

Keep tuned to the site, or when I catch it on my feed, I'll post the link.

[DJ MC]

One of the EMU Stillwell Coaches that ran on the NYW&B still exists in Peru.

[TwoTimer]

I know the spot where the open cut ends in southern mount vernon by Kingsbridge road, a very unique surrounding to an intersection.

[T to Dyre Avenue]

I like the Dyre Avenue Line for its "railroad feel." It's different from the other outdoor lines in the Bronx because it doesn't run directly above a major street and its stations look very different from the other Bronx IRT lines. It's just too bad it's such a short route. Would have been nice if the City could have negotiated the purchase of the NYW&B into Westchester County, even just up to New Rochelle. Would have been no different than the current CTA Purple and Yellow Lines operating in Evanston and Skokie, IL or SEPTA's Market-Frankford El operating into Upper Darby, PA.

[Guest Lance]

Even if the city got some of the line outside of the city, it probably would've been abandoned in the '70s.

[TwoTimer]

I like the Dyre Avenue Line for its "railroad feel." It's different from the other outdoor lines in the Bronx because it doesn't run directly above a major street and its stations look very different from the other Bronx IRT lines. It's just too bad it's such a short route. Would have been nice if the City could have negotiated the purchase of the NYW&B into Westchester County, even just up to New Rochelle. Would have been no different than the current CTA Purple and Yellow Lines operating in Evanston and Skokie, IL or SEPTA's Market-Frankford El operating into Upper Darby, PA.

 

The only place that feel is mimiced is out in the Rockaways (another former railroad) and the Brighton (i think that was a railroad too at one point prior to the other two spots back in the 1800s). The only thing I wished they would do is a complete restoration of 3 and 4 tracks instead of just 3. A lot of storage space could have been created, along with a dedicated space to train IRT employees (a common complaint lately of new TO's for the IRT is a chronic lack of operating time while in training due to the amount of service, lack of trains, and few areas of unused/underused track

[KeystoneRegional]

Forgotten-NY - "CONTINUED FROM PART 1

In early April 2012 I walked the route of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway, or the closest possible approximation along the tracks, from the Bronx Park East station all the way northeast to Dyre Avenue. It gave me a chance to traverse the Pelham Gardens and Eastchester sections of the Bronx, which I’m in just a few times per year, and to approach both the subway route and the neighborhoods it travels through with a fresh perspective."

Continue Reading Part 2 via link: http://forgotten-ny.com/2012/04/walking-the-nywb-part-2/