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TheNEW YORK DIVISION BULLETIN - SEPTEMBER, 2011 Bulletin New York Division, Electric Railroaders’ Association Vol. 54, No. 9 September, 2011 The Bulletin IRT OPERATED FREQUENT, DEPENDABLE SERVICE Published by the New 75 YEARS AGO York Division, Electric Railroaders’ Association, (Continued from August, 2011 issue) Incorporated, PO Box 3001, New York, New York 10008-3001. When we were studying the July 1, 1924 noting on the train sheets the arrival and de- IRT Subway rule book, we found that the ti- parture of trains; the car numbers, the names tles of employees who dispatched trains of Conductors and Motormen, and shall ring For general inquiries, contact us at nydiv@ were not the same as the present-day titles. the terminal bell for trains to start. erausa.org or by phone They must have been changed to IND titles 65. They shall keep a record of cars due for at (212) 986-4482 (voice after Unification. Following are excerpts from inspection and see that Despatchers are mail available). The this rule book. properly advised so that cars may be prop- Division’s website is TRAIN DESPATCHERS erly retired from service for inspection. www.erausa.org/ nydiv.html. (This is the British spelling) TRAIN STARTERS 53. They have charge of the yard and sid- 67. They will have charge of the crewing of Editorial Staff: ings at stations where trains are made up, trains; must see that Conductors and Guards Editor-in-Chief: the movement of trains therein and of all are in proper condition, and at their posts Bernard Linder transportation employees at those points. when train is ready to start, and in the ab- News Editor: Randy Glucksman They are responsible for the expeditious and sence of Train Clerks will ring the terminal Contributing Editor: correct dispatch and movement of trains bell to start the trains. Jeffrey Erlitz within the limits assigned them. 68. They will keep a daily absentee record 56. They must give the necessary direc- of Conductors and Guards, and of employ- Production Manager: David Ross tions for drilling and placing cars in proper ees filling the places of such absentees, and positions in the trains, and see that trains must submit such record to the Train Des- leave on time. patcher daily. 58. They must not permit a train to start 69. Train Starters at intermediate points will with a Motorman, Conductor, or Guard who is keep a record of the arrival and departure of ©2011 New York unfit for duty, or fail to report at once such all trains on a special train sheet. Division, Electric unfitness to the Superintendent or Train Mas- 70. They will report at once to nearest ter- Railroaders’ ter. minal Despatcher and to other intermediate Association, 59. They must see that the yard is kept in Starters all unusual intervals with a view of Incorporated good order, that cars passing are properly regulating the train movement and restoring inspected, and those requiring repairs are trains to their regular interval. In This Issue: sent to the shop. IRT CAR ASSIGNMENT A History of the 60. They must see that Train Clerks keep a On most lines, IRT cars were not assigned record of the number of each car arriving at numerically, but were assigned by types. Fol- A Train and departing from their stations, and that lowing is the 1937 assignment after the cars (Continued) daily reports of the same are made in accor- were converted to MUDC: ...Page 2 dance with instructions. (Continued on page 18) TRAIN CLERKS 64. They have charge of the train records, NEXT TRIP: FERN ROCK & 69TH STREET1 SHOP TOUR, OCTOBER 1 NEWNEW YORK YORK DIVISION DIVISION BULLETIN BULLETIN - SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, 2000 2011 A HISTORY OF THE A TRAIN by George Chiasson (Continued from August, 2011 Issue) Because the new Fulton Street structure from Van trains of the Lexington Avenue Line, and also required Sinderen Avenue to Pennsylvania Avenue was installed some modification to the curve at the south end of the at a much higher gradient than the pre-existing struc- Alabama Avenue station and its existing platform. Ca- ture above Pitkin Avenue, (in part to provide sufficient narsie-bound trains continued to follow Broadway for a vertical clearance for the inbound Canarsie line to pass short stretch through the construction zone (likely on underneath) its now-sloping convergence with the exist- temporary structure) and utilized a separate platform ing steel along Snediker Avenue had to be re- (again, likely temporary as construction progressed) at engineered. The wide variance in height this created what would become the site of the new Eastern Park- forced abandonment and removal of the station at East- way/Broadway station before turning south to join the ern Parkway, which was closed on November 17, 1918 pre-existing lead onto the structure above Van Sinderen (at which time its originating rush hour locals were dis- Avenue (opened October 16, 1918). In the other direc- patched from Manhattan Junction). On that date the tion, trains from Canarsie continued to make two 90° new stop at Hinsdale Street was opened (above Pitkin turns (a right then an immediate left) while transitioning Avenue, one block to the east and south), along with from the B, RB, & C alignment onto the el above the first part of the new structure above Pitkin Avenue, Snediker Avenue, as they had done since 1906. How- which now received eastbound Fulton Street traffic via a ever, eastbound Fulton Street trains now passed over- temporary connection off the existing el above Snediker head as they turned from Van Sinderen onto Pitkin Ave- Avenue. nues and there was no longer a grade crossing with the As part of the same project, the extension of new 3- trains ramping up from the Canarsie Line. After stopping track structure for the Fulton Street El east of Rockaway at the Atlantic Avenue/Snediker Avenue platform, trains Avenue took shape through and around the existing from Canarsie then embarked onto another temporary steelwork. The first piece of it was finally opened on structure which passed over the construction zone December 18, 1918 when all eastbound trains were above Broadway and both tracks of the temporary redirected away from the existing alignment through the Broadway alignment, then turned west and ramped Manhattan Junction station and the older Snediker Ave- down to merge with the temporary westbound Broad- nue structure, and joined the Broadway-Canarsie Line way track as it entered the interim station at Eastern through the new Atlantic Avenue station above Van Parkway. Though now required to make two sharp jogs Sinderen Avenue. From there they curved eastward and go slow through a pronounced downgrade to reach onto the new (high) structure over Pitkin Avenue and the temporary alignment of the Broadway El, this re- into the Hinsdale Street station. Westbound Fulton placed what had been a zigzag through the former site Street trains continued to utilize the original Snediker of East New York Loop (left, right, left; all 90° turns) and Avenue and Fulton Street alignments, but with the east- served as a prelude to even greater operational effi- bound service realigned, the station at Manhattan Junc- ciency to come. tion (and formerly known as Manhattan Beach Cross- On December 28, 1918 westbound Fulton Street ing) was closed and removed. Originating/terminating trains were routed onto the new structure above Pitkin rush hour locals were thus extended to the new Atlantic Avenue between Snediker and Van Sinderen Avenues, Avenue station and relayed on the tail tracks south of and also started passing through the new Atlantic Ave- the platform, while express trains to and from Lefferts nue station. From there they ramped downgrade to Avenue substituted Atlantic Avenue as a last stop be- curve back onto Fulton Street, ducked beneath the lead fore taking the express track (AM) or using it as their from Broadway that was used by southbound trains to first stop when resuming local service (PM). In addition Canarsie, and merged into the new 3-track structure the former eastbound track on the Snediker Avenue east of Rockaway Avenue. In turn the remaining original structure became a stub-ended siding for the interim. Fulton Street El structure between Van Sinderen and Concurrent with this change, and to enable an entirely Snediker Avenues (including the existing lead into East new (and slightly lower) replacement structure to be New York Yard) was removed, which forced Fulton erected, the Broadway el was put on a temporary re- Street trains needing access to the yard (lay-ups and alignment along the south edge of East New York Yard put-ins) to deadhead all the way from Downtown Brook- between the Chauncey Street and Alabama Avenue lyn to the Broadway Line via Lexington Avenue. On stations, which included a temporary station (Eastern January 7, 1919 a new yard lead was placed in service Parkway) to replace the Manhattan Junction/Broadway which eventually replaced the old Fulton Street El struc- platform. This temporary alignment was shared with (Continued on page 3) 2 NEW YORK DIVISION BULLETIN - SEPTEMBER, 2011 A History of the A Train Express” (Franklin Avenue express to Lefferts) elimi- nated. By May of 1931 evening rush hour express ser- (Continued from page 2) vice had been changed markedly, with all trains ex- ture through Manhattan Junction, between Van tended to Lefferts Avenue. Some ran express all the Sinderen and Snediker Avenues. Westbound Fulton way from Sands Street to Atlantic Avenue, while others Street trains remained on a temporary structure be- made all stops as far as Franklin Avenue before switch- tween Hinsdale Street and (new) Atlantic Avenue ing to the middle track (and making their next stop at through most of the following year, and the old connec- Atlantic Avenue).