TheNEW YORK DIVISION BULLETIN - JANUARY, 2005 Bulletin New York Division, Electric Railroaders’ Association Vol. 48, No. 1 January, 2005 The Bulletin ANOTHER CENTENNIAL— Published by the New York Division, Electric ORIGINAL SUBWAY EXTENDED TO FULTON STREET Railroaders’ Association, Incorporated, PO Box One hundred years ago, January 16, 1905, subsurface structures, and the high buildings. 3001, New York, New New York’s first subway was extended 0.3 The biggest engineering problem of Contract York 10008-3001. miles to Fulton Street. Trains were probably Two was the construction of the subway in single-tracked on the northbound track. front of Trinity Church. The 286-foot-high For general inquiries, When the original subway was planned, Trinity Church spire rested on a shallow ma- contact us at nydiv@ there was not enough money available to sonry foundation built on a deep layer of fine electricrailroaders.org or extend it south of City Hall. With $8 million sand. This foundation was located nine feet by phone at (212) 986- available in January, 1901, the Board of laterally behind the exterior wall of the sub- 4482 (voice mail available). ERA’s Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners way. The bottom of the spire foundation was website is planned an extension to Atlantic Avenue in nine feet below the street, fifteen feet higher www.electricrailroaders. Brooklyn. August Belmont was the low bidder than the 24-foot-deep subway foundation. org. for Contract Two, which was awarded on The 57 feet of subway bordering the Trinity Editorial Staff: September 11, 1902. This contract specified Church foundation was constructed in three Editor-in-Chief: that traffic on the streets of lower Manhattan sections. Steel channels were used as sheet Bernard Linder could not be disrupted. Traffic was so heavy piling around the subway excavation. These News Editor: that it was necessary to maintain the street steel channels were left in place after the Randy Glucksman Contributing Editor: surface in a condition suitable for ordinary construction was completed to prevent settle- Jeffrey Erlitz traffic in the daytime. ment from voids created by removing the The contractor complied by making open- sheet piling. No measurable movement of the Production Manager: ings in the sidewalk at two points near the spire occurred during or after construction. David Ross curb and erecting temporary platforms over Experience gained in excavating for Con- the street, 16 feet above the sidewalk. These tract One allowed the engineers to proceed excavations were made by the drift and tun- faster. Planking on lower Broadway permitted nel method. The excavated material was uninterrupted excavation and construction hoisted from the openings to the platforms with hardly any interruption of traffic. ©2005 New York and dropped through the chutes to the wag- Under Contract One, the entire street was Division, Electric ons. Until the street surface was restored, excavated, usually one side at a time, and Railroaders’ temporary plank decks were placed and work was performed in an open cut nick- Association, Incorporated maintained during the drifting and tunneling named Parson’s Ditch, using hand labor, operations. Because the roof of the subway horse-drawn carts, steam hoists, and drills. In This Issue: is only five feet below the surface of the When the work was completed, the excava- A Small street, gas and water mains were relocated tion was backfilled and the street was paved. on temporary trestle structures above the Temporary wood bridges spanned the open Company sidewalk. They were placed in their former cut. Controls a position when construction was completed. Street car tracks were supported on tempo- Large Trolley The contractor had difficulty building this rary trestles while work was progressing. Network section because of the sandy subsurface, the Trenches were dug at 40-foot intervals trans- ...Page 2 vehicular and street car traffic, the network of (Continued on page 3) 1 NEW YORK DIVISION BULLETIN - OCTOBER,JANUARY, 20002005 A SMALL COMPANY CONTROLS A LARGE TROLLEY NETWORK by Bernard Linder NORTH MOUNT VERNON RAILWAY COMPANY from the Bronx River (near Pelham Parkway in the This small company was the predecessor to the Inter- Bronx) to the Connecticut line, but was able to build urban Street Railway, which controlled nearly all the only 700 feet of track, on which it never operated any trolley lines in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Westchester cars. It was unable to perform any additional construc- County. tion until 1899 because it was in continued litigation. The North Mount Vernon Railway Company, which The company then bought at foreclosure the North was incorporated April 20, 1892, built two miles of track Mount Vernon Railway and started operating it on Janu- in Mount Vernon, similar to the route of the present-day ary 16, 1900. It relinquished its track to the Interurban Route 40 bus, described as follows: From New Haven Street Railway on December 9, 1901 by filing a deed of station via North 3rd Avenue, Oakley Avenue, North 4th disclaimer as to rights that were formerly possessed by Avenue, East Lincoln Avenue, and North Columbus North Mount Vernon, after which Interurban acquired Avenue to Burke’s Corners. The company started op- the property through a complicated transaction de- eration with battery cars, which wee unsuccessful and scribed above. William W. Ladd was appointed receiver were replaced by horse cars two years later. The com- on August 1, 1908. pany never made a profit. When it failed to make a re- A 1909 inspection revealed that the line, which was port in 1897, it was reported to the Attorney General as built with 7-inch girder rail, was plagued with frequent delinquent, and operations were suspended. The com- derailments because of the poor alignment of the pany was sold at foreclosure for $15,000 at White tracks. The poles were rotted, the span wires were at- Plains on February 26, 1898, and was incorporated tached to trees, and the overhead was so low that it again on April 16, 1898. was a hazard to traffic. INTERURBAN STREET RAILWAY COMPANY On April 29, 1909, the receiver sold the property — This company, which was incorporated on November 1.52 miles of trolley line in Mount Vernon, two cars, 25, 1901, is substantially a reorganization of the North tracks, and a tumble-down car house. It was sold at Mount Vernon Railway Company. foreclosure at the White Plains Court House to John On November 29, 1901, the company took a lease of Johnston of Brooklyn, evidently acting for Westchester the property and franchise of the Peoples Traction interests. He paid $500 subject to $25,000 unpaid fran- Company, whose routes were unconstructed. chise taxes and other claims that judgment creditors of On February 14, 1902, the company took a lease of all New York City Railway had filed. the lines controlled by the Metropolitan Street Railway In 1910, the owners refused to pay $16,000 in back Company for a period of 999 years. Interurban was in taxes. If the city accepted, they were willing to pay substantial control of the entire street surface railway $10,000 give free transfers, and repair the road. The system in Manhattan, the Bronx, and the southern part indebtedness was about $31,000. of Westchester County with the exception of the surface Johnston conveyed the property to the New York, railway from the Bartow station to City Island. Westchester & Connecticut in a deed dated May 1, Under this lease, the company agreed to furnish the 1912, but continued operating it until July 13, 1912, af- lessor $23 million to pay the latter company’s debt, and ter which the company continued as a Third Avenue to pay a rental of seven percent per annum on Metro- Railway paper subsidiary (without a railroad). Although politan’s capital stock, which was worth $52 million. the tracks on Lawton Street from Main Street to Hugue- About the time this lease was made, this company’s not Street and on Fifth Avenue, New Rochelle were entire capital stock was acquired by the Metropolitan owned by New York, Westchester & Connecticut, the Securities Company, a holding company incorporated cars were operated by Westchester Electric. on February 14, 1902. The subsidiary, whose two lines — F/Mount Vernon- On February 10, 1904, the company’s name was Tuckahoe and G/Pelham — were converted to bus in changed to New York City Railway Company. the early 1930s, was leased to the Westchester Street On September 24, 1907, Adrian H. Joline and Doug- Transportation Company on November 11, 1936. From las Robinson were appointed receivers. To separate the 1932 to 1936, buses 534-539 were listed as owned and interest of the two companies, William W. Ladd was operated by the New York, Westchester & Connecticut appointed receiver on August 1, 1908. Traction Company. They were not kept separate, but NEW YORK, WESTCHESTER & CONNECTI- were operated on most Westchester County bus lines. CUT TRACTION COMPANY During the 1930s, the same transfer was apparently This company, which was incorporated on February issued on both lines. The line was not listed, but the 12, 1895, intended to built a trolley line on Boston Road (Continued on page 3) 2 NEW YORK DIVISION BULLETIN - JANUARY, 2005 A Small Company Controls a Large Trolley Network 1942. (We do not have the names of the subsidiaries.) Subsequently they were formally merged into the West- (Continued from page 2) chester Street Transportation Company. Checking the transfer was labeled, “New York, Westchester, and Con- transfers, we find that New York, Westchester & Con- necticut Traction Company.” Among the transfer points necticut still issued transfers on July 18, 1942. The Pel- was, “At Columbus and East Lincoln Avenues to Pel- ham line transfer dated May 18, 1943 indicated that the ham or Tuckahoe bus.” Westchester Street Transportation Company was the The 1942 Moody’s Transportation Manual states owner.