The ERA BULLETIN - JANUARY, 2014 Bulletin Electric Railroaders’ Association, Incorporated Vol. 57, No. 1 January, 2014 The Bulletin THIRD AVENUE “L” SERVICE CURTAILED 60 YEARS Published by the Electric AGO Railroaders’ Association, Incorporated, PO Box On December 31, 1953, Third Avenue Ele- costly to operate and maintain. To rehabilitate th 3323, New York, New vated service was discontinued between City and put the elevated line south of 149 York 10163-3323. Hall and Chatham Square. It was the begin- Street into first class modern operating condi- ning of the end for Manhattan’s last elevated tion would cost approximately $80,000,000. For general inquiries, line, where there was no service south of Expenditure of such a sum is neither warrant- contact us at bulletin@ 149th Street weekday evenings and mid- ed nor can it be justified by potential traffic. erausa.org or by phone nights and 24 hours on weekends since “For all of the foregoing reasons, it is rec- at (212) 986-4482 (voice mail available). ERA’s March 14, 1952. ommended that the New York City Transit website is In this issue we will publish excerpts from Authority cease train operations on the Third www.erausa.org. the New York City Transit Authority’s May 4, Avenue Elevated Line south of 149th Street at 1954 report recommending that Third Avenue midnight December 31, 1954, and that he Editorial Staff: Elevated service be discontinued completely structure be released to the City after that Editor-in-Chief: th Bernard Linder south of 149 Street. This report states: time and that the Board of Estimate be noti- News Editor: “After careful investigation, it is the consid- fied of the Authority’s decision.” Randy Glucksman ered opinion of the Executive Director and (Editor’s note: Trains continued running a little Contributing Editor: General Manager that it will be in the best longer until service south of 149th Street was fi- Jeffrey Erlitz interest of the New York City Transit Authority nally discontinued on May 12, 1955.) Production Manager: and the City of New York to cease operation SIGNALS David Ross of the Third Avenue Elevated Line south of “On June 29, 1927, the Interborough Rapid East 149th Street, and to demolish the struc- Transit Company, lessee of the elevated lines ture between Chatham Square and East at that time, was ordered by the Transit Com- th 149 Street in The Bronx. mission of the State of New York to install “The Third Avenue Elevated Line has out- automatic signals on the local tracks. This ©2014 Electric lived its usefulness. It has been carrying few- work was to be completed before June 30, Railroaders’ er passengers each year since 1947. Pas- 1936. However, with the advent of the de- Association, senger traffic has now fallen to a level where pression, the Interborough Rapid Transit riders using the line south of 149th Street can Company was placed in receivership and In This Issue: be accommodated on alternate transit facili- receivers were appointed in August, 1932. The Long Island ties. The demolition of the above portion of On August 28, 1933, this order was modified the line would result in an estimated annual to read that the signaling in the subway was Rail Road Eyes net saving of $2,400,000 to the New York to be completed before work would begin on Manhattan City Transit Authority. the elevated lines. On November 21, 1936, (Continued) “The Third Avenue line is the oldest existing the Transit Commission recommended that a ...Page 2 elevated railroad in the City, and while safe, sum of $500,000 be spent within a twelve- is in poor physical condition. Train operation month period for an engineering study of the on the local tracks is not controlled or pro- elevated signaling, the study to begin imme- tected by automatic signals. The cars in local diately. After some study by IRT Company service are made of wood, are old, and are (Continued on page 4) REMINDER: JAPAN1 TRIP—MAY, 2014 NEW YORKERA DIVISION BULLETIN BULLETIN - JANUARY, OCTOBER, 2014 2000 THE GENESIS OF “DASHING DAN” Part Two—The Long Island Rail Road Eyes Manhattan by George Chiasson (Continued from December, 2013 issue) ORIGINS OF THE HEMPSTEAD CLUSTER, 1876. Service was eventually discontinued for the sec- PART 2: DEVELOPMENT OF THE WEST HEMP- ond and final time as part of the large-scale schedule STEAD BRANCH changes in effect on April 30, 1879. Terminals aside, all In January of 1890 LIRR built “Tower 105” at Hemp- three known stations on the New York & Hempstead stead Crossing, near the grade-level diamond west of were present on a surviving 1873 map of Hempstead the point where the former CRRLI and then-present and environs. Working northward from Valley Stream LIRR intersected east of Garden City. At the time there they included: “Bridgeport,” at Cornwell & Franklin Aves. were still two different “Hempstead Branch” services, in what might best be described as North Valley Stream; which came together at the site; the original opened in “Norwood,” (later known as Malverne) at the present 1839 by the Long Island Rail Road Company from Min- intersection of Hempstead Avenue and Nassau Boule- eola south to the center of Hempstead, and the later vard; and “Woodfield Depot,” later identified as Lake- one completed in 1873 by the Central Railroad of Long view (though actually situated in Hempstead Gardens) Island as a branch off its Flushing-to-Babylon main line. at Woodfield Road & Maple Street. Whatever its config- Both were consolidated into a single terminal at Hemp- uration, the inactive New York & Hempstead Railroad stead after LIRR gained control of the Central in 1876, was eradicated from the Earth starting in March, 1890 with the older line being partially abandoned as a result. and soon disappeared, leaving absolutely no trace. Aside from the economic benefit, one untold reason that Several attempts at redress with LIRR over the years LIRR may have been so anxious to physically merge that followed the elimination of the New York & Hemp- the two overlapping branches was at the time it was stead came to naught, but in January of 1892 a group becoming embroiled in a low-grade territorial battle for of local citizens, with the support of LIRR President access to Hempstead from the south, and with it poten- Austin Corbin, incorporated the New York Bay Exten- tially severe competition to the resort beaches of Brook- sion Railroad to act as part of a cross-county “bridge lyn. This erstwhile competitor was the New York & line” between Oyster Bay and the Brooklyn seashore. Hempstead Railroad, a virtual branch of the Southern Its new segment of track was to be actually located be- Railroad of Long Island (and of the South Side Railroad tween Garden City (really Hempstead Crossing) and before that), which had begun service on a slightly wavy Valley Stream, thus bypassing central Hempstead en- route from the South Side’s station at Valley Stream to tirely, with an extension to be added later that connect- Front and Greenwich Streets in Hempstead on Septem- ed to the (New York &) Manhattan Beach station at New ber 28, 1870. Within just three years the South Side Lots, then a town in independent Kings County. From was already facing the financial difficulties that would that location it was projected that trains could reach ultimately bring about its surrender to the rival Long Is- both Coney Island and Bay Ridge on existing railroad land Rail Road, but during its brief tenure this alliance trackage, with another new connecting route to be built with the Southern did provide NY&H with a decent ter- between them. This would potentially allow service to minal in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. be operated in a manner similar to the “circular trains of After both the Central Railroad of Long Island (by then the New York & Rockaway Beach and Long Island Rail under the name Flushing, North Shore & Central) and Roads.” Construction of the vital intermediate segment the Southern respectively came under LIRR supervision began by the summer of 1892 and was accomplished (but not actual ownership) in August and September of rather quickly, but due to a variety of circumstances (not 1874, no time was wasted in consolidating as many of the least of which included the Panic of 1893) the antici- their assets as possible. Just as the Central’s operation pated extension from Valley Stream to New Lots never was bob-tailed from the Fire Island ferry dock in Baby- materialized. lon to the former South Side line on November 1 (as In addition, LIRR shifted the alignment of the Mineola- disclosed above), the New York & Hempstead’s track- Hempstead Branch through Hempstead Crossing back onto the original 1839-era survey line between Stewart age was closed completely. Also as with the Babylon th Dock (which is believed to have been used for one last Avenue and 5 (now Chestnut) Street. This also forced summer season in 1875), the New York & Hempstead a westward relocation of the diamond crossing to abut was purportedly revived on July 1, 1875 after being idle Tower 105, and the complete repositioning of the con- for several months, and continued to run even after it necting switch from the former Central main line to the came directly into the possession of LIRR on May 3, (Continued on page 3) 2 ERA BULLETIN - JANUARY, 2014 The Genesis of “Dashing Dan” LIRR’s receivership following its 1877 bankruptcy, the railroad underwent an understandable series of contrac- (Continued from page 2) tions, but at the same time continued the pursuit of oth- Hempstead Branch such that it was located west of the er endeavors which, it was perceived, could bring indis- new 90° crossing.