This page covers mainline railroad stations in the Bronx.
Subway, elevated, and trolley stations are not included.
Field work was done on 28 July 1996. In one day, Michael Wares and
I took an auto tour of all sites where we had some reason to believe
that station remnants might still exist. Because of extensive
reconstruction of the railroads from about 1890 to 1910, we ignored
stations already closed by that time, and we also did not check sites
where we already knew there was no remnant. This still left a full
day of touring. The investigations ran the gamut from industrial
areas in the south Bronx to the woods at Pelham Bay.
The list is organized by lines, from west to east.
Hudson Line
The Hudson line as opened in 1850 ran up the west side of
Manhattan. Since 1872, the main service has been rerouted south of
Spuyten Duyvil, using a connecting line to the Harlem Line and Grand
Central. A little-documented local service with a few stations in
northern Manhattan continued to run from 30th St terminal (west of 9th
Ave) until 1916. The Manhattan line was electrified from 1931 to
1959, but for freight only.
- Manhattanville. This was a wooden building on the NE corner
of the railroad and 130th St. The line was raised to an elevated
viaduct in this area in 1935-1937, after passenger service
ended, and there is no trace.
- 152d Street. This was a wooden building on the SW corner at
the crossing. The location is still at ground level but has been
disturbed by construction of the park and highway around 1937, so
there is no trace.
- Fort Washington. This was a wooden building west of the
tracks at the end of 177th St, which was once called "Depot Road"
and descended the steep hillside by a switchback. The location is
still at ground level but has been much disturbed, as at 152d St,
and there is no trace.
- Inwood. This was a wooden building on the SE corner of the
railroad and Dyckman Street, on the property now occupied by an
electrical substation. The line was raised into a viaduct here
in about 1931, and there is no trace of the station.
- Spuyten Duyvil. The local service from 30th St usually
ended on the abandoned curve from the bridge to the E, so there
must have been a platform of some kind there, off the main line,
but nothing is visible.
- Riverdale. Open. No stationhouse.
- Mount St Vincent. Closed by Metro North. The location is now
accessible only by rail or from within college property. From the
train, nothing is noticeable. A footbridge over the tracks remains
in some condition.
Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Line
(Hudson Line)
Obviously called the Hudson Line by everyone but the pedantic, this
1872 line links the Harlem Line in the south Bronx to the Hudson Line
proper at Spuyten Duyvil. From High Bridge to north of University
Heights, the Putnam Line ran alongside to the east, with three joint
stations. The Putnam and Hudson were both New York Central properties
but there was no through passenger service. Originally there was even
a fourth joint station at Kingsbridge (230th St), after which this
line made a large loop west around Marble Hill and a second loop
around the point of rocks to reach Spuyten Duyvil. It was relocated
in 1906 to run along the Harlem River Ship Canal (1895) via Marble
Hill station and then through a narrow cut (once a tunnel). The whole
line was rebuilt in 1905-1906 in connection with electrification,
replacing all older stations.
- High Bridge. There was a brick stationhouse on the N side
of the road bridge over the tracks, with low platforms extending
south. Closed by Metro North. The road bridge has been replaced
and there is nothing visible now, although perhaps some trace of
the platforms is under the weeds.
- Morris Heights. Open. There was once a brick stationhouse
on the N side of the road bridge.
- University Heights. Open. There was once a brick stationhouse
on the S side of the road bridge.
- Marble Hill. Open. The station was moved when Metro North
rebuilt it for high platforms. The earlier location was E of
Broadway, with access by a wooden footbridge from the Broadway
sidewalk N of the tracks. No trace of that remains.
- Spuyten Duyvil. Open. No stationhouse.
Putnam Line
The Putnam line was opened in 1881 and ran between the Hudson and
Harlem lines as far as Putnam County. The original terminal was at
155th Street and 8th Avenue, Manhattan, with its own platform but
sharing the structure of the Manhattan Railway's 6th and 9th Avenue
Els. It crossed Putnam Bridge and ran alongside the Hudson Line as
far as Kingsbridge. A branch line to Getty Square, Yonkers, was built
under a rapid transit charter and opened in 1888. The Bronx portion
was later grade separated, one part together with the Hudson Line
rebuilding in 1905-1906, and the northern part in 1909-1910 as part of
a street regrading project. In 1916, Putnam Bridge was given over to
the el so that it could run to the Bronx, and a new railroad terminal
was built at Sedgwick Avenue on the Bronx side. The route from
Sedgwick Ave to Getty Square was electrified in 1926, but the branch
and the electrification were eliminated in 1943. Main line passenger
service ended in 1958 and freight service was cut back gradually until
it ended around 1980.
- Sedgwick Avenue. Some remains of the concrete platforms and
the foundation of the concrete station building remain, and the main
reason the Major Deegan Expressway is on a viaduct here is to leave
space open below for the terminal and yard. To see this, start at
the playground at the corner of 161st St and Summit Ave, use the
path down to the footbridge, cross to the W side of the highway,
and look down to the N. A stone bridge foundation across the
existing tracks helps show how the original line ran to Manhattan
(and later the el). The subway platforms are visible, and the
weed-grown Putnam terminal area is beyond. See also the
Sedgwick Ave
Abandoned Subway Stations page.
- High Bridge, Morris Heights, University Heights. These
three stations shared buildings with the Hudson Line. The
Putnam line was in the open space E of the Hudson Line and there is
no trace of the platforms.
- Kingsbridge. There was a building on the south side of
the bridge at 230th Street, which has been replaced. The only
thing visible now is a concrete pad on the E side of the tracks,
significance unknown.
- Van Cortlandt. The steel framework of the station or shed
remains on the E side of the former line. The location is inside
Van Cortlandt Park just S of the Van Cortlandt Golf Course building.
From Broadway, take the path starting just S of the 242d St subway
terminal and walk straight E into the park; the path crosses under
a railroad bridge at the station.
A short walk north up the right of way, now a park trail, leads to
the site of the junction with the Getty Square branch, much
overgrown and hard to see. To the west of the line at this point
are stone pillars,
said to have been set out when railroad management wanted to test
the effects of weathering (?).
- Mosholu. Also inside the park, at Mosholu Avenue, this was
a minor station on the Getty Square branch that was gone well before
the closing of the line. Walk in from Broadway along Mosholu Avenue
to the site. The branch was on an embankment, and the stone abutments
of its now-missing bridge over the street are easily found, but there
is no trace of a station.
Since the Getty Square branch ended less than 2 miles past the city line,
here's the rest of it:
- Caryl. This was just N of the Caryl Ave bridge (which is still
there), barely across the city line. The right of way, a half-block
W of Van Cortlandt Park Ave, has an apartment house on it S of the
bridge and a parking lot on the original grade N of the bridge. The
stationhouse site W of the line is a small park and there is no trace.
- Lowerre. This was on the S side of Lawrence St between Western
Ave and Van Cortlandt Park Ave. The bridge abutment remains on the S
side of the street, but nothing on the north, not even an embankment.
Presumably the line ran on a viaduct for 2 blocks N from this point;
another abutment is high on the N side of McLean Ave. No trace of the
stationhouse, which was on W side of the line.
- Park Hill. This was a half-block E of Broadway, S of the
grade crossing with Park Hill Terrace. The stationhouse site W of
the line has been built over by an apartment block, but the right of
way is vacant and there are a few steps down from road in the
retaining wall on the E side. There was a footbridge over the line
at the S end of the station, about opposite the incline; no trace.
The Park Hill Incline (1894-1937) ran from the E side of Park Hill
Terrace, across the street and opposite the S end of the station,
up 107 feet to Alta Ave. The multi-story "stations" are still in very
good condition as residences. The lower station has been enlarged by
one story and extended to the rear, but its new exterior is in keeping
with the original mock-Tudor half-timber style. The upper station at
82 Alta Ave is even better, with its extended rustic-timber and stone
entryway still going back from the street to its rounded shingled front.
The incline itself is completely gone.
- Getty Square. Not far north of Park Hill, the line went
onto an elevated structure for a few blocks, over private right
of way just E of Broadway and New Main St, until it entered
the Washington Park (City Hall) block and ended where there is now
a parking lot W of New Main St, at the rear of the First National
Bank building. No trace.
Harlem Line
The Harlem Line goes back to the New-York and Harlaem Rail-Road,
opened from City Hall to Harlem in stages from 1832 to 1837. It ran
on the street surface or on ground located in unconstructed streets.
The line was extended to Williams Bridge (north Bronx) in 1842 and on
beyond the present city in 1844.
In 1871, the first Grand Central station was opened at 42d Street,
and from 1872 the line to the south became exclusively a street
railway (but it was still owned by the railroad to the end in 1935).
The surface track north of 56th Street was relocated into a four-track
tunnel as far as 96th Street in 1872-1876, the same tunnel that is
still in use today. North of that point, at the same time, a
stone-walled embankment replaced the original wooden trestle over the
lowlands, to about 116th Street, and from there the original open cut
was widened. Less than 20 years later, raising the level of the
Harlem River bridge led to replacing the Harlem cut with a steel
viaduct built 1893-1896. The line was electrified in 1906 from Grand
Central to High Bridge (Hudson Line) and in 1907 on the Harlem Line to
Wakefield, just past the city line. The present Grand Central
Terminal was built in 1903-1913.
The line in the Bronx was rebuilt from a 2-track ground level line
to a 4-track open cut, as far as Woodlawn, in 1888-1890, wiping out
all earlier station structures. Just north of Woodlawn, the junction
with the New Haven railroad was rebuilt in 1910-1915, and the Harlem
Line was relocated about a block west from there to beyond the city
line.
- 86th Street. This station is in the Park Avenue tunnel.
See its Abandoned Subway Stationspage.
- 110th Street. Traces of this station, on the stone-walled
embankment, may be found. There are small platforms at track level
and metal fixtures on the walls. The station was still in use in 1900
but not for much longer. The stone structure changes to steel
viaduct just north of this station.
- 125th Street. Open. The station building of 1897 has been
beautifully renovated by Metro North for its hundredth anniversary.
It is a renovation, not a restoration of the original building plan.
The station is located on the
N side of 125th St under the tracks and therefore in the middle of
Park Avenue. It is directly over the older open cut station, which
reportedly forms a basement under it.
- The Bronx. A large stone station building stood W of the line
N of 138th St, and a lesser wooden building on the E side. Because the old
Grand Central had the engine yard and arrivals station on the E side,
trains were run through the Bronx left-handed from 1888 to 1907, which
is why the main station is on the W side, then the northbound side.
This station was also called 138th Street, and had been known as
Mott Haven in the 19th century (before Bronx borough and county existed).
Closed by Metro North. Metro North realigned the tracks here to reduce
curvature, with new bridges over 138th St, and most remaining traces of
the station were destroyed. It had had side platforms and a center island
platform, and along the E side of the embankment are still some pipe
railings for a platform.
- Melrose. Open, but barely: few trains stop, and it is now well
hidden under a building. A brick stationhouse had been over the
tracks on the S side of 162d St bridge.
- Morrisania. A brick stationhouse had been over the tracks
on the S side of 168th St bridge with platforms extending N and S. The
bridge has a newer railing on the S side, and the walls of the cut
are set back here. There is some concrete foundation rubble on the
E end of the bridge. Closed by Metro North. The surface station had
been at 167th St.
- Claremont Park. A brick stationhouse had been over the tracks
on the N side of Claremont Parkway bridge. Closed about 1960. The
bridge has a newer railing on the N side, and the E wall of the cut
is set back; there is no wall on the W side. The surface station
had been at 172d St and called Central Morrisania.
- Tremont. Open. The long-disused brick and concrete
stationhouse formerly on the N side of Tremont Ave bridge was
removed in September 1999 after parts began falling to the tracks
below.
- 183d Street. A brick stationhouse had been over the tracks
on the S side of 183d St bridge. The bridge has a cheap-looking
fence on the S side and a Jersey barrier along the curb line, rather than
the solid but nonmatching railings seen farther south. The walls of
the cut are set back as usual.
- Fordham. Open. The brick stationhouse is on the N side of
Fordham Road. Immediately E was once another brick station for the
Third Ave El running above. Additionally on the S side of Fordham Plaza
there are covered stairs to the platforms.
- Botanical Gardens. Open. There were two stationhouses, one
on each side, both with platform canopies and the whole deal. The
one on the Gardens side is still there and being maintained.
- Williams Bridge. Open. There had been a large stationhouse
on the E side south of Gun Hill Road, possibly used by a lumber
company in later years before demolition in the 1960's, with an
entrance from the ramp to the southbound parkway.
- Woodlawn. Open. There had been a stationhouse on the N side
of 233d Street bridge.
- Wakefield. Open. No stationhouse.
New York, Westchester and Boston Line
The "Westchester" operated only from 1912 to 1937. It was built as
a high-speed electric railroad with full grade separation and high
platforms. The city terminal was the Harlem River station of the New
Haven railroad, and its two tracks ran alongside the Harlem River Line
almost to the Bronx River, and then it went off on its own through the
northeast Bronx to beyond the city line (to White Plains and
Portchester). The portion not shared with the Harlem River Line was
acquired by the City and was reopened as a subway line in 1941, from
East 180th Street to Dyre Avenue.
- Harlem River, Port Morris, Casanova, Hunts Point, Westchester
Avenue. These five stations were shared with the Harlem River line,
which is described below.
- East 180th Street. The NYW&B station is on the
Elevated Stations list.
The large station building, the NYW&B
headquarters, is now used by the Transit Authority and is maintained
in good condition. This became a major transfer station on the
line, rivalling Harlem River, once the adjoining subway station was
opened in 1917. To the north is the NYW&B repair shop, still in use.
- Morris Park, Pelham Parkway, Gun Hill Road, Baychester Avenue,
Dyre Avenue. Open, as subway stations. Dyre Ave has been modified
from side platforms to a center platform, but at the others are
mostly as built, with longer platforms.
Harlem River Line
The New York, New Haven and Hartford made its entry to New York via
the Harlem Line in 1849, but the secondary route known as the Harlem
River Branch was opened in 1868 mainly to make freight connections by
water with other railroads. Local passenger service was also run
until 1931. The line was rebuilt in 1908-1910 to 6 tracks with
complete grade separation, and all new stations. It was also
electrified. Most of the branch became part of the Hell Gate Route
opened in 1917, the main line from Penn Station to Boston, and so it
still has intercity trains today run by Amtrak. The portion south of
142d Street is now open for freight only.
(Footnote: From 1876 to about 1906, two passenger trains a day on a
Boston-Washington run were carried by lighter (a barge with rails)
between the old Harlem River terminal and the Pennsylvania Railroad at
Jersey City, without a New York station stop. That unusual operation
was then replaced by an inland route over the Poughkeepsie Bridge, and
the trains were finally included among those using the new Hell Gate
route starting in 1917.)
- Harlem River. The original terminal was at the SE corner
of Lincoln Ave and 132d St, close to the river. It was moved in
1886 to a location also called "Willis Avenue", at the SE corner
of Willis Ave and 132d St, 2 blocks east of the old terminal. The
new location had a track connection to the newly opened elevated line
and connecting services were run 1886-1887, 1891-1905, and 1905-1924,
after which a walkway was put in to the el's nearby 133d Street station.
The terminal was also used by the New York, Westchester and Boston
local line 1912-1937. The long brick freighthouse seen in old photos
of the station is still there. The passenger station was between
that and 132d St, now vacant ground. At the E side of Willis Ave,
under the bridge, can be seen the stone abutment of the former el
connecting line. The area next to the station is fenced off and
well kept, with plantings, and has warning signs about private property.
It could be viewed also from the Willis Ave Bridge.
- Port Morris. The substantial masonry stationhouse was on the W
side of the tracks in the block between 135th and 136th Streets,
a location now occupied by a concrete warehouse probably dating from
not long after passenger service ceased in 1937. No trace.
- Casanova. Access was on the S side of the Leggett Ave bridge,
which looks like it has been partly rebuilt. No trace.
- Hunts Point. The brick stationhouse still stands on the N side of
the Hunts Point Ave bridge, greatly changed at street level to a line
of shops, but showing the original peaked dormers at the second level.
The back is closer to the original appearance.
- Westchester Avenue. The 2-story stationhouse still stands, in
poor condition, on the S side of Westchester Ave just W of the bridge
over the railroad. The design makes it worth a look even though it
is almost a ruin now.
- West Farms. This was about a block north of 174th St, not the
building at the NW corner of 174th St and Bronx River Ave. No trace.
- Van Nest. This was just east of Unionport Road. I missed it,
but I'm told there are remains of platforms. The property to the north
was a railroad repair shop and electrical
substation, and is still used for the latter purpose by Con Ed.
- Morris Park. The brick stationhouse still stands, in good
condition but with the windows blocked up and the entrance canopy gone.
It is on the N side of the line on the parallel Sacket Ave, with
the front end near Colden Ave, off main roads in a quiet residential
section.
- Westchester. This was between Williamsbridge Road and
Eastchester Road, less than a mile from Morris Park. Remains of the
platforms and of stairs up from the Eastchester Road sidewalk.
The two railroad bridges over Eastchester Road are separated to allow
the space for a platform. Platform signs may have existed until
around 1970.
- Baychester. This was just E of Baychester Ave, which puts
the location today just E of the Bruckner Expressway bridge over the
line, in a hidden old neighborhood. No trace.
- City Island Road. The brick stationhouse stands in ruins
in the woods a short distance S of the road from the Hutchinson River
Parkway to the City Island circle. It was also known as Bartow. This
lonely spot was the transfer point for the trolley to City Island,
which started here, so it rated a good station. To see it, start at
the Pelham Bit Stables parking lot on the southbound Shore Road, and
walk N along the bridle path. Just before the road to the
Parkway, take an overgrown paved path W to the station. Warning: the
bridle path is quite active; walk along the edge, but let horses and
riders see you. Warning: the golf course parking lot to the north is
a little closer to the station, but the walk requires a dangerous
crossing of the road to the Parkway. At the station, please do not go
near the tracks: high speed Amtrak trains approach around curves
from both sides and you will not have time to react.
|
