Jerome - Anderson Aves

Passenger service: July 1918 - August 1958.

Existing abandoned portions: part of 1 platform on abandoned trackways.

Touring:The nearest stop is 161 St on the 4 B D trains. The station can be seen from the elevated 4 train running north of 161 St. Otherwise, walk west on 162 St, and the remains of the station are on the west side of Jerome Ave on the hillside.

construction and operation

The history of this station is almost the same as that of the Sedgwick Ave station. It is at the end of a short tunnel used to connect the 6 Ave and 9 Ave El line at 155 St in Manhattan to the newer elevated line in Jerome Ave (which runs over River Ave here near 162 St).

Jerome Ave station emerged from a cliff face. Most of it was on a concrete-clad viaduct over Jerome Ave, the type of structure called an "ornamental el" that was built over parkways. West of the viaduct, the station extends over a building and then continues a short way into the tunnel. What remains is portion in tunnel and over the building.

diagram

Circa 1918, a foreshortened view shows the entire Jerome Ave station, facing west toward the tunnel.

Source unknown, Robert L Presbrey collection, from Alan Paul Kahn and Jack May, The Tracks of New York, Number 3, Manhattan and Bronx Elevated Railroads, 1920, New York: Electric Railroaders' Association, 1977.

Mark Feinman's 1999 photo faces the same direction through an astounding amount of garbage dumped on the line. Compare the concrete base of the apartment house straight ahead.

Looking north up Jerome Ave circa 1918, a train of wooden el cars arrives or departs Jerome Ave station. The hill and underground portion are on the left. The station name sign appears to show JEROME AVE ANDERSON AVE.

Source unknown, Sprague Library (ERA), from Alan Paul Kahn and Jack May, The Tracks of New York, Number 3, Manhattan and Bronx Elevated Railroads, 1920, New York: Electric Railroaders' Association, 1977.

Above, the 1928 Red Book guide uses the name Anderson Ave for the Jerome-Anderson station. The joint elevated service north of 59 St had been primarily 6 Ave El in the old days, but had changed by this date to mainly 9 Ave El trains, shown in the way they are listed.

The Geographia Complete Street Guide of 1939, below, prefers the name Jerome Ave. It shows running time for 9 Ave El local trains rather than the express timings in the competing Red Book. Oops, the 6 Ave El had actually closed the previous year.

A photo tour of the tunnel, including both stations, can be found on the New York Subway Resources site, http://www.nycsubway.org.

More photos from the same tour are at the Forgotten NY web site.