09/04/2022
On October 4, 1920, the 3rd Ave El Webster Avenue extension was placed in service connecting the original line at Third Ave and Fordham Road with the IRT White Plains Road Line at Gun Hill Road.
The Fordham Road station structure was rebuilt to the three track two-island Express format. The original two-track structure north of the station was rebuilt with four tracks and provision for the three-track junction to the Webster Ave extension about 100 yards North of the El station platforms. The three-track Webster Ave junction curved NE across the NY Central four track ROW on a skewed span to Webster Ave just North of 194th St. The connection spanned the NY Central Harlem Division just North of the Fordham Road station N/B platform.
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The Webster Ave Route of the 3rd Ave El extension is parallel to the NY Central RR Harlem division four track Right-of-Way (ROW) from Fordham Road to Gun Hill Road. On Webster Ave, the new three-track structure went North to the new stations opened at 200th St, 204th St and 210th St - Williamsbridge. All the stations on Webster Ave were outboard platform stations.
The three-track structure made a 90 degree angle turn East onto Gun Hill Road about 20 yards North of the 210th St station platforms.
The new structure passed over the Bronx River Valley to reach the Lower Level of the Gun Hill Road station on White Plains Road.
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200th St is also known as Bedford Park Boulevard. However, the El station is named for the numbered street just as 204th St station is named. The Jerome Ave Line station was built before the 3rd Ave El station and was dubbed Bedford Park Boulevard.
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The structure increased in height North of 200th St for the Mosholu Parkway viaduct, which was the grandest of the elevated structures with its long steel arches. where it passed over the parkway which spanned Webster Ave.
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The 204th station was at higher elevation. However, the structure maintained its height from the parkway span by reducing the height of the El pillars as the elevation increased up to 204th St.
Webster Ave ran around the base of the great Valentine Hill and followed Webster Ave downhill below Parkside Place which rose to an apex at 207th St well over the height of the El.
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The 210th St station was situated between the intersection of Parkside Place and Webster Ave and the intersection of Gun Hill Road. The curve onto Gun Hill Road was a classic elevated railway 90 degree turn. The Gun Hill Road structure followed the undulation of the Bronx River valley to Gun Hill Road.
The 210th St – Williamsbridge station had dual names that identified the neighborhood and the distance from 190th St - Fordham Road. 210th St is nowhere to be found at that location. There is a 211th St.
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The 204th St neighborhood was/is known as Norwood. However, the street was originally named Woodlawn Road until sometime after the turn off the century. A terrible RR accident occurred where the 204th St (Woodlawn Road) bridge spans the NY Central tracks. See "https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=BronxThirdAveEl&set=a.1507992709350804".
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The new Gun Hill Road (Lower Level) station was opened below the White Plains Road Line Gun Hill Road station, which opened on March 3, 1917.
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The Botanical Garden Spur was East of the RROW and the Webster Ave is West of the RROW. The NY Central RR Fordham Freight Yard was in view from the El as it spanned the RROW and East of the El on Webster Ave. The distance between the El and the RROW spread out from the freight yard to the 200th St station and the NY Central RR Botanical Garden Station. The view of the station was blocked by the Botanical Garden Square Apartment building. However, the Mosholu Parkway viaduct offered a grand view of Frisch Field and the RR station.
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The Mosholu Parkway viaduct was decked to reduce the noise level and was built with curving steel arches with an extra long arch to span the Parkway road. The land sloped down from the 204th St station and the viaduct structure increased in height to pass over the Mosholu Parkway bridge over Webster Ave. The height of 3rd Ave El there was over 80 feet and provided a scenic view of the parkway and Bronx Park to the East. The 200th St station was about 40 feet lower than the viaduct at Mosholu Parkway and there was a good slope on that section of the structure for N/B trains to climb. The length of Mosholu Parkway could be seen in either direction. The Botanical Gardens Administration Building was the sight immediately to the East. We also have a Mosholu Parkway album.
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The view of Bronx Park and the meandering Bronx River continued all the way to 210th St. There were only a few low-rise buildings on the East side of Webster Ave except at 204th St. A notable exception is the NYPD 52nd Precinct with the massive clock tower. The land West of Webster Ave North of 205th St rose to a great height over the El with Parkside Place ascending the hill to the summit at 207th St and descending past 209th St to the 210th St / Williamsbridge station just South of Gun Hill Road. The El followed a level path on Webster Ave there, as the land undulated along the cliff below Parkside Place. The view of the Williamsbridge RR station was blocked by the low-rise commercial buildings on the East side of Webster Ave and the RROW was below street level there.
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Initial service on the Webster Ave extension was provided by shuttle trains in off peak hours and thru express trains during the rush hour. 3rd Ave El trains went North on the White Plains Road to the junction with the White Plains Road Line South of the 219th St station and made all stops to the 241st St Terminal. The IRT White Plains Road Line Gun Hill Road station is a three track two island express format over the 3rd Ave El single island platform.
3rd Ave El local trains originated and terminated at the Bronx Park terminal North of Fordham Road as usual.
The "Express Track" on the 3rd Ave El Webster Ave Extension.
The "Express Track" on the 3rd Ave El Webster Ave Extension was not an Express track North of Fordham Road. Although the center track of the 3rd Ave El Webster Ave Extension appeared to be an Express Track, it was never used as such. The center track was only used to lay-up express trains terminating and beginning at Fordham Road. The Webster Ave Extension center track North of Fordham Road looked like it should be, or have been, an express track, it never was. When the El Webster Ave Extension was opeed in 1920, regular service was a shuttle train between 241st St and Fordham Road. The White Plains Road Line also only had a initial shuttle service to/from East 180th St. All 3rd Ave El express trains that began at the White Plains Road Line 241st St Terminal in the Morning Rush hour stopped at all the stations North of Gun Hill Road and the lower-level station and the 3rd Ave El stations North of Fordham Road and ended their runs at Fordham Road in the Evening and went into lay-up on the center track North of Fordham Road.
Note: The 3rd Ave El lower-level station at Gun Hill Road, on the White Plains Road Line, did not become a terminal until 1950. All the White Plains Road Line stations North of Gun Hill Road are in the same status of all the 3rd Ave El stations North of Fordham Road. That is, the center track of White Plains Road Line North of Gun Hill Road was not an express track. It was only used to access the 239th St Yard. Some (3rd Ave El) trains only went to 238th St because those trains were going into the 239th St Yard from there.
The 3rd Ave El entire center Express track from Canal St to Fordham Road in the Bronx opened in 1916. Prior to that time the 3rd Ave El was a two-track line in Manhattan and the Bronx from the Harlem River to Fordham Road. The Fordham Road station was expanded from a two-track station to a three-track, two-island express track format at that time. The Botanical Garden terminal was the end of the line until 1920, when the Webster Ave Extension opened. Third Ave El Local service originated from the Botanical Garden terminal until 1951, when it closed.
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After 1955, when the Manhattan El closed, there was no more Third Ave El Local or Express service as such. All Bronx 3rd Ave El trains stopped at all stations between Gun Hill Road and 149th St.
In 1956, a couple former 3rd Ave El MUDC car trains and all of the Q car trains were stored South of the 174th St station after the IRT steel Subway cars replaced the wood 3rd Ave El cars. The open El type third rail remained under those cars.
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In 1957, the El open 3rd rail was replaced by the subway type covered third rail. The subway type covered third rail was installed on the center track to Fordham Road with the expectation that Rush Hour extra trains would operate South from lay-up on the center track from Fordham Road. However, the center track x-over switch tracks at Fordham Road were removed and a bumper was installed on the center track at Mosholu Parkway to stop lay-up trains from proceeding South from that point. All Rush Hour trains laid up on the center track had to use the x-overs at the Gun Hill Road Tower to start their runs at Gun Hill Road station. Provision was made for extra lay-up or storage tracks South of the 156th St station and at the Tremont Ave Station.
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The land North and West of 205th St rose well above the level of the El. The El trains went by the rocky cliff above Webster Ave there. The street, Parkside Place rose up above the El to the promontory at 207th St where passing El trains could be viewed below. The laid-up rush hour trains could be seen departing from the center track here and returning after the rush hour runs.
The curve onto Gun Hill Road was a 90 degree turn that caused the El car wheel fl**ges to make a screeching sound that could be heard for miles around. The trip across Gun Hill Road to the double-deck White Plains Road terminal was a great site. On the trip West Gun Hill Road was seen rising up out of sight and the Webster Ave extension could be seen as far south as 205th St.
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This comment by Reid Mitchel Eisenberg about one of our views of the turn at Webster Ave on Oct 30, 2018;
"As the observer would continue west along Gun Hill Road, they would ascend to a vantage point such that they were actually looking down onto the elevated tracks. This position therefore provided an uncommon view. As it was a tight turn onto Webster Ave in order to head south, notice the greatly extended cross-girders of those bents around the intersection in order to place the columns out of the flow of traffic. The fl**ge squeal here was phenomenal."
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On Dec 23, 1950, 3rd Ave El service was discontinued from Gun Hill Road North to East 241st St and White Plains Road. The Gun Hill Road station became the North Terminal of the 3rd Ave El.
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Most of the 3rd Ave El Webster Ave Extension was removed in 1974. Fordham Junction and the span over the RR tracks there lasted a little longer until the RR agreed to the date and time of removal. The Mosholu Parkway viaduct was partially dismantled in 1974. However, the high columns and long span over Mosholu Parkway had to wait until the City was able to close Mosholu Parkway and Webster Ave in order to remove the long high spans. The former 3rd Ave El Gun Hill Road Lower-level platform was removed in 2001.
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Mr John Antola provided this time-line of the Demolition of the Bronx 3rd Ave El North of 149th St.
Demolition of the El began in March, 1974 at 163 St and Third Ave.
The Demolition was done in 2 phases. The first phase did the demolition working South to South of 161 St including the remaining stub of the Westchster cutoff. Then, North to South of Gun Hill Road by passing the part over the Cross Bronx Expressway, Tremont Ave, Fordham Road, and the Moushlou Arches which they came back to the demolition work to be done at night and weekends. This phase ended in August 1975.
Phase 2 began demolition in December 1976 into the early part of 1977. The demolition South of 161 St to 149 St.
The demolition South of 156 St was done at night.
The demolition North of Mosholu viaduct and 204 St occurred in June of 1974. The Section North of 204 St occurred in October of 1974.
The Mosholu Arches which were demolished in March 1975.
We will have to get fine detail dates from Mr Michael Fusco's books.
The L/L of Gun Hill Road which remained for layups until late 1980s. The tracks were abandoned and removed in 2004 the L/L of Gun Hill Road was demolished including the leads from 219 St. At 183 St and Third Ave there was a wooden news stand under the Stairway coming to and from the street. The newsstand stayed open while the El was razed around it however a small column next to stand remained. The stand closed afterwards and was removed but the piece of the Column remained until May 1987 when it was finally removed.
On March 9, 1977, The New York City Transit Authority began demolition of the remaining structure of the Bronx Third Ave El between the power substation at 161st St and 149th St. The 149th St station structure was removed sometime in the Summer of 1977.
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The center track at Tremont Ave was used as a relay track for a couple weekends during the third rail conversion process in 1957 and also during the re-signal process in 1958.
The wood 3rd cars were removed from the center track in 1958 after the re-signal process.
The center track was never used again and in subsequent years sections of the center track all along the line South of bumper at Mosholu Parkway were removed. The x-overs for those extra storage tracks and x-overs at Tremont Ave were also removed in time also. So, the 3rd Ave El in Bronx reverted back to the original two track line.
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