149th Street station (IRT Third Avenue Line)

Station layout

The station was built as an express station, with three tracks and two island platforms; the center express track was completed by 1916. North of the station, a spur track curved from Third Avenue east onto Westchester Avenue (150th Street) to connect with the IRT White Plains Road Line. A signal tower was located in between the mainline and the spur track.

After it became the line's southern terminal in 1955, the center track was removed and the platforms were connected into one large island platform. A diamond crossover switch was installed north of the station to relay terminating trains.

History

The station was originally opened on June 16, 1887, by the Suburban Rapid Transit Company. On July 10, 1905, the underground Third Avenue–149th Street station of the IRT White Plains Road Line (which fed into the Lenox Avenue and West Side subways) was opened, and free transfers were provided between the two stations.{{cite news| title=Subway Trains Running from Bronx to Battery| newspaper=The New York Times| date=July 10, 1905| page=1| url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1905/07/10/101363643.pdf| accessdate=October 4, 2011}} Between 1913 and 1916 during the Dual Contracts, the center track was added to facilitate express service along the line.

In 1921, a seven-car train derailed crossing the spur track north of the station, destroying a control tower and causing a fire on the trestle. Thirty passengers were injured, and the second of the wooden elevated cars was damaged beyond repair.

On May 12, 1955, The station closed on April 29, 1973, and was demolished in 1977.

Current status

From 1973 to 2013, the Bx55 limited bus replaced elevated service between The Hub and Gun Hill Road. Free transfers, first via a paper transfer and later by MetroCard, were given between the bus and the 149th Street subway station. In 2013, the Bx55 was eliminated, replaced by the Bx15 limited bus which terminates at Fordham Plaza. Service to Gun Hill Road is provided by the parallel Bx41 Select Bus Service route along Webster Avenue.

References

References

1. (April 30, 1973). "Third Avenue El Makes Final Run". The Arizona Daily Star.
2. (2015). "MTA Neighborhood Maps: Grand Concourse / Yankee Stadium". [[Metropolitan Transportation Authority]].
3. Sparberg, Andrew J.. (October 1, 2014). "From a Nickel to a Token: The Journey from Board of Transportation to MTA". Fordham University Press.
4. (May 31, 1921). "30 HURT, 500 IN PERIL IN ODD TRAIN WRECK ON 3D AV. ELEVATED; Cars Jump the Rails at Switch and Dash a Signal Tower to Pieces.". [[The New York Times]].
5. (October 22, 1911). "Bronx Has New Crosstown Trolley Line Entering Manhattan Through 149th Street". [[The New York Times]].
6. (May 7, 1911). "REVIEW OF WEEK'S IMPORTANT DEALS". [[The New York Times]].
7. (March 2, 1912). "THE REAL ESTATE FIELD; Bronx Plot Sells for $200 a Front Foot -- John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Takes Title to the Francis S. Kinney House -- $148,000 Paid for Theatre and Office Building Site in Jamaica, L.I.". [[The New York Times]].
8. (September 4, 1972). "The Bronx Had Everything, Including Own Shows". [[The New York Times]].
9. (July 29, 2001). "If You're Thinking of Living In/Belmont; Close-Knit Bronx Area With Italian Aura". [[The New York Times]].
10. (August 27, 1977). "Now That El's Gone, Bronx Hub Sees A Brighter Future". [[The New York Times]].
11. (July 18, 1972). "City Plans to Raze 3d Ave. El in Bornx". [[The New York Times]].
12. (March 27, 2013). "The 3rd Avenue Corridor". The Bronx Journal.
13. (November 18, 1992). "Bronx Bus Line Riders Get Glimpse of Future". [[The New York Times]].
14. (April 22, 1973). "3d Avenue El Closes Saturday; Fleet of 60 Buses to Replace It". [[The New York Times]].
15. [http://www.mta.info/mta/news/books/pdf/130422_1000_Transit.pdf bx41 sbs starting in june 2013 in mta board meeting packet pages 7.6-7.16] {{webarchive. link. (October 4, 2013)