Mott Haven Yard, Bronx, N.Y.

In 1963 I was an electrician on the New York Central RR.
I worked there until long distance passenger and pullman
car service became sporadic, and I was laid off. I'm trying
to recall some memories from my time there for a
memoir. I've looked on Google maps, but can't seem
to pinpoint the location of the Mott Haven yard in the
Bronx. I'd appreciate any info on the streets bordering
the old yard, or an aerial view picture. I remember that on a
relatively quiet day and if the wind was right we could
hear the cheering from Yankee Stadium.
Appreciate any feedback,
Mike Klein
Alexandria, VA.

Mott Haven Yard was bordered by Grand Concourse, East 149th Street and Park Avenue. Go to Google Maps and you can see clearly what is left of the area. The yard itself has been built upon over the last 40 years, but the junction remains busy.

Wow, that was fast. Thanks very much.
Mike Klein

http://www.bing.com/maps/ and type in right info and it has nice Bird eye view of old yard property.
old highschool next to wye and new high school being completed on part of old yard property.
it still shows old MO tower.

The "old" high school is Cardinal Hayes H.S. In its heyday, it educated well over 2,000 boys.

actually, the Mott Haven yard was bounded by Morris Av on the east, Gerard Av on the west, east 161st Street on the north and east 150th street on the south. There was a Central-owned bridge which spanned the entire yard from Gerard Avenue to Morris Avenue. On countless occassions, my father,a PRR auditor, would take me for a walk and we would watch all the bustling activity. He was a PRR auditor The bridge is long gone but MN plans a replacement. I feel very old when I think back to all of the bustling activity that took place in that rail yard 24/7. There were many, many shops all around the perimeter. We knew many Central employees who worked there and also at 466 Lexington and there were four neighbors employed by the PRR! Anyway, around 1960, it was announced that the meat cutters union had struck a deal with the Central to build "Concourse Village" on a deck over the rail yard. Train operations would continue under the deck. I assume that the continuing decline of intercity rail service precluded the need for that expansive space. the RR was able to do all the servicing in GCT. I remeber some tracks being rebuilt on the Morris Av side and seeing a few cars, but it just gradually was phased out, I assume. I was nine or ten at the time and rather unaware of big business. I often bike up to that area from Manhattan and am just amazed at how densely built up that area has become. NYC built a massive court complex of six+ floors covering three city blocks eliminatin cross streets. Additionally, two or three monolithic high rise building have been built over the MN Harlen line from about 152nd street right through to 162nd street. Both projects are so out of scale with the area. The Melrose staion in now in a virtual tunnel but they moved the northbound platform out into the light, covering the Port Morris cutoff. I even remember the Melrose staion had a ticket agent and one Sunday, we went into the Victorian east 138th Street station and there were two agents on duty in the afternoon and one of them was checking a passenger's luggage!

a correction to yesterday's post about the Mott Haven yard. The western boundary was Sheridan Avenue; Gerard Avenue is one avenue east of River Avenue which is the eastern boundary of Yankee Stadium and also the street on which the #4 NYCTA IRT elevated train operates until it merges into Jerome Avenue

Very interesting to read of your memories.

Former employees have told me around 1968 -- with long-haul passenger service very much reduced and the advent of the PC merger -- Mott Haven was closed down. The liners were maintained on yard tracks in GCT, on the Lower Level I believe.

The downgrading of the yard precipitated a lot of labor unrest too. One former employee has told me that some of the old heads at MO were warned, get with the program or this place will be shut down. I think there was a rulebook slowdown and people with many years seniority were ultimately brought up on charges and, eventually, dismissed. Very sad ending.

I don't think the boundary question was completely answered. Below is a satellite map jpeg, you can see where the yard was.

Cardinal Hayes (and Concourse Village West) to the west, 156th St to the north, Harlem Division on the east and the wye forming the south boundary. The yard never extended west of the Grand Concourse to my knowledge.

The yard reached farther north than the picture goes, spreading out in a "Y" shape. In the early 60's, buildings were constructed on concrete piers over the north end of the yard, allowing enough room for track replacement, should the situation change and demand for passenger ops increase. Obviously it never did.

The area has dramatically changed, one of the bridges over the yard is completely gone. Mike, did you ever do work over at Highbridge where they washed the trains? I think there were layover tracks there between the mainline and the river.

The only thing remaining you would recognize is the tower MO, all boarded up, some of the businesses on the SE and the High School.

D/

See this 1905 map of the Mott Haven Yard

That's a nice map, showing the yard just before electrification. Thanks for posting.

Btw, the buildings in between the legs of the wye were an engine crew room and engine house. A little further east (by compass or lower on the left-hand side of the page) you can see the turntable. That is the circle with a track crossing it.

Tommy Meehan wrote:Very interesting to read of your memories.

Former employees have told me around 1968 -- with long-haul passenger service very much reduced and the advent of the PC merger -- Mott Haven was closed down. The liners were maintained on yard tracks in GCT, on the Lower Level I believe.

The downgrading of the yard precipitated a lot of labor unrest too. One former employee has told me that some of the old heads at MO were warned, get with the program or this place will be shut down. I think there was a rulebook slowdown and people with many years seniority were ultimately brought up on charges and, eventually, dismissed. Very sad ending.

I think Mott Haven Yard was shut down before 1968. Maybe in the early to mid 60's. SHL can probably shed more light on this as to when this happened.
Noel Weaver

Someone who worked as a yard supervisor there said in an email that the long haul trains were moved to GCT for servicing in mid-1965. This included functions like the commissary, laundry and mechanical department. That the facility was officially closed in 1966 or 1967. That's really all I meant when I wrote "around 1968."

It was mentioned the New Haven pulled their equipment out of Mott Haven several years earlier.

Rockingham Racer wrote:The "old" high school is Cardinal Hayes H.S. In its heyday, it educated well over 2,000 boys.

Judging from something I read not long ago I have an idea the administration at Hayes might take a dim view of the implication that the school's "heyday" is any time other than right now. In an article on urban education --- I forget where --- not very long ago, the principal told an interviewer the school sent 97 per cent of its graduates to college the previous year. The interviewer said he was impressed. The principal replied "actually, we were disappointed --- the year before that it was 100 per cent"