by kjd73170
Does anyone have photos of the original White Plains station that can be posted here?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Railroad Forums
Moderator: Otto Vondrak
Tom Curtin wrote:If you have (or can get) the book The Coming of the New York and Harlem there is a photo or two of the station --- at least one from track level and one from street level.I didn't believe this until I checked old timetables and indeed track 5 existed in the 30's and 40's at least from substation no. 9 to NW. I don't think it was considered a main track as it was apparently not signaled and use was governed at least in 1948 by the signalman at NW. Another thing that I would not have believed is that apparently this track lasted until sometime between October 31, 1965 and April 24, 1966. It might have been a good place to put a freight train into the clear for passenger trains through the years, I can't imagine any other reason for keeping this track in service.
BTW I would say it was more than your typical "suburban station" --- a good sized brick building. It was south of the present station, south of the Main St. underpass. The present station was moved north because of the necessity of having high level platforms on straight track; and south of Main St. is on a curve.
The station (before my memory) had a third track --- the northbound (railroad direction westbound) platform had a track on both sides. I am told there were three tracks from south of White Plains station to North White.
Noel Weaver wrote:I didn't believe this until I checked old timetables and indeed track 5 existed in the 30's and 40's at least from substation no. 9 to NW. I don't think it was considered a main track as it was apparently not signaled and use was governed at least in 1948 by the signalman at NW. Another thing that I would not have believed is that apparently this track lasted until sometime between October 31, 1965 and April 24, 1966. It might have been a good place to put a freight train into the clear for passenger trains through the years, I can't imagine any other reason for keeping this track in service.Grogan mentions in The Coming of the New York & Harlem RR that at one time four tracks were used at the station. I've never seen a photo showing all four, but all of the old photos of the station platforms that I've seen clearly show room for four tracks. There's also a book It Happened in Old White Plains by Renoda Hoffman which contains a few good photos of the station that appear to have been taken shortly after its construction. The book also contains a 1914 Bromley atlas showing plenty of detail of the station area and the railroad north and south of the station (including the freight yard tracks north of the station). It shows four tracks at the substation and a fifth track running between the substation and the passenger station where it stub-ended.
Noel Weaver
Noel Weaver wrote: I didn't believe this until I checked old timetables and indeed track 5 existed in the 30's and 40's at least from substation no. 9 to NW. I don't think it was considered a main track as it was apparently not signaled and use was governed at least in 1948 by the signalman at NW. Another thing that I would not have believed is that apparently this track lasted until sometime between October 31, 1965 and April 24, 1966. It might have been a good place to put a freight train into the clear for passenger trains through the years, I can't imagine any other reason for keeping this track in service.Any third track through WP station was gone by the time I first rode through there in 1964. I often rode the Harlem in the years 1963-1968. However, the third track remained, north (railroad direction west) of WP station. I remember this clearly, specifically that it was often used --- just about daily in fact --- to set out freight cars. I would surmise that the freight which came up from 30th St at night --- symbol DOJN maybe? --- made a set out there for the "traveling switcher" the following day.
Noel Weaver
PC1100 wrote: Grogan mentions in The Coming of the New York & Harlem RR that at one time four tracks were used at the station. I've never seen a photo showing all four, but all of the old photos of the station platforms that I've seen clearly show room for four tracks. There's also a book It Happened in Old White Plains by Renoda Hoffman which contains a few good photos of the station that appear to have been taken shortly after its construction. The book also contains a 1914 Bromley atlas showing plenty of detail of the station area and the railroad north and south of the station (including the freight yard tracks north of the station). It shows four tracks at the substation and a fifth track running between the substation and the passenger station where it stub-ended.Yes Grogan says this but I was told categorically by Harlem railroaders in the 60s that WP station never had 4 tracks, only 3. So . . . somebody's wrong.
Tommy Meehan wrote: Also note the line is referred to as the Harlem Branch. Never heard that term used before in regards to the Harlem!At some point when they realigned the divisions in the 1960s, the Harlem Division was redesignated a "branch" of the Hudson Division mainline. I think what remained of the Putnam Division also became a "branch" at the same time. Most likely some sort of operational technicality in relation to operating agreements or funding priorities. Today you have "main line" "secondary" "industrial track" and "running track," all designations that refer to how the lines are operated and funded (I can't remember which is lower priority, "running track" or "industrial track," but at some point, ties become a mere fantasy). I think the New York Central only went so far as to designate "main line" and "branch" in timetables.
Otto Vondrak wrote:Most likely some sort of operational technicality in relation to operating agreements or funding priorities.Side note: the leasing agreements between American Premier Underwriters and the MTA still make reference to a "New York and Harlem Railroad". Perhaps it was always considered an operating subsidiary rather than having been completely absorbed into the NYC?