New York and Harlem Railroad
Encyclopedia
The New York and Harlem Railroad (now the Metro-North Railroad
Harlem Line
) was one of the first railroads in the United States, and possibly also the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson
, it was opened in stages between 1832 and 1852 between Lower Manhattan
to and beyond Harlem
. Initially using horses, the line was partially converted to use steam engines and then electricity, using a Julien electric traction car. In 1907 the then leaseholders of line, New York City Railway went into receivership. Following a further receivership in 1932 the New York Railways Corporation
converted the line to bus operation
. The Murray Hill Tunnel
now carries a lane of road traffic, but not the buses.
The line became part of the New York Central Railroad
system with trackage rights
granted to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
into Manhattan. It is now part of the Metro-North Railroad
system, and the only Manhattan
trackage of that system.
The company was incorporated on April 25, 1831 as the New York and Harlem Railroad, to link New York City
with suburban Harlem
. Among the company's founders was John Mason
, a wealthy banker and president of Chemical Bank who was among the largest landowners in New York City.
The first section, along the Bowery from Prince Street north to 14th Street
, opened on November 26, 1832. After that, the following sections opened:
Between 1847 and 1856, a track was built in Grand Street
between Centre Street
and the Bowery (along with one block on the Bowery) for northbound trains. Southbound trains continued to use the old route.
In 1864 or 1865, a branch was added for trains between downtown and the East 34th Street Ferry Landing
, running along 32nd Street, Lexington Avenue
and 34th Street
. This was the start of separate horse car service, running between Astor House and the ferry.
Grand Central Depot opened just north of 42nd Street
in October 1871, and intercity passenger trains from the north were ended there. (Ironically, by this point, the first of the Manhattan New York subway
had opened on Ninth Avenue.) Freight trains continued to operate along the tracks south of Grand Central, as did streetcars (still turning off at 42nd).
. It was soon bought by Cornelius Vanderbilt
.
The New York City Common Council
passed an ordinance on December 27, 1854, to take effect in 18 months, barring the NY&H from using steam
power south of 42nd Street
, due to complaints by persons whose property abutted the right-of-way. Before that, the steam locomotives had run to 32nd Street. When the ordinance took effect, the NY&H had not done anything. After much debate, including an injunction
issued preventing the city from enforcing the ordinance, the courts struck down the injunction on July 30, 1858.
On July 2, 1870, horse cars started to run not only to the 34th Street Ferry but to 73rd Street via Madison Avenue
. These trains ran through the Murray Hill Tunnel
and turned west on 42nd before going north on Madison (northbound cars used Vanderbilt Avenue
to 44th Street). The line was soon extended to 86th Street
and then to Harlem.
On April 1, 1873, the NY&H leased its freight lines to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, but the horse car line south of Grand Central remained separate. This eventually became the New York Central Railroad
and then part of Penn Central and Conrail. Metro-North Railroad
took over the line in 1983.
The first electric streetcar open to passengers in New York City
, a Julien electric traction car, was run on September 17, 1888 on the line to 86th Street
. The line went back to using horses for a time, but switched to an below-grade third rail
(commonly called a "conduit") in 1897. On July 1, 1896, the Metropolitan Street Railway leased the streetcar lines.
The New York City Railway, which leased the Metropolitan, and hence also these lines, went into receivership
on September 24, 1907. The receivers returned operation of the Fourth Avenue line back to the Metropolitan Street Railway on July 31, 1908. The lease was terminated on January 31, 1920 with operation was returned to the NY&H.
On October 10, 1932, it was leased again, this time to the New York Railways Corporation
, with the right to convert the line to bus operation
. The stockholders voted to do this on February 19, 1934.
An approximation of the route is now traveled by MTA New York City Transit's M1 bus. The Murray Hill Tunnel
now carries a lane of roadway, but not the buses.
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
Harlem Line
Harlem Line (Metro-North)
Metro-North's Harlem Line, originally chartered as the New York & Harlem Railroad, is an 82-mile commuter rail line running north from New York City into eastern Dutchess County...
) was one of the first railroads in the United States, and possibly also the world's first street railway. Designed by John Stephenson
John Stephenson (coachbuilder)
John G. Stephenson , an American coachbuilder, invented and patented the first streetcar to run on rails in the United States. On 26 November 1832, the New York and Harlem Railroad was formally opened...
, it was opened in stages between 1832 and 1852 between Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
to and beyond Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. Initially using horses, the line was partially converted to use steam engines and then electricity, using a Julien electric traction car. In 1907 the then leaseholders of line, New York City Railway went into receivership. Following a further receivership in 1932 the New York Railways Corporation
New York Railways Corporation
The New York Railways Corporation was a railway company that operated street railways in Manhattan, New York City, United States between 1925 and 1936. During 1935/1936 it converted its remaining lines to bus routes which were operated by the New York City Omnibus Corporation, and now operated by...
converted the line to bus operation
Bustitution
The word bustitution is a neologism sometimes used to describe the practice of replacing a passenger train service with a bus service either on a temporary or permanent basis. The word is a portmanteau of the words "bus" and "substitution"...
. The Murray Hill Tunnel
Murray Hill Tunnel
The Park Avenue Tunnel passes under Park Avenue in the New York City borough of Manhattan, leading towards Grand Central Terminal. It once carried the New York and Harlem Railroad and later that company's streetcar line and was called the Murray Hill Tunnel...
now carries a lane of road traffic, but not the buses.
The line became part of the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
system with trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
granted to the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , was a railroad that operated in the northeast United States from 1872 to 1968 which served the states of Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts...
into Manhattan. It is now part of the Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
system, and the only Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
trackage of that system.
Construction
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with suburban Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. Among the company's founders was John Mason
John Mason (businessman)
John Mason was an early American businessperson, merchant and banker. Mason served as the second president of Chemical Bank from 1831 through 1839 and would later be referred to as "the father of the Chemical Bank". Mason was a founder of the New York and Harlem Railroad, one of the first...
, a wealthy banker and president of Chemical Bank who was among the largest landowners in New York City.
The first section, along the Bowery from Prince Street north to 14th Street
14th Street (Manhattan)
14th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The street rivals the size of some of the well-known avenues of the city and is an important business location....
, opened on November 26, 1832. After that, the following sections opened:
- June 10, 1833 - north along Fourth Avenue to 32nd Street
- May 9, 1834 - north along Fourth Avenue to Yorkville, including the Murray Hill TunnelMurray Hill TunnelThe Park Avenue Tunnel passes under Park Avenue in the New York City borough of Manhattan, leading towards Grand Central Terminal. It once carried the New York and Harlem Railroad and later that company's streetcar line and was called the Murray Hill Tunnel...
- October 26, 1837 - north along Fourth Avenue to Harlem, including the Yorkville Tunnel
- May 4, 1839 - south along the Bowery, Broome Street and Centre StreetCentre Street (Manhattan)Centre Street runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Centre Street runs from Park Row and continues north to Delancey Street where it merges with Lafayette Street....
to City Hall at Centre Street and Park RowPark Row (Manhattan)Park Row is a street located in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It was previously called Chatham Street and during the late 19th century it was nicknamed Newspaper Row, as most of New York City's newspapers located on the street to be close to the action at New... - September 3, 1842 - north to WilliamsbridgeWilliams Bridge (Metro-North station)The Williams Bridge Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of the Williamsbridge section of The Bronx via the Harlem Line. It is 10.5 miles from Grand Central Terminal and is located at the intersection of Gun Hill Road and Webster Avenue. Service at Williams Bridge is hourly...
- December 1, 1844 - north to White Plains
- June 1, 1847 - north to Croton FallsCroton Falls (Metro-North station)The Croton Falls Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of North Salem, New York and surrounding communities via the Harlem Line. It is 47.7 miles from Grand Central Terminal and the average travel time to Grand Central is 1 hour, 16 minutes.This station is located in the Zone 7...
- December 31, 1848 - north to Dover PlainsWhite Plains (Metro-North station)The White Plains Metro-North Railroad station serves the residents of White Plains, New York via the Harlem Line. It is 22.3 miles from Grand Central Terminal, and the average travel time varies between 30 and 44 minutes...
- January 19, 1852 - north to Chatham Four CornersChatham (NYCRR station)Union Station served the residents of Chatham, New York from 1887 to 1972 as a passenger station and until 1976 as a freight station. It was the final stop for Harlem Line trains. It had originally served trains of the Boston and Albany Railroad, then the New York Central Railroad and the Rutland...
with a connection to the Albany and West Stockbridge Railroad, and trackage rightsTrackage rightsTrackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
northwest to Albany - November 26, 1852 - south along Park RowPark Row (Manhattan)Park Row is a street located in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It was previously called Chatham Street and during the late 19th century it was nicknamed Newspaper Row, as most of New York City's newspapers located on the street to be close to the action at New...
to Astor HouseAstor HouseThe Astor House was a fine hotel in New York City, that opened in 1836 and soon became the most famous hotel in America.-History:The Astor House was originally built by John Jacob Astor, who assembled the building lots around his former house until he had purchased the full block in the heart of...
at Park Row and Broadway - A freight branch was built to Port MorrisPort Morris, BronxPort Morris is a neighborhood in the southwest Bronx, New York City. It is a heavily industrial neighborhood. Its boundaries are the Major Deegan Expressway and Bruckner Expressway to the north, East 149th Street to the east, the East River to the southeast, the Bronx Kill south, and the Harlem...
, and abandoned late in the 20th century. Parts are still visible.
Between 1847 and 1856, a track was built in Grand Street
Grand Street (Manhattan)
Grand Street is a street in Manhattan, New York City. It runs east-west parallel to and south of Delancey Street, from SoHo through Chinatown, Little Italy, the Lower East Side to the East River....
between Centre Street
Centre Street (Manhattan)
Centre Street runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan. Centre Street runs from Park Row and continues north to Delancey Street where it merges with Lafayette Street....
and the Bowery (along with one block on the Bowery) for northbound trains. Southbound trains continued to use the old route.
In 1864 or 1865, a branch was added for trains between downtown and the East 34th Street Ferry Landing
East 34th Street Ferry Landing
The East 34th Street Ferry Landing provides slips to ferries and excursion boats on the East River in the Port of New York and New Jersey. It is located east of the FDR Drive just north of East 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City...
, running along 32nd Street, Lexington Avenue
Lexington Avenue (Manhattan)
Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated by New Yorkers as "Lex," is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street...
and 34th Street
34th Street (Manhattan)
34th Street is a major cross-town street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, connecting the Lincoln Tunnel and Queens-Midtown Tunnel. Like many of New York City's major crosstown streets, it has its own bus routes and four subway stops serving the trains at Eighth Avenue, the trains at...
. This was the start of separate horse car service, running between Astor House and the ferry.
Grand Central Depot opened just north of 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
in October 1871, and intercity passenger trains from the north were ended there. (Ironically, by this point, the first of the Manhattan New York subway
History of the New York City Subway
The New York City Subway has a long history, beginning as many disjointed systems and eventually merging under City control.-Early steam and elevated railroads:The beginnings of the Subway came from various excursion railroads to Coney Island and elevated railroads in Manhattan and Brooklyn...
had opened on Ninth Avenue.) Freight trains continued to operate along the tracks south of Grand Central, as did streetcars (still turning off at 42nd).
Operation and control
Horses were used at first, but this was changed to steam north of 23rd Street23rd Street (Manhattan)
23rd Street is a broad thoroughfare in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is one of few two-way streets in the gridiron of the borough. As with Manhattan's other "crosstown" streets, it is divided at Fifth Avenue, in this case at Madison Square Park, into its east and west sections. Since...
. It was soon bought by Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Cornelius Vanderbilt , also known by the sobriquet Commodore, was an American entrepreneur who built his wealth in shipping and railroads. He was also the patriarch of the Vanderbilt family and one of the richest Americans in history...
.
The New York City Common Council
New York City Council
The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...
passed an ordinance on December 27, 1854, to take effect in 18 months, barring the NY&H from using steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
power south of 42nd Street
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
, due to complaints by persons whose property abutted the right-of-way. Before that, the steam locomotives had run to 32nd Street. When the ordinance took effect, the NY&H had not done anything. After much debate, including an injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
issued preventing the city from enforcing the ordinance, the courts struck down the injunction on July 30, 1858.
On July 2, 1870, horse cars started to run not only to the 34th Street Ferry but to 73rd Street via Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue (Manhattan)
Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square to the Madison Avenue Bridge at 138th Street. In doing so, it passes through Midtown, the Upper East Side , Spanish Harlem, and...
. These trains ran through the Murray Hill Tunnel
Murray Hill Tunnel
The Park Avenue Tunnel passes under Park Avenue in the New York City borough of Manhattan, leading towards Grand Central Terminal. It once carried the New York and Harlem Railroad and later that company's streetcar line and was called the Murray Hill Tunnel...
and turned west on 42nd before going north on Madison (northbound cars used Vanderbilt Avenue
Vanderbilt Avenue (Manhattan)
Vanderbilt Avenue is a short road in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs from 42nd Street to 47th Street, between Park Avenue and Madison Avenue. The road was created in the late 1860s as the result of construction of Grand Central Depot, and is named for Cornelius Vanderbilt, the...
to 44th Street). The line was soon extended to 86th Street
86th Street (Manhattan)
86th Street is a major two-way street in the Upper East Side and Upper West Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan.On the West Side its continuous cliff-wall of apartment blocks includng The Belnord is broken by two contrasting landmarked churches at prominent corner sites, the Tuscan...
and then to Harlem.
On April 1, 1873, the NY&H leased its freight lines to the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, but the horse car line south of Grand Central remained separate. This eventually became the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
and then part of Penn Central and Conrail. Metro-North Railroad
Metro-North Railroad
The Metro-North Commuter Railroad , trading as MTA Metro-North Railroad, or, more commonly, Metro-North, is a suburban commuter rail service that is run and managed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority , an authority of New York State. It is the busiest commuter railroad in the United...
took over the line in 1983.
The first electric streetcar open to passengers in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, a Julien electric traction car, was run on September 17, 1888 on the line to 86th Street
86th Street (Manhattan)
86th Street is a major two-way street in the Upper East Side and Upper West Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan.On the West Side its continuous cliff-wall of apartment blocks includng The Belnord is broken by two contrasting landmarked churches at prominent corner sites, the Tuscan...
. The line went back to using horses for a time, but switched to an below-grade third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
(commonly called a "conduit") in 1897. On July 1, 1896, the Metropolitan Street Railway leased the streetcar lines.
Receivership and conversion to bus operation
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
on September 24, 1907. The receivers returned operation of the Fourth Avenue line back to the Metropolitan Street Railway on July 31, 1908. The lease was terminated on January 31, 1920 with operation was returned to the NY&H.
On October 10, 1932, it was leased again, this time to the New York Railways Corporation
New York Railways Corporation
The New York Railways Corporation was a railway company that operated street railways in Manhattan, New York City, United States between 1925 and 1936. During 1935/1936 it converted its remaining lines to bus routes which were operated by the New York City Omnibus Corporation, and now operated by...
, with the right to convert the line to bus operation
Bustitution
The word bustitution is a neologism sometimes used to describe the practice of replacing a passenger train service with a bus service either on a temporary or permanent basis. The word is a portmanteau of the words "bus" and "substitution"...
. The stockholders voted to do this on February 19, 1934.
An approximation of the route is now traveled by MTA New York City Transit's M1 bus. The Murray Hill Tunnel
Murray Hill Tunnel
The Park Avenue Tunnel passes under Park Avenue in the New York City borough of Manhattan, leading towards Grand Central Terminal. It once carried the New York and Harlem Railroad and later that company's streetcar line and was called the Murray Hill Tunnel...
now carries a lane of roadway, but not the buses.