User:FlushingLocal/sandbox

Coordinates: 40°58′20.55″N 73°46′36.11″W / 40.9723750°N 73.7766972°W / 40.9723750; -73.7766972
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Kingsbridge Road
The former station entrances to Kingsbridge Road station in 2019, now sealed up.
General information
Location87 E. Kingsbridge Road, Mount Vernon, New York
Coordinates40°58′20.55″N 73°46′36.11″W / 40.9723750°N 73.7766972°W / 40.9723750; -73.7766972
Owned byMTA Metro-North Railroad
Line(s)New York, Westchester and Boston Railway
Platforms2 side platforms
Tracks4
Other information
Station codeNone
Fare zoneMount Vernon
History
OpenedMay 29, 1912
ClosedDecember 31, 1937; station abandoned
Former services
Preceding station   New York, Westchester and Boston Railway   Following station
Dyre Avenue   Main Line   North 3rd St

Kingsbridge Road is a former railroad station on the main line of the New York, Westchester and Boston Railway in the city of Mount Vernon in Westchester County, New York. The station is named for the former station entrances that led to Kingsbridge Road. It was constructed by the New York, Westchester & Boston commuter railroad which linked Manhattan with the less populous northern Bronx section of New York City and the primarily undeveloped countryside of Westchester County.

As of January 2020, the station is in ruins. The former entrances have been sealed up, and the former platform level has been paved over and is currently an empty lot. The tail tracks from Dyre Avenue are located nearby, roughly 200 feet away from where the former bridge was located.

History[edit]

In 1912? (left) and 2017 (right)

Kingsbridge Road opened as a local station with two side platforms and four tracks on May 29, 1912. It was opened along with the rest of the line between North Avenue & East 180th Street at approximately 5:30 AM. The first train served the station at about 6:10 AM. The fare from this station to the north was $.05 cents, and to the south was $.10 cents, and was located in the Mount Vernon fare zone. On January 13, 1937, the fare was increased to $.17 cents.

Since the NYW&B was constructed all at once, one architectural firm, Fellheimer & Long with Allen H. Stem Associated Architects,[1] designed all the stations, platforms and signals for the line. For reasons of continuity, maintenance and appearance, concrete was used as the material for all stations. Built in Renaissance, mission or classic styles, the NYW&B stations are considered among the most well-designed depots in the country.[2] The design of the Quaker Ridge station’s peaked roof was inspired by Manhattan’s Pennsylvania Station. The main structure and covered platforms are of concrete and steel, with tile covering the roof area. The station proper is 52 feet in length, while the platforms represent a covered area of 340 feet, 170 feet on each side.

This station was abandoned along with the rest of the line on December 31st, 1937. The trestle over Kingsbridge Road was removed sometime between 1940 and 1942, along with any other salvageable scrap metal. Although the station is in close proximity to the city border, it was not rebuilt as part of the IRT Dyre Avenue Line on May 15th, 1941. However, the tail tracks that extend north from Dyre Avenue end right before the former bridge trestle over Kingsbridge Road.

Station layout[edit]

P
Platform level
Side platform, demolished
Northbound local Trackbed
Northbound express Trackbed
Southbound express Trackbed
Southbound local Trackbed
Side platform, demolished
G Street Level -

Kingsbridge Road was the first stop located within Westchester County, which is also located along the border line between New York City & Westchester County. Immediately to the south are the tail tracks of the IRT Dyre Avenue Line, which were formally the southbound express & northbound local. All four original tracks from Dyre Avenue once continued to Kingsbridge Road station via a bridge trestle over East Kingsbridge Road, which has since been demolished. North of the station, the track bed has been overgrown. The former platforms were partially demolished and/or in ruin.

Originally, the only entrances and exits from the station were located on East Kingsbridge Road. Passengers would enter through these entrances and go up one of two stairways, the one on the left for southbound service (towards Harlem River Terminal) or the one on the right for northbound service (towards Columbus Avenue). These entrances have since been sealed up, but are still visible from the street.

  1. ^ Potter, Janet Greenstein (1996). Alfred T. Fellheimer. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 174. ISBN 978-0471143895.
  2. ^ Bang, Robert A. (1987). Westchester County's Million-Dollar-a-Mile Railroad. R.A. Bang.