Friday, November 22, 2013

Blasting Operations Now Complete


The MTA announced today that blasting operations for Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway Project are now complete.

The final blast, which concluded the excavation for an entrance located on the north side of 86th Street and 2nd Avenue, took place on Monday, November 18, 2013 at 5:21 p.m.

Controlled blasting operations began on November 4, 2009, with the first blast at the 96th St. station cavern site. Controlled blasting was used in the construction of all of the cavern excavations for underground structures for the new subway stations at 72nd, 86th, and 96th streets.

After enduring four years of intermittent blasting under Second Avenue, neighborhood residents are without a doubt happy that this part of the construction effort is now complete.


Here are two videos of actual blasts from the project:


"Blasting on Second Avenue"
The Launch Box Blog
3/19/10



Second Avenue Subway - 8/2/2012 Update
Metropolitan Transportation Authority



Here's a listing of the recent additions
to the right-hand column of The Launch Box:

Second Avenue Subway Reaches Major Milestones
MTA Press Release
11/22/13

Underground / Aboveground: Touring the Second Avenue Subway Community Information Center
By Cassim Shepard and Daniel Rojo
Urban Omnibus - 11/22/13

::

MTA Second Avenue Subway Newsletters
Volume XIX, November 2013

Lex Av/63rd St Station Area

72nd St Station Area

86th St Station Area

96th St Station Area

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Underground at 86th Street


Progress continues under Second Avenue, blasting or no blasting.

The pictures that follow, which were provided by the MTA, were taken about a week ago inside the 86th Street station cavern.


Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
10/26/13



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
10/26/13



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
10/26/13



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
10/26/13



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
10/26/13


Additional images from this set can be found on this link:
Second Avenue Subway - October 2013
MTA



Here's a listing of recent additions
to the right-hand column of The Launch Box:

"Managing Subway Construction: The Mechanics of a Megaproject"
MTA Second Avenue Subway
Community Information Center Event on 11/7/13

"Where is the Second Avenue Subway going"
By Dana Rubinstein
Capital - 10/23/13

CB8 SAS Construction Update
MTA Capital Construction - 9/30/13

Video: "The Second Avenue Subway" (4:11)
By Shelby Holliday
Channel One News - 10/8/13

"No Heel Hazards (or Gusts) as Subway Expands"
By Sam Roberts
The New York Times - 10/1/13

Photos: The 2nd Avenue Subway's Progress
By Evan Bindelglass
Gothamist - 9/25/13

Video: SAS Community Information Center Opens
Transit Transit Newsmagazine - 9/13

FTA Technical Memorandum No. 11

::

MTA Second Avenue Subway Newsletter
Volume XVIII, October 2013

Lex Av/63rd St Station Area

72nd St Station Area

86th St Station Area

96th St Station Area



Off Topic
City Water Tunnel No. 3 Goes Live

Most people probably don't realize it but the Manhattan portion of City Water Tunnel No. 3 was finally put into service last month, after 43 years of construction.

Here are two stories on this largely unnoticed by very significant milestone:

"After Decades, a Water Tunnel Can Now Serve All of Manhattan"
By Matt Flegenheimer
The New York Times
10/16/13

"In An Artificial Cave 200' Beneath Central Park with Michael Bloomberg"
By Geoff Manaugh
GIZMODO
10/16/2013
(You'll find lots of great pictures in this posting.)

Monday, September 30, 2013

The SAS Community Information Center


The MTA's Second Avenue Subway Community Information Center (CIC) is now open.


9/4/13

The new center is located at 1628 Second Avenue between East 84th and East 85th streets.

According to the MTA, the CIC is a place "where visitors can participate in regular programs and activities, view exhibits about the Second Avenue Subway project and, most importantly, access information about the project and bring issues of concern to the attention of project staff."

As example, here's the October schedule of events for the center:

Th. October 17th, 6 p.m.
"What Took So Long?"
CIC Director Laura MacNeil will answer this question in a gallery tour of the current exhibit "History of the Second Avenue Subway."
RSVP required: http://CICgallerytour.eventbrite.com or call the CIC at 646-449-8700.

Th. October 24th, 6 p.m.
"Best of MTA Capital Construction Videos"
Join Second Avenue Subway Senior Project Director Manan Garg at a screening of selected MTACC construction videos where Mr. Garg will provide context and answers relating to construction progress.
RSVP required: http://CICscreening.eventbrite.com or call the CIC.

Earlier this month I stopped by the center to have a look.



9/4/13

At the entrance of the center is a scale model rendering of the future 86th Street station, shown above.



9/4/13

The first exhibit on display is a detailed timeline of the history of New York City’s efforts, going back to 1929, to build the Second Avenue Subway.

I'm told that the orange colored seats are from decommissioned NYC Transit subway cars.



9/4/13



9/4/13

The center also includes a multi-media exhibit where visitors can scroll electronically through the timeline at their own pace to explore archival photos, videos, letters and maps on a widescreen monitor.



9/4/13

A view from the rear of the center, looking towards the street.



9/4/13

A visitor asking questions about the 86th street station model.



9/4/13

Other visitors, asking questions and viewing the displays.


The CIC is currently open Monday to Friday, and the 2nd Saturday of each month, according to the following schedule:

Monday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Tuesday: Noon - 8 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Thursday: Noon - 8 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday: On the 2nd Saturday of each month, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Sunday: Closed

(Note that this schedule is subject to change.)

Last but not least, starting October 1st, visitors to the Community Information Center will be eligible to enter a monthly raffle to win a pair of guaranteed spots on the next month's underground construction tour.

The CIC will remain open until the first phase of the project is complete in December 2016.



Here's a listing of recent additions
to the right-hand column of The Launch Box:

"SAS Community Information Center Opens"
Transit Transit Newsmagazine - September 2013
Video, via YouTube - 9/4/13
(the SAS report starts at 23min, 20sec)

"The 2nd Avenue Subway's Progress"
By Evan Bindelglass
Gothamist - 9/25/13

A nice selection of 28 images of the work taking place in the 86th and 96th Street station caverns and tunnels. Note in particular image number 7, which shows some of rail for the tracks having been delivered.

::

MTA Second Avenue Subway Newsletter
Volume XVII, September 2013

Lex Av/63rd St Station Area

72nd St Station Area

86th St Station Area

96th St Station Area

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Back on Track, from Québec


Even while on vacation the Second Avenue subway project has a way of finding me.


8/30/13

I was in Québec, Canada for part of August and, completely by chance, I came across a tunnel form structure (shown above) that will be used for the Second Avenue subway project.



8/30/13

I first noticed this structure in Ayer's Cliff, Québec, when I was  visiting the Annual Exhibition of the Stanstead County Agricultural Society (also known as the Ayers' Cliff Fair). The village of Ayer's Cliff is located just 10 miles north of the Vermont border.



8/30/13

A few days after the fair closed, I drove back to Ayer's Cliff with my camera. Hoping to introduce myself, and take some pictures, I dropped in at the office of Everest Equipment Company.

To say that they were a little surprised to meet me might be an understatement.

The project manager told me that they had received so many questions about this particular tunnel form that they had decided to post a large sign on it that explained to passersby what it is.

The tunnel form shown here is for use inside the 86th Street station. This structure, which is technically known as a "station arch tunnel formwork," will allow the contractor to cast complete sections of the 86th Street station cavern ceiling arch using concrete.



8/30/13

The company began designing and fabricating the tunnel form in January of 2013. Assembly of the form structure began a few months later in the company's yard.

After the tunnel form has been inspected by the customer, who I assume is the MTA's contractor Skanska / Traylor JV, it will be disassembled and shipped to New York, and then reassembled inside the 86th Street station cavern.



8/30/13

This piece of the form is a section of ceiling arch turned on its side.



8/30/13

A view of workers moving around very heavy sections of the steel arch.



8/30/13

Another view of a section of the arch.



8/30/13

This is a view of the tunnel form, as seen from the grandstands on the Ayer's Cliff Fairgrounds. (The tunnel form is in the center of the image in the distance -- double click to enlarge the image.)



Here's a listing of fairly recent additions
to the right-hand column of The Launch Box:

Fourth Second Avenue Subway Report Card
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
7/29/13

"SUV crashes into 2nd. Ave. subway construction site"
By Barry Paddock
New York Daily News
7/29/13

"Descending into the Second Avenue Subway Construction in NYC"
By Bhushan Mondkar
Untapped Cities.com
7/24/13

Video: "Second Avenue Subway: Phase 1 Halfway Done"
NBC 4 New York
7/11/13

Abandoned SAS segment party prompts NYPD inquiry
2nd Ave. Sagas
6/25/13

"New York's Double Standard on NIMBYism"
By Eric Jaffe
The Atlantic
6/25/13

"Build Second Avenue Subway Entrance Elsewhere, Yorkville Residents Tell MTA"
By Victoria Bekiempis
DNAinfo.com New York - 6/14/13

::

MTA Second Avenue Subway Newsletter
Volume XVI, August 2013

Lex Av/63rd St Station Area

72nd St Station Area

86th St Station Area

96th St Station Area

::

A Footnote

My apologies for a lack of fresh postings during the past three months. After blogging about this project more than six years I decided to take a break for the summer.

I'm back now and ready to renew the effort.

Ben

Monday, June 10, 2013

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due


The MTA's staff photographer Patrick Cashin has been capturing the progression of the Second Avenue Subway project since 2009 through images that the MTA has been posting on Flickr.

He recently talked about his work in this short video that was produced by the folks at Flickr:


Digging NYC's Second Avenue Subway (2:48)
The Weekly Flickr

Flickr's writeup on Patrick's work can be found on this link:
NYC’s massive subway project
6/14/13

A few of Patrick's most recent images follow --


Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
5/18/13

The full length of the cavern that will soon become the new 72nd Street station under Second Avenue.



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
5/18/13

A concrete form used for lining the tunnels.  Clearly not something you would find at Home Depot.



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
5/18/13

Another view of the 72nd Street cavern.

Note the reflection of the ceiling in the standing water on the floor.



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
5/18/13



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
5/18/13

A view of one of the few remaining sections of raw tunnel waiting to be waterproofed and lined with concrete.

Additional images of the 72nd Street cavern can be found on these two links:
72nd Street Station Construction Update - May 2013

72nd Street Station Construction Update
By Rehema Trimiew / MTA Capital Construction
5/10/13



In other news, the MTA recently awarded the tenth and final contract for Phase I of the project.

The so-called 86th Street Station Finishes Contact (i.e. finishes, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, ancillary buildings and entrances) was awarded to 86th Street Constructors JV, a joint venture of Schiavone Construction Co. and John P. Picone, Inc.

Here are the bid results, from the MTA's web site, for those who are interested:

RFQ#: 44740
Bid Close Date: 4/10/2013
Description: C26012 86th Street Entrances, Ancillary Builbings, Finishes and MEP Equipment (Second Avenue Subway Project)

1. 86th Street Constructors JV - $208,376,000
2. Skanska-Railworks SAS Station JV - $258,780,000
3. E.E. Cruz & Tully Construction Co. - $259,561,000
4. CCA Civil-Plaza Construction JV - $265,000,000
5. Judlau Contracting Inc. - $268,000,000.00



Here's a listing of the recent additions
to the right-hand column of The Launch Box:

"Build Second Avenue Subway Entrance Elsewhere, Yorkville Residents Tell MTA"
By Victoria Bekiempis / DNAinfo.com
6/14/13

MTA Awards Final Contract to Build Phase 1 of the Second Avenue Subway
MTA Press Release
6/13/13

"MTA dismantling Second Avenue subway muck houses"
By Dan Rivoli / amNY
6/10/13

MTA: Second Avenue Subway Project Receives Award
MTA Press Release
6/3/13

"Second Avenue subway plagued with dangerous conditions and safety violations"
By Greg B. Smith / New York Daily News
6/2/13

SAS Quarterly Report - 1Q2013
MTA Capital Construction

January 2013 Public Workshop Follow-Up Report
MTA Capital Construction
Apr 2013

Video: "Digging the Second Avenue Subway" (6:29)
Sunday Morning / CBS News
4/14/13

::

MTA Second Avenue Subway Newsletter
Volume XIV, June 2013

Lex Av/63rd St Station Area

72nd St Station Area

86th St Station Area

96th St Station Area

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Lots of Progress at 86th Street


Patrick Cashin, one of the MTA's staff photographers, captured a nice set of images of the 86th Street station cavern earlier this month. As the images below clearly show, there has been a lot of progress underground at this location.



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
4/6/13

I believe that this is a view of the south end of the cavern. The two tunnels, which were excavated by the tunnel boring machine in 2010 and 2011, are partially hidden from view in this image.



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
4/6/13

A closer view of the south end of the cavern, with the tunnels now clearly in view.



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
4/6/13

A view looking north of the three block cavern.



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
4/6/13

In this image the photographer is standing at (under) the northwest corner of 86th Street and Second Avenue.  This corner is the future location of Ancillary No. 2 for this station.



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
4/6/13

Another full-length view of the station cavern, looking south from a point near 84th Street



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
4/6/13

An artistic image, with very nice light.



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
4/6/13

The photographer is now standing at (under) the northwest corner of 83rd Street and Second Avenue. This street corner is the future location of Ancillary No. 1 for the this station.

The duct work on the roof is part is part of the air handling system.  I believe that one of the ducts is used to provide fresh air for the cavern and the other duct is connected to the air scrubber unit at this corner. (The scrubber unit, which is at street level, is used to remove dust and other particles from the air before it is exhausted into the open air.)



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin
4/6/13

Another view of the south end of the cavern - with a beam of morning sunlight.

The complete set of all 23 images can be found on this link:
86th Street Station Update - Second Avenue Subway
via Flickr




Blast at 86th St Station for 2nd Ave Subway (3:54)
12/21/12
By Bruce Martin
Via YouTube

An interesting video of blasting operations, from street level, near 86th Street. The video also shows how the rock is transported out of the cavern.



Here's a listing of the recent and not so recent additions
to the right-hand column of The Launch Box:

"A subway announcement: Finalists for voice of 2nd Ave line video"
By Jennifer Fermino
New York Post
1/30/13

MTA Crowns 'Second Avenue Idols'
MTA Press Release
2/21/13

Blasting for Second Avenue Subway 72nd St Station Completed
MTA Press Release
3/4/13

"Yorkville High-Rise Sues MTA Again Over Second Avenue Subway Entrances"
By Victoria Bekiempis
DNAinfo.com
3/25/13

Video: "Digging the Second Avenue Subway" (6:29)
CBS News - 4/14/13

MTACC Presentation to the CB8 SAS Task Force
MTA Capital Construction
12/18/12

::

September 2012 Public Workshop Follow-up Report
Second Avenue Subway
MTA Capital Construction
12/2012

Quarterly Report - 3Q2012
Second Avenue Subway
Phase 1
MTA Capital Construction

SAS Quarterly Report - 4Q2012
Second Avenue Subway
Phase 1
MTA Capital Construction


The MTA's latest Second Avenue Subway Newsletters
Issue XII - April 2013:

Lex Av/63rd St Station Area

72nd St Station Area

86th St Station Area

96th St Station Area



Of Topic
How It's Made- Train Rails


Here's a neat little video that shows how steel rail is made for train and subway lines - if you're interested.

How It's Made- Train Rails (2:51)
ScienceChannel
Via YouTube
1/5/11

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Worker Rescued from Chest-high Mud


As reported by numerous media outlets, a construction worker on the Second Avenue Subway project was seriously hurt yesterday evening after he became trapped in chest-high mud between 95th and 96th streets deep under Second Avenue.

According to the news website DNA.info, 155 first-responders raced to the scene at about 8:30 p.m. on the evening on March 19th to begin a major operation to rescue the worker. Some four hours later, the half-submerged man was finally freed from the mud and transported to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center with hypothermia.

Based on an earlier conversation I had with a contractor, it seems the worker may have became stuck in a soil material composed of varved silt -- or as it is commonly called, "bull's liver", by some contractors in New York City. Varved silt was deposited in the New York City area by ancient glacial lakes that once existed in the region.


Earlier today, the MTA posted on their Flickr page a set of stark images that were taken after the incident. A few of these images are posted below.


Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin



Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin


Additional images from this set can be found on the MTA Flickr page via this link:
96th Street Cavern - Second Avenue Subway
3/20/13


Needless to say, this incident also prompted a significant response from the New York City press corps. A selection of news reports can be found below:

"Subway Worker Freed After Hours Stuck in Mud"
By Michael Schwirtz and Daniel E. Slotnik
The New York Times
3/19/13

Graphic: Site Where Man Was Pulled From the Mud
By Ford Fessenden and Graham Roberts
The New York Times
3/20/13
A nice graphic depicting the work site where the accident took place.

"After four-hour rescue attempt, SAS subway worker hauled out of muddy depths alive"
By Chelsia Rose Marcius and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh
New York Daily News
3/19/13

"To Save a Man’s Life, a Muddy Tug of War With the Earth Itself"
By Marc Santora and Matt Flegenheimer
The New York Times
3/20/13

MTA Announces New Safety Measures as Subway Worker Trapped in Mud Recovers
By Victoria Bekiempis and Stefanie DeAngelo
DNA.info
3/20/13

Sunday, January 20, 2013

100 Years Ago on Second Avenue


ELEVATED RAILROAD HEARINGS CALLED
New Lines and Third-Tracking of Interborough
and New B.R.T. Routes Come Up for Approval

This was the headline in the
New York Times on January 3rd, 1913.

So you ask, what's this all about?

Around this time period, 100 years ago, the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was pressing the New York Public Service Commission for approval to add a third-track, for express service, on its Second, Third and Ninth Avenue elevated railway lines in Manhattan.

In this posting we'll take look at the IRT's efforts to add a third-track to the Second Avenue Elevated Line -- nearly 100 years ago.

Before we get to that, let's look at some of the history of the Second Avenue Elevated, which operated from 1882 until 1942.

The Metropolitan Elevated Railway Company began initial construction of the Second Avenue Line on February 24, 1879.

At that time, the population of New York -- (then comprised only of Manhattan and parts of the Bronx) -- was about 1.2 million.1


Map and Guide of the Elevated Railroads of New York City
H. L. Latimer, 1881


The company's design (for the Second Avenue line) called for sufficient space to lay three elevated tracks. However, during the initial build, only two tracks were laid.2

It was reported that initial construction of this line, as well as the other "el's" as they are sometimes called, was not without conflict. There were reportedly long battles over rights to air, property, light and access.

An article in Scientific American in October 1879 described in some detail the early construction efforts at that time,
"For a distance of four miles a perfect network of gas, water, and sewer pipes was encountered, making a special plan necessary for each foundation.

The most troublesome pier of all was that at 108th street, where the center of the pier was directly over a large sewer which received two large inlets within the area of the foundation, and the problem was further complicated by the presence of a 30 in. gas main and two croton water pipes.

Though twenty piles were enough to carry the piers under ordinary conditions, it was necessary at this point to drive 82 piles to get proper bearings, and to use 130 cubic yards of concrete, a massive cast iron bed plate, and 80,000 bricks.

In all nearly a thousand tons of iron are said to have been required in arching over pipes in the 2,400 foundations for piers.

In making these foundations 60,000 cubic yards of rock had to be blasted and removed under the most exacting conditions, and 80,000 cubic yards of earth.

Five steam pile drivers were employed in driving 300,000 lineal feet of piles for foundations in marshy places.

The engineer in charge gives the amount of lumber used in the piers at 800,000 feet board measure, there were required, in addition, 50,000 cubic yards of sand for mortar, 80,000 cubic yards of broken stone for concrete, 70,000 barrels of cement, and 21,000,000 bricks.

One contract for iron for the superstructure called for 80,000,000 pounds."3

The first section of the Second Avenue Elevated, from Chatham Square to 65th Street, was opened for service on Monday, March 1st, 1880 at 5:30 a.m - amazingly just one year after construction had begun.

When the line opened, none of the stations were yet complete. the New York Times reported that "the ticket-sellers yesterday sat on temporary pine boxes, resembling the boxes which ornament the street corners on election day."4

By August 16, 1880, all structures and tracks were ready for operation, and trains were operated from South Ferry to 127th Street, then the extreme north limit.5

By 1884 the Manhattan Railway Company had taken over the Second Avenue Elevated when the Manhattan Railway, Metropolitan Elevated and New-York Elevated companies were merged into a single company.

Then in 1903 the IRT secured control of the elevated railway lines in Manhattan when it leased all of the franchises and property of the Manhattan Railway Company. The term of IRT's the lease was 999 years.6

The elevated line was operated using steam powered locomotives until the turn of the century when efforts to operate electric trains were introduced.

The first regularly scheduled electric train service operated in late 1901. By September 2nd, 1902, all of the steam powered locomotives had been removed from service on the elevated line.

::

In early 1914 a final decision was made to add a third track to the Second, Third and Ninth Avenue elevated railroads in Manhattan. Construction contracts for the work were awarded to three firms: Terry & Tench Company, Snare & Triest Company, and the T. A. Gillespie Company.

With an additional track, each line would be able to offer one-way express service during the rush hour periods.

Third-tracking work on Second Avenue began in 1914 and was completed in early 1916, without the need to shut down the existing service on the line.

The express stations on the Second Avenue Line were constructed at the City Hall, Chatham Square, 14th, 42nd, 86th and 125th Street stations.

In some locations, the construction of express stations was found to be quite difficult due to the narrowness of certain streets.

To overcome this problem, so-called "hump" stations were constructed at some of the planned express station locations. This resulted in the express track being elevated above the local tracks, for example at the 86th Street station, and access to the express platform was provided via the local platforms.

The images that follow were taken during 1914 and 1915. They appear to be construction progress photos that were taken to document the work of the contractors.

At some point, the images were turned over to the New York Transit Museum, which is where I found them during a recent visit to their archives.

Please Note:
The black & white images from the New York Transit Museum
may not be reused in any format without the prior written
consent of the Transit Museum. The quoted caption below
some of the images was provided to me by the Transit Museum.



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
11/9/1914
"Photograph from the street level looking west down 92nd Street on the Second Avenue Elevated line prior to the addition of a third track along the line to allow for express service."

If you look carefully at the image above, you can see the 3rd Avenue Elevated line (up the hill) in the distance.



01/19/2013
92nd Street, SE corner - looking West

And here's the same view as above but nearly 100 years later.

The only clearly visible object that appears in both images would appear to be the fire hydrant on the NW corner of the intersection. (The actual hydrant is not the same.)



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
12/13/1914
"(4) RI-9 S4-A 2nd Avenue - 91st Street / Bent 678"
looking North

At this location, the contractor is constructing new outside platforms at the 92nd Street station. Once this was done, the existing wooden center-island platform, which is visible in this image, would have been removed to make room for the new third track.

The buildings to the left of the station were part of George Ehret's Hell Gate Brewery and the Jacob Ruppert Brewery that once operated in this neighborhood.

At their peak, the two breweries owned almost three dozen buildings between Third and Second Avenues and 90th and 94th Streets. The Hell Gate Brewery and Ruppert Brewery ceased operations in 1929 and 1965 respectively.7



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
1/14/1915
"Photograph from the mezzanine floor looking north toward 92nd Street Station on the Second Avenue Elevated line. This work is being conducted as part of the addition of a third track along the line to allow for express service. George Ehret's Hell Gate Brewery is shown on the left."

Note the two men at the top of the image above, working on the station structure.



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
3/8/1915
"Sec. 4A #302 - New stairway and mezzanine floor. Bent 683. 92nd Street Station, Second Avenue, East Side"

The new stairway (shown above) at this station is being built to provide access to the new outside platforms.

Look carefully and you can see two street cars. The somewhat blurry car in the foreground would appear to be a horse drawn car, which is commonly referred to as a horsecar. Horsecars were still in use in parts of New York City as late as 1917.



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
3/8/1915
"Photograph of a new stairway and mezzanine floor on the west side of the 92nd Street Station on the Second Avenue Elevated line."



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
5/13/1915
"Sec. 4A - #491. 92nd Street and Second Avenue Station.. Looking North from 91st Street."

In the image above, you can see that the new outside platforms at the 92nd Street station are now complete and in service.



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
5/15/1915
"Photograph from the street level of the 92nd Street Station on the Second Avenue Elevated line looking south from Bent 685."

This would appear to be a view looking south from a point between 91st and 92nd streets.

Note above, the street car in the distance and the lack of overhead trolley wires. Street cars on this line picked up power using a technique known as conduit current collection, meaning the power was collected from the conduit between the tracks using a device called a plow.



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
5/15/1915
"Survey photograph of the Second Avenue Elevated line at 92nd Street looking South."



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
6/14/1915
"Photograph of a new stairway and mezzanine floor on the west side of the 92nd Street Station on the Second Avenue Elevated line."



02/01/2013
Just south of 92nd Street, west side of Second Avenue - looking NE

And here's the same view nearly 100 years later.

The red brick building on the NE corner of the intersection above appears in both images. (Look closely at the roof line of the building facade in both images and you will see that they match.)



Frank Goldsmith / www.nycsubway.org
Undated photograph (probably around 1940)

A southbound Second Avenue Elevated local train at the 92nd Street station - after the 3rd track was added.

::

Now let's have a look at the work in and around the 86th Street station location.


Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
8/23/1915
"Sec. 4A #66? - 84th Street Looking North from Bent 633."

Workers in the image above are installing the iron beams that will be used to support an elevated "hump" track at this station. The original station will be on the lower level, with two local tracks and side platforms. The third track for express service will be one level above the local tracks, on the "hump track."

Note above the lack of any type of safety equipment or protection such as hard hats, safety harnesses or netting under the workers.



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
8/27/1915
"Sec. 4A #677 - Between 85th & 86th Streets. Looking North from Bent 641."

Another view of the "hump track" at the 86th Street station.



Courtesy of New York Transit Museum
11/10/1915
"Sec. 4A #743 - From Bent 642 through express station [at] 86th Street & Second Avenue."

Above is a view of the express platform under construction at the 86th Street station.



Unknown photographer / War of Yesterday
ca. 1940
Second Avenue looking north at 86th Street station.

And a view of the same upper level "hump" express track at 86th Street, 25 years later.

::

The Second Avenue Elevated remained in service until the early 1940s.

The last run over the full length of the line departed South Ferry at 11:16 p.m., on Tuesday, June 11, 1940. It arrived at 129th Street, its final destination, at 11:51 p.m.8

The portion of the line south of 60th Street remained in service for two more years, until June 13, 1942.  It was reported that there were two hundred passengers on board the six-car train that pulled out of South Ferry station, on the "last run" of the Second Avenue El, that evening.9


Endnotes:

1. Reeves, William Fullerton, The First Elevated Railroads in Manhattan and the Bronx of the City of New York, New-York Historical Society, 1936, p. 32.

2. "Rapid Transit Facilities," New York Times, February 25, 1879.

3. "The Progress of Elevated Railways," Scientific American, Vol. XLI, No. 17, October 25, 1879.

4. "More Elevated Facilities," New York Times, March 2, 1880.

5. Reeves, William Fullerton, The First Elevated Railroads in Manhattan and the Bronx of the City of New York, New-York Historical Society, 1936, p. 22.

6. "Manhattan Road Leased," New York Times, November 27, 1902.

7. Gray, Christopher, "Where the Streets Smelled Like Beer," New York Times, March 21, 2012.

8. "Two 'El' Lines End Transit Service," New York Times, June 12, 1940.

9. "200 Take Last Ride on 2D Ave. Elevated," New York Times, June 14, 1942, p. 47.


Recommended Reading:

The 2nd Avenue Elevated
nycsubway.org

Manhattan and Bronx Elevated Railroads
1920 System Track Map
By Michael Calcagno

Time Traveling on the Second Avenue El
A trip back in time on the New York City Second Avenue El

Riding the El - Second Avenue / part 1
Riding the El - Second Avenue / part 2
Riding the El - Second Avenue / part 3
By Joe Brennan
Jan/Feb 2011

Frank K. Hain and the Manhattan Railway Company
By Peter Murray Hain
2011

The First Elevated Railroads in Manhattan
and the Bronx of the City of New York
By William Fullerton Reeves
New-York Historical Society
1936

Second Avenue El in Manhattan
By Joseph Cunningham
1995



On a related topic...

When the Second Avenue Elevated line was discontinued in 1942, some of its coaches were acquired by the Richmond Shipyard Railway in California.

One of these coaches, No. 561, survives to this day and can be found, in operable condition, at the Western Railway Museum in Suisun, California.



Jack Snell / via Flickr
10/4/08

According to the Western Railway Museum, the car was built in 1887 as Manhattan Railway Car No. 844 by the Gilbert Car Company of Troy (Green Island), New York. In its early days, it was pulled by a steam engine.

When the elevated lines in New York were converted to electric power, Car 844 was subsequently equipped with electric propulsion equipment.



Jack Snell / via Flickr
10/4/08

The interior of Car 844.



Here's a listing of the recent additions
to the right-hand column of The Launch Box:

MTA Second Avenue Subway Newsletters
Issue VIII - January 2013

Lex Av/63rd St Station Area

72nd St Station Area

86th St Station Area

96th St Station Area



Off Topic

The 100th Anniversary of Grand Central Terminal
Friday, February 1, 2013



2/2/2013

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Metro-North Railroad will open Grand Central Terminal to the public on Friday, February 1, 2013 for the celebration of its 100th Anniversary with a full day of activities. This will include a morning public re-dedication ceremony and various musical performances.

February 1 also marks the opening of “Grand By Design: A Centennial Celebration of Grand Central Terminal,” a major new exhibition produced by the New York Transit Museum that showcases the history and impact of Grand Central in its first century. The exhibit will be open Feb. 1 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and runs through March 15, 2013.

Further details can be found on these two links:

Grand Central: 100 Years Grand
Official website

100th Anniversary of Grand Central Terminal
MTA Metro-North Press Release


Readers may also be interested in these three links:

100 Years of Grandeur
The Birth of Grand Central Terminal
By Sam Roberts
The New York Times
1/8/2013

A Recap of Events: Grand Central’s Centennial
By Emily Moser
I Ride The Harlem Line
2/6/2013

Happy 100th, Grand Central Terminal!
By Emily Moser
I Ride The Harlem Line
2/2/2013