3RD AVENUE ELEVATED , a full trip movie footage

Hosted by the late transit historian Roger Arcara , we take a nostalgic ride up the eastside 3rd Ave. EL in the early to mid 1950's in color.,which by that time was MANHATTAN's last surviving elevated line. Please note this film covers the line north of CHATHAM SQ. which is at the tail end of THE BOWERY, on up to the north Bronx. The section south of CHATHAM SQ was abandon in 1950. and this film covers the years 1953- 1955. MAKE THIS A PART OF YOUR PLAYLIST !

[@eddiesaninocencio7486]

I grew up in the South Bronx, I remember the EL train vividly, I rode on the 3rd ave trains, also the Woodlawn #4 train back in the 70's when the South Bronx looked like a war zone, yet the people like myself managed to survive. I will always love the Bronx until I die, it was my childhood hood, I was there when they had the blackout everybody went to the Grand Concourse to do some quick shopping, memories.

[@OnyxTiger]

What was it like to ride on the EL? How did it compare to the subways of today? What about the stations? I would have loved for them to have kept these. I feel like we were robbed.

[@HimJimRimDim]

Which blackout ? The 1965 blackout or the 1977 blackout?

[@asianthor]

I was mesmerized watching this video of old New York. It's unbelievable that Manhattan had so many elevated train stations, and now there aren't any left. Much respect to this historian, Roger Arcara, who had the vision to film this for later years so we can see how old New York used to be.

[@michaela.chmieloski3196]

For the historical record, Roger Arcara (now long deceased) did not film ALL of the footage presented in this or any of his other TransporTapes. That said, he must be given credit for the years (and perhaps costs) spent acquiring such footage from whatever source he could locate, and for putting together the disjointed clips into full-length movies of New York City's transportation past for all to enjoy. Were it not for his efforts none of this would ever have be seen.

[@johnrobinsoniii4028]

Uhhh…Not exactly: The IRT #1 Broadway Local at 125th St. and then again at Dyckman St.,207th St.,215th St., and 225th St.

[@413smr]

The platforms were made of thick wood, not concrete like now.

[@doloresesposito4084]

This was amazing...I used to use the 3rd Ave El on the way to Bellevue hospital in the late 40's...where I worked...I lived on 182 st & Grand Concourse...so i had quite a walk to the train every morning...Seeing this was wonderful...I appreciated every minute and brought back so many memories...Thank You.

[@RellyOhBoy]

That's cool, so I take it you had to foot it to the fordham plaza or 183 street station?

[@THE_pluGuh]

dude how old are you

[@chloekit4861]

@@THE_pluGuh she’s gotta be late 90’s

[@OnyxTiger]

How old are you?

[@luislaplume8261]

​@@THE_pluGuhObviously not as old as Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and Senator Diane Feinstein! 😊

[@MosheFeder]

I had the privilege of knowing Roger as a fellow member of the ERA. It’s wonderful that has dedicated efforts to preserve NYC transit history are now available to railfans anywhere in the world whenever they like. Thanks for uploading this.

[@richardkopperdahl7339]

I first saw the Third Ave. El in 1950 on a visit from San Francisco. We drove along the Bowery under the El and the winos and bums came to the car and tried to sell stuff; they were a sad crew--I was 17 years old. The next time I saw the Bowery was in 1967 when my alcoholism brought me there. I remember thinking when I noticed they had taken the Third Avenue El down, "They've ruined it!"

[@nebuladus7850]

As a little boy my mom would take me to visit grandma. She would use the subway. I loved the smell of coffee and food in the subway stations. These trains were very loud and always breaking down in the tunnel... as I got older I was always looking for the older trains I miss the sounds they made and the woody scent... they should never get rid of them... great memories...peace💓

[@Robbi496]

Los Angeles abandoned all their streetcars and the PE by 1961, starting in 1991, they started putting it all back, lesson to be learned here :)

[@TheChicagoL]

70 Series Tires....Progress has its place; I get that. But to tear down the els in Manhattan was a mistake...Period. By and large, we have Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia to thank for the demise of the Manhattan elevated; he hated them. How glad I am that Chicago had sense enough to value and keep most of its "L" lines, especially the downtown Loop.

[@ariesmichaelsayan4013]

@@TheChicagoLit didn’t help NYC either when Moses came into power. He hated public transportation as well.

[@idk-ol2it]

@@ariesmichaelsayan4013 he didnt control the mta but did control a lot of funding

[@louisa1421]

I was 16 years old when the Manhattan portion was closed. I had ridden the "el" at least twice in the early 1950's, but made it my business to ride an express train from 9th St to 149th St. about 2 weeks before the demise of the Manhattan portion. As a Queens resident I had the privilege of riding the "Q" cars when they were transferred to the Myrtle Av. "el".

[@Melia-77]

I remember the 3rd Ave El as I was 5 years old when it went out of service. This was a wonderful nostalgia journey for me. We lived in Yorkville and I recall waiting to cross the street under the El. It was another world then. Imagine taking the subway in the summer when there was no air conditioning, lots of sweaty people!

[@bayareakid4775]

When I was a kid back in the Bronx in the 60's I lived just west of 3rd Ave and you could hear the trains pulling in & out of the 169th street station, particularly the southbound trains which had that classic "Ruuuuuuhhhhhh" sound as it picked up speed heading southbound. What an amazing history lesson this is of not only a past Era of New York's transit system, but of New York itself! Was amazing to see the neighborhoods in the Bronx I would roam as a teenager with my crew in another 10 or 15 years or so as I would be born about a year or so after these visuals were shot. Great piece of New York history here! Bravo!

[@xfrql]

Steelo, I think you have made a beautiful gift to anyone who loves NYC with your films you've shared and photo montages you've created. I have been quite enriched by them.

[@michaelgaluskin7444]

I traveled to high school (Cathedral High / Immaculate Conception) on the third ave el to 149th Street from 1959 to 1961. My home station was Bedford Park Blvd (200 St). The station had a clerk to handle buying tokens, he made me feel safe, he knew my Dad who was a motorman. The whole station was wood including, floor, walls and ceiling with a pot belly stove to heat it in the winter. Loved the trip southbound around the courthouse.

[@apexhunter935]

How did they feel when they learned that the last of the line would be torn down

[@mikesaunders4775]

Amazing film. I am not even American ,let alone a New Yorker, but i am nostalgic for this remarkable transport system.

[@TheTimeForChange44]

My Dad recently had blurted out that the Third Avenue El ran past 149th Street, which floored me! I remember riding it with him and my siblings to see my paternal great grandmother and uncles on Boston Road, and then being able to continue northward via the El to see my maternal grandmother at Fordham Road. To see this line extend well into Manhattan makes me wonder why they tore the Manhattan route down, only to really ironically inconvenience (for convenience's sake now) people to build an underground 2nd Avenue subway line now! I am also fascinated with the other connections that were previously demolished as well.

[@blakemcnamara9105]

They tore it down in so that they could redevelop the neighbourhoods it went through. They wanted to push out all of the working-class Irish, Jews, Germans, and Puerto Ricans, demolish the old tenements, and erect the expensive high-rises that stand there today. The els were keeping property values low and thus kept the working-class in Manhattan. This is part of the reason why Manhattan is so expensive nowadays.

[@TheTimeForChange44]

Blake McNamara Hi, Blake. Sadly, I have to agree with you. When I look at what the area looks like right now, it's obvious that those with money are pushing those who don't have money out. The same happened in Brooklyn before I left New York. Still, I have my memories of the El. The video brought back a lot of memories.

[@blakemcnamara9105]

@@TheTimeForChange44 There also were other els in Manhattan on Second, Sixth, and Ninth Avenues as well as in Brooklyn on Myrtle, Lexington, and Fifth Avenues as well as on Fulton Street. These Brooklyn els went across the Brooklyn Bridge to a massive terminal at Park Row in Manhattan. It's a shame that they're all gone.

[@TheTimeForChange44]

@@blakemcnamara9105 Hi again, Blake! Yeah, I learned that too. It's just so sad, but New York is always changing ... but never for the average city-dweller. Hence, people leaving now.

[@blakemcnamara9105]

@@TheTimeForChange44 Yeah. I'm not leaving though.

[@0159ralph]

I remembered the 3rd Avenue el as a kid that ran on Webster ave. We moved out in 74 right before it was torn down.

[@ryanstevens2722]

Looks like a lot of fun. Too bad I missed it, Very imaginative design.

[@monica012077]

This was excellent look back into the past. Amazing footage, I loved the narration as well.

Thank you Roger Arcara.

[@Tflexxx02]

Fascinating look at "Lost New York". Thank you.

[@dantesden5263]

Wow,,thank you,, what a memory.I lived on 3 ave. and E.178 st. we would always hear the train,,,and the house would shake,rattle, roll....

[@genepryor]

its really a shame because the second avenue subway is 50 years to late, the Lexington ave IRT is way too overcrowed and sometimes unsafe, people get into fights over seats and no standing room at rushhours, sardines in a can lol. they should have kept all of the els in manhattan. micheal john quill and TWU union members protested in the late 1940s to keep els in service.

[@superbrownsheep3777]

A new anti dwelling and crowding IRT train is now approaching on the 4 line. Please stand back from the platform edge

[@adrina911]

I don’t think I ever rode the second avenue subway, I forgot about it.

[@bobbysands6923]

They have the "overground" in London and it is great. It works. It really helps. Taxpayers DO pay a lot for their transport, however...

[@leecornwell5632]

@@bobbysands6923 Exactly 💯% right on that the 4 5 6 trains is way over Crowding. They should of left the 8 3rd Avenue Elevated line alone. However they are definitely starting to tair down the old houses and rebuilding the affordable houses between Gun hill road Clearmount Avenue Webster Ave Bronx. So that telling you something right there. They definitely need to focus on the iRT lines and leave the IND and the BMT lines alone because they are ready booked up. I know that they have to finish up the second Ave subway line to Harlem 125 street connecting with the 4 5 6 Q T lines and the Metro North railroad. They are definitely talking about the Q T trains to run across west side 125 street to connect to the 1 Broadway line. They definitely need to bring the 8 3rd Avenue Elevated line back where it was between Gun hill road and Queens plaza connecting to the Flushing 7 line N W trains. The empty old track frames trestles is still up so the 8 or the 10 trains could be the last stop 🛑 at Queens plaza. We have the Brand New R262/as coming out in the future for CBTCS on the 4 5 6 S lines to replace all the R62AS R62S on the 1 3 6 S lines. If you ride to Clearmount Avenue Webster south Bronx you will see the new developments over there I'm telling you.

[@leek6927]

@@bobbysands6923Well here’s the thing, taxpayers pay for transportation because everyone, no matter who, directly or indirectly benefits from it as our modern world could not exist without things like roads, trains, etc. When you pay taxes for transportation, you are paying for a service that makes your life and standard of living possible. Better transportation tends to create more economic growth, which creates more tax revenue, which means it ends up paying for itself and often subsidizes other parts of the government.

[@rorylovelace7151]

Love the detail and explainnations of where the torn-down 2nd Avenue Line and other assorted branches tied in with this line!

[@anthonyrojas9200]

My mom told me that a train line passed thru 3rd avenue in the Bronx. I finally get to see it. Wow how things changed. I spotted immediately the 42nd pct and the old court house. I lived on E.161st Forest Avenue. A BLAST FROM THE PAST....

[@denimcowboy501]

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I'm so glad this history has not been lost.

[@jesussavesnyc]

This is awesome, how I wish I was back in them beautiful days

[@johnfarrell4293]

I knew Roger Arcara growing up in Stratton Park in the 1970s. Don't know if it was true, but the rumor was he preserved the train films in his refrigerator.

[@bibimeow2311]

thanks, Steelo, you have taken me home, although much of this footage was before my time. However I was amazed to see that the east side of Manhattan (2nd and 3rd Ave el) which in my time was mostly businesses and office buildings, was at this time tenements and residential buildings.

[@JokersAce0]

It's actually crazy how much more dense and tall the Bronx used to be. I went on street view for a lot of these areas and all that density is gone. They were demolished and turned into much shorter buildings or parking lots. Those giant magnificent factories that rival the pyramids, all of it lost.

[@drumpointer]

Loved this, however, I was disappointed that my station was skipped over. I stuck with this into the Bronx to see my station, Tremont Avenue, that got a mention earlier in the video as a sometimes terminal station, but on the way uptown 174th St. Station was passed and all of a sudden the stations between 174th and Fordham Road were not even alluded to (Tremont was the next station after 174th) The narrator mentions the Bronx Criminal Courts around 174th but the old borough hall was at Tremont, still standing at this time-a glorious building on Third Avenue. I used to take the el until it was shut down to go downtown. Since I was born in 1950 I only knew the Bronx section. Transferred at 149th and third avenue station (escalator to underground) to the underground station on the Lexington Ave. line. It was never the preferred way to travel. Slow.

[@brianandersson655]

I was privileged to have known Roger. Good man.

[@413smr]

I grew up in a building on the corner of Webster Ave./Parkside Place and 205th Street. I recall riding these trains in the '60s and when it was finally completely demolished in the '70s.

[@dcapitan7]

Excellent video. Kudos to the folks that made this film. I would have loved to have taken a ride on the 3rd Ave El. Too bad it was torn down before the 2nd Ave. Subway was completed...which may happen before the end of this century.

[@EpicThe112]

I'll agree with you on this one because the 3rd ave's el operation was to relive the 4,5 & 6 trains without the 3rd ave el then the 4,5 & 6 trains are overcrowded as of 2014. If the MTA or the TA didn't demolish the 3rd ave el for the Q and T Trains on 2nd ave then the 3rd ave el would be operated like the J & Z trains with the 8 train running lcl, but the 10 train will run skip stop express on 3rd ave el if it wasn't demolished for the 2nd ave subway

[@leecornwell5632]

The 8 and the 10 trains would of definitely use the R62AS R62S.

[@leecornwell5632]

The 8 and the 10 trains would of definitely use the R62AS R62S.

[@stevenconte4714]

This might be the best movie I've ever watched on here.

[@michaelleggett3980]

The 3rd Avenue El was a System which also operated over the West Farms White Plains Road Line. The 3rd Avenue El Trunk is gone but the Branch Extension still runs above White Plains Road.

[@bobbylibertini]

Wow! So much info in this vid that I never knew! Thank you!

[@NYC1927]

Thank you for posting this!!! This was an awesome piece of history you've given us. As an old movie fan, I've always wondered what it looked and felt like to ride on these elevated multi track lines. How cool it must have been seeing those views as well as hearing the creaks, clacking, thumps and bumps of the cars as they made their way along those tracks and multiple switches. Even the smell of the tar and wood that often accompanied these rides would be great to experience. Wish I could have experienced this but I was born a decade too late.

[@roadtrip2943]

The bronx had an extensive railed trolley system on major east west streets and hubs at 149 and west farms and into yonkers. The remnant track sections are still visible at some intersections. I learnt it by viewing historical vids like roger arcara provided.

[@MR-ml2po]

My 2nd and 3rd great grandfather had a store at 143rd and 3rd. Bought the land before it was even part of NYC in 1868. Owned a bunch of it in the 130s and 140s, Willis, Alexander, Boston Road, and later the 160s. Still can't find a single picture of the stores that owned. I think my 2nd great grandfather tried to sue the operating agency trying to prevent them from opening a stop at 143rd.. Pretty sure he lost LOL. Loved this footage. Would have been really interesting to see it back then in person...

[@barryreaves]

Many thanks to the creator(s) for making this historical film possible. I remember countless trips with my parents to and from the Bronx and Manhattan whether it was for school, shopping or pleasure. It brings back treasured memories. Kudos once again.

[@oldwarrant4]

What blows me away is this was a complex, busy system that was carrying people that could be of use today. Unbelievable that we're still paying for the decisions of men who were in the hip pocket of the auto and bus (GM) lobby back in the 40's and 50's.

[@sopaman1234]

+oldwarrant4 Blaime it on Robert Moses, he and his cronies like LaGuardia the mayor at that time were the ones that destroyed the whole subway system, back then in favor of highways. All for ill gotten gains they got under the table,worse corruption in the city's history..

[@packr72]

Mostly built before the 1890s as well, imagine if the entire line was modernized in the teens when the express tracks were added. 8 car trains instead of 5, block signals, ability to support steel subway cars.

[@sopaman1234]

packr72 WOW!! that would have been great, had there not been so much underhanded corruption

[@nosportsteamfollower516]

You can thank Robert Moses, who wanted people to use his highways, for destroying the el's.

[@vincentperratore4395]

Are you saying that the people of that era, if they'd lived, couldn't be of use today?

[@megasoid]

Amazing footage, the next best thing to actually being there. Thank you.

[@edwinromandotcom]

I would love to go back in time with a digital camera and get some nice, clearer footage. I would also go into the stations.

[@RattlerX5150]

If I had a time machine Id ride the 3rd ave el from South ferry to the last stop in the bronx

[@andymolina5737]

Edwin Roman yeah!

[@visionist7]

If I had a time machine I'd prevent 9/11

[@visionist7]

@Captain Chaos 9/11 disrupted PATH service and downtown subway service #ontopic

[@arifakyuz7673]

If I were to go back in time, I would prevent Robert Moses, that pillock, from gaining power.

[@HimJimRimDim]

So they shut down the 2nd and 3rd avenue el's and left the east side of Manhattan with a deficiency in transportation. This poor planning is why the Lexington Ave. IRT is so overcrowded, esp at rush hours. And it also would have been nice if they saved at least one of the old fashioned station for purposes of nostalgia. Unfortunately the during the 1950's there was a very strong "out with the old" attitude combined with money allocated for "urban renewal". Lots of beautiful architechture was destroyed to make way for modern hi-rise skyscrapers. Penn Station is a classic example. They wrecked a beautiful station and dumped its remains in the Jersey swamps. In the 1970's they also wanted to destroy Grand Central Station but fortunately that plan was stopped.

[@killajakez]

The NY transit museum, is connected to the rest of the subway system since they frequently take out vintage trains for nostalgia rides.

[@RattlerX5150]

That station is sometimes used for movies

[@burkewhb]

I think it's a shame that New York didn't improve the Third Ave. El by getting newer cars that would be cleaner and quieter. Chicago has elevated trains that work well, New York should have done the same to keep the Lexington Ave subway from being so perpetually overcrowded. It was Jacqueline Onassis who saved Grand Central Station from going the fate of Penn Station by having it declared a national monument.

[@zackboone15]

Boston went through the same El removal story. Boston had three El's all opened in 1901. The Atlantic Ave. El was short lived and lasted only until 1938. The Charlestown El lasted until 75, and the Washington Street El soldiered on into 1987 when that was torn down. The Causeway Street elevated (part of the Lechmere El) was removed (but actually just put underground) to improve the Green's connection with the Orange (They shared a station previously, O. part built 1901, G. part 1912), which was needed following the removal of the Charlestown El. Let me tell you their stories: The Charlestown El they get a by because the replacement route is not only faster, but was only moved 1500 feet west. It was torn down by the "noise and darkness" card, although there are other justifiable reasons too (mainly the winding route, although its straight as a pencil compared to some NY El's). SERVICE: Improved! The bridge which carried it across the Charles River still stands, but is slated to be replaced very soon. The Atlantic Avenue El was a victim of necessary cutback. In the 20's there was a fatal derailment (operator negligence), which caused the BERy to change service patterns (very unnecessary). The way the system was set up, Charlestown El came from the north of Downtown, Washington El came from the south, the tunnel under downtown and the Atlantic (along the waterfront) formed a loop in between. Someone boarding at any station could get to any other station on the El system. Following the derailment. Service on the Atlantic from the south and looping from the north was ended, and the El was reduced to Boston N. Station to Boston S. Station shuttle service. This caused ridership to crater, and it closed in 1938. Come Pearl Harbor, it was torn down for scrap. SERVICE: Gone! If it was never closed it may still be standing, its fate would then have been reliant on those of the other 2 El's, which may have not been removed. In hilarious irony, an elevated Interstate replaced it a few years later, itself put in a tunnel in 2004. Washington Street El: The last to be removed. Running from the connection between the downtown tunnel and the Atlantic Ave El. This El was a vital link for the neighborhoods between Forest Hills and Chinatown. The residents wanted it gone, but requested a streetcar in its place. The new route still ends at Forest Hills station (subsurface instead of El), is much farther west, and now shares a trench with a few MBTA commuter lines and the Amtrak NEC. SERVICE: Improved for few, lost to many. Before the tear down, residents on the northern half wanted it to stay up as far south as Dudley Sq (about 45% of the route). The MBTA claimed to not have enough cars to run a branched system... then proceeded to scrap 70-something cars which were only about 20 years old. The cars on the Orange now were the last to ride the El. Lechmere El: The Survivor, built 1912. Actually part of the Green Line streetcar/LRT, it was intended as a branch of the El, splitting at Boston North Station (remember the shared station,), but allowed streetcars on a "provisional " basis. The Causeway Street elevated was torn down in 2004, but it was put into a tunnel to reintegrate with the Orange line (whose part of the station was moved underground when the Charlestown El was removed). From Science Park to Lechmere the Green Line is elevated, dropping to ground level at Lechmere station. The Green Line (the D and E trains to be more specific) will actually be extended further and Lechmere Station made elevated as part of it. Oddities: A few stations are elevated. The Red Line's Charles/MGH is elevated, the Oranges Malden Center and the Blue's Beachmont as pseudo-elevated, elevated in between two parallel streets, passing over them on approach and departure. So yeah, that's our story.

[@angelodarden342]

William H. Burke, Jr. The el was already over 80 yrs old at that point. The fare structure made it impossible to maintain the elevated lines. WW2 made it fiscally impossible to build the subways as planned. So as planning was delayed, the anticipated costs of construction also rose making building prohibitive. Then, of course the city fiscal crisis of the ‘70’s making construction all but impossible.

[@davidquiles7806]

roger, you rock! Thanks so much for producing that.

[@Bp_3775]

0:41 To 4:21 Chatham Sq Action 4:35 To 7:58 Canal St Action 8:02 To 9:09 Houston St Action 9:10 RFW 9:55 To 10:12 9th Street Action 10:14 To 10:42 23rd Street Action 10:45 RFW 11:03 To 13:57 34th Street Action 14:00 RFW 14:40 42nd Street Action 14:55 To 15:39 47th Street Action 16:19 34th Street Action Again 21:04 RFW 24:34 RFW 27:07 To 27:48 129th Street Action 28:28 RFW 29:55 RFW 33:11 RFW 32:45 RFW 44:20 RFW 47:48 RFW

[@ronlevine8873]

Sad to see that the Ferry Terminal portion was already gone (by 1950) and unrecorded in this excellent video.

[@u1zha]

Amazing documentary!

[@juliaramos6068]

I remembered when the L train was dismantled. I lived near Willis Ave 1951. My school PS43. Then Wilton JR high. I grew up there. Met some wonderful people. God bless the Bronx. Loved 138st. The Puerto Rico theatre. Many movies star came. The line went around Bronx Place. All that changed. Went back 2010 everything is changed. God bless everybody there.

[@orangecat8298]

I grew up on 138th & Willis ave in the 80s' right on the block..the puerto rico theater always had the newest movie's of the time so much fun back then..

[@Kevo2275]

After the "White Flight" era, they didn't care about the riders on the Bronx 3rd ave El. And I witnessed the last great days of my neighborhood on 183 street by 1971.

[@morganrockwell2506]

Eon King Some History elites said the 1970's was the end of the Old New York City. And till this day the city has never recovered.

[@MrEnoBeano]

Eon King me too I used to ride it with those old cars with big doors

[@MADDLION247]

I wish I could've seen this..... I was born in '72

[@josepintado3910]

Mr. G, thank goodness for this video and we all can enjoy the 3rd Ave El ride. I rode it in the Bronx before it was dismantle. I think it was 1971 or 1972.

[@mjbconsulting-inc2086]

@@morganrockwell2506 -- Not really true-- I lived on 90th and 3rd (the old Ruppert Brewery/ Mitchel-lamma housing project) from 1986 until 2000. For the last few years, there were so many baby carriages going in and out- they blocked the elevators. With Condo maintenance and property taxes of $4000+ per month for a 1 br unit- the UES is far from dead.

[@sweetgyy]

amazing archive. thank you

[@josepintado3910]

Eon King, I got to ride the 3rd Ave el. Before it was dismantle. It was the #8 train line. If they would have kept this line open all the way down to Chatham Sq. They would had saved billions of dollars on the 2nd Ave subway. The el would had needed minor upgrades and all of us would had been happy.

[@leecornwell1062]

Yes we all could of be happy I agree with you 100% on that That's probably the reason why they building the the second Avenue line back up we need that 3rd Avenue 8 trains now Until this day there is still over crowding on Webster Ave Fordham university gun hill road even though buses run through there I have been seeing the 8 and 12 signs on the R62as and the R142as had the computer signs messed up it had one through eight

[@413smr]

You know what they say about hindsight...

[@Ralphie_Boy]

*Remembering the 3rd.ave.El Bronx in the 60's, also using the Q cars I think on the Times Sq. shuttle, those were the days!*

[@erie910]

Very enjoyable. Got to ride the Bronx portion in the mid-1950's on a visit to the zoo.

[@MoofManiac]

Wow! Such knowledge. Loved thendescription of architecture

[@arifakyuz7673]

If any of the Els deserved to be kept, it should have been this one. Lexington would definitely appreciate an alleviation of crowds.

[@skrakaayyyyy_itzyostep]

Ikr the 2nd Avenue Subway is taking forever

[@arifakyuz7673]

@@skrakaayyyyy_itzyostep IT HAS BEEN 50 YEARS SINCE CONSTRUCTION STARTED AND ONLY THREE STATIONS WERE BUILT. THAT'S THAT BULLSH!T

[@skrakaayyyyy_itzyostep]

@@arifakyuz7673 Right bruh

[@paulmoreno6279]

Absolutely. Agreed

[@rolandsanchez623]

The Myrtle Ave EL Too would of been highly appreciated also From Queens to Downtown Brooklyn Something the MTA Should thinking about

[@petermullaney2407]

I road the last El that went to Gun Hill Road. Some Fordham University guys got the moterman to blow the whistle when we passed F.U. The scroll from the front was ripped out and torn up for souvenirs. I think I had a piece of it. I seem to remember that a lot of the doors on those cars didn't work. I remember the old wheels in the cars that I had been told were part of the old brakes. There were also what looked like 'pump' handles. They also had lantern lights on the outside end of the cars. I loved riding in those cars.

[@lesterhall8853]

I just wished that I could have rode the Manhattan part of the El. I was born two years later, in 1957. I was born in the Bronx, and lived near the El; I lived on Brook Avenue and 171Street. My other regret was not riding it the full length of it, from 149 Street to Gun Hill Road on it's last day.

[@petermullaney2407]

I had that pleasure. It was a blast!

[@DWhytePA]

May 12th 1955 - I was 2 months old and we lived on 86th Street on the Wst side. The 3rd Avenue EL ran in the Bronx until the early 1970's.

[@johnclarke5459]

My "schol bus" from 1946 to 1950. From 89th Street to Grand Street, Destination Seward Park High School. Liked the clothes lines: Eco-Friendly avant la letter!!

[@valerieziel11147]

I grew up The Bronx. I lived on 3rd Avenue between 173rd and 174th Street from 1947 to 1967 (my grandparents and parents lived there from 1938 to 1974). Mr. Arcara stated that approaching the 174th Street Station on the 3rd Avenue El line on the right side was PS 2 which was demolished; that is incorrect. The large building on the right that he refers to is PS 4 -- and it still remains there today, My mother graduated from PS 4 as did I and my 7 siblings. As far back as I can remember there was no PS 2 located on 3rd Avenue from Claremont Parkway heading north to 174th or as far north to Fordham Road.

[@dantesden5263]

We use to go swimming to the PS4 pool during winter after school program(68')

[@Zoomer3989]

Pretty sure 10:28 - 10:30 is actually a southbound local approaching 9th St again - the tracks curve to the left away after the station, so I'm fairly sure Cooper Union is on the right and the narrator is mistaken. Excellent work otherwise, and wish I could have met Roger. Sounds like a great guy.

[@victoriapappakostas9377]

when I was a child we took this into Manhattan to visit my grandparents. I remember when it was shutdown and we took the Lexington ave from 241 ST to 59 St. It was very strange to come up from the subway and see the sky

[@officialmcdeath]

Well presented, thank you \m/

[@madmanmark8387]

I remember as a boy riding in my parents car or even grandparents car going to Central Avenue in the 1970's on the Bronx River Parkway passing Gun Hill Road seeing an El but my guess is no train was operating any more. Either the late 70's or early 80's it was taken down. I like seeing this old footage and the other videos I have seen as well about the train and subway system.

[@vinny57ish]

Wow thanks for showing this great video in history of the city i was born in. I was born in the Bronx in 1957. So these video's? Show me what N.Y.C. was truly like mid 20th. Century. Grazie .

[@androidtexts6948]

I love how the front and back doors could be left open

[@anthonyfromsiny]

106th Street was a weird place to stick a "super express" station, because it wasn't really a major thoroughfare.

[@JohnnyT002]

Thanks again. Sometimes I wish they didn't close the 3rd Ave EL. The Lexington Ave Line was always too crowded when I went to High School in the 70's. But I do remember the Bronx part of the EL.

[@leecornwell5632]

The Brand New Thrid Avenue Elevated line will definitely be back in the south Bronx Clearmount Webster Boston road Bronx only. Never rebuild another elevated line in Manhattan again I'm telling you. Who would be stupid enough to build a Elevated line in Manhattan instead of being under ground?

[@lewisbowlby6118]

When I rode this line in the 40s and 50s some stations were still heated with coal stoves.

[@lewisbowlby6118]

@Nevin Reid That I don't know.

[@cats0182]

Can you imagine running trains with the windows open and some of the doors open? Those time will never return.

[@gregoryhill7553]

Awesome video.. on point & very enjoyable.

[@ejm1225]

I occasionally wonder what would the city be like if the elevated lines still remained to this day. Probably noisy.

[@29brendus]

Fascinating stuff.

[@matthewadonis3020]

Beautiful elevated system in Manhattan it’s a lost gem

[@mamaguebo420]

they shoulda kept this line around. I'm young and know nothing about riding around on the 8, but I used to live on E 174th and go to school on Gun Hill and honestly I would loved to walk through Crotona before and after school just as an excuse to get on this line. The convenience of this line now would be amazing. I wish we had more advanced cameras like we do now back then cause this would be a dream to see super clear.

[@silly9778]

They should bring the 3rd Ave line back here in the Bronx, and extend it all the way to Manhattan, maybe the new 2nd Ave line can be the one to extend here in the Bronx and rub on 3rd Ave thru maybe Fordham Plaza/University or even up to Gun Hill Road like it used to. I live in a 2 fare zone here in the Bronx in E183 ST and 3rd Ave by St. Barnabas Hospital, and it is not easy trying to get into Manhattan from where i live... the Bx15 is overcrowded and takes way too long to get to the HUB to transfer to the 2 or 5 trains....

[@leecornwell1062]

@@Netbook451 I don't care about what no body say anymore the 3 Avenue elevated line is coming back real soon I'm telling you. We cannot never sleep on the 3rd Avenue elevated line in the Bronx. What they tair down its what got to be put back together GoD sits high and look low. They still have the old 3rd Avenue elevated maps. Just look it up on your you tube phones. Why do you think that they are bringing the second Avenue subway line back?

[@leecornwell5632]

Most likely they are definitely gonna bring back the 8 Thrid Ave Elevated line back I tell you that right now. The MTA wanted the T trains to come to the Bronx and replacing the furmer 8 Thrid Ave Elevated line wich the T trains would of have made the same exact Local stops in the Bronx. However the T will definitely be extended to East Harlem and west side 125 and then 137 street to connect to the 1 Broadway line. We definitely know dam well they are definitely gonna make enough room for the 8 Thrid Ave Elevated line back in the south Bronx only. Never rebuild another elevated line in Manhattan again. Thrid Avenue Elevated line has a chance in the south Bronx before 2201

[@cattywampusjake2994]

Thank you nice video and narrative!

[@Dortizr160]

this is very good historical video. i especially like the 129th street part of the video.

[@mariopolo80]

I liked that part too cause I grew up around that area. And it sure has changed over the years. It's all about politics and money. That's why the el ain't last long. They were an independent company in a class by itself. So mta bought them out...

[@setupandshoot]

I grew up at 170th st and washington ave from 1964 to 1973. between that time, they removed the rest of the "L" from 149th st to Gun Hill road. I remember, that to go downtown, my mom would take us to the 169th st station. we would ride the 3rd ave "L" to 149th st and then go "downstairs into the tunnels" to take the 2 or 5 the rest of the way downtown. Also, i remember that when they remove the 3rd ave L from 149th st to Gun Hill road, the city replaced it with the 55 express bus.

[@leecornwell5632]

They should have never removed the BX 55 buses until they decide to rebuild the 8 Thrid Ave Elevated line inspections over haul track frames and beams and painting and signals maintenance assibilitys and replacing the old girldles trestles like they do to any elevated lines that's up running right now and it would not be no issues and the Lexington Avenue and the 2 5 4 6 lines would not be so crowded including the BX 15 BX 41 BX 19 buses . Even right now the BX 15 BX 41 BX 19 buses is definitely over Crowding. If they would of kept the 8 Thrid Ave Elevated line up running right now I gerrente you the R62AS R62S would replacing all the R12 R14s right now. Robert mosses and governor LaGuardia and the real estates where dum enough to tair down the 8 Thrid Ave Elevated line down instead of maintained them. .

[@525Lines]

A few years ago they found that the abandoned elevator tracks in New York became home to prairie plants thought long gone in the area.

[@Babydux]

This is the best railfan film of the 3rd Ave El. Half of the video covers the Manhattan section. There are some important scenes of the line South of 149th St in the Bronx and many scenes of the 129th terminal area and the Harllem River Bridge from both sides. This is as close as you can get to time traveling on the 3rd Ave El.

[@bronxboy47]

149th St. was the home of the dueling movie theaters, the RKO and the Lowe's (We kids pronounced it "Loweeze").

[@100aceswid]

Why oh why did they take all if this down? We could sure use all of those lines today.

[@TheRailLeaguer]

This was due to unification of the NYC Subway, which made these lines redundant. 6th Avenue elevated closed in 1938, and the 9th Avenue line went in 1940. Today, there’s subways serving the area.

[@100aceswid]

I agree.

[@413smr]

Nobody has a crystal ball.

[@johnrobinsoniii4028]

I was just a year-and-a-half when the Manhattan 3rd Avenue Elevated got torn down. I was living in Brooklyn so I never knew any of this. Oh, well…what I didn’t know won’t hurt me.

[@kadeemjohnson4147]

It was soo nice here back then

[@algonzales1809]

Wonderful indeed...one small error...at 45:28, that is actually not the Alexander Avenue Police station...that one is located at East 138st and Alexander Avenue, known as the 40th Precinct...I should know as I worked there for many years.

[@Otoño24]

The Times, July 1, 2005: "Who would want to save it? The Third Avenue el, rusty and screeching, was seen as producing little but blight. Shopkeepers and city officials wanted to widen, brighten and repave the thoroughfare below. The goal was a "model city highway," as the Manhattan borough president, Hulan E. Jack, called it, a Third Avenue version of the new interstate expressways. And so Manhattan bade farewell to its last fully elevated train line." The "model city highway" was a pipe dream; hence, politicians were not interested in preserving the old or updating its functionality but readily willing to incinerate the system and profit from it. So it seems...

[@gandlar5489]

I remember remnants of the 3rd avenue el right above Metro North Fordham station northbound side in the 60s.

[@jjjsss3869]

Mistake in narration at 45:35. That was not the Alexander Ave police station. It was the 42 precinct station on Washington ave and Third Ave

[@kadeemjohnson4147]

Image getting of the 2 5 at 149th street and transferring to the modern 3rd ave el

[@pbatommy]

Or hearing an automated announcement stating, This is a Bronx Bound 8 express train. The next stop is 9th Street Cooper Union. (Charlie Pellett voice) Stand clear of the closing doors, please.

[@leecornwell1062]

@@pbatommy They had the 8 train signs on the R62as on the Pelham line and I had saw the 8 train signs on the R142as on the 4 train on my you tube

[@amazing50000]

So the 3rd Ave EL in Manhattan was basically replaced by the M103 bus line north bound.

[@kaylonimalcolm7752]

That was incredible.

[@danilopeterson3467]

One can thank General Motors as their NCL programme (scandal) had a huge part in the demise of this awesome system! This of course today would have been much appreciated and used! This is why I boycott GM as I call them Genital Monopoly -- the Mark of Excrement! LaGuardia made a HUGE mistake in capitulating to GM's criminal activity!... Now I did have a chance to meet up with Roger Arcara once as he was a good friend of a dear late friend of mine George Edward Horn. I had been offered special escort to actually detrain at the City Hall Loop on the IRT. Most of general public are today totally unaware of beautiful ceiling stain glass windows of a beautiful rose colour. A treasure lost to most people!

[@tobygoodguy4032]

That's an urban myth although LaGuardia was no fan of Manhattan elevateds. The EL's disappeared because they were functionally obsolete, expensive to maintain and environmentally abrasive to a modern post-war society.

[@packr72]

Toby Goodguy Obsolete? How? They did the same thing subways did, move a ton of people per hour. That's an old myth that Elevateds harm property values. The most expensive real estate in Chicago has elevated trains running through them all day and night.

[@tobygoodguy4032]

packr72 Maybe in Chicago but NOT in New York.Just look at pre-war development in Midtown along 2nd & 3rd Aves. Regarding NY Els moving "a ton of people"...a ton is only 14 people ,in 1940, the east side NY elevated division was moving so few people compared to the subway (by a factor of 10) that the IRT had to promote by public advertising "Ride the open-air El". El's are a neat idea - as long as they a newly built - like in Disney World. Clanky old steel elevates belong to a former era.

[@packr72]

Toby Goodguy Of course ridership dropped on the Els. The 2nd avenue el was cut back begining in 1940 and eliminated in 42. The Third Ave El was cut off from midtown in 1950 and had its hours of operation cut. Yet it still carried around 25,000,000 people per year. Modernizing the EL was a possibility to allow for longer and newer trains. Do you even realize that the 3rd Ave EL was straight line from 9th street to 129th? You could have run express trains at 55 mph the whole distance. That would have been faster than any possibly subway that existed at the time or was planned. Els are not a "neat idea" they are mass transit simple as that. They moved millions before the subways were even thought of. The lies and propaganda spread about Elevated trains is ridiculous and is typical NIMBYism. Everyone wants mass transit but they dont want it near them. New York deserves to spend 2 billion dollars a MILE to build the 2nd Ave subway when they had a perfectly usable Elevated Line that had 3 tracks compared to the 2nd Ave subways 2.

[@kevinwong6588]

LaGuardia caved in to Moses, not GM.

[@andrewemery4272]

A wonderful video, and nicely narrated - thank you. I was particularly fascinated by the British-style lower-quadrant semaphore signals. Can anyone advise me; if the Express line was single-track with no passing loops, how was it operated?

[@brianmolina8818]

I believe, based on what I'm seeing, the express track only hosted express trains in one direction as a time - in the morning they would go the peak direction of travel, in the evening they would go the other. I'm not too much of an expert on New York's old Els, but I'm more knowledgeable on Chicago's 'L' lines and they used to do this with similar three-track lines.

[@ogrebattle22763]

Just wanted to say I enjoy watching these videos & subscribed to your channel...

[@travelsonic]

Wonder why the NYCTA didn't keep the NYW&B from Dyre Ave down to Harlem River, instead of just between Dyre Ave. and 180th Street, and connect it to the 3rd Ave El.

[@topliner9534]

I was a student at Cooper Union (9:30), albeit 30 years later.

[@stevetencza]

Paul Hirschberg so was i

[@mcvideos4602]

that accent is making me homesick

[@hhvictor2462]

Big mistake to have demolished these ELs. All these elevated lines should make a comeback. Should be so much easier and cheaper to construct than the current 2nd Ave line.

[@kadeemjohnson4147]

I lived on mostly all of the 2 train stops traffic in the modern day bronx sucks. They 4 different bus lines running through modern 3rd avenue it takes a hell of long time to get from there to gunhill road now

[@leecornwell5632]

You definitely not lying about that.

[@VMA225]

Excellent !!!