“All aboard” echoes in your mind. This is the story of the 9th Avenue El at 23rd Street. It is a tale of innovation and progress. The 9th Avenue El represents New York City’s first elevated railway.
Picture the scene in 1868. The West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway began. It ran as an experimental single-track railway. Cabled-powered it rose above Greenwich Street. It stretched from Battery Place northward. Imagine the marvel of this early rapid transit.
Charles T. Harvey built the railway. It initially used one-mile-long cable loops. Steam engines in cellars powered these loops. When a car approached a loop started. It stopped when the car passed. Claws connected the car to collars on the cables. The ride was jerky. The system proved cumbersome. It broke down often. The company ran out of money. The system was then abandoned.
New owners replaced the cable cars. Steam locomotives took their place. The 9th Avenue El was extended up Greenwich Street. It ran along Ninth Avenue by 1891. The Interborough Rapid Transit Company took over in 1903. It signed a 99-year lease.
The 9th Avenue El had a notorious bend. It was at 53rd Street. Here it met the Sixth Avenue El. A terrible accident occurred on September 11 1905. Human error caused a massive derailment. Thirteen people died. Forty-eight were injured. It was the deadliest accident in New York City transit history.
The 9th Avenue El significantly impacted the Upper West Side. It aided the BLOOMINGDALE community. Building the El in 1878 and 1879 was quite an achievement. Seven men and a horse team worked hard. They set up 10 to 40 columns each day.
Stations along the 9th Avenue El included 59th Street. There was also 66th Street, an express stop. Other stops included 72nd Street, 81st Street and 86th Street. It went to 93rd 99th 104th and 116th Streets.
The line began at South Ferry. It went along Greenwich Street. This stretch ran from Battery Place to Gansevoort Street in lower Manhattan. The 9th Avenue El continued along Columbus Avenue. It was in upper Manhattan. This was between 59th and 110th Streets. It turned east on 110th. The line ran north on Eighth Avenue until the Harlem River.
By the mid-20th century, things changed. City Hall wanted to take over private transit. It also wanted to eliminate noisy elevated lines. The IND line was built along 8th Avenue. It shadowed the 9th Avenue El. It offered a more modern underground service. The new train line put the 9th Avenue El out of business. Most of the line was dismantled in 1940.
Today little remains of the 9th Avenue El. Yet its legacy lives on. It reminds us of New York City’s innovative spirit. It also shows the rapid growth of the city. The 9th Avenue El helped shape Manhattan.