West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway

IRT Ninth Avenue Line

Company type	Elevated railway line
Industry	Public transportation
Predecessor	West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway
Founded	July 1, 1868 (1868-07-01)
Defunct	June 11, 1940 (1940-06-11) (main portion), 1958 (Polo Grounds Shuttle)
Fate	Line closed and dismantled; Polo Grounds Shuttle service ended
Successor	IND Eighth Avenue Line (main portion)
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Area served	Manhattan and Bronx, New York City
Products	Passenger rail service

The IRT Ninth Avenue Line, frequently referred to as the Ninth Avenue Elevated or simply the Ninth Avenue El, holds the distinction of being New York City's inaugural elevated railway. Its initial segment debuted in July 1868 under the name West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway, featuring a single-track, cable-driven elevated route stretching from Battery Place northward along Greenwich Street to Cortlandt Street. By 1879, this line had reached as far as 155th Street at the Harlem River. In 1903, it underwent electrification and was incorporated into the Interborough Rapid Transit Company system.

Operations on the primary portion of the line ended in June 1940, having been replaced by the IND Eighth Avenue Line, which had commenced service in 1932. The remaining section, known as the Polo Grounds Shuttle, continued service across the Harlem River until August 1958. This last segment operated via the now-demolished Putnam Bridge, a swing bridge, and traversed a tunnel containing two stations partially situated underground.

On September 11, 1905, the Ninth Avenue El was the site of New York City's most fatal elevated railway disaster when a train derailed and plunged onto the street below, causing 13 fatalities and injuring 48 individuals among a total of 61 casualties.

West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway

The origins of the Ninth Avenue Elevated trace back to the West Side and Yonkers Patent Railway, constructed by Charles T. Harvey along Greenwich Street, operating between July 1, 1868, and 1870. This system employed several one-mile cable loops powered by steam engines housed in nearby buildings. The cars attached to these cables using mechanical "claws," which led to jerky motions when transferring between loops. Due to frequent mechanical failures and financial difficulties, this cable-driven system was eventually discontinued. Subsequent proprietors replaced the cable cars with steam locomotives.

In 1885, the Ninth Avenue El became the venue for New York’s first trial of electric traction engines.

Extension

By 1891, the Ninth Avenue Elevated had been extended along both Greenwich Street and Ninth Avenue. On April 1, 1903, control of the Ninth Avenue El along with other lines was leased for a term of 99 years by the Manhattan Railway Company to the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT). A distinctive feature of this line was an elevated stretch soaring over 100 feet above street level at a location known as "Suicide Curve," where two sharp ninety-degree bends occurred near 110th Street between Columbus and Eighth Avenues.

The derailment on September 11, 1905, at 53rd Street resulted in thirteen deaths and forty-eight serious injuries, marking it as the most catastrophic accident in New York’s elevated railway history. Following reconstruction efforts, the line was extended northward to reach 116th Street, becoming Manhattan’s pioneering three-track elevated railroad; express service utilizing the center track commenced in 1916.

The route originated at South Ferry and proceeded along Greenwich Street from Battery Place up to Gansevoort Street in Lower Manhattan before continuing northward via Ninth Avenue through Midtown. It connected with the Sixth Avenue El at 53rd Street, then followed Columbus Avenue between 59th and 110th Streets, turned east along 110th Street, and finally headed north on Eighth Avenue (encompassing Central Park West and Frederick Douglass Boulevard) until reaching the Harlem River.

By January 1917, a third track had been installed, allowing IRT to initiate express service in July 1918 between 125th Street and 155th Street, which included a newly added express station at 145th Street. Simultaneously, the line extended into the Bronx up to 162nd Street with new stops at Sedgwick Avenue and Anderson–Jerome Avenues. By December 1921, Lexington Avenue–Jerome Avenue subway trains began replacing elevated trains north of 167th Street during off-peak times; however, elevated trains continued operating during rush hours to Woodlawn.

As of 1934, service patterns included:

• 9th Avenue Local — running from South Ferry to 155th Street at all times; on Sundays and late nights it extended to Burnside Avenue via the Jerome Avenue Line.
• 9th Avenue Express — operating from Rector Street to Burnside Avenue on weekdays and Saturdays during daytime hours; during weekday rush periods and Saturday peak times it extended to Fordham Road. Express trains traveled southbound express below 155th Street until noon and northbound express after noon while making all stops in the opposite direction.

Closure and Polo Grounds Shuttle Service

The majority of the line ceased operations on June 11, 1940, and was subsequently dismantled after the City acquired the IRT. However, a portion north of 155th Street continued to run as the "Polo Grounds Shuttle" until August 1958. This service ended following the New York Giants' move to San Francisco and the discontinuation of passenger trains on the New York Central's Putnam Division.

List of Stations

Stations, arranged from north to south, were as follows:

WattsStreet(IRTNinthAvenueLine)WattsStreet Local May6 ,1872 Before1887 — DesbrossesStreet(IRTNinthAvenueLine)DesbrossesStreet Express November23 ,1873 June11 ,1940 — FranklinStreet(IRTNinthAvenueLine)FranklinStreet Local January21 ,1873 June11 ,1940 — WarrenStreet(IRTNinthAvenueLine)WarrenStreet Express February14 ,1870 June11 ,1940 — BarclayStreet(IRTNinthAvenueLine)BarclayStreet Local February14 ,1870 June11 ,1940 — DeyStreetstationDeyStreet — July3 ,1868 ~1874 Original southern terminus CortlandtStreet(IRTNinthAvenueLine)CortlandtStreet Express May25 ,1874 June11 ,1940 — RectorStreet(IRTNinthAvenueLine)RectorStreet Local May25 ,1874 June11 ,1940 — MorrisStreet(IRTNinthAvenueLine)MorrisStreet Local August15 ,1872
April15 ,1877 March19 ,1873
September27 ,1879 — BatteryPlace(IRTNinthAvenueLine)BatteryPlace Express June5 ,1883 June11 ,1940 Connected to IRT Sixth Avenue LineSouthFerry(IRTNinthAvenueLine)SouthFerry Express April5 ,1877 June11 ,1940 (9th Ave)
December22 ,1950 (other services) Transfers: Second, Third, and Sixth Avenue Lines, plus ferries

Station	Tracks	Opening date	Closing date	Transfers and notes
Anderson–Jerome Avenues	Express	July 1, 1918	August 31, 1958	Ruins still exist; connected northward via the IRT Jerome Avenue Line to 167th Street and subsequently Woodlawn starting January 2, 1919
Sedgwick Avenue	Express	July 1, 1918	August 31, 1958	Ruins remain; transfer location with NYC Putnam Division
155th Street	Express	December 1, 1879	August 31, 1958	Located adjacent to NYC Putnam Division terminus; formerly a transfer point until Putnam service ended in 1918
151st Street	Local	November 15, 1917	June 11, 1940
145th Street	Express	December 1, 1879	June 11, 1940
140th Street	Local	September 27, 1879	June 11, 1940
135th Street	Local	September 27, 1879	June 11, 1940
130th Street	Local	September 27, 1879	June 11, 1940
125th Street	Express	September 17, 1879	June 11, 1940
116th Street	Express	September 17, 1879	June 11, 1940
110th Street	Local	June 3, 1903	June 11, 1940
104th Street	Local	June 21, 1879	June 11, 1940
99th Street	Local	June 21, 1879	June 11, 1940
93rd Street	Local	June 21, 1879	June 11, 1940
86th Street	Local	June 21, 1879	June 11, 1940
81st Street	Local	June 9, 1879	June 11, 1940
72nd Street	Local	June 9, 1879	June 11, 1940
66th Street	Express	—	June 11, 1940	—
59th Street	Local	June 9, 1879	June 11, 1940	Connection to IRT Sixth Avenue Line Elevated
55th Street	Local	January 18, 1876	Before 1887	—
53rd Street	Local	June 2, 1878	Before 1887	—
50th Street	Local	January 18, 1876	June 11, 1940	—
42nd Street	Local	November 6, 1875	June 11, 1940	—
34th Street	Express	July 30, 1873	June 11, 1940	—
30th Street	Local	December 13, 1873	June 11, 1940	—
29th Street	—	July 3, 1868	1873	Initial northern terminus
23rd Street	Local	October 21, 1873	June 11, 1940	—
21st Street	Local	October 21, 1873	Before 1887	—
14th Street	Express	—	June 11, 1940
Little West 12th Street	Local	June 17, 1872	\~1880
Bethune Street	Local	November 5, 1875	Before 1887
Christopher Street	Express	November 3, 1873	June 11, 1940
Houston Street	Local	November 3, 1873	June 11, 1940

External links

• Beach Pneumatic Transit Co by Joseph Brennan Detailed images and extensive information about the line, with a focus on Chapter 14.
• NYCsubway.org — The 9th Avenue Elevated
• 1939 track map
• Time Traveling on the NYC Ninth Ave El — A historical overview of Manhattan’s Elevated Railways