This week Wakefield has the honor of being the first Harlem Line station south of White Plains I’ve featured. Before starting the Harlem Line Panorama Project, I had never ventured to any of these stations. After this weekend though, I’ve been to most of them. On the current schedule of a station a week, the tour will finally be over at the end of January. And once that is over I think I’ll do a full tour guide for whoever might be interested in seeing the Harlem Line as well… I’m planning to include info about good food, history, art (including Arts For Transit works) and nature along the way, and which stations aren’t to be missed. Anyways, back to the tour…
Traveling south, Wakefield is the first Metro-North station in the Bronx, and is the northernmost neighborhood of the city. It borders Westchester county, specifically the city of Mount Vernon. The two are both linked to the first president of the United States: George Washington. Wakefield was the name of the place where he was born, and Mount Vernon the name of the place he died. The two stations of Wakefield and Mount Vernon West are in fact very close – so close that you can see the station from the platform of the other.
At Wakefield you can make a connection to the subway, Wakefield – 241st Street is located six blocks from the station. The platform is rather small, and can only accommodate four cars. Just south of the station the New Haven Line diverges, and from the station you can see the M2s going by on the other side of the tree line. Historically Wakefield had been a place where passengers changed trains. Electric trains served south into the city, and riders going north transferred to steam trains.
Growing up in the Bronx in the 60’s one of my favorite pasttimes was to go train wathcing at Wakefield Station with my Dad. This was the point were the New Haven locomotives would be powered by the third rail. I always thought (and still do) they ahd one of the best paint schemes of all railroads. On
E. 233rd Street ((W/B above the railroad tracks) there was a huge building with a ticket office (similar to the one at Fordham) that provided access to the stone stairs that you see on the downtown side. This building burned down to arson during the 70’s as the neighborhood started to change. There was a coal yard at the north end of the south bound platform (where I used to get coal for my model train cars). On the north side platform there was a huge freight elevator that was used to transport coffins with the deceased and their bereaving relatives streetside for transportation and burial in Woodlawn cemetery. The station platforms were built on wooden planks that were ground level with the tracks and S/B extended to the bridge over the underpass for the S/B entrance to the BRP. Any more facts? Just write back!
Hey there, thanks for sharing your memories with us! Love to hear old stories from the rails.
Growing up in the Bronx in the 60’s one of my favorite pasttimes was to go train watching at Wakefield Station with my Dad. This was the point were the New Haven locomotives would be powered by the third rail. I always thought (and still do) they had one of the best paint schemes of all railroads. On
E. 233rd Street ((W/B above the railroad tracks) there was a huge building with a ticket office (similar to the one at Fordham) that provided access to the stone stairs that you see on the downtown side. This building burned down to arson during the 70’s as the neighborhood started to change. There was a coal yard at the north end of the south bound platform (where I used to get coal for my model train cars). On the north side platform there was a huge freight elevator that was used to transport coffins with the deceased and their bereaving relatives streetside for transportation and burial in Woodlawn cemetery. The station platforms were built on wooden planks that were ground level with the tracks and S/B extended to the bridge over the underpass for the S/B entrance to the BRP. Any more facts? Just write back!
MAke that Woodlawn!!
A good friend of mine lives near the Wakefield station. We went to Summer Camp together. Good guy.