Every once and a while I get an email from some person looking for high resolution copies of what train tickets look like. I wonder if people are really that stupid… but no, by now this doesn’t really surprise me. What legitimate use would people want this for? There aren’t any. These people are looking to make forgeries. While I generally just delete emails like this outright, there are the occasional times where I want to send them photographs of really old tickets. If they believed me, and attempted a forgery, it would probably give a conductor a good laugh. I mean, what would you say if some guy tried to use this on the train today?

 
And that is actually not that old

Ignoring the dimwit forgers, it is actually quite interesting to look at the evolution of tickets, just as it is to look at old timetables. I will admit that I have quite a few more timetables than I do tickets, cash fares and the like. But all the same, they are fun to look at. Below are some of the ones that I have and have scanned. Do you have any old Harlem Division tickets? I would love to see them… please email me! Then we can have a part two, because I’m apparently in love with multi-part posts.

On this day, 180 years ago, the New York and Harlem Railroad was chartered. It was the first railroad in New York City, and began operations on November 26, 1832: on a single mile of track, pulled by horses. We’ve come a long way since then, and the Harlem Line still thrives as part of one of the nation’s busiest commuter rail lines.

In celebration of 180 years, here are some facts that you probably didn’t know about the early years of the New York & Harlem Railroad…

Every day when I ride the train down to White Plains, a crowd of folks hovers on the platform, waiting for the train to slow and then stop. They crowd around every door, masses of them, and a fight ensues. A fight of currents. The current of those disembarking clashes against those pushing themselves through and onto the train. If you don’t hold fast and push, you will be swept away before you can even place a foot on the yellow tactile stripping of the platform. And this, this is a daily ritual that I loathe. There is only one thing I hate even more than those that crowd around the doors attempting to get on the train: the people that hover in front of the doors, not to get on the train, but to accost each of the people disembarking with papers – usually some sort of politician’s propaganda. And while we’re being pretty honest here, I am not much of a fan of politicians, especially the ones that swarm train stations whenever an election looms. Some of you may remember back in the “olden days” when I first started this blog, every time a politician would forcibly hand me a piece of propaganda at a train station, I photoshopped it in some odd way and posted it. It was my own little way of rebelling. Though I may have stopped my photoshopping of politicians, the fact still remains: I don’t like politicians.

Politicians today are pretty weak. They don’t even write their own stuff, they get other people to do that. You think if they didn’t spend time writing it, the least they could do is memorize it. But no, they have to stoop to writing on their hands, using teleprompters, or just spewing complete bullshit that makes the rest of the world laugh at us – but hey, we elected them! It makes me want to go back to a time where politicians were badass… where they had duels to settle differences, and despite getting shot in the chest, still delivering their speeches. A time where the politicians could actually speak, a wonderful and eloquent stream of words – not any of this crap that dribbles like a man foaming at the mouth. Politics then would be a heck of a lot more interesting, and elections wouldn’t be a battle between the lesser of two evils.

I’m not sure if anyone really has a “favorite” historical politician. And if anyone does, it is probably a former president. I’m sure Abraham Lincoln’s name would probably come up. Maybe it is just a consequence of us looking back at history in retrospect. We learned his speeches in school, and heck, maybe even the fact that he was assassinated makes us look back and think, damn he was a good politician. But there was another man, not nearly as popular and most people today probably don’t even know his name, but I always seemed to think he was pretty cool. At minimum, he was a brilliant orator, the opposite side of the spectrum in terms of speeches today. But I must admit, perhaps I am a little biased about this fellow, as he was not only a politician, but he was also a railroad man.

Photographs of Chauncey Depew over the years

“Don’t be a damned fool!”
Usually when you’re looking to hire someone for a job, those are not the words you utter to the person you may potentially hire. But then again, most people aren’t the brusque Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt approached a Peekskill-born lawyer by the name of Chauncey Mitchell Depew, offering him a position as the attorney for the New York & Harlem Railroad – a position he was about ready to turn down. Depew had been offered a position as the US Minister to Japan. At that time the journey to Japan took a full six months, and thus the sending of any message took a full year. However, the monetary compensation was far higher than the railroad job – and Depew said as much to the Commodore. It was then that the Commodore fired back with the following: “Railroads are the career for a young man; there is nothing in politics. Don’t be a damned fool.” Depew took the railroad job.

1895 Harlem Division pass, signed by Chauncey Depew

Chauncey Mitchell Depew was born in Peekskill, New York on April 23, 1834. In his youth he spent significant amounts of time reading – his uncle was a postmaster, and at the time there was no mail delivery. Mail often sat a long while until the recipient came to pick it up, and in the interim a young Depew would peruse any newspaper or magazine that would arrive. As a young man Depew would attend Yale, and graduated from there in 1856. At that time there were no law schools in the country, and one would have to “read law” – a sort of apprenticeship – to become a lawyer. Depew “read law” with a lawyer in Peekskill and was accepted to the bar in 1858. Before being called by Vanderbilt, Depew worked as a lawyer in New York City, and served a brief stint as a member of the New York Assembly, and the Secretary of State for New York.

Photograph of Chauncey Depew, from the Library of Congress

All of that probably sounds just as boring as the pedigree of any politician, but there was something about Depew that intrigues me. He was quite the orator, and rubbed elbows with quite a few influential people that maybe you’ve heard of: Horace Greeley, Abraham Lincoln, Rutherford Hayes, Chester Arthur, and Teddy Roosevelt, just to name a few. Depew was described as having a “personal charm and a lovable disposition” – but for the most part he was remembered in his day as a brilliant speaker. You can in fact read many of his speeches, as well as his as his autobiography, for free online – and if you ever get a spare moment, I do find them rather interesting.

Most people today, however, will remember Depew as a railroad man (even though he served as a senator later in life as well). He accepted Vanderbilt’s offer of a position in 1866, a time when Vanderbilt’s roads consisted of a little over two-hundred-and-fifty miles. In the early 1900′s, that number had ballooned to over twenty-thousand miles in the system. By 1874 Depew had ascended to the position of Director of the New York and Harlem Railroad, and by 1882 was the Vice-President for the New York Central. In 1885 he was elected to the presidency, and in 1898 chairman of the board. He served as chairman until his death in 1928, working for the railroad for a total of 62 years.

The cover of New York Central Lines magazine, after the death of Chauncey Depew

Upon his death, Grand Central was draped in mourning. If one questioned the influence of Depew, one needs only look to the list of pallbearers for his funeral, consisting of Vanderbilts and Rockefellers. His wife received condolences from American presidents and European royalty. Though the man is long gone and many have forgotten him, you will still occasionally see references to him: Depew Park in Peekskill, various Depew Streets located around train stations, and the village of Depew, New York, located upstate. And then, of course, there are the words he left behind…

If your construction of success was honestly analyzed, it would probably mean to most minds the getting of money. The desire to acquire property is the most potent force in the activities of our people. It is the mainspring of of our marvelous development, and the incentive and reward of intelligent industry. It is alike the cause of the noblest efforts and the most revolting crimes.

We are at present sailing upon tranquil seas, with no clouds above the horizon and no warnings from the barometer. It is at such times that the prudent and experienced navigator hopes for the best and prepares for the worst.

Keep the roads paved and free from obstructions by which the industrious, the honest, and the capable, with no additional capital but character, can rise from any condition to the highest honors of the Republic, and the largest rewards of business.

Give to all men and women their full opportunities to work on their own destinies, and provide the incentives to efforts and ambitions which promote the enterprises and develop the resources of the country, and enrich and invigorate its intellectual life.

The indestructible union of liberty and law has given character and perpetuity in American institutions. It produced those perfect conditions, of freedom, protection, and equality, which peoples have sought for ages through bloody revolutions, and never before found. It has attracted to our shores fourteen millions of emigrants, against the superior advantages of soil and climate in Mexico and South America, or equal material opportunities in Canada. Most of this vast population have fled from the oppression of laws made for classes and working injustice and wrong to the masses. They have been of incalculable benefit to the country, and without them onr development and resources would be fifty years behind their present state. They have brought with them industry, integrity, and an intense desire to better their lives and improve the condition of their children.

Steam and electricity have made us one people, and for commercial pnrposes unified the world.

Trust and confidence are the foundation of success. Without them it is useless to begin and impossible to advance.

While we’re continuing our celebration of Harlem Railroad Month, I figured profiling a man who got his start on the New York & Harlem Railroad would be appropriate. Conveniently, Depew’s birthday would be tomorrow – so we’ll wish the two of them Happy Birthday on this day!

When it comes to the history of the Harlem Line, you can’t beat The Coming of the New York & Harlem Railroad, by Lou Grogan. It is, by far, the most complete history of the line, and full of wonderful pictures. There was, however, another book written on the New York & Harlem, covering the line’s early history many years prior. I had been trying to get my hands on it for a while… I know of only three copies that exist: the one I didn’t win on eBay, one that belonged to Gouverneur Morris, Jr., and is now in the collection of the New York Historical Society, and one that belongs to the Katonah Village Library. The book was written by Clarence Hyatt in 1898, so it is hardly something that bookstores or even internet booksellers have. The only thing I knew about it was that it was quite small, about 36 pages. Beyond that, I knew nothing of what was inside.

Photo of Chatham from the book, taken at some point in the late 1800′s

I finally got off my butt and made the trip to the library in Katonah on one of the days we had warm weather. I’d never been to the library before, so I didn’t know what to expect, or whether the book would even be in a “public” area. The person at the front desk was rather snippy with me when I asked her to help me find the book, despite me saying I had never been there before and had no idea where to look. I told her that I figured the book would probably be in a special section, given the fact that it is over a hundred years old… and she told me to go talk to the reference librarian. Thankfully, the reference librarian was kind and helpful. The book was in a locked cabinet, and I took it to a couch, where I read it in short order.

And then, of course, I digitized it. I would have much rathered to scan it, to get a better quality, but I ended up just photographing each page. The majority of the book is text, though there are a few photographs: two of Chatham, one of Mount Kisco, and another of Chappaqua. It does have some pretty cool little anecdotes about general rail history, and the history of the Harlem.

Did you know that Peter Cooper, other than having absolutely amazing facial hair, was the designer and creator of the first steam locomotive in the US, a locomotive which could only attain a speed of eighteen miles-per-hour? I didn’t.

Amusingly, the book details people opposing railroads, and not for things that at least make sense – like the noise of the locomotives. No, people protested because they thought that railroads would effect animals: preventing cows from grazing, causing hens to stop laying eggs, and railroads would lead to the destruction of birds. But then there were also people on the opposite side of the spectrum: the citizens of “primitive” and rural areas, such as Dover Plains, that gazed at locomotives for the first time with intense curiosity.

In the continued celebration of Harlem Railroad Month, I am happy to share this wonderful book. It is a relatively short read, but an interesting one.

[pdf-ppt-viewer href="http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/ny_harlem.pdf" width="600" height="500"]

If you’d prefer to download the book (or the above preview doesn’t work), please right click on this link, and choose to save the target as.

If there is one thing that Westchester people have taught me, it is how to spend money (there are many times in which I feel that I am a strange observer here, really). Though instead of purchasing those two-hundred-dollar-a-pair pants from the Westchester Mall, I’ve decided to “invest” the precious little income I make in collection of postcards (uhh, and other things. I am an eBay addict).

Westchester people are funny to me, really they are. If you get a whole bunch of them into a single elevator and each person pushes a different floor button, somebody inevitably makes a comment about the elevator being a “local”, or not an “express”. The railroad is so deeply ingrained in their psyches, they don’t even realize it! We are approaching 180 years of the New York and Harlem Railroad, and 171 of those years the railroad has had a presence in Westchester… long enough for most people to not give it a second thought.

I do, however, think my collection of postcards is far more interesting than any pair of pants, as together we can look back at little glimpses of what the area was like, back when the railroad was only beginning to mold the landscape in where we now live, and driving the migration of people to these very suburbs. So here is part three of our series Sending Postcards from the Harlem Line. If you missed the previous posts, you can view them here: Part 1, Part 2.

And really now, did you have any doubt there would be a part four? You can most certainly bet on it.

When I announced at the beginning of this month that April would be Harlem Railroad Month, I failed to mention that not only was it the New York & Harlem Railroad’s 180th birthday, but this blog’s second birthday. April 10th was the official day, and I let it pass without much thought… but I must say now, Happy Birthday IRideTheHarlemLine!

Back when I first started the blog I think I was a little bit more shy than I am now. Despite any way I might present myself on the internet, I really can be quite shy at times. When people first started recognizing me on the train I think it freaked me out a little bit. But now, I think I’ve been taking it more in stride. I enjoy talking with people, and love to hear their stories about trains. Through talking with various people about trains, I’ve come across two comments that are almost always mentioned to me: Why are you interested in this, and especially history – when nobody in your generation really cares about it! The other one thought I hear a lot is a bit more simple: you’re a girl that likes trains!?

The comment about me being female, well I can’t really say anything about that. But about the history, well, that I can agree. Lots of people in my generation really could care less about history. There are times when I think I really baffle librarians, because they ask me what school I go to, and for what project I need these rail-related books. But having a lack of interest in the past is a significantly different thing than being destructive to history. I, sadly, can display to you a complete disregard of history, and the utter stupidity of some of my generation in one single photograph:

That is Canaan Union Station in Canaan, Connecticut. Until the station was devastated by fire, it was the oldest continually operating station in the United States, built in 1872. In 2001, however, four young boys wandered away from their homes late at night and started the fire. Two of the boys were charged as juveniles and their names were not released. The other two, not much younger than me at the time, were charged as adults and served a few months jail time. All it took were four young boys and a cigarette lighter to destroy a beautiful historical monument…

1953 photo of Canaan Station from Life

Old postcard view of the station

I must admit, that first photograph makes me quite depressed. Thankfully there still are people out there that do in fact care about history (perhaps if you are reading this, you are one of them), and about this station. When I had made a mental list of train stations I wanted to visit in Connecticut, I left off Canaan. And it isn’t that I didn’t know about it – I had seen the photos of the fire! For some reason, in my head I believed that the station would be torn down and eventually forgotten. The happy thing I’ve discovered was that I was completely wrong… which I didn’t find out until I, in a random fluke, just happened to pass by it while in the car with my friend. Though the majority of the station was consumed by the fire, a portion of it did survive, and the remainder was being rebuilt. Although I don’t remember the station before (though my parents tell me that they had taken me there when I was a child), I am pleased that this station is being reborn, and will become beautiful once more…

If you’re interested in learning more about the station, seeing additional photos of the fire and the rebuilding process, please visit the Connecticut Railroad Historical Association’s site for Canaan Union Station.

While exploring the Harlem Line, I’ve discovered quite a few former stations that are now repurposed, living a second life as restaurants, banks, and other businesses. One station that I visited over the weekend is unique from the rest, in that it is not a commercial space, but a residential space. Not only that, it is for sale – you could have your very own former Harlem Division railroad station to live in. If I had won the Mega Millions I probably would have bought the place, but most unfortunately some folks in Albany ended up winning that. Seriously though, Sharon Station is certainly one of my favorite extant Harlem Division stations, and having been built in 1875, one of the older ones still around and in good condition. Though the station could be called abandoned, as it lies along the route of the Upper Harlem where passenger service ended in 1972, the word has a connotation of disrepair, which hardly fits with the station today. There may no longer be tracks, but the station has been restored and modernized, and will make a great home for whoever ends up purchasing it… and quite the conversation piece!

Early photo of a train at Sharon Station

If you’ve seen my photos of Millerton, the exterior of Sharon Station bears a significant resemblance, with green walls and red doors and detailing. However, the inside is where Sharon stands apart from most other stations I’ve seen. Despite the fact that it might look a little small on the outside, the inside is rather expansive, and from the moment you walk in, there is little doubt that this is a home. The lower floor contains a modern kitchen and dining area, and bordering the door to the former platform is another large room. Today the upper level serves a similar function as in the past, as the main living quarters of the house. These rooms were available for the station agent, and now serve as bedrooms. There are also a few bathrooms upstairs, which definitely beats having to use the outhouse outside – though it has been converted for use as a garden tool shed. Though not an original feature of the station and built much later, there is also a large garage outside as well. Despite being a recent addition, it perfectly matches the color and aesthetic of the station.

Historically, Sharon was never an incredibly important station in terms of passengers. The area surrounding the station was fairly small, with a population of about forty in 1940. The majority of commuters came over from Connecticut, especially from the town of Sharon, which is how the station got its name. More important freight, however, did go through the station, and like many stations on the upper Harlem, it served dairies and shipped milk via train. There was also a connecting track that led to a mine, which shipped iron ore over the Harlem’s tracks. Passenger service finally came to an end in March of 1972, when the line was abandoned north of Dover Plains. Today there are no tracks, but the former line has been paved and turned into a rail trail.

Before I go, I just wanted to post a few more old pictures of Sharon and to give a big thanks to Elyse Harney Real Estate for letting me see this place, Elyse Harney Morris for arranging everything, and to John Panzer for coming out on a Saturday afternoon to take me for a tour. You have my utmost thanks!

It has been brought to my attention that on Monday I was a lazy fool and did not post any old photos. I’ll admit, Monday was a bit busy of a day. Trains had their new schedules, and I was of course forced to change the train I had been taking for the past two or so years. Oh, we are such habitual creatures that hate change at times. I enjoyed my normal train, and wonder a little as to what happened to the other folks that got displaced by silly schedule changes… the blind guy, the mouth breather, the non-stop eater, the old lady that complains that the gap is too far for her and her cane and delays the train doors from closing until she gets help… even the school kids. But really, I think I am just creeped out by those Wassaic people on the alternate train I’m now riding. I think someone was scowling at me when I said good morning to the conductor. The complete silence of the train, except for the rumbling of diesel engine, was really putting me to sleep. One of these days, I guarantee you, I will find myself having missed my stop.

In other news, I also learned that the shuttle launch was delayed – to the day I am flying out to South Africa. I’ve not cancelled my plans altogether yet, I’m hoping for another delay, which will likely place the launch in June. Hey, one can hope, right?

Oh and lastly, before the old photos, I just wanted to let you all know that this weekend I will be taking a trip to one of the abandoned Upper Harlem Line stations for photos… just in time to get posted for my invention, Harlem Railroad Month. I have a feeling that they’ll be pretty cool. Or at least I hope. I purchased a few new lenses to try out on my camera. For now though, here are some more New York City horsecar and streetcar photos… I think somewhere in that mix there is another shot of Grand Central Depot, a beautiful building, but not quite as wondrous as our Terminal today.

You know what would be a really crappy (pardon the extremely lame pun) job? Whoever had to clean up after those horsecars. I’m not too sure why all of a sudden I was thinking about that…

Yes, it is that month again, Happy April everyone. Although I certainly had every intention of somehow tricking you all today, I decided I’d pass on that this year. I mean, last year not only did I fabricate quotes and attributing them to Dan Brucker (sorry, Dan!), I infuriated gullible New Haven Line riders! My fake post last year is still one of the top posts on this blog, and it apparently comes up when people search for items about the new M8′s.

Instead, this month I had another thought. Like a Hallmark store declaring a holiday where you send all your friends greeting cards, I’ve decided that April shall be known from this day forth as Harlem Railroad Month. And why should this month deserve that honor? Because it was in April that New York City’s first railroad, The New York & Harlem Railroad, today’s Harlem Line, was chartered. The year was 1831, and New York was quite a different place…

When we think about trains now, we think about massive machines, powered by electric, diesel, and maybe even steam… but that is getting a little bit ahead of ourselves. The omnibus, a method of transportation consisting of a wagon drawn by horses, had existed in the late 1820′s, but the New York and Harlem Railroad was the first transport method in the city to use rails. The first vehicles on the line were closer to those omnibuses than to today’s trains – as the cars were pulled by horses! Later on, as the railroad continued to extend north, passengers would switch to steam powered “proper” trains. By the time Grand Central Terminal was completed, the rail south of 42nd Street had been split off into an alternate entity than the New York Central Railroad. The horsecars, and their successor streetcars, did not last much longer… but that is fairly obvious to any visitor of the city, as our trains have moved off the street and are predominantly underground.

Although I do have a fascination with old things, especially photos, I don’t think I’ve posted a nice collection of really old photos like these before. The majority of these were taken in the 1800′s, and although some depict the horsecars of the New York and Harlem Railroad, it is mostly just a collection of early rail travel in New York City on the many lines that had popped up. Enjoy the photos and see if you can recognize any of the places… the last photo is a treat, it is of Grand Central Depot, the predecessor to our Grand Central Terminal.

Want to see more photos of horsecars and streetcars? I’ll be posting another collection of them next week, and other random Harlem Railroad-related things, as we celebrate Harlem Railroad Month. Hopefully you haven’t minded all the picture posts, I’ve been doing a lot more of them recently as I’ve been a bit busy to do all that much writing!