West Farms Sq-East Tremont Av
West Farms Square-East Tremont Avenue is the most northern still open station on the original 1904 elevated line still in use. The line originally continued straight north of the station a couple more blocks north above Boston Road, terminating at the now closed 180 Street-Bronx Park Station. This station was just south of Bronx Park and the Bronx Zoo, when the Dual-Contracts extended the line north in the 1910s, the original intent was to have the line cut through Bronx Park and directly past the Zoo. Due to concerns and protests raised by elevated trains passing directly over Bronx Park and so close to the zoo, potentially disrupting the animals, he line was instead diverted via an S-curve just north of the station platforms onto a private-right of way over the Bronx River and into the East 180 Street station that opened in 1918, making 180 Street-Bronx Park a redundant spur, with a flat junction with the main line.
The short spur to 180 Street-Bronx Park remained in service until 1952 when the spur was abandoned. This was done to streamline operations with the opening of new flyovers to the Dyre Avenue line and to provide rush hour express service via the middle track. Before the spur was abandoned service was provided by most 7th Avenue Express trains, with only Lexington Avenue Express trains continuing north (along the current 2 train route) to Wakefield-241 Street. Switching trains at flat junction created delays, although the remains of the spur are visible over Boston Road just north of this subway station after the main line curves east towards East 180 Street.
The station itself has two side platforms for the three-track elevated line, located very high above local streets. These have a gentle curve within the station in addition to the sharp curve north of the station (that has been my photo stop for many R142 2 and 5 trains, and Museum Trains operating on the line). The station is about four stories above the street with all staircases up to both to the platforms and mezzanines, double to triple the length of most elevated stations, this resulted in an escalator being installed as early as 1910. A second northern station entrance at the extreme northern end of the station platforms opened 1952 to provide an entrance as close as possible for passengers who used to use 180 Street-Bronx Park, this renovation included a blue escalator that were maybe eight inches wide, with by far the narrowest steps of any escalator I’ve ever ridden that was still in service when I first visited the station in 2004. I still remember it, (and wasn’t reminded of it by the burry photo) as I write this description in 2023.
The station was last renovated in 2004 to 2005. This included the renovation of all station houses and the removal and the walling off of the just mentioned extremely narrow escalator with no replacement escalator in this location provided. This renovation kept the historic low platform railings over the southern half of the platform with ornate designs. The northern half of the platform is covered by a canopy and windscreen that is today the cream with green trim design.
To leave the station there are two station houses and two exits. In the middle of the platforms is the station’s original exit, two staircases lead down from each platform (about two flights) before meeting at an outdoor intermediate landing where doors lead into a small and fairly cramped station house. After the turnstiles, doors lead out to the east side of the station house to two staircases, one down to the NE corner of Boston Road and East Tremont Avenue (along the concrete jungle that is West Farms Square), which is a bus terminal. The other is north and midblock. To the west, is a staircase to the south with its own set of doors (leading down to Boston Road midblock) and an always up escalator enclosed in a cream-colored structure with windows that is nearly at the SW corner of Boston Road and 178 Street.
The secondary entrance opened in the 1951 at the extreme northern end of each platform. There is another mezzanine, this one closer to street level (11-foot, 4 inch vehicle clearance), resulting in longer staircases down from each platform. Here a simple staircase exposed to the elements by fencing leads down from the 241 Street/Dyre Avenue-bound platform, while the staircase from the Manhattan-bound platform is fully enclosed by cream-colored walls. This full enclosure is a legacy of this formerly being a combined extremely narrow up-escalator/staircase, although the escalator was closed and the area for the escalator walled off during the 2005 renovations. This was probably because a replacement the extremely narrow original escalator couldn’t be procured and wasn’t up to modern building codes. A small fare control area with only High Exit/Entrance Turnstiles leads down to a single streetstair just north of the NE corner of 178 Street and Boston Road. This exit is just before the still in service elevated structure curves to the east, and the skeletal remains of the elevated up to 180 Street over Bronx Road ends just north at 179 Street.
Photos 1-8: April 4, 2004; 9-12: November 27, 2004; 13-35: December 12, 2004; 36-41: June 13, 2005; 42-45: March 24, 2007; 46: August 28, 2009; 47-89: October 12, 2012;
Arts For Transit at West Farms Square-East Tremont Avenue
Animal Tracks, 2004
Faceted glass murals
By By Naomi Campbell
