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© 2013 By C A Warren

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A brief description of what is known about the railroad line that went to the Jerome Park Racetrack across what is now Mosholu Parkway, in the Bronx, New York from 1880 to 1906.

The Jerome Park Railway was incorporated on April 26, 1880 to construct a rail spur to the Jerome Park Racetrack. The  one-mile spur to the race track from Bedford Park opened on May 29, 1880. The route went from a junction with the NY & Harlem River RR just North of the present-day Mosholu Parkway bridge in a large arc to the West and then straight to Jerome Ave and turned South to the racetrack terminal North of Kingsbridge Road at the Eastern edge of the racetrack property. Trains to the racetrack were operated by the New York Central RR with shuttle service and special trains from Grand Central Terminal on racing days.

The racetrack owners were Leonard W. Jerome and August Belmont, Sr.

The Rapid Transit Commission map of 1879 from the Tribune, Dec 29, 1879, shows the proposed rapid transit routes in the Annexed District, the Bronx, which included the Jerome Park RR.

Routes designated by the commission of 1879 are shown as solid lines, and modifications are shown as dashed lines.  The colored lines are the routes actually granted.

Orange: The West Side and Yonkers Railway (9th Ave El), the New York City and Northern RR (later the Putnam RR) and the Yonkers Rapid Transit line (Putnam line to Getty Sq)

Green: The Harlem River and Portchester Rapid Transit (NYNH&H, later, the NYW&B)

Purple: The Jerome Park Railway.

​Blue: The Suburban Rapid Transit RR, which became the Bronx extension of the 3rd Ave  El and connection to

the NYNH&H (New Haven RR)

The racetrack closed on Oct 4, 1894 upon the site being chosen for the Jerome Park Reservoir that was part of the Croton Aqueduct Project the metropolitan New York City water supply system.

Mr. Belmont (Jr) moved his racetrack operations to the Morris Park location near West Farms in the Bronx.

The railway was then used by the contractor for the Jerome Park Reservoir to haul away the excavated material until 1906.

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A view of one end of the grandstand area.

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1889 map of NYC and the Bronx showing the route of the Jerome Park branch from the New York and Harlem RR at Bedford Park.

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Bedford Park Station in 1893 with a footbridge over the tracks. This was the appearance of the line at the time when the Jerome Park Branch was operating. A new footbridge was built 80 years later to replace the subway that was built as part of the station rebuilding in 1901 when the station was renamed Botanical Gardens.

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1881 topographical map of NYC and the Bronx showing the route of the Jerome Park line from the NY & Harlem RR at Bedford Park.

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A detailed map of the area covered by the Jerome Park Reservoir. The railroad ROW enters at the bottom of the map, curving to the left. The racetrack station existed at the current location of the Bedford Park station of the IRT Jerome Ave Line.

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1910 Postcard view of Botanical Gardens Station on the NY Central Harlem Division. The junction for the Jerome Park line was just north of the Mosholu Parkway Bridge and turned to the left.
 

Jerome Park RR excavation spur at the Reservoir site.

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