History of the Staten Island Railway (1900–1970)

The following outlines the history of the Staten Island Railway from 1900 to 1970. The Staten Island Railway (SIR), a rapid transit line in the New York City borough of Staten Island, was affiliated with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O), which was taken over by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) in 1900. The PRR conducted several improvements after taking over. In anticipation of a tunnel under the Narrows to Brooklyn and a connection there with the New York City Subway, the SIRT electrified its lines in 1925. Electrification did not greatly increase traffic, and the tunnel was never built. During the 1920s, a branch line along Staten Island's West Shore was built to haul building materials for the Outerbridge Crossing; the branch was cut back to a point south of the crossing after the bridge was built. The Gulf Oil Corporation opened a dock and tank farm along Arthur Kill in 1928; to serve it, the Travis Branch was built south from Arlington Yard into the marshes of the island's western shore to Gulfport in the early 1930s.

The Port Richmond–Tower Hill viaduct, the United States' largest grade-crossing-elimination project, was completed on February 25, 1937, elevating the SIRT's North Shore Branch above the street. Freight and World War II traffic helped pay some of the SIRT's accumulated debt, and the line was briefly profitable in the 1940s. The St. George Terminal was rebuilt between 1946 and 1951 following a major fire, Meanwhile, declining ridership led to abandonment of the North Shore Branch and the South Beach Branch in 1953; the South Beach Branch was abandoned shortly afterwards, and the North Shore Branch continued to carry freight. The main line, from St. George to Tottenville, was the only line to remain in passenger service. In 1956, work began on the replacement of the Arthur Kill swing bridge by a single-track, 558-foot (170 m) vertical-lift bridge, which opened in 1959. The Travis Branch was extended in 1958 to a new Consolidated Edison power plant in Travis (on the West Shore). Operation of the Tottenville line was turned over to the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority (a division of the state's Metropolitan Transportation Authority) on July 1, 1971, and the line was purchased by the city of New York. As part of the agreement, freight on the line would continue to be handled by the B&O under the Staten Island Railroad. The first six R44 cars (the same as the newest cars then in use on the subway lines in the other boroughs) were put into SIRT service on February 28, 1973, replacing the ME-1 cars which had been in service since 1925. Between 1971 and 1973, a project began to extend the high-level platforms at six stations. A station-rebuilding program began in 1985, and the line's R44s were overhauled starting in 1987.

Modernization: 1900–1949

Pennsylvania Railroad control: 1900–1913

Pennsylvania acquisition The SIRT had been affiliated with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) since 1880. Improvements were made to the SIRT after the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) under the leadership of president Alexander Cassatt took control of the B&O. Cassatt was named president of the PRR in 1899, and he allied with the New York Central Railroad for a "community of interest" plan. Cassatt wanted to end the rebate practice being undertaken by Standard Oil and Carnegie Steel—both larger shippers—that kept the freight rates extremely low. To achieve this, the two railroads bought stock in smaller, weaker trunk line railroads. The New York Central bought stock in the Reading Company, while the PRR bought stock in the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, the Norfolk Southern Railway, and in the B&O—including the SIRT and the ferries on Staten Island. The plan worked; the average freight rate for the two companies rose. Cassatt first purchased B&O stock in 1899, most of it being under PRR control by 1901. After the PRR took more direct control of the B&O, including the SIRT; in May 1901, improvements were made to the rail line. PRR control of the line decreased as a new PRR president had different priorities, and in 1906, the PRR sold half of its B&O stock to the Union Pacific Railroad. The remainder of the PRR's stock in the B&O was sold to the Union Pacific in 1913.

Improvements Under PRR control, the B&O was profitable again and became a stronger railroad. The PRR allowed the B&O's newly developed properties to remain intact. On October 13, 1902, the SIRT started a trial passenger service from Plainfield station in New Jersey to St. George, running via the Jersey Central past Cranford Junction. The SIRT operated four trains every day, except for Sunday, with direct connections with the B&O's Royal Blue service between New York City and Washington, D.C. at Plainfield. These trains consisted of a locomotive and two passenger coaches. While this service was in operation the B&O sold tickets for its main line trains at the railroad's ferry terminals in Brooklyn, at South Ferry, and at St. George. Four passengers alighted at Plainfield on the first trip. On November 3, 1902, it was announced that a complete schedule would be arranged to Plainfield, to take effect on November 22, 1902. The service was discontinued in 1903 because it was unprofitable. The PRR bought four large double-decker steamers to halve the travel time on the Staten Island Ferry. Even though the PRR improved ferry service, the B&O was ejected from the Whitehall Street terminal on October 25, 1905, when the city took ownership of the ferry and terminals. The city built a new St. George Terminal for $2,318,720.

In September 1906, the Jersey Central purchased of property on the north side of its track between Plainfield and Cranford to enable to construct a fifth track to accommodate B&O freight trains to Staten Island, of which several traveled westbound from Cranford Junction between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.. The track was intended to allow freight traffic, which often had to wait at Cranford Junction for multiple hours to make way for local passenger trains that were using the freight track to stay out of the way of express trains, to keep moving.

The PRR increased the number of daily trips to 28, and in 1902, it began contemplating the electrification of the rail line. The PRR's investment in the southern portion of the Perth Amboy sub-division was credited for the increased development of the South Shore of Staten Island. As such, in about 1902, a new station was constructed at Whitlock to serve a new community being built by the Whitlock Realty Company on the South Shore. The development company incentivized prospective buyers to bid on newly built houses by promising a year's free commuting between Manhattan and Whitlock for the first 25 houses. In December 1912, the SIRT petitioned the Public Service Commission (PSC) to allow the railway to abandon the station and replace it with a station named Bay Terrace to the south. The change was made, anticipating a shift in the center of population in the community. A hearing to hear the application was held by the PSC on December 18.

On February 21, 1907, the Staten Island Railway petitioned the Public Service Commission (PSC) to get permission to move the Dongan Hills stop from its location south of Seaview Avenue to a location to the north in between Seaview Avenue and Garretson Avenue. On March 12, 1907, the PSC granted its permission.

In September 1909, the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) allowed the B&O to acquire 227 shares of the Staten Island Railway's capital stock, giving the B&O all of the railway's stock except for the few shares that had to be held by officers. Practically all of the Staten Island Railway's stock had been purchased by the B&O by 1906.

After 1900, several new houses were built in the community of Annadale and several parts of the Little Farms development. In 1910, as part of the development, the building company built a new railroad station. As a result, on March 22, 1910, the SIRT petitioned the PSC to allow it to discontinue its service at Annadale station and replace it with a new station of the same name to the west. On November 18, 1910, trains started stopping at a new station at Annadale that was built by the Wood Harmon Company the previous summer, which was located on the eastbound side of the track. This station replaced the station on the westbound track. As part of the construction of the new station, the operation of the switches where the line narrowed from two tracks to one began to be done from the station instead of being done manually. In addition, in 1910, a new freight house went into operation at Clifton, and new rails were installed as far south as Richmond Valley on the Perth Amboy Division. These new rails, which were heavier than the rails already in place on the southern section of the Perth Amboy Division, were expected to reduce the jarring of cars.

The PSC held a public hearing on December 16, 1910, to consider a proposal to eliminate grade crossings at Crook's crossing on Amboy Road in Great Kills, Clove Road in Grasmere, and Amboy Road in Huguenot. Commissioner of Public Work L.L. Tribus and Borough President Cromwell had started the push to eliminate grade crossings in Staten Island, which was approved by officials of the Staten Island Railway. The Board of Estimate had approved an appropriation to create a tentative plan. In the previous session of the State Legislature, a bill was passed allocating $250,000 for the state's portion of a fund to eliminate grade crossings in New York City, of which $200,000 was for Queens and $50,000 was for Staten Island. As such, $100 million would be available for the elimination of grade crossings in the two boroughs. At the time, there were 89 grade crossings on Staten Island, of which 14 were protected by sign boards, 44 by bells, 14 by flagmen, and 17 by gates. 100 people were injured and 56 people were killed in accidents at grade crossings from 1907 to 1910.

On March 6, 1911, work began on the elimination of a grade crossing at Amboy Road in Huguenot, which the PSC had ordered to be eliminated, as it was considered the most dangerous crossing on the island. Work was to be done quickly with the intent of completing the project by the end of summer. As part of the project, Amboy Road would be depressed by , and the tracks would be raised to provide of clearance. The crossing was to be wide with sidewalks, and the structure over the road was to consist of steel on concrete abutments. The project was estimated to cost $78,240, with $19,560 in funding coming from the state. The PSC had also ordered the elimination of a grade crossing at Great Kills with Crooke's crossing; work on the project was expected to begin shortly.

On March 24, 1911, an automatic block signal system manufactured by the Hall Signal Company was put into use between Pleasant Plains and Tottenville, eliminating the need for a telegraph block signal office at Atlantic station. The new signaling system reduced the work required for telegraph operators on the line to report when trains moved in and out of signal blocks. This system had already been in use on the North Shore Branch from St. George to Arlington, and the South Beach Branch from St. George to South Beach for some time.