LEFT: A single passenger seriously ponders the 1937 abandonment notice in his hands. No crowds to contend with on this day (or any other, for that matter). PHOTO COLLECTION OF J.J. SEDELMAIER BELOW: Following the end of service the fleet of Stillwell m.u. cars was stored at the yards near East 180th Street in The Bronx. Vandalism has begun to take its toll on the idled cars as they await their fate in this May 1940 view. PHOTO BY GEORGE VOTAVA, COLLECTION ROBERT A. BANG
The Beginning of the End
The stock market crash of 1929 had far-reaching effects on the New Haven and its subsidiaries. Miller retired in 1930, and the New Haven assumed di- rect control. In an effort to control costs, NYW&B service was immediate- ly cut in half, and loud protests fol- lowed. Despite its best efforts, the New Haven declared bankruptcy on October 23, 1935, and the Westchester followed on November 30.
idence of any tangible construction on this new project, except that the White Plains terminal was designed to allow WN trains to arrive on a separate pro- posed upper level concourse. The entire project was abandoned in 1915. In 1925, any resources intended for the WN were diverted to complete the Port Chester extension. When the rail- road opened in 1912, the “New Rochelle branch” terminated at North Avenue. By 1921, the branch extended to Larch- mont, constructed alongside the New Haven’s main line on a leased right of way. With a new infusion capital, the line was extended to Mamaroneck in 1926, Harrison in 1927, Rye in 1928, and Port Chester in 1929. These new stations were quite frugal in compari- son to the smooth concrete “mansions” built earlier. An additional 30 cars were pur- chased to accommodate the projected
growth in business, this time manufac- tured by Osgood Bradley, and pur- chased by the New Haven. These cars were leased to the Westchester, and wore small “NYNH&H” stencils near the vestibule doors.
Despite the lack of direct connections and serving an undeveloped territory, the Westchester’s reputation for inex- pensive high-speed service helped win customers. The railway reported 2.9 million riders in 1913, though that fig- ure jumped to 8.6 million ten years lat- er. By 1928, that number climbed to 14 million. At the same time, Westchester County’s population grew 51 per cent between 1920 and 1930. Yet despite outward appearances that the railroad would continue to keep pace with the growth of the suburbs, the same could not be said for revenues versus expens- es once the railway’s bonded debt and other deductions were factored in.
Clinton Bardo was placed as trustee of the Westchester, and given orders by the bankruptcy judge to put together a sustainable reorganization plan in short order. Bardo came out of retire- ment after a long career that included stints on the Lehigh Valley, the New Haven, and the New York Central. He appealed to online communities for tax relief, one of the railway’s primary bur- dens, but to no avail. The New Haven trustees called for liquidation of the Westchester as payment for rentals and other expenses. Bardo made his re- port to the bankruptcy judge in August 1936 explaining the situation. After considering a number of proposals, on April 3, 1937, the judge had declared that reorganization was impossible. In the meantime, the railway did everything possible to maintain a high level of service. Riders up and down the line held town hall meetings and tried to come up with solutions to save the line. Meanwhile, the Westchester en- tered receivership. In a half-hearted show, the mayor of New Rochelle of- fered to cut his city’s taxes in half if the other communities along the line would follow suit. Of course, none were will- ing to do so, more out of fear that other properties would demand similar treat- ment. This was the depths of the Great Depression, and every municipality was hurting for revenue. The final train on the Port Chester
branch departed on October 31, 1937, with service again cut back to North Avenue in New Rochelle. With the prospect of losing their railroad becom- ing real, municipalities along the line hurriedly put together an offer to cut back taxes from 1936 and 1937 in half. They also supported a citizen’s commit- tee plan to have New York State pur- chase the railroad and operate it for “public benefit.” By then, it was too late. On December 18, the federal
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