148 St-Lenox Terminal
148 Street/Lenox Terminal is the northern terminus of the 3 train. The station is located at street level at the bottom of a hillside, meaning the station feels like it is in a trench. The station island platform for the two revenue service tracks line is at the south side of the 3 train's Lenox Yard, which is clearly visible through the fence that at the northern side of the platform that has barbed wire on it. The station and yard are inside what looks like a concrete shed with high ceilings and lights hanging down. This is because buildings have been built above the station and yard on giant platforms. Just after leaving its terminal the 3 cures onto what becomes the northern end of Malcomb X Blvd (Lenox Avenue), the Harlem River can be seen briefly, and dips underground.
The exit of the station is at the bumper end of the revenue tracks and yard tracks. There is a short stairway that leads up to a small head house at street level at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd (7 Avenue) across from the T-intersection at the end of 149 Street (one block north of 148 Street, the station was named 148 Street-Lenox Terminal, and not 149 Street, to avoid confusion with 149 Street-Grand Concourse, the first 2 train station stop in the Bronx). Here there are three turnstiles and the token booth as well as real windows that have the ability to open and close. The head house has doors at booth its street side and station side.
The station is also much newer then the rest of the Lenox Line (including 145 Street) opening on 13 May, 1968 the rest of the Lenox Avenue line from 145 Street to 96 Street opened on November 23, 1904. The Lenox Avenue yard surruding this station was the IRT's original train yard and maintenance shop and was much larger than the train yard there today (which doesn't currently do any maintenance). In the 1960s, along with the construction of this new subway station on existing yard tracks, portions of the train yard were sold off to bulid the Esplanade Gardens Apartment Complex and a school, who's parking deck is over the remaining tracks of the train yard. The station was originally built to be a replacement for the 145 Street station which is why its platform was never extended to be ten cars from the six cars that currently can platform (although only 5 cars open there doors, just the front section of the train), unfortunately once Lenox Terminal opened there were major protests from an apartment building at 145 Street, whose residents didn't want to walk the three measly regular blocks and single cross-town block to the new Lenox terminal station (slightly over a quarter mile). Another unusual feature is the 3 train service information signs hang down from cables from the very tall ceiling of the station and are right at top of train level as is standard.
Late Night Service: Since the station opened 3 trains have run from 148 Street-Lenox Avenue to Brooklyn either New Lots Avenue or Flatbush Avenue (in 1983 to New Lots Avenue for good), 4 trains have always made local stops and served the 3 train's terminal in the middle of the night when 3 trains aren't running. This means that 148 Street and 145 Street are the only two stations only served by the 3 train (with no lines to be rerouted for late night service). From the station's opening in 1968 until 1995 a Shuttle train operated from here to 135 Street to connect to the 2 train. In 1900 the shuttle train was discontinued and the station (along with 145 Street) was closed overnight. Passengers were directed to take the M7, M102 or Free Shuttle Buses to 135 Street to connect with the 2 train. The Suttle train was reinstated from September 4, 1994 through September 10, 1995 before being discontinued again to save money. On July 27, 2008 24 hour subway service to the station was restored with a new late night 3 service operating from here to Times Square-42 Street via the express tracks.
Photo 1 & 2: March 17, 2006; 18 & 19: May 25, 2010; 20-38: March 24, 2013
