145 Street (3) - The SubwayNut

145th Street is one of the more unusual subway stations in New York. The station is the only station that presently can't accommodate a full ten car train. The now closed and replaced South Ferry Loop was the other long-term station with this impediment. The platform is short and can accommodate only six cars, although only the first five are open since the conductor is at this point in the middle of the train. There are many reasons for this, one is the 2 train switches onto the Lenox Avenue line from the 149 Street tunnel, jut south of the station and just north of it the 3 train returns to the surface to curve into the Lenox Yard and enter the 148 Street-Lenox Terminal. The other reason is that when the transit authority built the 148 Street-Lenox terminal which opened in tracks of the IRT's original train yard in 1968, this new statino was planned replace, leading to the abandonment of 145 Street but there was uproar from apartment buildings that wanted the station kept and wanted to avoid having to walk the ~1/3 mile to the 148 Street-Lenox Terminal Station.

The station (along with 148 Street) was closed during late nights between 1990 and 2008 (with the except of shuttle train service September 1994 and September 1995), with passenger directed to nearby bus routes because of low-ridership on previous shuttle trains to 135 Street (which are also an operational nightmare because of poor switch configurations. On July 27, 2008 late night 3 train service finally began operating between Times Square and 148 Street, restoring full time subway service to this station.

The station itself is of the typical design of an IRT local station from the Heins & LaFarge era of designing the original subway system as the station opened on November 23, 1984. There are two short side platforms both of witch are fairly narrow towards the ends and get a bit wider in the middle near fare control. There is no way to board uptown trains at this station, all that is on the uptown platform are two exits to the NE and SE corners of 145 Street and Malcom X Blvd (Lenox Avenue) with high exit turnstiles by each staircase. The downtown platform has entrance staircases down from the NW and SW corners of 145 Street Street and Malcom X Blvd (Lenox Avenue) to its fare control area with the token booth.

Booth platforms still have their original terra cotta cartouches with 145 on them although odd colors of paint seem to have gotten on them. Many original 145 Street tiled name tablets are also along the platform. Unfortunately, the roof has been replaced at some point over the years so there is no more ornamentation on it and its flat. There are also a couple of mosaic tiled replicas of the 145 Street cartouches, towards the ends of the platforms that were the first extensions in the 1920s. The station in many places, particularly near the northern end has many more columns that most and almost provide a fence between the train and the platform.
Photo 1-30: July 24, 2008

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A boring platform sign on a white wall at 145 Street.

A flat mosaic replica of a terra cotta cartouche at 145 Street.

Looking down the uptown platform at 145 Street towards its northern end.

A close up of a platform sign on a round column at 145 Street.

Looking across the tracks at 145 Street towards the narrow northern end of the downtown platform at 145 Street. The conductors stop panel is visible with a red sign on it that says 'open front section only'.

Even though there is no way to enter the northbound platform from the street there is still a To 148 Street except late nights sign hanging from the ceiling.

A view of all the columns that seem to provide a fence at the northern end of the uptown platform at 145 Street.

A name tablet at 145 Street with some probably older green tile interchanged with newer white tile underneath the brown mosaic band that provides a bit of a trim under the terra cotta relief at the corner of the ceiling and the platform wall.

A close up of a terra cotta cartouche at 145 Street it is identical with other then the numbers in it to similar cartouches at all the other Lenox Avenue stations except 110 Street.

Another view down the uptown platform at 145 Street, the two exits with there High Exit gates are visible.

Another view across to a name tablet along the very narrow northern end of the downtown platform at 145 Street.

One of the two High Exit gates that provide the only means of entry and egress at 145 Street from the uptown platform, a modern emergency exit gate with its panic bar is also there.

A wider view with a boring Exit sign and a cartouche visible of an exit at 145 Street.

The southern end of the uptown platform at 145 Street is still quite wide.

No entry to the uptown platform at 145 Street.

Looking down one of the staircases from the uptown platform at 145 Street. A gate that closes the station at night is visible and is open. There is a sign on it saying Push Bar for emergency exit, alarm will sound but there is no panic bar visible.

A no entry exit from the uptown platform at 145 Street viewed from Lenox Avenue.

A close up of a sign on the exit at 145 Street saying to use entrance across the street makes no reference to the fact that is only for downtown trains.

An entrance to the downtown platform at 145 Street, the sign saying what to do when the station is closed during late nights is visible.

A close up of the sign saying late nights no 3 service at 145 Street and to use the shuttle bus (that appears on Manhattan bus maps) or M7 or M102 to 135 Street for 2 service (in a month late night subway service will be restored).

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