168 Street- Washington Heights (A, B, C, D)-The Subway Nut

A (All Times) To: 207 Street, Manhattan (Northbound) and Far Rockaway or Lefferts Boulevard, Queens (Southbound) via Central Park West or Fulton Express

C (All Times except Late Nights (11PM-5AM) To: 168 Street, Manhattan (Northbound) or Euclid Avenue, Brooklyn (Southbound) via Central Park West-Fulton Local

1 (All Times) To: 242 Street-Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx (Northbound) and South Ferry, Manhattan (Southbound) via Broadway Skip-Stop or 7 Avenue Local

9 (Rush Hours Only (6:30-9:30AM & 3:30-8PM) To: 242 Street-Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx (Northbound) and South Ferry, Manhattan (Southbound) via Broadway Skip-Stop or 7 Avenue Local

A,C-The station is a two platform, four track station.The station is the reverse of most other express stations. The A express tracks are on the outside wall side and the C's terminating tracks are in the middle. The station is designed this way so C trains can reverse more easily. The simply comes in on the uptown middle track discharges of passengers, runs beyond the station at tiny bit (trains turning around are visible in the station) the T/O changes ends, then comes back in on the downtown middle track (using a X-over switch before or after). If trains continue down these two tracks they reach the 174 Street upper level yard (this yard was built on the upper level as an easy way to build a then proposed extension over the George Washington Bridge). This unique layout was possible because after the station the line becomes two levels again with A Express trains going back onto a lower bypass level for 163 and 155 Streets, and the C up onto an upper level.

The station itself has a full length mezzanine with exits at either end and the transfer corridor to the 1/9 elevators towards the middle. The trim is Maroon with a black boarder and the standered '168' 1 tile below. On either platform there is no mention of the stations map name 168 Street-Washington Heights


(r9ona1) The R-9 A train enters 168 St (A,C) to become in revenue service. Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 21 August, 2004	(r9sa1) The R-9 A train at 168 St (A,C) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 22 August, 2004	(168a1) Zoom in on the trim and tiling at 168 St (A,C) taken out the window of an R-9 fan trip, Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 22 August, 2004	(168a2) A R-32GE C (3595) waiting to begin service at 168 St (A,C) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 16 August, 2004

(168a3) A R-32GE C (3595) waiting to begin service at 168 St (A,C) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 16 August, 2004	(168a4) A R-32GE C (3595) waiting to begin service at 168 St (A,C) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 16 August, 2004	(168a5) Looking down the old-fashioned warning strip at 168 St (A,C) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 16 August, 2004	(168a6) Looking down the platform at 168 St (A,C) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 16 August, 2004

(168a7) Looking down the full station mezzanine at 168 St (A,C) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 13 November, 2003	(168a11) at 168 St (A,C) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 13 November, 2003

1/9-After walking in a short always crowded corridor we reach the four elevators to the 1/9 platform as well as a very busy entrance with Colombia-Presbyterian Hospital just above on street level. The elevators are fairly new since the station was closed for elevator replacement in the summer of 1997 and are your modern silver-door type. The A,C level is still listed as "(A)(B) TRAINS" inside the elevators (the trains switched northern terminuses on March 1, 1998). 3 elevators are always unmanned and one always has an operator. (I still remember the old elevators, they always had operators and were always breaking down(once I waited 15 minutes for the only one elevator running during a rush hour (I assume the rest were broken), there was a transit employee directing traffic) the old elevators were often hot since they had less ventilation then the new ones, there was one that took a while to open because the doors would stick together)

Taking the elevator down to "(1)(9) TRAINS" we reach the lower elevator landing, unlike 181 Street (its sister station) this station's elevator landing is in a looped corridor. We can turn either way to reach one of two bridges that lead to either track. The station I consider the most beautiful on the system (that's currently used in revenue service), its is located in a large tube that encloses both platforms and tracks with no interior columns. For lighting there not your standered florescent lights but white globes on ornate original light fixtures hanging from the platform walls, the station is dimmer then most with the old fashioned lights providing most of the lighting, this unfortunately only is of half the station. The other half (with no exits) is just a boring extension (it does have name tablets and trim) like every other IRT station with the normal amount of columns (I never wait in that part of the station). 181 Street one stop north is almost the same although it has modern bright lighting and only one overpass and narrow passageway to its elevators.


(168a8) Looking south on the northern overpass to the other overpass notice the lighting at 168 St (1,9) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 13 November, 2003	(168a9) Looking north on the northern overpass at 168 St (1,9) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 13 November, 2003	(168a10**) R-62A 1 trains entering and leaving 168 St (1,9) Photo by Jeremiah Cox, 13 November, 2003