Old New York

The Queensboro Bridge opened in 1909 connecting Queens with Manhattan at 59th street. It originally had a 10 cent toll to use it. The last streetcar line in New York City ran over this bridge until 1957. In its early years, there were a number of lines and additional tracks crossing the Bridge , the last of which ran in 1937. Sometime after the Bridge opened , work began on trackways to connect the Second Ave Elevated with the joint IRT BRT station to be built at Queensboro Plaza under the Dual Contracts expansion. 

Here are a couple of photos of Queensboro plaza before the joint  IRT BRT station and facilities were built . The time period is probably about 1912.

Wide roadways and malls existed. No Els or subways in sight. The Building with the tower was at a later time used as manufacturing point for early aircraft. Long Island was an early center of aviation in the early years. 

This view is just a bit earlier than the first photo above. The tracks of the LIRR and PRR are in the foreground. The freight cars are in what was known as Yard A on the LIRR. It has since been eliminated along with Arch Street and the float yards further west. PRRs Sunnyside yards are just to the right in the photo. They were new when this image was made.  The Roadway and bridge we see is Queens Boulevard . It looks as if construction is still underway and there is no traffic yet. Today, the El structure of the number 7 Flushing train is above the bridge and road . I found these photos interesting to see what was there before the Queens Elevateds came.

From a recent fan trip I took with my friends in the last year. 

Tom 

Old PATH train cars..................

SIRT, I took many rides on those old H&M pre-PATH cars.  They could turn very sharp curves, under Hudson Terminal.

Just saw this one   Brooklyn Bridge 1945

Amazing photo Ben. Just a year after the El and trainshed were discontinued, there is no sign of it in the photo. The trolleys ran to 1950. Looks like a PCC in delivery colors in the foreground.

A few photos from around the area seen on Facebook.

The first one shows us a single car SIRT train on the North Shore Branch supposedly at Snug Harbor on the  way   to Arlington. I found the photo interesting as it is a color shot. Its about 1953 in time.

So now we go off to Long Island into Nassau County on the LIRR. WE have a couple of nice Steam engine shots to share. This one is at Floral Park in the early 1950s before the line was elevated here as part of a Grade Crossing Project The tracks we see are the main line from  Hicksville, Divide . The train is either a Port Jefferson or Ronkonkoma originating train on the way to Jamaica. The Garden City branch would be in the foreground but not in the photo Nice G5s shot with a string of ping pongs in Tichy colors.

This next shot is interesting for LIRR historians and is a scene that is rare and no longer possible. In the early years, The LIRR had a line that crossed the Main line just east of Mineola. It connected the Oyster bay Branch with the Hempstead Branch and continued beyond to the present day West Hempstead Branch and connected to the Far Rockaway line at Valley Stream. Access to the Rockaways was provided to Long Islanders without having to go to Jamaica.

This shot shows us an H10s crossing Hempstead Turnpike on trackage that is now gone. Looks like a 1950 Pontiac in the photo. . I did not think that there were train movements on that track segment as late as 1950. That's a 1949 Plymouth in the right hand corner.

Thanks for posting this LIRR material :-) Westhempstead Branch

LIRR Alco S1 #415 westbound (View N) at Hempstead Ave., probably headed from Country Life Press West Hempstead  late 1950's Archive: Jim Gillin

After Penn Station was demolished Jackie Kennedy led the fight for the Landmarks preservation act    Penn Station was a beautiful building  Very bad something like that was destroyed

Great pictures from Ben and all of you - lots of history here

Ben,

  Since you mentioned Jackie Kennedy, here is the plaque from Grand Central. Your topic is so long, not sure if we posted it before.

  Also, I included an old IRT (platform pillar) subway sign, circa 1910, probably from IRT W.34th Street - PENN.  STA. Detective work provided by the great Joe Frank, fellow Mt. St. Michael (Bronx high school) graduate. I picked up the subway sign from the White Plains Toy & Train Show this past Sunday. The best $45 I ever spent. 

Tom 

bluelinec4 posted:

After Penn Station was demolished Jackie Kennedy led the fight for the Landmarks preservation act    Penn Station was a beautiful building  Very bad something like that was destroyed

The reps in Buffalo NY are determining where to place the new Amtrak station in Buffalo right now. Some want another new station built by the lake. I wish there were more people like her involved in the decision. When the Central Terminal is gone, it will never be replaced.

A far cry from what Penn Station looks like today.....they could never build anything like this again due to costs and bureaucratic laws and legislation....I hope the post office between 7th and 8th ave gets to survive...  

A few from Queensboro

Queeensborough Plaza was the largest station in the Elevated system and as large as the West 4th street complex on the IND lines. Until 1949, service was provided jointly by the IRT and BMT divisions. Until 1942, the IRT second Avenue Elevated operated over the Queensboro Bridge and ran trains to both Astoria and Flushing . The IRT Steinway Line( What is now the number 7) provided service to both branches from Times Square. BMT El Trains served both branches with Trains originating at Queensboro Plaza as well as  a Round Robin Operation between Ditmars Blvd and Main street Flushing. BMT subway trains used the 60th street tunnel to arrive at Queensboro plaza with passengers transferring to the BMT EL service for either Branch. The track work was a a great complex arrangement that permitted all these operations. Here are a few aerial views. The North side of the station was removed in the 1960's since it had not bee used since 1949.

This one is probably 1949-50 right after joint operations ended.

from the Astoria Branch looking west into the old BMT station

BMT now using the former 2nd Ave El Connection to Astoria

A lot of Q cars on the Astoria Branch east of the plaza . Note the Bridge trolley on the street level.

 what a mix master of tracks we have here on the east side of the station as the Astoria and Flushing Branches diverge to the North and East.

probably 1949 . some BMT equipment still using the layup track on the south side of the Flushing El between the plaza and 33rd street . Some activity in LIRR Yard A at Sunnyside. 

From the Astoria side. The 2nd Avenue El connection is in the foreground.

4th ave local having arrived from Manhattan. It will turn and change ends on  the BMT layup track.

Same Train arriving

The Low V's at Ditmars Blvd on Astoria ready to depart for Times Square on the Steinway line.

and Last but not least, MUDC cars on the 2nd Ave Line coming from Flushing.Probably just before service ended in 1942.  

Remember as a small child riding from Broadway, Astoria over the Queensboro bridge and down 2nd ave.80 years ago. Also riding on the BMT gate cars from Broadway, Astoria to 61st street Woodside without changing trains. This was before these cars were rebuilt to the Q configuration just before the 1939-40 World's Fair! GREAT MEMORIES,I can assure you!

Thank you for the comments on your experience with these Els. When the 6th, 9th and 2nd ave  north of 59 th st Els were closed in 1940, there were many newer cars available to make the 2nd ave run to Queens Els . So gate cars would be rare after 1940 on these lines. The one seat ride you mentioned was the BMT round Robin Astoria -Flushing service. Curious as to what track and platform these trains used in the BMT part of Queensboro plaza station. 

Thanks for the memories guys, I was born in 1943 lived in Corona, rode the "Q" cars. I remember the block signals were inbedded in the station columns. I was under the impression that the "Q's" ended @Willets Point, but I guess I'm wrong. I guess I always rode lo-v's to Flushing.

The subway entrances at Main street had both BMT and IRT signs on them . Since Q's were the last BMT cars to run on this line, its a good bet they made it to Main Street. 

Its not the only place on the BMT where wood cars were below ground. The Culver service via the 5th Avenue elevated used wood cars and traveled through the lower level of the 9th Avenue station in Brooklyn which was below grade.

on the Flushing Line in BMT service

At 33rd st Rawson 

At 74th street