Where were switches removed? Where could they be added?

[CenSin]

This thread is a spin-off from Home signals at Hunterspoint and Vernon Jackson . A lot of places in the subway system have what seems to be switches long removed or provisions for switches never installed. This thread is here to list all of them. If anyone can explain the history or reason for any of them, feel free to elaborate. I'll start off (grouped by line):

 

4 Avenue

• between Union Street and Atlantic Avenue on the Manhattan-bound pair of tracks
  
• between 45 Street and 36 Street on the Manhattan-bound pair of tracks before the merge from the West End line.
  

 

Culver

• at both ends of Kings Highway and 18 Avenue the steel structure under the tracks seem to indicate the previous existence of a different switch configuration.
  

 

Brighton

• between 7 Avenue and Atlantic Avenue
  
• just west of Ocean Parkway, the local tracks would have continued on the lower level to West 8 Street–New York Aquarium. Whether there were switches before the removal of the lower level tracks is not known.
  

 

Broadway

• north of Prince Street there seems to be provisions for switches between the local and express tracks and then switches between the express tracks.
  

 

Lexington Avenue

• between 103 Street and 110 Street were switches between the express and local tracks and also the express tracks.
  
• at Spring Street there was a fifth track between the express tracks. The switches were at either end of the station.
  

 

Queens Boulevard

• west of 71 Street–Forest Hills on the Queens-bound side had switches removed.
  

 

[Dan05979]

Also on the I think coming into treamont ave north or the other way around...

[Queens Surface]

71/Continental on the Queens Bound side entering the station....switches there were removed years ago..

[Snowblock]

The Lexington Line used to have a set of switches between 103 and 110. Supposedly this was the reason why those two stations are on the same level. Once again, you can see the opens walls from where the switches used to be. There also used to be a 5th relay track at Spring St, which is why there is a gap between the two express tracks there. And Union Square S/B had one of those relay track thingies like what N/B has (and what 72/Broadway has), but was reconfigured into a regular diamond crossover after SOMEBODY wrecked that switch by taking it too fast.......

[Quill Depot]

Some of those Fourth Avenue switches should have been kept. If there is a problem at DeKalb all of 4th Avenue is almost wiped from service.

[pjbr40]

I wish they could add switch track from the brooklyn bound to the brooklyn bound before entering Broadway Layfette- Bleecker Street. If the had been rerouted they have to straight to Coney Island and then do the turn around.

[TwoTimer]

well said of the obvious

[Kamen Rider]

Of course, if they decided to add those switches, there would be some people in our extened family bitching about having to put up with the service desruptions that would result...

 

I mean we all know it's not just "lets put in a switch".

 

It's "lets rebuild several hundrid feet of tunnel to, complety rewire the signal system on two tracks to cover the homeball/s and then install a switch. Then Test the switch. then send the TGCs through a half dozen times." That's not exactly something that could get done in a weekend or over a Fastrack cycle.

[GojiMet86]

I do remember reading that there were switches above Freeman Street, but they removed them as recently as like 10 or 20 years ago. They were used to short-turn one of the elevated lines.

[TwoTimer]

I do remember reading that there were switches above Freeman Street, but they removed them as recently as like 10 or 20 years ago. They were used to short-turn one of the elevated lines.

 

Removed three years ago.

[Brighton Express]

The one between 7 Av and Atlantic NEEDS to come back. It is very useful during GOs. No wrong railing necessary.

 

An X needs be added South of the Broadway Lafayette platform on the SB, allowing Local trains access to the Manhattan Bridge, and Express trains to access the Nassau St or Culver Line.

 

Two Xs need to be added North of Washington Square on the NB and SB, allowing trains from 6 Av to run 8 Av Express NB, and trains from 6 Av runing via 8 Av Express return to their respective line.

[Trainmaster5]

I'll add 2 more IRT locations to the list. There were switches located between Borough Hall and Hoyt St connecting the 7rh Ave and Lexington Lines in both directions. There was a diamond cross-over and tower entering Utica Ave s/b which was in use as late as the early '60's IIRC. As pointed out in an earlier post, between 103rd St and 110th St on the Lex had an interlocking that connected all four tracks 1-4, similar to the setup in BK at Nevins and Atlantic(minus the spur). The setup went 1tk-2tk-3tk-4tk as indicated by the missing pillars between the stations. I happened to be on an electric locomotive with a schoolcar motor instructor one day while we were breaking in a newly promoted TSS and my M/I had me point it out to the new TSS while we were on our way to the Grand Central Spur track. We took him to the tower at GC and showed him the tower board which had nothing showing the interlocking but a trainmaster there recalled seeing an older model board which confirmed that it was in use at one time.He was the last person to hold the title of Trainmaster in the entire NYCTA and I've always respected his knowledge and the things he passed on to me and others so if he said it existed I took his word for it. You could give him a signal # and he could tell you it's exact location off the top of his head, he was that good. BTW, at the time of my retirement there were still gaps in the third rail on all 4 tracks corresponding to the missing switches which is enough confirmation for me. That's my history lesson, courtesy of one of my mentors. Carry on.