It's official: South Ferry Loop Platform reopening - No timeline yet, however.

[Orion VII 4 Life]

OK seriously, personally speaking for myself and only myself, and not Cait Sith or Seven Eleven, I will have to tell you that in comparison to subway enthusiasts, we have straphangers who are way much more aggressive and rude then any person I've ever seen simply taking photos or railfanning shooting videos. And that's the truth. Persons who are fanning transit as a hobby obviously have a good sense of subway ettiquette for obvious reasons, they understand the unwritten rules of the system where it comes to appropriate behavior. Now I am a fan of this vast and historic system, but I am not as dedicated as many are here to the hobby, I'm more coming from the political point of view as a straphanger, and I would tell you we have way much more assholish 'geese' then 'foamers' if you are putting it that way.

 

I completely understand, being a frequent 139 rider lol. Now, not going to rant again, but we have a bunch that doesn't give a damn about subway ettiquette. People have stolen rollsigns and done a bunch of ridiculous shit that I'm not even gonna go on about. It's the bunch that makes us as a whole look bad. It's not that they're mean or anything like that either.

 

But you are absolutely right, we have some hardcore criminals riding our trains and they aren't the guys taking pictures.

[realizm]

I completely understand, being a frequent 139 rider lol. Now, not going to rant again, but we have a bunch that doesn't give a damn about subway ettiquette. People have stolen rollsigns and done a bunch of ridiculous shit that I'm not even gonna go on about. It's the bunch that makes us as a whole look bad. It's not that they're mean or anything like that either.

 

But you are absolutely right, we have some hardcore criminals riding our trains and they aren't the guys taking pictures.

 

As well as simpleton everyday riders who always walk around with a chip on their shoulders, from all walks of life that don't know the leave the trash at the closing doors. In general New Yorkers are very rude. But again as for railfanners , or busfanners, they have a higher sense of subway etiquette  I think that's why you are getting the angry responses. I'm just trying to give you some insight here and I'm glad you are coming too with what I am trying to say.

 

I can't tell you how many times I really came close to slapping one of these geese in the face for disrespecting me with their moronic attitudes which is why half of the time I say f**k it and jump in the car, really. And I'm a straight straphanger myself!! I can guarantee you many halfway decent NYers feel the same way I do and sad enough avoid mass transit at all costs for these reasons which happens to be because of the generally aggressive and apathetic nature of the NYC culture.

 

I just happen to be a regular straphanger with a high appreciation for NYC Transit. This is why I am a member here.

[Abba]

Got a notification from twitter that the station is opening 5AM Tomorrow morning.

[Orion VII 4 Life]

 

Got a notification from twitter that the station is opening 5AM Tomorrow morning.

5 huh? That's gonna be great for the commuters.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Yep, it's on the MTA website too:

 

 

1 Service to South Ferry to Resume Thursday, April 4 at 5 a.m.

 

 

Old South Ferry Reopens

After weeks of intense work to rehabilitate the previously decommissioned South Ferry Station, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will reopen the station tomorrow morning at 5 a.m. in time for the morning rush.

 

The old loop station will operate while the newer terminal station, which was heavily damaged by Superstorm Sandy, undergoes extensive repairs.

 

B-roll footage of the station being prepared for service will be available after 3 p.m. today on the MTA’s YouTube page, www.youtube.com/mtainfo. Still photos of the work are available on the MTA website athttp://www.mta.info/nyct/service/RestorationofOldSouthFerryStation.htm.

 

As a reminder, the old South Ferry Station only allows for the first five cars of a train to platform and egress is limited.  Customers coming from points north and terminating their trips at the old loop station are urged to use the staircase at the center of the platform to exit the station.  Customers entering the station should use the main entrance adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry terminal. 

 

 

Source: http://new.mta.info/news/1-service-south-ferry-resumes-april-4-5-am

[mediccjh]

The station is going to flood from all of the drool of the foamers that are going to be there.

[realizm]

LMFAO

[BreeddekalbL]

how perfect.. 

Service Change

 Posted: 04/03/2013  4:58PM


 

Beginning at 5am Thursday, April 4, 2013,  train service will resume at the old South Ferry Station.

As a reminder, only the first five cars of the train will be able to platform at the old South Ferry Station.

For more information, visit http://new.mta.info/news/1-service-south-ferry-resumes-april-4-5-am.

 

[DJ MC]

The station is going to flood from all of the drool of the foamers that are going to be there.

 

If that happens they will have to close the station again.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Tonight when I got in, I received a letter from Peter Cafiero, who is the Chief of Operations Planning regarding service levels on the .  He wrote to me upon a request from Governor Cuomo's in response to my e-mail to Cuomo's office regarding boosting service on the line as opposed to re-opening the old South Ferry loop. According to the (MTA)'s numbers, he says that during rush hours and off-peak during the weekdays, that on average, train service is "under capacity" but is over capacity at times on weekends, but that they can't add service at the moment because of track work on the line which I did see happening recently.  He did promise that they would continue to monitor loading on the line and also argued that opening South Ferry will improve train service throughout the line.  My thinking is that they'll try to add some weekend service at some point once they finish track work, esp. since Cuomo allocated them some 30+ million dollars so we'll see. Nice to hear that folks are listening to our concerns.

[SubwayGuy]

OK seriously, personally speaking for myself and only myself, and not Cait Sith or Seven Eleven, I will have to tell you that in comparison to subway enthusiasts, we have straphangers who are way much more aggressive and rude then any person I've ever seen simply taking photos or railfanning shooting videos. And that's the truth. Persons who are fanning transit as a hobby obviously have a good sense of subway ettiquette for obvious reasons, they understand the unwritten rules of the system where it comes to appropriate behavior. Now I am a fan of this vast and historic system, but I am not as dedicated as many are here to the hobby, I'm more coming from the political point of view as a straphanger, and I would tell you we have way much more assholish 'geese' then 'foamers' if you are putting it that way.

 

Read the newspapers and see the ridiculous rate of crimes happening in the system or the stupidity everyday riders do that is captured in youtube or just be personal observation. Notice these people are not subway enthusiasts, clearly. That's why not to be rude but I completely disagree with your statement. But you are entitled to your views. 

 

Not necessarily. Railfans do their share of rule breaking and nuisancing also. There's a lot of generalizing going on in this thread, and most of it (like most generalizing) doesn't work.

 

Anyone who goes down there, especially you children...BEHAVE. No flash photography, no tripods or "ancillary equipment", no acting like asshats, and don't interfere with what's going on. Leave the crews, the rollsigns, and the commuters alone and enjoy your fanning without disrupting anyone else's day and I don't see why anyone would need to post complaints about anyone's behavior.

[B35 via Church]

I'll be avoiding that place like hell on the 1st day... can you say foamer fest?

 

Looking forward to seeing/using the station soon though.

Not sure why you caught the flack that you did for this comment, unless it's something else I'm missing....

 

But regardless, I'd avoid the station for an entirely different reason.... I want to minimize my chances of being on TV; not tryna answer no news reporter's question(s) about the station's reopening.... Let the people that have/need to utilize South Ferry on a daily basis or w/e subject themselves to that.... Of course it's all good news that the station will be reopened, but I don't have to be there on the first day it does so, because I am not a regular user of the station.... Screw the rampant "being first" craze - There's enough of it on blog posts & in the comments section of youtube videos....

 

I get what you're sayin, but the way I see it.... The simple action of r/f-ers taking pics is no different than what you gotta put up with in this city, with tourists stopping in front of you taking pics of w/e they see fit - just because it's in "New York".....

[Orion VII 4 Life]

Not sure why you caught the flack that you did for this comment, unless it's something else I'm missing....

 

I got shit for that because people got grudges against me and target me specifically, notice how someone else in this thread (no offense to him) just said something about the foamers that will be there and got nothing but +1s. I'm honestly used to it and don't care. Getting shit from people on here to me is no different than a confrontation with a cop/transit worker for doing what I do, I'll just keep moving along. I don't spam/troll the forums, and my English don't suck either.

 

PS you're 100% right about the TV reporters and all that too.

[Orion VII 4 Life]

Anyway, getting this back on track, I'm a little confused about the layout. I know we'll still have the entrance in the ferry terminal, but I saw in the TA video that there is a new connection to the mezzanine and it looks to be at one of the platform ends. Where does that lead out to on the mezzanine? I also noticed it might've had a small staircase in it, so I guess the station won't be ADA compliant?

[realizm]

Not sure why you caught the flack that you did for this comment, unless it's something else I'm missing....

 

But regardless, I'd avoid the station for an entirely different reason.... I want to minimize my chances of being on TV; not tryna answer no news reporter's question(s) about the station's reopening.... Let the people that have/need to utilize South Ferry on a daily basis or w/e subject themselves to that.... Of course it's all good news that the station will be reopened, but I don't have to be there on the first day it does so, because I am not a regular user of the station.... Screw the rampant "being first" craze - There's enough of it on blog posts & in the comments section of youtube videos....

 

I get what you're sayin, but the way I see it.... The simple action of r/f-ers taking pics is no different than what you gotta put up with in this city, with tourists stopping in front of you taking pics of w/e they see fit - just because it's in "New York".....

 

Speaking of which, it was a mess on the Lex this morning, a total nightmare because I'm assuming delays because of the opening of the loop and tied up trains at Bowling Green and the  that also utilizes the loop for turnarounds.

 

(I'm assuming so because *maybe* a few of the rush hr  's were not dispatched to Brooklyn towards Flatbush today as they should but terminated at Bowling Green during the morning rush today but unsure, no idea.)

 

I gave little kitty the car and chanced it getting to work on the from the Bronx. Big mistake. The Lexington Ave express trains were CRAWLING like a glacier all the way to City Hall. Ended up late for work, with a nightmare of service tickets to go through in the IT helpdesk department and pertinant technical issues! Jesus Christ.  You know I'm hitting the bar after work before heading home after work, my brain is a frazzle from this morning. Sheesh. I'm catching up now, so here I am posting......

 

Well looking foward to the subway enthusiasts here and the pics to be posted on the SF loop opening if they can even get there to the loop. Not there but i would imagine it would be chaos at this station today for understandable reasons. (Service changes/disruptions-wise)

 

Add: Could even be because of delays on the   all the way back at the WPR in the Bronx. I should have checked mta.info before I left for work.

[Threxx]

Like I said in the status update, I don't understand why the word "foamer" is seen as such an insult by the very people who would fit the definition of foamer. Being a foamer doesn't mean you have to be a rabid person who lives and breathes transit who knows the history of every individual car in the system. As much as people want to deny the term, railfan is synonymous to foamer. Even though the word "foamer" was applied to us by people who didn't understand the hobby, it doesn't necessarily mean it's something to take offense about. Let's admit it, if you like trains, then you probably fit the bill as being a foamer in one way or another. Let's not attack those who may take the hobby more seriously, that's their choice, and there's no need to make a scene out of it.

 

Whew. Long post. Carry on.

[realizm]

Deleted - merge broken

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Like I said in the status update, I don't understand why the word "foamer" is seen as such an insult by the very people who would fit the definition of foamer. Being a foamer doesn't mean you have to be a rabid person who lives and breathes transit who knows the history of every individual car in the system. As much as people want to deny the term, railfan is synonymous to foamer. Even though the word "foamer" was applied to us by people who didn't understand the hobby, it doesn't necessarily mean it's something to take offense about. Let's admit it, if you like trains, then you probably fit the bill as being a foamer in one way or another. Let's not attack those who may take the hobby more seriously, that's their choice, and there's no need to make a scene out of it.

 

Whew. Long post. Carry on.

lol... That may be because a lot of people don't follow up with the hobby as they get older.  I think most kids that ride buses or trains take to it at least for a little while, but grow out of it.  I joke about express buses and such but I wouldn't consider myself a foamer in the slightest.  I just happen to be informed about the system from experience having working with the , having family that works with the and realizing the impact that public transit can have on a community so I'm here as more of an advocate more than anything else.  

 

Most of the folks on here are teenagers so it's not that shocking that they would be foamers.  I actually had a little area in my room when I was a kid where I had transit stuff that I collected but eventually as I became older, rock took over, so my entire room would be covered with nothing but heavy metal and rock posters (mainly of Soundgarden). I have to say though, I was shocked that there's a transit community.  I found this site by accident looking for info on the BM3. lol

[Threxx]

I joke about express buses and such but I wouldn't consider myself a foamer in the slightest.  I just happen to be informed about the system from experience having working with the , having family that works with the and realizing the impact that public transit can have on a community so I'm here as more of an advocate more than anything else.

BTW, being a foamer doesn't always have to relate to buses/trains.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

BTW, being a foamer doesn't always have to relate to buses/trains.

lol... Well you know the term better than I do... 

[Threxx]

lol... Well you know the term better than I do... 

 

While it was originally centered around trains, it could be adapted to just mean an enthusiast of some sort.

 

Case in point... being a foamer is nothing to be ashamed about...

[Via Garibaldi 8]

While it was originally centered around trains, it could be adapted to just mean an enthusiast of some sort.

 

Case in point... being a foamer is nothing to be ashamed about...

Well I wouldn't say that.... It depends on how far that person takes the hobby... Some people take it up to a point of obsession.

[Burrstone]

Like I said in the status update, I don't understand why the word "foamer" is seen as such an insult by the very people who would fit the definition of foamer. Being a foamer doesn't mean you have to be a rabid person who lives and breathes transit who knows the history of every individual car in the system. As much as people want to deny the term, railfan is synonymous to foamer. Even though the word "foamer" was applied to us by people who didn't understand the hobby, it doesn't necessarily mean it's something to take offense about. Let's admit it, if you like trains, then you probably fit the bill as being a foamer in one way or another. Let's not attack those who may take the hobby more seriously, that's their choice, and there's no need to make a scene out of it.

 

Whew. Long post. Carry on.

The word foamer sounds negative and in many cases is used to make fun of people.  If someone was into computers or computer systems you wouldn't call them a nerd, maybe fitting but you would understand why it would offend them.  No matter what the interest is, I think "enthusiast" is a better term for them.

 

I think enthusiasts/foamers of many different hobbies get a bad wrap because the general public might not understand why tehy interested in what they're interested in.  To most guys, from late teens throughout their 30's are interest in just a few things girls, sports, and cars.  If you're interested in anything else than the majority they're gonna question it.

 

This is why I feel there are closet enthusiasts/foamers but the internet is helping to bring them together.  I mean could you imagine 30 years ago if you only had your group of friends and asked "so, is anyone else interested in buses/trainss?" lol

[Orion VII 4 Life]

The word foamer sounds negative and in many cases is used to make fun of people.  If someone was into computers or computer systems you wouldn't call them a nerd, maybe fitting but you would understand why it would offend them.  No matter what the interest is, I think "enthusiast" is a better term for them.

 

I think enthusiasts/foamers of many different hobbies get a bad wrap because the general public might not understand why tehy interested in what they're interested in.  To most guys, from late teens throughout their 30's are interest in just a few things girls, sports, and cars.  If you're interested in anything else than the majority they're gonna question it.

 

This is why I feel there are closet enthusiasts/foamers but the internet is helping to bring them together.  I mean could you imagine 30 years ago if you only had your group of friends and asked "so, is anyone else interested in buses/trainss?" lol

Enthusiast/railfan/busfan=Normal person interested in the hobby, knows the Transit system well, keeps calm and just does what they do, usually has a life outside of the hobby.

Foamer=Extreme railfan that may do some insane/illegal shit, example: treating trains/buses like people, stealing rollsigns or otherwise vandalizing Transit property, has to be there first whenever new buses/railcars come in or a new station opens, calls out what model bus/railcar is in front of them, etc and their lives revolve around trains/buses.

 

It's the foamers that make the railfans/busfans in general look bad. Not everyone is a foamer, and not everyone is the regular everyday railfan, but there is that bunch of foamers that really just makes all of us look bad to the TA, law enforcement, and people in general. It is a negative term because now train crews, cops, and so on will call all of us foamers, however I don't see it being so negative when being used towards the people that are actually true foamers.

[ttcsubwayfan]

Foamer=Extreme railfan that may do some insane/illegal shit, example: treating trains/buses like people, stealing rollsigns or otherwise vandalizing Transit property, has to be there first whenever new buses/railcars come in or a new station opens, calls out what model bus/railcar is in front of them, etc and their lives revolve around trains/buses.

 

Define 'treating buses/trains like people'. If this is for fiction purposes, (see the angry train video on Youtube) then I fail to see why this is a problem.

 

Also, define what having your life revolve around trains/buses is. If you go out transit fanning frequently, set transit photos as your wallpaper, develop fictional municipalities with transit systems in it and spend a lot of time pondering the details about that, that's, again, not a problem - at least, not to any sane, rational person - but if you told your boyfriend/girlfriend, "Oh, sorry honey, the R188s debut on the today, I can't take you out to the movies" or if you jizz your pants if you see an R160 on the , then you my friend need help, AND QUICKLY!!!

 

BTW, you look down on foamers when, in your signature, you proclaim yourself to be one...

 

Frankly I agree with both Threxx and Burrstone. Being a foamer isn't necessarily a bad thing if you don't do illegal shit or the things I described above, but at the same time a lot of people use that as a derogatory term for anyone who is even 0.000001% more dedicated to the hobby, and that makes you ignorant.

 

Calling other people blind doesn't make you see.