Byford: “Oy! We’re gonna fix the ugly at Chambers Street.”

[Deucey]

https://nypost.com/2018/05/25/mta-overhauling-forgotten-subway-station-after-post-report/

[Deucey]

I don’t understand how  could let so many stations get so ugly and dingy and not advocate and lobby for more funding. 

[RR503]

You know, I'm really glad they're fixing it up, but it really will be the end of an era when I can actually see the tile at that station. It's the last true relic of the dirty, broken, partially abandoned subway system of yore -- a piece of living history, if you will. 

So here's to the future, but I'm not gonna pretend that I won't miss the grime. 

[R68OnBroadway]

5 minutes ago, RR503 said:

You know, I'm really glad they're fixing it up, but it really will be the end of an era when I can actually see the tile at that station. It's the last true relic of the dirty, broken, partially abandoned subway system of yore -- a piece of living history, if you will. 

So here's to the future, but I'm not gonna pretend that I won't miss the grime. 

What about Bowery?

[T to Dyre Avenue]

19 hours ago, Deucey said:

https://nypost.com/2018/05/25/mta-overhauling-forgotten-subway-station-after-post-report/

My response to Byford: “Get on with it, then!”

[LGA Link N Train]

21 hours ago, Deucey said:

https://nypost.com/2018/05/25/mta-overhauling-forgotten-subway-station-after-post-report/

I read this a couple of days ago and I was like, IT'S ABOUT TIME!! That station needs a lot of work. Apparently, I have a friend who doesn't want to renovate it because "It'll ruin/kill the history of that station". and I'm like. No it won't. There's something called the History Preservation Act. Besides, Chambers Street NEEDS to look presentable to the public, especially since it's underneath the Municipal building (or whatever building it is, I don't remember at the moment) 

What do you guys think?

[Union Tpke]

2 minutes ago, LGA Link N train said:

I read this a couple of days ago and I was like, IT'S ABOUT TIME!! That station needs a lot of work. Apparently, I have a friend who doesn't want to renovate it because "It'll ruin/kill the history of that station". and I'm like. No it won't. There's something called the History Preservation Act. Besides, Chambers Street NEEDS to look presentable to the public, especially since it's underneath the Municipal building (or whatever building it is, I don't remember at the moment) 

What do you guys think?

It is the Municipal Building. The station needs a lot of work. I hope that they don't change the historic tiling and that they don't block off the closed platforms. This is one of my favorite stations in the system (top-5).

[LGA Link N Train]

1 minute ago, Union Tpke said:

It is the Municipal Building. The station needs a lot of work. I hope that they don't change the historic tiling and that they don't block off the closed platforms. This is one of my favorite stations in the system (top-5).

That's why I brought up the History Preservation Act! 

[Around the Horn]

21 hours ago, RR503 said:

You know, I'm really glad they're fixing it up, but it really will be the end of an era when I can actually see the tile at that station. It's the last true relic of the dirty, broken, partially abandoned subway system of yore -- a piece of living history, if you will. 

So here's to the future, but I'm not gonna pretend that I won't miss the grime. 

They should do what they did with Grand Central's ceiling and leave a small foot by foot square somewhere.

41 minutes ago, LGA Link N train said:

I read this a couple of days ago and I was like, IT'S ABOUT TIME!! That station needs a lot of work. Apparently, I have a friend who doesn't want to renovate it because "It'll ruin/kill the history of that station". and I'm like. No it won't. There's something called the History Preservation Act. Besides, Chambers Street NEEDS to look presentable to the public, especially since it's underneath the Municipal building (or whatever building it is, I don't remember at the moment) 

What do you guys think?

Yeah no... The preservation act may cover the historic tiles on that platform, but not the platform itself... I would be shocked if it didn't get bricked up with replicas of the originals

(It is my understanding that the Transit Museum archives has the original blueprints in their collection, which makes it very easy for them to replicate them with modern materials) 

[Trainmaster5]

23 hours ago, RR503 said:

You know, I'm really glad they're fixing it up, but it really will be the end of an era when I can actually see the tile at that station. It's the last true relic of the dirty, broken, partially abandoned subway system of yore -- a piece of living history, if you will. 

So here's to the future, but I'm not gonna pretend that I won't miss the grime. 

Many (50) years ago I was a provisional RR Porter for the TA. It’s so long ago that there were separate seniority lists for the title. IRT, BMT, and Unified. As a provisional and as an extra I picked up all types of jobs. Working from 8pm - 4am throughout the system I worked the good and the bad. Myrtle El from Bridge-Jay to Sumner was great. Ditto for Prospect Park on the Brighton. My home station. Gun Hill Upper and Lower, 168th on the Jamaica and Utica on the Fulton were some of my favorites. Chambers on the BMT I put in a special category. I remember that the station had large overhead signs suspended from the ceiling on the n/b platform that gave route information . This was before the BMT- IND Manhattan Bridge connection. I used to make a special trip to the station while in high school just to catch a particular train. When the  “via Williamsburg  Bridge “ light would go off the “ via Manhattan Bridge “ one would light up and many people, including me, would move forward to board the special trains that used the rarely used southern tracks on the bridge. Move forward a few years and lo and behold I was assigned to clean the station one night 😁 . To this day I remember that night. I cleaned the booth and mezzanine where the Brooklyn Bridge, Chambers St, and Municipal Building passages connect. According to the work program posted in the booth my major duty for the night was to clean the center platform. I took my broom, scrap pan, and my sawdust and started working. Maybe 20 minutes passed and all hell broke loose. A Transit patrolman, some flagmen conductors, and a Station Supervisor showed up in that order. It seems that the platform hadn’t been swept in years and the regular people who normally were assigned to the station knew the routine. That night the clerk and I were clueless about that. The station supervisor was angry at first but he eventually realized that I wasn’t at fault. I just followed posted orders. I’m guessing that platform hasn’t been cleaned twenty times in the last fifty years 😀. To this day that station, along with the pre- renovation Utica  , and the old Atlantic Avenue Fulton-Canarsie station are among my favorites. Carry on.

[Interested Rider]

My first recollection of taking a train at Chambers Street goes back at least 60 years as I remember one time I transferred from the Lexington Line to a train going back to Brooklyn. at the end of the rush hour. The station with its multiple platforms and long staircases. was a beautiful station at that time and I was in awe whenever it used it.

Chambers Street station was a fascinating place to watch trains in the late 1950's and early 1960's especially during the rush hours. There were the R/16's on the Jamaica Line running to Broad Street or Jamaica and every ten minutes a Myrtle Avenue Express arrived on the center track, discharge, reverse direction and come back on the Jamaica bound center ttrack. Then from 4:55 PM - 5:30 PM, the Brighton Express via Tunnel came off from the bridge and head south  at 4:55 PM. At 5:05 PM, the Fourth Avenue Local (labeled as local) would pull in on the northbound outer track on its way to the Manhattan Bridge. There were three trains of six cars each on the two lines with the Brighton Lines trains laying up at Ocean Parkway after completing service and The Fourth Avenue trains turned at 95th Street and then returned to Chambers Street as West End Locals.

 

[125thstreet]

On ‎5‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 4:55 PM, LGA Link N train said:

I read this a couple of days ago and I was like, IT'S ABOUT TIME!! That station needs a lot of work. Apparently, I have a friend who doesn't want to renovate it because "It'll ruin/kill the history of that station". and I'm like. No it won't. There's something called the History Preservation Act. Besides, Chambers Street NEEDS to look presentable to the public, especially since it's underneath the Municipal building (or whatever building it is, I don't remember at the moment) 

What do you guys think?

An upgrade is definitely needed asap. Out with the old in with the new

[INDman]

On 5/28/2018 at 8:24 PM, Trainmaster5 said:

Many (50) years ago I was a provisional RR Porter for the TA. It’s so long ago that there were separate seniority lists for the title. IRT, BMT, and Unified. As a provisional and as an extra I picked up all types of jobs. Working from 8pm - 4am throughout the system I worked the good and the bad. Myrtle El from Bridge-Jay to Sumner was great. Ditto for Prospect Park on the Brighton. My home station. Gun Hill Upper and Lower, 168th on the Jamaica and Utica on the Fulton were some of my favorites. Chambers on the BMT I put in a special category. I remember that the station had large overhead signs suspended from the ceiling on the n/b platform that gave route information . This was before the BMT- IND Manhattan Bridge connection. I used to make a special trip to the station while in high school just to catch a particular train. When the  “via Williamsburg  Bridge “ light would go off the “ via Manhattan Bridge “ one would light up and many people, including me, would move forward to board the special trains that used the rarely used southern tracks on the bridge. Move forward a few years and lo and behold I was assigned to clean the station one night 😁 . To this day I remember that night. I cleaned the booth and mezzanine where the Brooklyn Bridge, Chambers St, and Municipal Building passages connect. According to the work program posted in the booth my major duty for the night was to clean the center platform. I took my broom, scrap pan, and my sawdust and started working. Maybe 20 minutes passed and all hell broke loose. A Transit patrolman, some flagmen conductors, and a Station Supervisor showed up in that order. It seems that the platform hadn’t been swept in years and the regular people who normally were assigned to the station knew the routine. That night the clerk and I were clueless about that. The station supervisor was angry at first but he eventually realized that I wasn’t at fault. I just followed posted orders. I’m guessing that platform hasn’t been cleaned twenty times in the last fifty years 😀. To this day that station, along with the pre- renovation Utica  , and the old Atlantic Avenue Fulton-Canarsie station are among my favorites. Carry on.

You worked Jay-Bridge? I know you get visits from the pension fairy but I didn’t know you had that kind of time on the railroad. A friend of mine who worked worktrains out of 36th for the longest time talked about the sawdust when he started as a porter too.

[Trainmaster5]

1 hour ago, INDman said:

You worked Jay-Bridge? I know you get visits from the pension fairy but I didn’t know you had that kind of time on the railroad. A friend of mine who worked worktrains out of 36th for the longest time talked about the sawdust when he started as a porter too.

That was my first stint with Transit.  Was a provisional RR Porter and a college student at the same time. Left and knocked around doing construction work for a decade and came back as a conductor. Same TA pass number both times.  I've pretty much had a bus/train pass for half my life starting with elementary school. I've worked stations and lines that only exist in the history books but I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. Nostalgia train ? I've ridden them all 😃.. That's why the last civil service trainmaster and I got along so well.  First time I collected fares as a Dyre C/R I told him that the Myrtle-Jay conductors taught me that years before. I also gave lunch reliefs to some of the TRAIN Clerks too. They said they trusted " the kid" because I was honest.  

[Trainmaster5]

11 hours ago, Trainmaster5 said:

That was my first stint with Transit.  Was a provisional RR Porter and a college student at the same time. Left and knocked around doing construction work for a decade and came back as a conductor. Same TA pass number both times.  I've pretty much had a bus/train pass for half my life starting with elementary school. I've worked stations and lines that only exist in the history books but I wouldn't trade my experiences for anything. Nostalgia train ? I've ridden them all 😃.. That's why the last civil service trainmaster and I got along so well.  First time I collected fares as a Dyre C/R I told him that the Myrtle-Jay conductors taught me that years before. I also gave lunch reliefs to some of the TRAIN Clerks too. They said they trusted " the kid" because I was honest.  

Railroad Clerks,  not train clerks. My bad. Autocorrect and tablets bug me which is why I usually compose my posts on a computer. For those who are unaware the railroad clerks were today's station agents.  Carry on. 

[46Dover]

Great.  Now all we need is for someone to do a story on 21 St- Van Alst...

[Lance]

On ‎6‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 10:27 PM, 46Dover said:

Great.  Now all we need is for someone to do a story on 21 St- Van Alst...

Now all we need is a reason for someone to do a story on 21 St- Van Alst...

Fixed that for you. Chambers St has the benefit of being right under the Municipal Building and steps away from City Hall. Van Alst might as well be on the moon.

[LGA Link N Train]

On 6/12/2018 at 9:01 AM, Lance said:

Now all we need is a reason for someone to do a story on 21 St- Van Alst...

Fixed that for you. Chambers St has the benefit of being right under the Municipal Building and steps away from City Hall. Van Alst might as well be on the moon.

The only good reason that I can think of for renovating Van Alst is because Long Island City and Greenpoint are generifying right now. That's it. And it's not a strong reason either in my opinion