Union Tpke Posted August 14, 2019 Share #1 Posted August 14, 2019 IMG_4068 by Union Turnpike, on Flickr IMG_4069 by Union Turnpike, on Flickr IMG_4070 by Union Turnpike, on Flickr IMG_4071 by Union Turnpike, on Flickr 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CenSin Posted August 16, 2019 Share #2 Posted August 16, 2019 This change will have no impact on annual operating cost. Railfan: “This move will cost you dearly, MTA. Boycott the and !” 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deucey Posted August 16, 2019 Share #3 Posted August 16, 2019 Was there ever a time when an Astoria express was beneficial - going back to the BMT days? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italianstallion Posted August 16, 2019 Share #4 Posted August 16, 2019 19 minutes ago, Deucey said: Was there ever a time when an Astoria express was beneficial - going back to the BMT days? I don't exactly know what you mean. There was never an Astoria express service prior to this W express. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremiahC99 Posted August 16, 2019 Share #5 Posted August 16, 2019 5 hours ago, CenSin said: Railfan: “This move will cost you dearly, MTA. Boycott the and !” Why would the elimination of a not-beneficial Astoria express cost them dearly? After all, nobody used the when it ran express between Queensboro and Astoria. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lex Posted August 16, 2019 Share #6 Posted August 16, 2019 27 minutes ago, JeremiahC99 said: Why would the elimination of a not-beneficial Astoria express cost them dearly? After all, nobody used the when it ran express between Queensboro and Astoria. Did you just take that seriously? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 via Mosholu Posted August 16, 2019 Share #7 Posted August 16, 2019 (edited) 29 minutes ago, JeremiahC99 said: After all, nobody used the when it ran express between Queensboro and Astoria. Barely anyone used the train when it ran express between Ditmars and Queensboro, stopping at Hoyt since most passengers flocked to the train which until July 2001 had been the main Ditmars to Queensboro Local. Edited August 16, 2019 by 4 via Mosholu 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremiahC99 Posted August 16, 2019 Share #8 Posted August 16, 2019 35 minutes ago, Lex said: Did you just take that seriously? Was it supposed to be a joke, because somehow, I have a hard time not taking things seriously. 35 minutes ago, 4 via Mosholu said: Barely anyone used the train when it ran express between Ditmars and Queensboro, stopping at Hoyt since most passengers flocked to the train which until July 2001 had been the main Ditmars to Queensboro Local. That does sound correct. The ride from Ditmars to 34th Street making every single Astoria Line stop on the map does not take that long anyway. It would be different if the line went out farther east in Queens serving LaGuardia Airport and even parts of Northeastern Queens with no subway service. If that were true, then we would have express service to cut down on travel time between NE Queens and Manhattan. However, this is not the case, so no express service for them. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deucey Posted August 16, 2019 Share #9 Posted August 16, 2019 2 hours ago, Italianstallion said: I don't exactly know what you mean. There was never an Astoria express service prior to this W express. So the third track was always superfluous then? (Ie it was built but not used even when the BMT operates it before unification.) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RR503 Posted August 16, 2019 Share #10 Posted August 16, 2019 18 minutes ago, Deucey said: So the third track was always superfluous then? (Ie it was built but not used even when the BMT operates it before unification.) I don’t even think that it had signals for a while...likely used just for train storage. Remember that the IRT and BMT jointly operated the Astoria line until 1949 (hence the R booth numbers). I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the BMT Astoria-QBP shuttles laid up on it. Paging some of our more senior members for a history lesson! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CenSin Posted August 17, 2019 Share #11 Posted August 17, 2019 2 hours ago, Deucey said: So the third track was always superfluous then? (Ie it was built but not used even when the BMT operates it before unification.) Third-tracks were pretty much standard issue back then. You find it on pretty much all the elevated lines. And even the ones that don’t have it have space reserved for a third track. For some, the original intent was probably for auxiliary uses like train storage since some third-tracks were built with no other infrastructure oriented towards revenue service (express stations and platforms). The 7 Avenue line () above 96 Street was probably made that way, and the Livonia Avenue line () was probably the same as well. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italianstallion Posted August 17, 2019 Share #12 Posted August 17, 2019 On 8/16/2019 at 6:25 PM, Deucey said: So the third track was always superfluous then? (Ie it was built but not used even when the BMT operates it before unification.) Yep. Used for storage only. As pointed out, it was not even signaled until just before the W express was started. Trains laid up there middays and at night. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Italianstallion Posted August 18, 2019 Share #13 Posted August 18, 2019 On 8/16/2019 at 5:04 PM, 4 via Mosholu said: Barely anyone used the train when it ran express between Ditmars and Queensboro, stopping at Hoyt since most passengers flocked to the train which until July 2001 had been the main Ditmars to Queensboro Local. One problem was that if you waited to board a W at Ditmars or Astoria Blvd., you would NOT overtake the preceding N local before Queensboro Plaza. So what's the point? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Union Tpke Posted August 18, 2019 Author Share #14 Posted August 18, 2019 23 hours ago, CenSin said: Third-tracks were pretty much standard issue back then. You find it on pretty much all the elevated lines. And even the ones that don’t have it have space reserved for a third track. For some, the original intent was probably for auxiliary uses like train storage since some third-tracks were built with no other infrastructure oriented towards revenue service (express stations and platforms). The 7 Avenue line () above 96 Street was probably made that way, and the Livonia Avenue line () was probably the same as well. The third track north of 96th Street was added after construction was started so they couldn't make any platforms access it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 via Mosholu Posted August 19, 2019 Share #15 Posted August 19, 2019 On 8/17/2019 at 8:00 PM, Italianstallion said: One problem was that if you waited to board a W at Ditmars or Astoria Blvd., you would NOT overtake the preceding N local before Queensboro Plaza. So what's the point? According to the documents posted by @Union Tpke, it was specifically done to improve Ditmars' ability to process the additional trains terminating there. But it failed in practice and it simply went local along Astoria after 9/11, even when the train came back from its minor break following 9/11. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CenSin Posted August 19, 2019 Share #16 Posted August 19, 2019 2 hours ago, 4 via Mosholu said: According to the documents posted by @Union Tpke, it was specifically done to improve Ditmars' ability to process the additional trains terminating there. But it failed in practice and it simply went local along Astoria after 9/11, even when the train came back from its minor break following 9/11. They could have installed even just one switch south of Astoria Boulevard to get northbound trains onto the middle track to dwell. That would have solved something. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.