Toned-down Queensboro bridge's birthday?

[metsfan]

Ohh, i forgot to add that the trolly line's original route can be seen where the girders point to a no longer existant elevated line. The widened slightly meandering avenues etc also give clues. It didn't just cross the bridge like a shuttle, it crossed the bridge to get to manhattan terminal.

 

- A

[MTR Admiralty]

That entrance/exit kiosk is actually moved from its original location. The real entrance/exit is still there somewhere though under the concrete.

 

They had to move it, because it was too close to the traffic i believe.

 

There are proposals out there to re-open this trolly line on one side of the bridge only & have a new elevator put in and such, however with a new tram, and possible 11 car trains i don't see this happening any time soon.

 

There is only one remaining trolly car left in the world that ran on the bridge, and it is basically falling apart. It was found in a scrapper's yard awaiting disassembly, but they saved it. It's at some museum/preservation place now. Sadly decades of exposure to the elements has not been kind, and it may just sit like that till its gone.

 

- A

I believe they took out the structure and propped it somewhere else and in doing that, covering the space that was meant for the stairs.

That car is rusting like crazy, other than saving it, there is no maintenance at all.

I doubt service can be restored on the former trolley line. The right of way is now replaced by pedestrian paths flanking the roadway. And where would the line end? Obviously, you can't have a mid-river terminal on the bridge itself.

[metsfan]

Now i remember even more. Wow. it's been a while since i read up on this.

 

Part of the loop at GCT is still there, i'm not sure about the northern portion, but the southern portion is still there walled off from the subway.

 

The station at GCT is weird looking because it wasnt always a subway station. The original platform was shorter, however the alignment closest the stairs in the middle is rebuilt & modernized but original to the trolly line.

 

I was looking at a track diagram a few months ago, and i was thinking offhandedly that if the 7 was ever extended south past the convention center, you could have partial service turn on the rebuilt loop coming from main st. You'd need a weird bit of track there, but it would work.

 

A bit off topic, but still interesting:

 

This is not the only subway stop that didnt used to be a subway stop. Other examples include the current rockaway line. It used to be LIRR with 6 more stations than it has today, and that LIRR branch split off from the main line just west of forrest hills. At far rockaway was a yard, and LIRR trains could connect to the current rockaway branch line to loop back around.

 

- A

[MTR Admiralty]

Now i remember even more. Wow. it's been a while since i read up on this.

 

Part of the loop at GCT is still there, i'm not sure about the northern portion, but the southern portion is still there walled off from the subway.

 

The station at GCT is weird looking because it wasnt always a subway station. The original platform was shorter, however the alignment closest the stairs in the middle is rebuilt & modernized but original to the trolly line.

 

I was looking at a track diagram a few months ago, and i was thinking offhandedly that if the 7 was ever extended south past the convention center, you could have partial service turn on the rebuilt loop coming from main st. You'd need a weird bit of track there, but it would work.

 

A bit off topic, but still interesting:

 

This is not the only subway stop that didnt used to be a subway stop. Other examples include the current rockaway line. It used to be LIRR with 6 more stations than it has today, and that LIRR branch split off from the main line just west of forrest hills. At far rockaway was a yard, and LIRR trains could connect to the current rockaway branch line to loop back around.

 

- A

Now that you brought this up:

The Steinway tubes are actually for trolley service. Steinway wanted an underground trolley line between Grand Central to his "town". The dirt excavated from the tunnel was used to build an artificial island in the middle of the river. Hardly anyone can locate it, as it is really small. If one looks closely at the tunnel, there is this overhead bar where trolley would have connected power from. It's actually a neat system. The trolley tunnel's grade was much steeper. This steep grade required the IRT cars that were to be later used to be modified for such grades.

 

Metsfan, you forgot the Dyre Branch. That was the other railway that the TA bought in for subway service. All of its stations from Morris Park to Dyre Avenue were former railway stations.

[metsfan]

Now that you brought this up:

The Steinway tubes are actually for trolley service. Steinway wanted an underground trolley line between Grand Central to his "town". The dirt excavated from the tunnel was used to build an artificial island in the middle of the river. Hardly anyone can locate it, as it is really small. If one looks closely at the tunnel, there is this overhead bar where trolley would have connected power from. It's actually a neat system. The trolley tunnel's grade was much steeper. This steep grade required the IRT cars that were to be later used to be modified for such grades.

 

Metsfan, you forgot the Dyre Branch. That was the other railway that the TA bought in for subway service. All of its stations from Morris Park to Dyre Avenue were former railway stations.

 

Yea the trolly wire brackets are still there.

 

There was a rumor floating few years ago that they found a trolly in the walled off portion of loop, but the loop doesnt even have track in it anymore, just a hollow concrete shell.

 

Also of interest is the fact that the bridge is comprised of beams, trusses and eyebars. It has 3 known names, queensboro bridge, blackwell's island bridge, and 59th street bridge. It is a double cantilever bridge with no suspended segments, meaning that the entire cantilevered truss sections connect directly with each other. It has 5 spans. Span 1 is from the approaches in manhattan to the manhattan tower, span 2 is above the western channel of the east river to the west roosevelt island tower, span 3 is over roosevelt island to the east roosevelt island tower, span 4 crosses the eastern east river channel to the long island city tower, span 5 then connects long island city tower to the long island city approaches.

 

It is also arguably one of the most ascetically decorative truss bridges in the world with its very victorian era design.

 

- A

[MTR Admiralty]

Yea the trolly wire brackets are still there.

 

There was a rumor floating few years ago that they found a trolly in the walled off portion of loop, but the loop doesnt even have track in it anymore, just a hollow concrete shell.

 

Also of interest is the fact that the bridge is comprised of beams, trusses and eyebars. It has 3 known names, queensboro bridge, blackwell's island bridge, and 59th street bridge. It is a double cantilever bridge with no suspended segments, meaning that the entire cantilevered truss sections connect directly with each other. It has 5 spans. Span 1 is from the approaches in manhattan to the manhattan tower, span 2 is above the western channel of the east river to the west roosevelt island tower, span 3 is over roosevelt island to the east roosevelt island tower, span 4 crosses the eastern east river channel to the long island city tower, span 5 then connects long island city tower to the long island city approaches.

 

It is also arguably one of the most ascetically decorative truss bridges in the world with its very victorian era design.

 

- A

The Irish then didn't like the fact that the bridge was called Queensboro. Apparently, the suffix boro or borough is too "British" for them. People wanted to call it Blackwell's Island Bridge, give that the original name for Roosevelt Island is Blackwell's Island. It was later called Welfare Island and finally Roosevelt Island.