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LI Loco wrote:Second, the LIRR station on Nameoke Ave. is uninviting and away from the center of traffic. Plus, it has limited parking.

This is very true and considering it is an economically depressed area with a high crime rate, the fact that it is so isolated does not add to safety, real and perceived.
Again, that's why I am saying that it should be moved to Mott Avenue and allow for easy transfers with the subway service and adjacent bus lanes.

It is ironic that since the 1920's, Rockaway Beach and Far Rockaway residents and community accociations had lobbyed for "Rapid Transit". They shunned the LIRR, mostly because of its high fares. They also felt rapid transit would "connect them with the system" and bring Rockaway more in line with the rest of the city which was developing in leaps and bounds.

Even when transit finally did come to the Rockaways, the event was heralded as a milestone in the area's development.

As portions of the city began turning to blight, in the late 50's, Rockaway wasn't exempt. Its deterioriting housing stock and changes in vacation patterns brought rise to several deep slum areas. When public housing was built to rid the area of slums, poor minorities, the "site tenants" were excluded from the new housing by law. That just relocated them to other deteriorated summer housing and the blight continued down the beach.

It wasn't uncommon at that time, as it is today, for residents to blame rapid transit for this decline. They felt the new lower cost accessibility to the inner city -- its "bad parts" in Brooklyn -- brought the "bad element" into Rockaway. This was at least in part true, as the amusement operators became plagued with inner-city excursionist vandals who brought their demise in the 70's and 80's.

Originally, the Railroad's Rockaway line was to connect with the Jamaica Avenue El and perhaps with other service north of that in Forest Hills. That never happened. Service via the IND Fulton Street Line was woefully indirect for NYC commuters.

An LIRR station at Mott Avenue would attract riders. But in the mid-50's climate when it was moved, the Pennsy was selling off every patch of real estate, parking lot, freight siding it could find to lower the onerous taxation and attempt to raise operating revenue to pay for electric and keep the trains running. Before the sale of the LIRR, a looting frenzy sold off almost every foot without a track on it.

The Mott Avenue site, quite valuable real estate in 1962 when it was sold, was a huge casualty of this sale.

Moving the LIRR station back to Mott Avenue would be fantastic, as would reopening the Ocean Electric trolley line from the station to the beach.

I was simply born about 50 years too late.

If abandoning the Rockaway line was LIRR's bonehead play of the 1950s, NOT acquiring the LIRR right of way between Ozone Park and Rego and extending the route to Queens Blvd. was the NYCTA's bonehead play of the 1960s. The gap between White Pot Junction (where the Rockaway line joined the LIRR main line) and Queens Blvd. is a little over a quarter-mile.

If anyone has insight into why this was never done, please share it.

The transfer document shows the NYCTA acquiring the whole thing. The deeds, maps and all are in the original contract, so the intention was there.

In what appeared to be part of the continued effort to push the LIRR into insolvency and public ownership, The Public Service Commission refused to permit the railroad to abandon the 44 daily patrons of Ozone Park station.

So they continued operating that silly spur until perhaps 1963 when it was apparent the LIRR would purchased by the State. By that time the TA had their Rockaway line which was losing more than all their other operation combined and they were in no financial position to expand anything.

When researched, most of the historically destructive decisions in railroad planning find their roots in the socialist movement against private railroad ownership.

Gauntlet tracks installed at stations like Hicksville where freight cars slam the sides of the platform, much like NJT and NS has on the shared parts of the Lehigh Line.

Hi All,

Haven't been back to my old home town of Far Rockaway since well before the double carfare on the IND was being charged. At that time, the neighborhood was changing, the area around Far Rockaway High School, and the area around my folks home on Beach 47th st. At that time, the areas were starting to become dangerous. My folks home had been broken into and robbed at least twice. That is when they sold out and went to Seagirt Village. From their 15th floor apartment they had no problems, an excellent view of the beach and boardwalk, and lots of places to eat out. The parking lot was great too, until some cars were reported missing. Looks like we left at the right time.

At one time, Far Rockaway was the bedroom for many Manhattan workers. It was a summer resort, and a great place to grow up. It was a fine, small town.