Railroad Forums 

  • Homeless on NYA Territory

  • Discussion related to NYAR operations on Long Island. Official web site can be found here: www.anacostia.com/nyar/nyar.html. Also includes discussion related to NYNJ Rail, the carfloat operation successor to New York Cross Harbor that connects with NYAR.
Discussion related to NYAR operations on Long Island. Official web site can be found here: www.anacostia.com/nyar/nyar.html. Also includes discussion related to NYNJ Rail, the carfloat operation successor to New York Cross Harbor that connects with NYAR.
 #10148  by BMT
 
Thought I'd create a new topic -- not a happy one -- but nonetheless appropriate, considering the reality of 'Trackside Shanties'. Since Knife-Switch mentioned how the NYA crew came to the rescue of a homeless man living on the ROW in another thread, I thought more about the subject and felt it worthy of it's own topic.

When I walked the Bay Ridge branch with a friend nearly five years ago we witnessed about 4 homeless 'encampments' between Glenwood & Utica and the East New York Tunnel portal (distance of about 3 miles). Two of those shanties were unoccupied at the time and the other two had their residents 'on the property'. We found one whom I believe was busily searching for redeemable bottles/cans (close to Brooklyn Terminal Market) and the other, tending to his 'house' (situated on the Glenwood Road Tressle). I haven't walked the line since then (don't think it could be done nowadays anyhow).

Wanted to know what the homeless situation is like in Queens and if there is any type of this 'Trackside Living' in Nassau and Suffolk Counties (even though I would doubt there'd be any).

Thanks...
 #10157  by thebatsignal
 
Bayshore intermittently... by the old sidings east of the station.

 #10271  by emfinite
 
At Farmingdale station there is a homeless guy I see every night. When I hang out there with my brother at night waiting for the NYA train to pass, he's always crossing the ROW (where the third rail is cut out in the foreground). He always says hello to us. He doesn't live on the ROW, but I do see him a lot at the station.

 #10296  by Knife-Switch
 
Right by the 1st Crossing on the Bush ya got 3-5 hardcore addicts that camp under that overhang(technically private property). They are toast, stumblin, bumblin High. There is concern that they may walk in front of the train (either unintenionally or intentionally) They often foul the tracks with their shopping carts with bottles and cans and...well you know who wins between an engine and a cart, even our sorry power.

Now I'd say 1/mile is a reasonable # for shanties on the Bayridge. I've seen one with a regular front door and another one with a functioning AC and one that was a bunker made out of old tires and dug into a slope.

Down by 14th Ave(?), there has been a recent increase in the number of Illegals. They must be working or stealing, to pay for the number of beck's beer bottles by their camp. Actually on the way down, I saw one guy tonight building a hearth against an overpass, on the return he was gone and the fire out. I am sure they must raise the concern of neighbors.
 #10321  by TheBoyFromNewYorkCity
 
Hey!


I grew up right next to the NY Connecting.

At 74th St & Queens Blvd, in Elmhurst.

Under the overpass at 45th Ave, a guy named Floyd lived for years.

This was in the early 70s when there was not a whole lot of action on the line.

Everybody in the area knew this guy.

The cops never bothered him.

He wouldn't last a week today.



       TheBoyFromNewYorkCity®™
              USMC•FDNY


                  •

 #10518  by Legio X
 
Penn Central and Conrail were'nt moving much to/from Fresh Pond back in the '70's? What was service like back then to the LIRR interchange?
 #16656  by Knife-Switch
 
Hey Emfinite,

I am not encouraging you to do outreach work, but if you see that guy at Farm, and he is friendly (not foaming at the mouth or babbling to himself) you might ask him if he wants to talk with a social worker about getting help. I spoke with MTA Connections and they plan to do more Long Island outreach over the Summer.

My experience is that in the Summer months alot of homeless escape the City for cooler suburban climes, much to the dismay of the High Tax paying NIMBY's

Knife-Switch, MA
 #16799  by BMT
 
Yeah, I could understand that...after being cooped up on the Bush or the Bay Ridge for the winter months I can't blame the homeless for wanting to crash in the Hamptons at Billy Joel's 'glass house' or P. Diddy's 'party palace'.

Which reminds me....the way Bill Joel's been behind the wheel these days I'm surprised you haven't met up with him at a grade crossing yet! :wink:

 #17419  by Lupo 10
 
Hey, don't forget the guy who lives in C-70 in East New York.

 #17444  by DogBert
 
Someone lives in that thing?! I thought it was burned out... ?

 #17474  by SeldenJrFireman
 
Billy joel might try and clear the tracks at the station on the PW Branch. To my knowledge, nobody has cleared the entire jump.

 #19027  by 7 Train
 
I've heard of people taking shelter under the Hell Gate Bridge at night.

 #19061  by DogBert
 
7 Train wrote:I've heard of people taking shelter under the Hell Gate Bridge at night.
There's only one guy I know of, below an arch by ditmars. he's been there a long while now. Rest of the line is over private fenced in property or the parks, which are very clean and free of vagrants.

 #19258  by 7 Train
 
Is the private fenced-in area under the Hell Gate viaduct US Goverment property (owned by Amtrak)?

 #19398  by DogBert
 
7 Train wrote:Is the private fenced-in area under the Hell Gate viaduct US Goverment property (owned by Amtrak)?
I believe it is owned by each house alongside the ROW.

It works like this: from 44th street down to around 29th, the viaduct curves inward, cutting acros the street grid. from there west to the river it parallells ditmars & 23rd av in the middle of the block, not over a street like most subway lines). Along all the streets that go under the viaduct, there are houses, and the ones next to the viaduct usually have the area under the bridge fenced in as part of their land. I'm not sure if it legally belongs to them, but every house 4 per block, has the land cut this same way. Some of the parcels are just weed filled lots, but most are used for car parking and garages. It's been this way so far as i can tell from day one, so my guess is that they have the right to use the land but not to build anything more than a garage on it. I think it's better this way for the cummunity, as the land wouldn't do the government much good, and it adds parking space. Also, the property owners keep their fences maintained for the most part and that keeps the vagrants out.

This probably all sounds strange in writing, but if you visit the area you'll see what I mean. many places with railroad tracks are industrial and or a bit scuzzy looking, that's not the case here.