NYCTA at ground level

Recently I moved to an area where the CTA trains travel at ground level, including grade crossings. I feel a bit like I live along a country interurban. Anyway, it made me curious if any other major city subway systems have grade crossings with normal streets (IE not in yards, access roads, other special cases). Anybody know this one?

The last one in New York was 105th St. on the 14th St.-Canarsie Line (now Route L). I don't know when it was eliminated, but it was decades ago. I don't know of any others (of course Light Rail is a different world).

It closed in 1975. It was apparently the last grade crossing in the system since the 1920s http://forgotten-ny.com/2008/07/canarsi ... yn-part-1/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Great photos, especially 3/4--I had no idea the manual gates lasted until those cars were on the property.

Thank god there are no more grade crossings. I am pretty sure that there would be this one stubborn, me-me-me-me-me driver that would think he/she's the king of the world and would pull over onto the tracks (I bet you could guess what'd happen next ).

A scene like this perhaps?:

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?5330


OUCH!

Tadman wrote:Recently I moved to an area where the CTA trains travel at ground level, including grade crossings. I feel a bit like I live along a country interurban. Anyway, it made me curious if any other major city subway systems have grade crossings with normal streets (IE not in yards, access roads, other special cases). Anybody know this one?

Boston has street running on the E branch of the Green Line.



Both the B and C branches of that Green Line have more than enough street level crossings

I don't think the Green line counts as it's not heavy rail.

Most light rail systems have some ground level operations, even newer ones such as the HBLR and Central Link.

As for heavy rail in NYC, the number of public grade crossings on electrified lines in general is quite low. Last I checked it was just three, Borden Ave and 11th St in Long Island City and Little Neck Parkway in... well Little Neck. All are right outside stations (Borden ave and 11th st, which are a stones through apart from each other on their own, are the outer limits of Hunterspoint Avnue and Long Island City Yard)


The only issue that may affect this is how one considers the relationship between the Subway and it's subsidiary, the South Brooklyn Railway. Scenes such as those in seen here http://nycsubway.org/wiki/South_Brooklyn_Railway still occaur, though mostly the subway is only receiving it's new R156 locomotives this way at the moment.

SBK has the last crossing on the NYCT system located on a public road: 3 Avenue, Sunset Park, under the I-278 Gowanus Viaduct.

Kamen Rider wrote:I don't think the Green line counts as it's not heavy rail.

Most light rail systems have some ground level operations, even newer ones such as the HBLR and Central Link.

As for heavy rail in NYC, the number of public grade crossings on electrified lines in general is quite low. Last I checked it was just three, Borden Ave and 11th St in Long Island City and Little Neck Parkway in... well Little Neck. All are right outside stations (Borden ave and 11th st, which are a stones through apart from each other on their own, are the outer limits of Hunterspoint Avnue and Long Island City Yard)


The only issue that may affect this is how one considers the relationship between the Subway and it's subsidiary, the South Brooklyn Railway. Scenes such as those in seen here http://nycsubway.org/wiki/South_Brooklyn_Railway still occaur, though mostly the subway is only receiving it's new R156 locomotives this way at the moment.

Correct, it's not considered heavy rail, but I did not see that required as part of the question.

PATH had a single grade crossing in Jersey City which was closed many years ago.

105th was the last on the NYC Subway.

Both were eliminated by closing them off.

CTA has grade crossings on four lines: Pink, Brown, Purple and Yellow.

Only the Yellow line uses whistles at crossings. All have full gates and signals, plus devices to deter trespassing. The CTA uses uncovered third rail, unlike NYCT and PATH. The Purple line has only two or three crossings at the far north end. The others have runs of a mile or more with several stations. For the most part these are island platforms with the entrances in the middle of crossings.

Gerry6309 wrote:PATH had a single grade crossing in Jersey City which was closed many years ago. 105th was the last on the NYC Subway.

CTA has grade crossings on four lines: Pink, Brown, Purple and Yellow.

Only Yellow uses whistles at crossings. All have full gates and signals, plus devices to deter trespassing. The CTA uses uncovered third rail, unlike NYCT and PATH. The Purple line has only two or three crossings at the far north end. The others have runs of a mile or more with several stations. For the most part these are island platforms with the entrances in the middle of crossings.

PATH still has an employee only crossing at Harrison Shop (eastbound main). CTA, along with LIRR and MNCR are the only third rail operations with public crossings.

No crossings on NHSL in Philly?

Tadman wrote:No crossings on NHSL in Philly?

None.

Kamen Rider wrote:I don't think the Green line counts as it's not heavy rail.

Many systems have in-street running and in-median running like SFO & BOS, but I think the OP is looking for private-right-of-way that has crossings like Chicago's. For whatever reason, Boston's D line has one grade crossing that is a walking path in the middle of the woods. I ride that about twice a month. In 50+ years, I've never seen anyone near that crossing, but the trains slow down to 5MPH every time. Also, the Mattapan line has a few street crossings.

One of my favorites is (was?) the commuter rail line running down the middle of the street in Michigan City, Indiana, but that's still part of Chicago. I haven't been there for 15 years, I assume it still runs. But if we start counting electric commuter lines (like MetroNorth or LIRR), we'd fill pages.

I've always wondered how they keep kids from wandering down the tracks who don't know that the 3rd rail is alive.

Yellowspoon wrote:One of my favorites is (was?) the commuter rail line running down the middle of the street in Michigan City, Indiana, but that's still part of Chicago. I haven't been there for 15 years, I assume it still runs. But if we start counting electric commuter lines (like MetroNorth or LIRR), we'd fill pages.

I've always wondered how they keep kids from wandering down the tracks who don't know that the 3rd rail is alive.

Just LIRR, MNCR and CTA still have third rail crossings.