Photo Seach: Union Hall St Station, Woodside, Jamaica

[AHunter3]

I have not been very successful finding photos online...

I

I'd like to see pictures of Union Hall St Station before the north side platforms were demolished (I found exactly TWO, one from 1929 which was the predecessor to the station I'm interested in, and one from the 1950s that has the platform in the background but is focused on a steam engine train going past). I'd actually like to see pictures of what it looked like in the time frame between when it was in use and when the platforms were knocked down -- in other words, what you would have seen looking out the window on an eastbound train in the 1980s. I'd also love to see photos of what a person would see (or would have seen) upon descending the steps -- the ticket-window etc area below track level of the station. (Is there anything left down there to see?)

EDITED TO ADD: off-topic sub-question, but there is no obvious remnant of a south side Union Hall St Station platform. Presumably they had one. Did the construction of York College eat it or something? /EDIT

II

I'd like to see before-and-after (well, especially "before") pictures of Woodside Station, illustrating the changes when they modernized its appearance. I remember a much more rickety and neglected-looking Woodside station, although I don't recall the details.

III

Similarly, I'd like to see photos of Jamaica Station before the airtrain, before the arched overpasses. What I remember is a lot of white peeling paint and wooden-looking (whether they were or not) overhead structural members and again a sense of a weathered & neglected station.

(You'd think the LIRR would want to show off — "we did this, check out the before & after" — but if they've got an album they have it well-hidden)

[nyandw]

Union Hall: https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... union+hall
JAmaica: https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... B4MZrtT7mI
Woodside: https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... TYvC64Efow


Perhaps these google site searches may help.

[R36 Combine Coach]

I'd like to see before-and-after (well, especially "before") pictures of Woodside Station, illustrating the changes when they modernized its appearance. I remember a much more rickety and neglected-looking Woodside station, although I don't recall the details.

Are you referring to the old pre-1913 Woodside station or the 1915-present elevated station (built as transfer station with the IRT Flushing (7) elevated line) before the late 1980s renovations? If latter, here they are:

All from March 1965, shot in a slide series documenting the new PATH PA1s on high speed testing on the LIRR main line between Woodside and Jamaica. Slides in David Pirmann collection.

Eastbound arched roof MP54 motor
MP54 arched roof motor, platform A eastbound
S-2 445 passing through

Note the elevated 7 line station was repainted turquoise blue for the World's Fair.

MB-62 baggage/express motor, November 1961

As you might notice, the wooden platforms seen in 1961 were replaced with concrete decks, likely prior to the World's Fair. In 1961 the eastbound platform (A) went only as far west as the corner of 61 Street, ending under the el. It now continues beyond to around 60 Street with an entrance/exit.

[AHunter3]

Union Hall: https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... union+hall
JAmaica: https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... B4MZrtT7mI
Woodside: https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... TYvC64Efow


Perhaps these google site searches may help.

Thank you for taking the time to put that together for me.

No, I have not as of yet found those searches useful. But, as I said in the original post, I have not been very successful finding photos online. I may be less adept at wading through search results of this nature and finding the photos I'm seeking than you had anticipated when you made your suggestion. If you do spot any relevant ones within your search results, rest assured that I won't feel insulted if you point them out to me.

[AHunter3]

I'd like to see before-and-after (well, especially "before") pictures of Woodside Station, illustrating the changes when they modernized its appearance. I remember a much more rickety and neglected-looking Woodside station, although I don't recall the details.

Are you referring to the old pre-1913 Woodside station or the 1915-present elevated station (built as transfer station with the IRT Flushing (7) elevated line) before the late 1980s renovations?

I meant the present-day station, thanks.

If latter, here they are:

All from March 1965, shot in a slide series documenting the new PATH PA1s on high speed testing on the LIRR main line between Woodside and Jamaica. Slides in David Pirmann collection.

Eastbound arched roof MP54 motor
MP54 arched roof motor, platform A eastbound
S-2 445 passing through

Note the elevated 7 line station was repainted turquoise blue for the World's Fair.

MB-62 baggage/express motor, November 1961

As you might notice, the wooden platforms seen in 1961 were replaced with concrete decks, likely prior to the World's Fair. In 1961 the eastbound platform (A) went only as far west as the corner of 61 Street, ending under the el. It now continues beyond to around 60 Street with an entrance/exit.

Those are quite interesting. It looks a lot like that today actually, so I guess the recent refurbishing was actually more of a restoration. But the Woodside Station photos I am most interested in are of the neglected pre-refurb Woodside as it looked in the 1980s and 1990s. I don't recall the vivid aquamarine and the "half timbered" motif which it has now; admittedly my memory may be impaired but I thought it was a pretty run-down looking station back then (we used to call it "Wooden-sides" because it looked like a rickety wooden structure with peeling paint etc). It looks quite sharp nowadays so I'm assuming they put some work into fixing it up and painting it, and I'd like a "before" picture for comparison.

Likewise for Jamaica station. I remember it before the airtrain and the nice curvy overhead connector passageways. (It had overhead passageways but they were just boxy structures that, once again, looked like they were made of rotting old wood painted white)

[R36 Combine Coach]

Those are quite interesting. It looks a lot like that today actually, so I guess the recent refurbishing was actually more of a restoration. But the Woodside Station photos I am most interested in are of the neglected pre-refurb Woodside as it looked in the 1980s and 1990s.

The best I could find is this short video (shot February 1997) of 61 Street-Woodside Station. Station under heavy renovation, with scaffolding seen all over, with a walk through the concourse level. The shell of the elevator can be seen towards the end (it opened in late 1999, first of three ADA accessible stations on the 7 Line, others Flushing Main Street and Grand Central).

Ever since opening, the elevator at Woodside has had a high out of service rate, by 2013 out of service on average 2/3 of the time, being closed a full year in 2014-2015 for complete rebuild. The reason: abused by locals, used as a toilet and litter dump.