Railroad Forums 

Discussion of the past and present operations of the Long Island Rail Road.

Moderator: Liquidcamphor

 #1013241  by BobLI
 
Were the buildings at the Hammels Wye built by the LIRR when the line was elevated to the concrete structure or did ther NYCTA build them when they took over the line?
 #1013315  by LongIslandTool
 
The substation and battery house, which contained the world's largest battery, were completed by the Long Island Rail Road in 1906.
 #1013326  by BobLI
 
Are there any pictures of the battery building and it must be that one floor long building? I dont seem to recall seeing any pictures of it on the LIRR sites.
 #1013437  by LongIslandTool
 
That's it. The battery building is on the right, most recently rented out as a community center. In the background on the left is the NYCTA tower built in 1955. The substation was originally red brick and resembled Woodhaven substation.
 #1013459  by keyboardkat
 
Is the substation building still used by the NYCTA as a substation for the third rail traction current? I know they've replaced all rotary converter substation equipment with solid state rectifiers.
 #1013667  by BobLI
 
I'm not sure if its still in use as a substation but it now has scaffolding all around it and is getting the exterior refurbished. I'm sure our subway experts may know.
 #1013735  by LongIslandTool
 
The battery was installed in 1899 to provide backup power the the LIRR's first electric venture, Rockaway's Ocean Electric trolleys which shared the LIRR tracks. The Queensborough Light, Heat and Power Company (LILCO and LIPA's predecessor) had just opened its power plant in the Bayswater section of Rockaway and it was considered unreliable. The battery, it was felt, would provide continuous power for the trolleys.

At the height of the trolley operation two decades later, 6,000,000 fares were collected in the Rockaways during a ten week summer period.
 #1015589  by krispy
 
I can only imagine what that looked like, an array of turn-of-the-century batteries with sufficient power to run a trolley system. Anyone photograph that? I love to see how they did that, or some of the early mega-substations along the LIRR, like that monster at ENY. Many thanks for posting!
 #1015626  by Doc Emmet Brown
 
I remember the substation just east of Bayside, near the trestle.
Its still there today, and Im sure updated.
Used to have to walk over the trestle to go to school.
We could always tell when a train was coming before we saw it, because the substation would start humming.
 #1533769  by BuddR32
 
I'm reviving this old thread for a question that may be in the wrong board.
On Wednesday I rode the R-42 trip out to Far Rockaway. I was looking at the substation at Hammels Wye, which is clearly a LIRR built building. Which is why I'm asking here.

There are no tracks leading to the building as they're elevated, but part of the substation building is a low long extension with a roll up door. On the side of the building is a sign that reads: Hammels Wye Shop.

The sign dates within the TA operation period, but is/was this a shop for rolling equipment before the tracks were elevated?
 #1533867  by Kelly&Kelly
 
The substation contained two rotary converters and the world's biggest battery. It was not for rolling stock repairs, though it had a siding for power equipment where the mobile temporary substation car was often kept.