Your Favorite Line/Station?

I know this might seem a little weird, but I was just wondering, what is everybodys favorite line/station, especially people that don't use the subway normally, my favorite line is the (4) & my favorite station is Grand Central.

When I lived in/around NYC I liked riding the 7 Flushing line, especially the elevated over Roosevelt Ave. My favorite station was Willets Point because it was near the Flushing yard and the LIRR line to Port Washington passed nearby. I also liked the two-level West 4th St subway station with 8th Ave trains (A, AA, C, CC, E, KK, JFK Express, depending on year) on the upper level and 6th Ave trains (B, D, F (and others?)) on the lower. Pretty cool!

City Hall on the #6 (you never said the station had to be an open one).

I cast my vote for Queensborough Plaza, the station at the heart of the complex flying junctions. I lived in Astoria from 1954 through 1976 and passed through the station or boarded a Brodway bound train there many times.

The complexity of the trackways serving the 5 routes in/out of the station, particulary those no longer in use, was quite interesting, especially before the unused north half of the station and associated trackways was demolished in time for the 1964-1965 Worlds' Fair.

If I could turn back the hands of time to the late 1930s, I would want to ride the IRT 2nd Avenue el over the upper level of the Queenborough Bridge into and out of Queenborough Plaza. On a visit in the 1990s, I saw the unused trackways extending a distance west of the station towards the upper level of the bridge. Likewise, I would want to ride a BMT train between the north side of the station and 39th Avenue on the Astoria el, using the now demolished lower elevation tracks that were inside the arc of the current higher elevation (former IRT) tracks to/from Astoria.

If only I could find some better pictures of the station and approach tracks from back in those days!

(7)-all stations, with a personal favorite on 46 St-Bliss, 40 St-Lowery, 33 St-Rawson and Grand Central.

I agree that Queesboro Plaza is a great place. Unfortunately the big changes were made circa 1949, before I was born. I wish I could have been there to see the trains going on and off the bridge. I still like to stand on the west end of the upper level and watch the BMT trains climbing that steep approach. I too have been keeping my eye out for photos of the original station with it's complex track layout. I've never found any though.

My second favorite station is probably Stillwell Ave./Coney Island. I haven't been there yet to see the new terminal though. I'll get there eventually.

My List Of Favorites

Coney Island/Stillwell Ave

Dekalb Ave ( B,M,Q and R station)

111 street on the 7 line

Queensboro Plaza

Alantic Ave/Pacific Street

and

Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall on the 4, 5, and 6 lines

My favourites are:

A line: Broad Channel, Beach 90th/Holland, Beach 98th/Playland, Beach 105th/Seaside, and Rockaway Park.

F Line: The entire length, from Ditmas Ave till Coney Island, all stops.

And Queensboro Plaza as well.

It seems like Queensborough Plaza is a favorite, I would say so except for the last time I went to that station was 2 years ago so sadly my memory is foggy, it also feels great to hear from some people who do remember things.

61 St-Woodside (7) is great, too. The 7 and LIRR are in one station and is a great railfan spot.

My second favorite station is probably Stillwell Ave./Coney Island. I haven't been there yet to see the new terminal though. I'll get there eventually.

Stillwell is a must-see, very grand station, can see it from all around.

If you're lucky at Queensboro Plaza, you can see a yard move of IRT Flushing R62A's heading too/from Coney Island shop using the diamond east of the upper level platform. I believe some R62A singles have dual trip cocks for these moves.

I thought the R-62A's were too narrow for Division B.

KLCS wrote:If you're lucky at Queensboro Plaza, you can see a yard move of IRT Flushing R62A's heading too/from Coney Island shop using the diamond east of the upper level platform. I believe some R62A singles have dual trip cocks for these moves.

The yard moves usually use Corona-based R33 WFs (double-ended).

Here are a couple of photos of Queensborough Plaza that show the remains of unused trackways.

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?32486

Remnants of the 2nd Avenue el connection trackway from upper level of Queensborough Bridge eastbound to upper level of original IRT (south) side of station. Unused since 1942.


http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?5237

Look down to the lower level between current Astoria and Flushing line tracks. Remnants of trackways used by Flushing - Queensborough Plaza - Astoria shuttle trains and used by BMT 60th Street tunnel trains to reverse directions. Still there today, but unused since 1949.

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?557

One of the best known views of showing much of the abandoned, now demolished, trackways and structure of the north side of the station. To the left of the photo, you can see three trackways curving towards the Flushing line structure atop Queens Boulevard. To the right, you can see the two BMT trackways the joined the current Astoria line at the interlocking a few hundred yards south of the 39th Avenue station. The photo would have been taken sometime between abandonment in 1949 and demolition in 1964.

4 Express wrote:I thought the R-62A's were too narrow for Division B.

They are, if you are talking about passenger service. They are not too narrow for movement fo the cars between the line and the Coney Island facility.