I mentioned the grade crossing of the Third Avenue Elelvated's shop connection track across Lexington Avenue. By the time I was up and about, the conduit streetcar tracks on Lex had been paved over, but I saw the track across the street many times, and actually got to ride it on a fantrip in March 1947, age 15.
At the time the system had one other grade crossing, actually in use by revenue subway trains, that lasted a lot longer. Third rail interrupted of course, and with the usual train lengths crossing the street was not any problem. The subway line still exists, but the grade crossing does not. Name the location, the street, the subway line, the nearest station, what became of it, and what is there now.
Oh yes, this is of course the New York Citiy system, not Chicago.
I can't answer the New York question, but the Lake Street L's shop at Hamlin (just east of Pulaski) had a ground-level track that crossed under the L structure, crossing the Lake Street (TR16) streetcar line en route to the former Chicago Surface Lines West Shops on the south side of Lake Street. The connection track was installed in the late 1940s after the CTA takeover. Power was no problem as the line was equipped with overhead wire, and all Lake St motors had trolley poles. CTA removed the line when the West Shops closed sometime in the 1970s (the frogs were still in Lake St). Chicago had, and still has, plenty of grade crossings on the Douglas Park (Pink), Ravenswood (Brown), Skokie (Yellow) and Evanston (Purple) lines.
daveklepper I mentioned the grade crossing of the Third Avenue Elelvated's shop connection track across Lexington Avenue. By the time I was up and about, the conduit streetcar tracks on Lex had been paved over, but I saw the track across the street many times, and actually got to ride it on a fantrip in March 1947, age 15. At the time the system had one other grade crossing, actually in use by revenue subway trains, that lasted a lot longer. Third rail interrupted of course, and with the usual train lengths crossing the street was not any problem. The subway line still exists, but the grade crossing does not. Name the location, the street, the subway line, the nearest station, what became of it, and what is there now. Oh yes, this is of course the New York Citiy system, not Chicago.
I do not remember the station or the crossing.
Thx IGN
The only transit grade crossing I know extant in the NYC area is on the PATH in Harrison...it is not a public crossing but an employee crossing in the yards...gates, lights, bells and crossbucks...
RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
IGN is correct. Could you do a little research and complete the answer? Henry is correct about the current situation, but he has the facts easly at hand for him to determin about what existed in the 1940's. So I will give both of you a little time. The station is still a station on the subway line today. And it is at surface level adjacent to where the street grade crossing existed. If you know the line today, or just ride it, the locaton is obvious.
Regarding the outer end of the Lake Street elevated line, the surface portion was trolley-wire, not third rial like Ravenswood. So the actual crossing of the Lake Street streetcar line and the elevated line was much like the crossing of any two trolley lines. As I remember, Lake Street elevated on the surface had conventional trolley wire and not railroad-type catenary, like the South Shore and the North Shore's Skokie Valley Line (but other parts of the North Shore were simple trolley wire).
Lake St used simple overhead and not catenary. In addition to Pine Avenue, the L crossed the Chicago and West Towns' Chicago Ave. line on Harlem Avenue between Oak Park and Forest Park. The Evanston line used simple overhead with some catenary around Howard St. station until 1973, when it got third rail. The Skokie Valley went to catenary overhead at Prairie Avenue, where the grade crossings started, but was recently (2004) converted to all third rail. Both the Douglas Park and Ravenswood lines (like the former Garfield Park and Westchester lines) are third rail, with short trains just coasting across the gaps at crossings. Garfield Park had an interlocked crossing with the B&OCT (Soo and CGW trackage rights) in Forest Park on Chicago Aurora and Elgin-owned track. The third rail gap there was around 100 feet, about twice as long a typical Chicago L car. The Garfield Park L also crossed the C&WT's Chicago Ave line on Des Plaines Ave. in Forest Park, but the L used third rail so the wires didn't need frogs.
And the catenary at Howard Street continued south on the westernmost track for the CTA's freight service provided for the ex-Miwaukee Road customers. So that track had both third rail and catenary, but both North Shore and CRT/CTA trains used only the third rail, and only the steeple-cab freight moves used the catenary.
Now, the former locaton of that street grade crossing on the L subway line please. Oh, and up to about 1917. the surface grade subway line at that grade crossing was an elevated line operated with trolley wire. After steel subway cars were introduced, with third rail replacing wood and composite gate elevated cars, the routing remained substandially the same until the 14th Street Canarsy line was completed.
daveklepper IGN is correct. Could you do a little research and complete the answer? Henry is correct about the current situation, but he has the facts easly at hand for him to determin about what existed in the 1940's. So I will give both of you a little time. The station is still a station on the subway line today. And it is at surface level adjacent to where the street grade crossing existed. If you know the line today, or just ride it, the locaton is obvious. Regarding the outer end of the Lake Street elevated line, the surface portion was trolley-wire, not third rial like Ravenswood. So the actual crossing of the Lake Street streetcar line and the elevated line was much like the crossing of any two trolley lines. As I remember, Lake Street elevated on the surface had conventional trolley wire and not railroad-type catenary, like the South Shore and the North Shore's Skokie Valley Line (but other parts of the North Shore were simple trolley wire).
Rgds IGN
I really need to do more homework before I throw answers out there.
Found It:
http://images.nycsubway.org/articles/millions-bwimg_35d.jpg
http://forgotten-ny.com/2008/07/canarsie-brooklyn-part-1/
The grey cells failed me. E 105th St. in Canarsie.
Correct, north side of station. Your question.
daveklepper Correct, north side of station. Your question.
OK I guess I'll have to post the next question. Some time back I asked what was the western most point on the North American Rail network. This time I'll go the opposite direction
What is the eastern most point on the North American rail network?
Please see below for question
Let me revise the question slightly.
What is the eastern most point on the continuous North American rail network. ie by rail no ships or boats.
Sydney, Nova Scotia - Canadian National.
Mark
daveklepper And the catenary at Howard Street continued south on the westernmost track for the CTA's freight service provided for the ex-Miwaukee Road customers. So that track had both third rail and catenary, but both North Shore and CRT/CTA trains used only the third rail, and only the steeple-cab freight moves used the catenary.
Track 1 had no third rail (and no gauntlet) from Howard south to Granville. North Shore and Evanston Express trains ran with poles up, changing on the fly. Third rail was installed after NS quit. Track 1 had gauntlet rails from Granville south to the ramp at Wilson so freight equipment would clear the third rail.
KCSfan Sydney, Nova Scotia - Canadian National. Mark
Reserve Mines about 10km NE of Sydney.
I should have added that Reserve Mines was on the outskirts of Glace Bay so it's possible the railroad ran into the latter community.
KCSfan I should have added that Reserve Mines was on the outskirts of Glace Bay so it's possible the railroad ran into the latter community. Mark
Mark you got it.
Currently the furthest east is New Waterford, Nova Scotia.
Glace Bay looks like the furthest station east. When I was looking at this I think the line continued south to the south shore of Nova Scotia and then ran west along the coast. I could not easily find references to the line thou.
Anyway Mark ask your question.
I was surprised to learn that coal mining had been such a large industry in the area around Sydney, NS. At one time there were 11 mines in Glace Bay alone one of which was reported to be the largest underground coal mine in the world at the time with shafts extending five miles out under the sea. However the last mine closed in 2001. On to the next question.
If you didn't know better the name of this long defunct railroad might lead you to believe it was a transcontinental line. However at just 48 miles in length it was far from that. What was the name of the road and what towns did it serve?
I think this question has been asked before, but I don't remember the exact answer. I believe it was a Florida railroad intended to link the Gulf with the Atlantic and named something like Coast to Coast or East & West Coast. Tampa was served, if my memory is correct, but I am unsure of the eastern terminal, since it got to the Atlantic only through a connection. Could have been the original line from Tampa to Lakeland, later part of the ACL.
More on E105. The station has always been a grade-level center platform station, between the two tracks. For many years one had to cross one or the other tracks just to enter or leave the station. After WWII. the crossing was closed to vehicles, but kept open for pedestrians . Then two elevators were built, on on each side of the tracks, with a third elevator at the north end of the platform, just outside fare control, and the crossing was closed completely. I believe the current situation is the three elevators, but someone can check.
Dave, It was the East & West Coast RR but it was never a part of the ACL and it didn't serve either Tampa or Lakeland. You've almost got the answers so keep trying.
Was St. Petersburg the western terminal?
daveklepper Was St. Petersburg the western terminal?
Not St. Pete. The East & West Coast's western terminal was further south at a town on a tidal river a short distance from the Gulf.
Good job Dave. The East & West Coast was originally built as a logging road and ran from Manatee to Arcadia serving just one intermediate town, Myakka City. It had trackage rights over the SAL for slightly over a mile from Manatee into Bradenton. The E&WC was financed by the Seaboard and was abandoned in 1934 after running for just 21 years.
The next question is yours.
A New York Third Avenue Elevated Question:
After the 2nd Avenue elevated service north of 57th Street (still ran to Queens for two more years from that point over the 59th Street Queensboro Bridge) was abandoned and the structure subsequently removed, how many different services were operated northbound over the Third Avenue Elevated during the evening rush hour, more than you might think. Each individual service had a distinct southern origination point and distinct northern termination point and had specific local or express or through express service.
If you come close, you will be considered a winner.
Bonus: Name which services were operated by MUDC cars (wood cars converted to multiple unit door control with enclosed platforms), gate cars (open platform), and composites (original wood IRT subway cars transferred to elevated lines services in 1917.)
Bonus 2: Express service, bypassing local stations, was not available over the entire Third Avenue Elevated. At what express station did northbound through expresses start making local stops? At what express station did northbound local expresses start making local stops? One northbound service bypassed an express station that physically it could have served. How and why was this done?
The reason I am asking northbound in the evening rush hour (service southbound in the morning similar) is that the reverse operaton inclued some that ran light, and there was only one express track.
To get all answers correct, one MUST look at an IRT subway and elevated map of the period, or have it in one's head.
Is this too difficult a question? Don't have the map or have it memory? OK: Southern termination points at the time in question for the 3rd Avenue elevated were only South Ferry and City Hall/Park Row. Both were effectively just two-track center platform terminals, both the remnants of what had been four track (6th and 9th two tracks and platform to the west at South Ferry and 2nd Avenue ditto above on upper level at City Hall). At Chatham Square, both branches had separate platforms connected by passageway. Between there and Canal Street was a grade-separated junction with five tracks, the two from South Ferry forming three for a center express track and the two from City Hall ramping up allow access from either local or express track in both directions. From there to 125th Street existed a three-track structure, with the center express track block signaled in both directions, but local trains operated like streetcars on sight without signals except at switches (interlockings), including the lead to the shop and sidings at 99th Street. South of 125th there were crossovers allowing trans to move local tracks to and from the express track in both directions. These were not generally used during weekday rush hours, but were used during weekday shoulder periods when local expresses but not through expresses were operated in the appropriate direction. At 129th there was a terminal for local trains, but the express track did not have a platform and was on an upper level leading to two track upper level for the Harlem River drawbridge. Double-deck express stations were located at 133, 138, and 143 Streets. North of 143 the "Bergen Cutoff" double track left the upper level tracks only, not the lower level, without grade separation, and went eastward to join the IRT Lexington and 7th Avenue lines' structure to Bronx Park and White Plains Avenue, with elevated trains running only during rush hours only to Freeman Street. (This had been a 2nd Avenue service rerouted to 3rd.) After this upper level junction, the two upper level tracks merged into one and ramped down to the two-platform, three-track 149th Street Station. North of that station were crossovers similar to those south of 125th. Again, the center track was signaled but only as far as Fordham Road, with the three-track structure continuing to Gunn Hill Road station, where it became two -track and ramped up to join the subway elevated structure to 241 St. White Plains Avenue (Road according to the IRT). North of 149th, another cutoff- the Westchester Avenue cuttoff, two tracks, after connecting to all three 3rd Avenue tracks, went east and joined the Bergan cutoff. before it joined the subway tracks on elevated structure. South of Treemont Avenue exp sta was a full set of crossovers and north was entrance to an elevated yard. North fo Fordham, the two track Bronx Park branch went one stop to its terminus to the east.
Still too difficult?
Is this question so hard or so uninteresting that I need to ask another?
Or should I give a hint by naming the much more limited non-rush hour weekday services and the very limited Sunday and late night services?
still looking for some direction on this, please someone advise
Here is some information that may help you answer:
1AM - 5AM service was local from South Ferry to Gunn Hill Road or 241st and White Plains "Road". No service to Bronx Park or City Hall. No service to Freeman Street 1 service
Sunday service: Local South Ferry - Bronx Park, Local City Hall - 241st & WPR. No service to Freeman Street. 2 services
Northbound weekday afternoon before rush hours: Local, City Hall - 129th Street, Local, South Ferry - 129th Street, Local Express, City Hall - Bronx Park, Local Express, City Hall - 241st & WPR, No service to Freeman Street. 4 services. Local Expresses made all local stops north of 125th Street, including 129th Street, by switching to local track south of 125th, using lower level of Harlem River Bridge.
Note that during rush hours, since the crossovers south of 125th Street were not used during rush hours, local expresses bypassed 129th street and used the upper level of the bridge along with through expresses. Yet it was possible to go to the Bronx from the 129th Street station. What does that tell you? Those local expresses that did not go to Freeman Street switched to the local track north of 149th Street during rush hours.
Now you should be able to make a good guess as the number of services northbound during the evening rush hour.
Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!
Get the Classic Trains twice-monthly newsletter