The ERA BULLETIN - MAY, 2013 Bulletin Electric Railroaders’ Association, Incorporated Vol. 56, No. 5 May, 2013 The Bulletin DUAL SYSTEM CONTRACTS SIGNED Published by the Electric 100 YEARS AGO Railroaders’ Association, Incorporated, PO Box (Continued from April, 2013 issue) 3323, New York, New York 10163-3323. In the previous issue, we featured the 100th Avenue Lines and to build several exten- anniversary of the Dual Contracts. In this sions. Middle tracks were built as follows: issue, we will describe the progress made (A) January 17, 1916 in Manhattan; July 9, 1917 in For general inquiries, the Bronx contact us at bulletin@ constructing this vast network. Work began erausa.org or by phone as soon as possible and continued for sever- LINE DATE IN FROM TO at (212) 986-4482 (voice al years until most of the work was complet- SERVICE th mail available). ERA’s ed in 1920. But the remaining work proceed- Second January 17, Chatham 125 Street website is Avenue 1916 Square www.erausa.org. ed slowly and was not completed until 1931. Third Ave- (A) Chatham Fordham CONTRACT 3 — IRT’S CITY-BUILT nue Square Road Editorial Staff: LINES th Editor-in-Chief: Ninth Ave- January 17, Rector 155 Street Bernard Linder Seventh Avenue trains started operating nue 1916 Street News Editor: south of Times Square on July 1, 1918 and On the Bowery, single tracks near each Randy Glucksman Lexington Avenue trains ran north of Grand Contributing Editor: sidewalk were replaced by a three-track Central starting July 17, 1918, but through structure in the center of the street. A double- Jeffrey Erlitz service between the Bronx and Brooklyn was deck bridge replaced the single-deck Harlem Production Manager: not operated on both lines until August 1, River bridge. Sixth and Ninth Avenue service David Ross 1918. Service was soon extended to the fol- was extended to the Bronx on July 1, 1918 lowing terminals in the outer boroughs: and the Webster Avenue extension was DATE TERMINAL placed in service on June 28, 1920. February 1, 1917 Ditmars Boulevard CONTRACT 3—IRT’S CITY-BUILT ©2013 Electric April 15, 1918 Woodlawn YARDS Yards were placed in service after main line Railroaders’ August 20, 1920 Flatbush Avenue Association, construction was completed. December 11, 1920 241st Street ALL TRACKS IN SERVICE December 20, 1920 Pelham Bay Park Date Yard In This Issue: October 16, 1922 New Lots Avenue The Long Island April 29, 1923 Livonia January 21, 1928 Main Street, Flushing Rail Road Eyes April 14, 1924 E. 180th Street Manhattan On most lines, trains were turned at inter- June 30, 1924 report 239th Street ...Page 2 mediate stations for brief periods until con- November 2, 1925 Jerome Avenue struction was completed. June 26, 1928 Westchester CONTRACT 3 — IRT’S COMPANY- July 26, 1928 Corona BUILT LINES The company agreed to build continuous Temporary inspection sheds at Jerome Av- middle track on the Second, Third, and Ninth (Continued on page 4) 1 NEW YORKERA DIVISION BULLETIN BULLETIN - MAY, OCTOBER, 2013 2000 THE GENESIS OF “DASHING DAN” Part Two—The Long Island Rail Road Eyes Manhattan by George Chiasson 7.COMPANY ROOTS: THE DEVELOPMENT OF Park.” Prescribing to the results of this survey, LIRR THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD “MAIN LINE” then chose to make a jog through the modest village of ”As described previously, the first steam-powered Woodside, which was the only population center within trains in Queens County began rolling on June 26, 1854 a straight line from the point where the railroad cut when the Flushing Railroad commenced operations away from Jackson Avenue, all the way to Jamaica, between its Long Island City ferryboat landing at where it would meet the existing Main Line. In turn the Hunter’s Point and the Village of Flushing, at the current new LIRR main line also bisected the original Flushing location of the Main Street station. It originated from the Railroad (as assumed by the New York & Flushing in point where Newtown Creek met the East River and 1859) at “Winfield Junction,” an arbitrary point in almost followed its Queens side to the present-day intersection entirely undeveloped land. of Laurel Hill Boulevard and 49th Street, where the track On May 10, 1861 the new “Main Line” was opened in began to swing around a low hill before assuming a one piece, under the auspices of the New York & Ja- general northeastward alignment on level terrain, maica Railroad, between Long Island City and its junc- through what is now Mt. Zion Cemetery, to the compa- tion with the original Brooklyn & Jamaica route at a site ny’s namesake of Flushing. As things remain in 2013, called “The Jamaica Cross Switches” (later Tower 14), the latter portion of the Flushing Railroad’s original main located at Van Wyck Avenue. At Long Island City the line was roughly parallel to the Brooklyn-Queens Ex- fledgling LIRR depot was immediately next to that of pressway between Queens Boulevard and the Kosci- New York & Flushing, where it abutted Borden Avenue, nd rd uszko Bridge. The alignment also avoided a natural Front (now 2 ) Street, and First Street (now 53 Ave- “mountain” in Maspeth (with a topographical “summit” of nue). The passenger facility was in turn adjoined to a 131 feet) and the large amount of swampy terrain that waterfront freight terminal at water’s edge of the East then largely separated the Queens County municipali- River, which gave LIRR supreme access to the river- ties of Long Island City and Newtown, but it did make a borne barge trade and New York Harbor. The New York gradual rise of 70 feet in overall elevation as it proceed- & Flushing and Long Island Rail Roads crossed each th ed from Newtown Creek to Flushing. This was a major other at East (11 ) Street from the start, but were not consideration in engineering any railroad of the day, physically connected until the two lines began sharing given the limited capabilities of the primitive steam loco- the newer LIRR depot on March 31, 1862 and the very motives then in use. small, original Flushing Railroad site was closed. This When it became clear to the original Long Island Rail union became known as the “Southern Junction” with Road Company that it would eventually be expelled the route consolidations of 1876, at which time opera- from its terminus at Brooklyn’s South Ferry, the compa- tion of that portion of the original NY&F line was com- ny quickly sought to establish the best (and cheapest) pletely surrendered to the Southern Railroad of Long alternative route from the banks of the East River to the Island (after it had already run the original Flushing core of its system, that being the original “Main Line” Railroad alignment to Winfield as an ill-fated shuttle be- from Brooklyn to Jamaica, Mineola, Hicksville, River- tween 1870 and about 1875). head, and Greenport. Since at least early in the 18th Between its Long Island City and Jamaica depots, century (and possibly before), the road presently known LIRR originally included three stops: one at Woodside, as Jackson Avenue was the chief thoroughfare from the consisting of platforms on a pronounced curve that was th th center of Long Island City, near the railway terminal, to located “off Riker Avenue between 4 and 5 Avenues”; Flushing (the port of Flushing Bay), its pathway provid- another at Winfield, west of the crossing with NY&F; ing a ready and direct escape for the new railroad from and Newtown, located in a largely rural area one-half the East River to the interior of Queens County. Unlike mile east of Winfield Junction. Through the early years th the roadway, however, LIRR’s objective was to intercept of the 20 century the areas we know in 2013 as Wood- its existing line from Brooklyn at the Village of Jamaica, side and Newtown were greatly reconfigured, including and thus it had to establish a survey of its own across a major relocation of the Long Island Rail Road follow- Newtown, in as a straight a manner as possible while ing the opening of Penn Station. As a result, a great still circumventing the tidal basin of Flushing Bay, which deal of cartographic research is required to “translate” was then the second largest body of water in Queens the former street pattern into some kind of recognizable behind Jamaica Bay. At that time this basin was collec- form, and by comparing atlases and real estate maps of tively included in Flushing Creek, and in 2013 is mostly the time, the conclusion is reached (in reference to occupied by the enormity of “Flushing Meadows-Corona (Continued on page 3) 2 ERA BULLETIN - MAY, 2013 The Genesis of “Dashing Dan” and Borden Avenue (immediately across from the LIRR depot), with trains resuming the original alignment of (Continued from page 2) 1854 at Winfield Junction to complete their journey to 2013) that the first-generation Long Island Rail Road Main Street in Flushing and Great Neck (later Port depot at “Woodside” was actually located at the present Washington) as well as Whitestone. On this newer main 39th Avenue between 57th and 58th Streets (now an line the Flushing & North Side also constructed a full- empty space next to the current LIRR Main Line). Oth- blown depot building at the shared stop in Woodside erwise, the station at Winfield corresponds to 70th Street and a new station at Winfield (corresponding to 48th Av- and 48th Avenue, while the short-lived stop at Newtown enue). has a present-day reference point of Kneeland Avenue The opening of the new Flushing & North Side main somewhere around Hilyer Street.