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(Rockaway Park
Shuttle)
For photos please see
www nycsubway.org
NYCT uses H to
refer to this Shuttle for in house use. This
site will follow this practice. This entire line
was a former LIRR line and platforms hold 12
cars each of 85 foot length. The entire line was renovated by WDF except for Beach 116th
Street which has already been done
At the time of this edit, the
line is out from Beach 90 Street to Beach 116
Street and runs only between Beach 90 and Far
Rockaway due to damage from Superstorm Sandy.
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BROAD
CHANNEL
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Broad Channel
(East 8th
Road at West Road) opened 6/28/1956:
This station is a clear example of NYCT
converting the station from LIRR to subway use.
Like other station conversions along the
Rockaways, there are pre-1950 LIRR footprints
left behind. One is an abandoned entrance
at the very north end of the S/B platform with
steps, a sign “Exit Only” gives the indication
that this exit was converted to exit only when
the line was already acquired by NYCTA for the
1956 conversion. The other gives the
appearance of an extra long platform (like
Aqueduct and Howard Beach stations.), plus
possible evidence of an island platform on the
Rockaway-bound side. Original 1956 engraved
directional signs to street are on both platform
walls. The H Rockaway shuttle starts here,
After leaving Broad
Channel, we take another deep breath and cross
the South Channel Bridge before entering the
Rockaways. Before we split up, the
Rockaway-bound track depresses below the
Manhattan-bound track to allow use to diverge
left. The H shuttle trains diverge to the
left and in the middle of the diverge is Hammels
Tower, fully functional and in use. This
section is called Hammels Wye for its triangular
track configuration. While the Far
Rockaway track continues east and the Rockaway
Park tracks continue west, a single .60 mile
track connects both branches. This track
was used in regular service during late night
“round robin” moves of the H shuttle. The
late night H shuttle started from Euclid Ave and
would travel to Rockaway Park first. After
a brief layover, the H would double back to
Beach 90th Street, then use the
single track long Hammels Wye to connect with
the Far Rockaway branch. The train would
run to Far Rockaway, then another layover and
the train would return back to Euclid Ave along
the regular A route. This service was
tedious for several reasons:
- It would cause
problems for a rider to get to a Far
Rockaway station from any station Broad
Channel or north because the lightly
patronized Rockaway Park branch would be the
first stops.
- Any early bird customer from the 4
Rockaway Park stations, would have to travel
to the Far Rockaway branch first before
turning forward towards Brooklyn and
Manhattan.
- Most times customers would make a quick
dash to double back at Beach 90th
Street (to go towards Far Rockaway), or
Beach 60th Street (to go towards
Euclid Ave), and be one train ahead, and it
does work. But the few times where the
opposing train just left is too much of a
hassle to wait 20 minutes for the same train
they were on to come back, as well as the
general safety of the area at night.
In 1990, NYCT made one of
the smartest moves by figuring out the Far
Rockaway branch had more late night ridership
than the Rockaway Park or even the Lefferts Blvd
branch. In doing so, the
A to Far Rockaway was now assigned as the
full time 24/7, while the late night shuttle
service was introduced from Euclid Ave to
Lefferts Blvd, and the H continued service as a
24/7 shuttle between Broad Channel and Rockaway
Park. In addition, five A trains from
Rockaway Park were added during the AM and PM
rush, in the peak direction only (They leave RP
at about 6:39 to 8:09 AM, and from 59th
Street/Columbus Circle at about 4:19 to 5:40 PM,
every 20 minutes.)
WDF has renovated All
stations up to and including Beach 105
plus all stations on the
Far Rockaway side except for Mott
Avenue for which the contractor is not known.
All now have Tudor style windscreens except for
Broad channel and Beach 116 Street.
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BEACH
90 STREET
HOLLAND
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Beach 90th Street Holland
has two tracks and two wall platforms and is on
a concrete viaduct. New lights have been
installed. There is a crossunder to the tile
mezzanine. Artwork is by
Michael Miller and is
entitled Surf Station 90, 2011. It is Faceted
glass.
Michael Miller's faceted glass panels
celebrate the adventure of surfing, which is
appropriate for the location, B. 90th Street,
which is a City of New York designated surfing
beach. Miller created a series of paintings in
vivid, bold color reminiscent of 60's surf
posters and music album covers, that evoke the
mood of sitting inside a wave and looking toward
shoreline, or the splash of the sea, or figures
on a surfboard. His work is expressive and
energetic in its line and movement, the perfect
start or finish to a day at the beach, and a
welcome burst of color to commuters in this
Rockaway neighborhood.
The expressive nature of faceted glass has
been maximized to use optical effects and hand
painting to bring Miller's artwork to life. As
construction progresses, additional panels will
be installed on the south bound platform of the
station.
Beach 98th Street Playland
has two tracks and two wall platforms and is on
a concrete viaduct. New lights have been
installed. There is a crossunder to the tile
mezzanine this station windscreen the home of
Rockaway Playland which has gone into New York
history. No trace remains other than the station
name. The southbound platform is longer. the
North end of the southbound platform has an
extra exit which is sealed Artwork is by
Duke Riley and is entitled
Be Good or Be Gone, 2011. It is Faceted glass.
At the Beach 98th Street station, faceted
glass artwork panels feature scenes, symbols,
and the sea that surrounds the community. There
are three groupings of five panels and two sets
of diptychs. Artist Duke Riley has long been
interested in maritime history, folklore, and
local customs - particularly around New York's
waterways. His work features the iconic view of
the houses on stilts seen from the A train as it
crosses Broad Channel. Situated on a pier, the
homes are the only remaining bungalow housing
pier of its kind in the City. Riley frames them
with two bowline knots (a very strong knot
commonly used to tie down the bow of a ship) to
represent the strength and closeness within this
community. Another set of five panels depicts a
tugboat pulling a barge laden with recyclable
glass. The tugboat was a based on a retired NYC
tugboat that was docked near the artist's
childhood home, and the depiction of glass in a
glass artwork adds a layer of interest.
Riley uses nautical flags to spell out local
phrases, like the "Be Good or Be Gone" sign seen
in local taverns and for which the series of
panels is titled and uses the phrase as a
reminder for visitors to take care and
appreciate the fragile environment of the area.
One two-panel section shows two images of a
piping plover - an endangered bird that has
chosen a section of beach at the Rockaways, just
a few blocks south of the station, as one of its
few remaining nesting grounds. The other diptych
has nautical flags above images of seaside
bungalows that also bear a common Rockaway
phrase, "No Sniveling,'' which simply means no
whining. In the past 150 years, Rockaway Beach
endured destruction from storms and fire and -
as is often is the case with waterfront
communities - the unwavering determination to
rebuild has shaped the resilient culture of the
community. On the southbound platform, a five
panel set shows the rolling sea filled with cast
off and floating objects and even houses, as the
artist comments on both the power of the sea and
the need to respect it. The faceted glass
artwork fabricated by Willet Hauser
Architectural Glass employs special treatments,
including metal rivets to mimic ship
construction, hand painting, and etching. Glass
crystals form stars above the stilt houses and
other innovative uses of the medium are seen
throughout the works.
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BEACH
105 STREET
SEASIDE
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Beach 105th Street Seaside
has two tracks and two wall platforms and is on
a concrete viaduct. New lights have been
installed. There is a crossunder to the tile
mezzanine resembles 90th Street and
has a sealed extra exit at the north end of the
southbound platform. One stairway on the
northbound platform is closed for "emergency
repairs from 6/25/04 until 9/26/04. " Time will
tell if the stairway is reopened. Leaving here
we descend to the surface. Artwork is by
Callie Hirsch and is entitled
Vast, 2011. It is Faceted glass
For the Beach 105 Street station, Callie
Hirsch created fantastical aquatic creatures set
against rich blue and green backgrounds of
water. She worked with fabricator Erksin
Mitchell, who interpreted her artwork into three
groupings of faceted glass panels. Each is a
striking portrayal of organic ocean forms made
radiant by the strong light that reflects off
the nearby ocean.
Hirsch, inspired by childhood experiences,
explores the universe beneath the seas through
her artwork. As a child, she was fascinated by
the family fish tank filled with creatures taken
from the ocean. As a teenager, her interest was
heightened when she began sailing and scuba
diving. The variety and vibrancy of life beneath
the surface continues to be a major interest to
her.
With a love for the Rockaway landscape,
Hirsch says the ocean is one of the most
desirable places on earth. Through Vast,
she hopes to encourage viewers to acknowledge
and respect the beauty of the sea and consider
their own participation in the power and
wholeness of the natural world."
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BEACH
116 STREET
ROCKAWAY PARK
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Beach 116th Street Rockaway Park
has two tracks, an island platform and is at
grade level. Yard tracks are on each side of the
active tracks. The massive station house is at
grade level and is concrete with windows. It
also houses a police facility . An examination
of the station house shows the former ticket
windows. According to the
MTA Web site
artwork is by .K K Kozik and is entitled First on the Beach and
Wednesday Night Fireworks, 2008.Laminated glass
in the station building interior windows.
Laminated glass artwork on the two interior
clerestory windows evoke night and day in
Rockaway Park. One window shows a timeless
interlude on the beach, complete with unfurling
towels as beachgoers stake out space on a bright
sunny day. On the opposite wall, a night sky
over the beach and ocean is transformed with
bursts of fireworks, as rapt families and
neighbors gather to watch the Wednesday night
summer tradition unfold.
Artist K K Kozik created the originals in
pastel and her drawings were transformed into
the glass panels that capture the detail and
expressive palette of her summer day and night.
The building is the terminal station in Rockaway
Park and serves as a focal point for the
tight-knit community."
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