Far Rockaway Branch

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Far Rockaway Branch
Far Rockaway Branch train 2820 is departing Cedarhurst Station.
Info
Type	Commuter rail
System	Long Island Rail Road
Status	Operational
Locale	Nassau County and Far Rockaway, New York, USA
Stations	7
Services	Far Rockaway Branch
Operation
Opened	1869 (as part of South Side Railroad)
Owner	Long Island Rail Road
Operator(s)	Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Technical
No. of tracks	2
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Electrification	Third rail

The Far Rockaway Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at Valley Interlocking, just east of Valley Stream station; the Long Beach Branch also begins there, heading east and south to Long Beach, and the Atlantic Branch heads west to Jamaica. From Valley Stream, the line heads south and southwest through southwestern Nassau County, ending at Far Rockaway in Queens. LIRR maps and schedules indicate that the Far Rockaway Branch service continues west along the Atlantic Branch to Jamaica.^[1][2] This two-track branch provides 24-hour service in both directions to the Flatbush Avenue terminal in Brooklyn, with transfers required at Jamaica (on almost all non rush-hour trains originating in Far Rockaway) for Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan. During rush hour, express service bypasses Jamaica station.

[edit] History

Far Rockaway Branch
Legend Atlantic Branch Long Beach Branch 18.6 Gibson 19.5 Hewlett 20.1 Woodmere 20.9 Cedarhurst 21.8 Lawrence 22.0 Inwood Queens/Nassau County border 22.8 Far Rockaway Distances shown in miles from Pennsylvania Station.

The South Side Railroad built the branch in 1869. While constructing it in summer 1869, the company installed about 700 feet (200 m) of tracks across William B. McManus's farmland near Lawrence. But the transaction had not been completed, and McManus and his rowdy Irish friends tore up the track the next night; a legal battle led to the company paying McManus.^[3]

The Far Rockaway Branch initially extended west to Rockaway Park. In 1887, a connection was built to the Rockaway Beach Branch at Hammels, and the older Far Rockaway Branch was abandoned west of Hammels.^{[citation needed]}

Due to the success of the branch, the South Side built the 200-foot (60 m) South Side Pavilion, a restaurant on the beach. The line was extended west to the Seaside House (Beach 103rd Street) by 1872 and Neptune House (Beach 116th Street) in 1875.^[3]

Two stations on the branch were built as Arverne (LIRR station). The first of which was in 1888 at Gaston Avenue(Beach 67th Street). It had a large tower, was shaped like a victorian hotel and had a connection to the Ocean Electric Railway, as did much of the Rockaway Beach and Far Rockaway branches. Due to a quarrel between the LIRR and a developer, another Arverne Station was built at Stration Avenue in 1892. From then on, the original Arverne station was known as Arverne-Gaston Avenue (LIRR station) to distinguish it from the Arverne-Straiton Avenue (LIRR station).^[4]

The Far Rockaway Branch had originally been part of a loop that traveled along the existing route, continuing through the Rockaway Peninsula and heading on a trestle across Jamaica Bay through Queens where it reconnected with other branches. Frequent fires and maintenance problems, most notably a May 23, 1950 fire between Broad Channel Station and The Raunt led the LIRR to abandon the Queens portion of the route on October 3, 1955, which was acquired by the city to become the IND Rockaway Line, with service provided by the A train.^[5] Most Queens-based stations along the former Far Rockaway and Rockaway Beach Branches reopened as subway stations on June 28, 1956, the exception being Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue station, which was split between the NYCTA and LIRR on January 16, 1958.

This section requires expansion.

[edit] Station listing

Station/ location	Station link	Miles (kilometers) to Penn Station	Connections/notes
For continuing service to points west, see City Terminal Zone
Jamaica
Jamaica-Beaver Street Jamaica			closed 1913
Cedar Manor South Jamaica			closed January 28, 1959
Locust Manor Farmers Boulevard and Bedell Street, Locust Manor	[1]	14.0 (22.5)	Bus (New York City Bus):Q3 (to JFK Airport); Q85
Higbie Avenue Locust Manor			closed February 2, 1960
Laurelton 225th Street and 141st Road, Laurelton	[2]	15.1 (24.0)	Bus (New York City Bus): Q77, Q85
Rosedale North Conduit Avenue and 243rd Street, Rosedale	[3]	16.0 (25.4)	Bus (New York City Bus): Q5, Q85
Valley Stream Franklin Avenue and Sunrise Highway, Valley Stream	[4]	17.7 (28.5)	Transfer to Long Beach and West Hempstead Branch trains Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N1, N2, N3
Gibson Gibson Boulevard and Munro Boulevard, Gibson	[5]	18.6 (29.9)	Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N1
Hewlett Franklin Avenue between Broadway and West Broadway, Hewlett	[6]	19.5 (31.4)	Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N31, N32
Woodmere Woodmere Boulevard and Cedar Lane, Woodmere	[7]	20.1 (32.3)	Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N31, N32
Cedarhurst Cedarhurst Avenue and Chestnut Street, Cedarhurst	[8]	20.9 (33.6)	Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N31, N32
Lawrence Lawrence Avenue and Bayview Avenue, Lawrence	[9]	21.8 (35.1)	Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N31, N32
Inwood Doughty Boulevard and Foote Avenue, Inwood	[10]	22.4 (36.0)	Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N31, N32
Far Rockaway Nameoke Street and Redfern Avenue, Far Rockaway	[11]	23.0 (37.0)	Bus (MTA Long Island Bus): N31, N32, N33 Bus (MTA New York City Bus): Q113
The following stations were abaondoned on October 3, 1955, many of them converted into subway stations on the IND Rockaway Line on June 28, 1956.
Wavecrest
Edgemere
Frank Avenue
Straiton Avenue
Eldert's Grove
Holland's
Sea Side House
Neptune House
Atlantic Park

[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Far Rockaway Branch

• Vincent F. Seyfried, The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part One: South Side R.R. of L.I., © 1961

[edit] External links

• MTA Long Island Rail Road
• Far Rockaway Branch Stations (Unofficial LIRR History Website)
• NYCSubway.org Far Rockaway Line
• Far Rockaway Line; December 11, 1905 (Arrt's Arrchives)

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