Far Rockaway Branch
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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.
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[edit] History
![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]](../../../upload/shared/thumb/f/f7/Rockaway_Branches.jpg/300px-Rockaway_Branches.jpg)
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]
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]
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 led the LIRR to abandon the Queens portion of the route, which was acquired by the city to become the IND Rockaway Line, with service provided by the A train.[4]
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[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 | ||
| Cedar Manor South Jamaica |
closed 1960 | ||
| 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 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 |
| Eldert's Grove | |||
| Holland's | |||
| Sea Side House | |||
| Neptune House | |||
| Atlantic Park | |||
[edit] References
- Vincent F. Seyfried, The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part One: South Side R.R. of L.I., © 1961
- ^ MTA LIRR - LIRR Map
- ^ LIRR Far Rockaway Branch Timetable
- ^ a b Ron Ziel and George H. Foster, Steel Rails to the Sunrise, ©1965
- ^ IND Rockaway Branch/Jamaica Bay Crossing, accessed June 14, 2006
[edit] External links
- MTA Long Island Rail Road
- Far Rockaway Branch Stations (Unofficial LIRR History Website)
- NYCSubway.org Far Rockaway Line
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| Routes | Main Line • Atlantic • Montauk • (Central) |
| Branch services | Babylon • Belmont Park • City Terminal Zone • Far Rockaway • Hempstead • Long Beach • Montauk • Oyster Bay • Port Jefferson • Port Washington • Ronkonkoma • West Hempstead |
| Former and freight lines | Atlantic Avenue rapid transit • Bay Ridge • Bethpage • Bushwick • Central Extension • Creedmoor • Evergreen • Manhattan Beach • Manorville • Rockaway Beach • Sag Harbor • West Brighton Beach • Whitestone |
| Other | East Side Access • Fleet • Former lines • History • Stations |
