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| Tuscarora Train of the Week No. 17 (1514966) | |||
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Tuscarora Train of the Week No. 17 |
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Posted by IRTRedbirdR33 on Thu Jun 6 04:51:46 2019 Tuscarora Train of the Week No. 17 New York City Transit Authority Division B Route EE – Queens-Broadway Local A few weeks ago we looked at the operation of the first “EE” back in 1937. This will we will look at the second “EE” which most of us are familiar with. This article was originally written for the “Orphans of Chrystie Street” series. First Day of Operation: Monday, November 27, 1967 Last Day of Operation: Friday, August 27, 1976 Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday Approx. 6 AM to 8 PM Terminals: 71st-Continental Avenues, Forest Hills, Queens Canal Street (Broadway), Manhattan (Rush Hour Short Turns) Whitehall Street – South Ferry, Manhattan Route: IND Queens Line between Forest Hills and Queens Plaza, Queens 11th Street Connection and 60th Street Tunnel crossing the East River BMT Broadway Line between Lexington Avenue and Whitehall Street, Manhattan Length of Trip : Forest Hills – Whitehall Street : 13.64 Miles ; 48 Minutes Forest Hills – Canal Street : 12.24 Miles ; 42 Minutes Marker Lights: Green – Yellow Map Color : Orange Of all the new subway routes spawned by the opening of the Chrystie Street Subway in November, 1967 the “EE” didn’t garner much of the media attention that was focused on some of the other new routes but is was a solid and dependable service throughout its nine year run. It was not the first subway route to use the letters “EE” and it was not the first to operate through the 11th Street Connection between the BMT and IND in Queens and yet it became so strongly identified with that line that it is still remembered after over thirty years. History: A roll sign reading for “EE 8th Avenue Local” appeared on the roll-signs of the R-1’s when they were delivered in 1931. It was one of the eight original local routes provided in the initial planning of the IND. It was to be a local service connecting the Queens Boulevard Line in Queens with the 8th Avenue Line in Manhattan via the 53rd Street Tunnel. This first “EE” began operation on April 24, 1937 running between 169 Street, Queens and Church Avenue, Brooklyn via the 53rd Street Tunnel and the Rutgers Street Tunnel during non-rush hours. During the rush hours “E” trains would run between over the same route but would operate express in Queens while “GG” trains provided Queens Boulevard local service. Two months later on July 1, 1937 with the completion of the Crosstown Line the “E” was made a full time service and the “EE” joined the “AA” in temporary retirement. The proposed route the new “EE” would not have been possible prior to 1955. On December 1 of that year the 11th Street (Queens) Connection was opened between the local tracks of the IND Queens Boulevard Line just south of Queens Plaza Station and the BMT 60th Street Tunnel. The connection on the BMT end was made just inside the portal on the Queens side of the East River. This two track connection was signaled “GD1” for the Manhattan-bound track and “GD2” for the Queens-bound track. Initially service over this line was provided by the BMT’s Rt. 1 Brighton Line until 1961. On January 1, 1961 BMT Rt. 2 Fourth Avenue Local took over the service. With the delivery of the R-27 cars in 1960 these trains could also be identified as “RR Broadway-4th Avenue Local.” Service over the 11th Street connection was provided weekdays only from about 6 AM to 7 PM. The opening of the Chrystie Street Line would result in the functional merging of the BMT and IND divisions into a single entity to be known as “Division B.” Virtually every route of the BMT and IND would be changed, discontinued, re-routed or re-designated. There would also be several new routes, including the subject of this chapter, the “EE.” The main Brighton Local service, (QB/QT) which had previously run to Astoria was to be re-routed up the Nassau Street Line and the Williamsburg Bridge to Jamaica. The Fourth Avenue Local which had run to Forest Hills on weekdays from 6AM to 7PM and to 57th Street – 7th Avenue at all other times would now be extended to Astoria. A new service was now needed to run between Forest Hills and Whitehall Street . This new service would be designated “EE” and be called identified as the Broadway Local or Queens-Broadway Local. An early proposal was to call the new service “QM” for “Queens-Manhattan.” A fleet of 176 R-1/9’s was assigned to the “EE” which needed a maximum of 22 eight cars trains during the rush hours. Most of the R-1/9’s came from the 1100-1399 group and had the proper route signs which would read “EE Via Broadway” others however did not and which decals with black letters reading “VIA BWAY” were pasted over the roll sign readings. The “VIA” and the “BWAY” were printed on top of each other in full size letters so it was impossible to fit the complete reading into the roll sign box. Some R-1/9’s simply carried the original “EE 8th Avenue Local” readings. As time went on other car classes showed up on the “EE” the R-38’s and R-40’s were there used on and off in 1969. The March 1970 car assignment called for 106 R-1/9s and 104 R-16’s though by October 1970 this was pared back to 88 R-1/9’s and 88 R-16’s. The R-1/9s’ were ordered off the “EE” by November 13, 1970 with the R-16’s assuming most of the service supplemented by R-38’s and R-40M’s. In the middle 1970’s the subway system was in a state of virtual collapse. Derailments and fires occurred on a nearly weekly basis while virtually every surface on the subway system; including tunnels, stations and cars were covered with graffiti. Punks and hoodlums roamed the subway system and made it unsafe to ride outside of the peak hours. Riders deserted the subway in droves for the new express buses or if they did ride they did so only during the rush hours. Money for repairs was in short supply as well so the Transit Authority decided on severe service cutbacks that included the complete elimination of the “EE” and the “KK.” The last day of operation was set for Friday, August 27, 1976. The last northbound train, left from Whitehall Street at the end of the PM rush with eight R-16’s; 6432,6441,6416,6491,6398,6430,6419,6482. The last southbound “EE” arrived at Canal Street at 8:20PM and had R-38’s 4031-0, 4087-6, 4066-7 and 4050-1. The “EE” replacement was a few rush hour only “N” trains running southbound from Forest Hills in the AM and northbound from Whitehall Street in the PM. Larry, RedbirdR33 |
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