In the series ... "I REMEMBER THE ROCKAWAYS"... Stevie S. Stevens writes about

"East is East - and West is West - and never the TRAIN shall meet"

In a most interesting and dynamic piece of photo journalism - a Long Island Rail Road train sits facing its adversary, the newly arrived IND "A"-Train. These two "sparring partners" are separated by a distance of only seventy-five feet - close enough but still quite far away.

The "victory cup" in this competitive event will eventually be awarded to the New York City Subway System - for this very platform upon which our photographer is collecting this documentary image is doomed! - it will be torn down within the next fourteen months.

The photo you are currently viewing was taken in 1956 while standing on the west side platform of the "still raised" Far Rockaway Long Island Rail Road station - which had been situated within the main boundary of the town for (approximately) seventy-five years. As fact, this pictured location was actually the second station built at this site - and was located above and at about the middle of Mott Avenue.

The City of New York purchased the Rockaway peninsula transportation line from a bankrupt Long Island Rail Road during the years 1954/55 and began converting the fire-damaged route at about that same time. In order to "electrify the tracks" making them adaptable for existing subway service, a seventy-five foot separation was created in the overhead trestle by (crudely) dismantling a part of it - and this is the very gap shown in our photograph.

The area (in the background) in which the trestle was split from its other section will eventually become the "passenger loading platforms" for a "yet-to-be-erected" Mott Avenue Subway Station - a building which will be introduced at the beginning of 1958.

All of this structure upon which our photographer is now standing will be eliminated prior to the summer of 1957 - and a "new" Far Rockaway Long Island Rail Road station (much smaller in size) will be built on Nameoke Street - allowing for the complete demolition of this part of the raised station, thereafter permitting trains to be boarded at street level.

Several reasons were offered for the relocation of the "new" Far Rockaway LIRR station to be situated at a more easterly location: (1) effective elimination of a costly (to maintain) raised train station; (2) the successful elimination of yet another street crossing "gate set" at Nameoke; (3) additional commuter parking facilities; (4) some reduction of congestion in the center of the small Far Rockaway town; as well as (5) the generation of an extremely large centrally located available parcel of real estate which when sold off to private developers would produce greatly needed revenue for a cash-strapped railroad.

So, take another gander at this spectacular photograph! You are back in time - standing over the center of Mott Avenue - and you are experiencing the making of, as well as the demise of a legend. Now you can say you "have seen it all!" The LIRR vs. the "A"-Train. Memories at their very best!!

email: steviesstevens@cs.com