I’ve written about this fascinating mosaic sign at the Hunters Point Avenue #7 train station before, but it bears repeating. In the good old days, there was more than one way to skin a cat when it came to getting to northern and eastern Queens on the Flushing Line. Until 1949, you could get to both Astoria and Corona using the Flushing Line, which bifurcated into two branches at Queensboro Plaza, with the IRT and BMT operating each line. Beginning in 1917, some trains went up the Astoria el over 31st Street to Ditmars Boulevard, while others took the present Flushing Line route over the Roosevelt Avenue el to its original terminal in Corona. The line was extended out to Main Street, Flushing by 1928.
When the Hunters Point Avenue station was built, though, Corona was the terminal and this sign reflects that fact. Until 1942, you could also catch a spur of Manhattan’s 2nd Avenue El over the Queensboro Bridge to Queensboro Plaza and change for either route. It truly was a golden age of transit, if you could stand no air conditioning in the summer.
In 1949, the situation as we know it today had arisen, with #7 Flushing Line trains going out to Flushing exclusively, and BMT trains, which have been the N, Q, R and W over the years as well as other letters, heading for Astoria.
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop, and as always, “comment…as you see fit.”
7/17/19