PLATFORM LIGHTING, Corona-Flushing

An aspect of subways and railroads in New York City that has never gotten deserved scrutiny is the wide variety of platform lighting found around town both in the subways and on railroads such as the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North. As the months and years pass I hope to build up a critical mass of examinations of these styles to create a subcategory under FNY’s Streetlamps category, despite the fact that street lighting isn’t involved.

In the title image you see a new variety of platform lighting that the Long Island has adopted in recent years. Though the vast majority of platform lighting remains as yellow sodium lighting in poles installed in the 1970s (if that recently) this new variety, black poles with bright white LED lighting, first appeared around 2016 or so and is installed in new stations or stations with top to bottom renovations, such as here at the Flushing Main Street station of the Port Washington branch.

The platform lamps seen here at the 103rd Street station on the IRT Flushing Line (known as the 7 train) are interesting, as the sodium fixture, day burning here, was installed on pre-existing poles that formerly carried incandescent lighting. The original lamps, bulbs under a heavy “cowl,” show up in the background in this photo on NYC Subway from 1972.

Interestingly, when the IRT Flushing was first constructed the 103rd Street station was the third eastern terminal. The original core, built in 1915, went from Grand Central to Vernon Jackson; additional construction pushed it east to Court Square, then Queensboro Plaza, then 103rd Street, then Willets Point and finally Main Street in 1928. The line also pushed west to 5th Avenue in 1926, Times Square in 1927 and finally to Hudson Yards in 2015 upon its centennial.

As always, “comment…as you see fit.” I earn a small payment when you click on any ad on the site.

3/20/23