As I’ve learned from decades of experience, there’s the right way to do things, and there’s the wrong way (of which I freely admit my occasional guilt) which is usually borne from expediency. Rush jobs are generally inferior. That’s why I cringe at what’s happening to 1910s-era subway elevated platform reflector cowls and their reproductions, which for a few years have been disappearing.
These “cowls” first appeared on BMT elevated platforms in stations built under the Dual Contracts in the 1910s, the first burst of expansive subway and elevated train construction; a second burst occurred in the 1930s, with the Independent Subway (IND).
I’ve been meaning to pay more attention to elevated train platform lighting, which has appeared in a myriad of stylings. The cowls, though, appeared in many BMT platforms and originally carried incandescent bulbs. As they began to disappear in the 1970s, they were later replaced by faithful reproductions such as this set at Sheepshead Bay (Q train). These carried yellow sodium lamps until the bulbs were replaced by bright white LEDs, as here.
Unfortunately, expediency rules at Queensboro Plaza, where the cowls that were functioning perfectly well were removed and plain LED fixtures were slapped up in their place. The esthetics are all wrong for people who care about these things. A full platform’s worth of “cowl” reproductions at the Court Square station, installed just a decade ago, are also being replaced by these LEDs.
As I say frequently and ungrammatically… sick transit, Gloria!
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11/24/23
5 comments
I can think of a worse fate.Like maybe one day the entire line of lamposts being
replaced with ones a little more “Deskey-esque”?
The light bulbs in the “close up”‘ shot appear to be compact florescent (CFLs) or curly fried lights as I’ve been calling them for years. LEDs look the same as incandescent bulbs.
You are correct, those CFLs in that picture. They look like standard household bulbs. Given that flourescent lights don’t work well in cold weather (the gas inside the bulb has to heat up to gain brightness and if it too cold it may not heat up well) I wonder why they went with those.
Even the flourescent tubes on outdoor platforms are rather dim when the weather is really cold.
As the old saying goes, there are three qualities associated with any project: cheap, fast, and good.
We only get to pick two. Of course, with transit projects there’s a choice of only one, and often zero.
The cowls also appeared on IRT elevated platforms on routes built under the Dual Contracts between 1915 and 1922. Included were routes to Pelham Bay Park, White Plains Road-241 St., and Woodlawn (all in The Bronx,), and New Lots Avenue (in Brooklyn).
Listed below are links to photo examples of IRT platform lighting cowls, all from http://www.nyc.subway.org.
• https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?51009 Pelham Bay Park #6
• https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?50864 East 177th-Parkchester #6
• https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?26574 Van Siclen Ave. #3 #4
• https://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?157954 New Lots Ave. #3 #4