Except where noted, he following was contributed by George N. If anyone has any information or pictures of these, please let me know.
BLISS - near Borden Ave, Review Ave, Dutch
Kills (a waterway) and Newtown Creek in LIC. It was located where
the freight line from Sunnyside Yards meets the Montauk line.
I do not know if this is/was a tower or cabin. Walter I. adds:" Bliss Tower is considered closed
on the current LIRR training maps. All movements through the area
are controlled by Jay. However, several weeks during the summer
month's the tower is opened and operational. A general notice
is sent to all transportation employees, alerting them to it's
hours of operation and phonenumber extentions. It was last used
July 17, 2000 and closed again Aug. 11, 2000." Dave Keller
says "Bliss tower was originally an elevated structure on
a post column, similar to the old style elevated crossing shanties
that some roads
had. Access to the tower was gained by using a spiral staircase
around the column post. It was later torn down, and a concrete
block cabin was erected further West of the earlier site.
POND - On the Montauk line between the Fresh Pond and Glendale stations where the Bay Ridge freight line crossed. If the map is accurate, it is/was between the Bay Ridge line and what was the BMT Myrtle Ave line to Metropolitan Avenue. Here are two pictures taken in 1981 by "rrray". In the first picture, that the Myrtle Ave. line (M train) overpass.
Dave Keller adds: Pond tower at Fresh Pond
was originally "DF" tower. I have a shot of it as
"DF" c. 1925 and as "Pond" before the rebuilding
in 1967. Prior to the rebuilding, the entire upstairs of the
tower was windows.
FREMONT - This is/was a tower where the LIRR joined the By Ridge line south of POND. There is a picture of this tower in the book "Diesels of the Sunrise Trail" on page 88 dated 5/69. Tower active at the time. Here's a picture courtesy of Steve Lynch
OZONE - Where the Rockaway Branch crossed the line to Flatbush Ave. at Atlantic Avenue. There is a photo of it on page 29 in the book "Change at Ozone Park". Not likely its still around.
BEACH - On the Rockaway Beach line below the Hamilton Beach station.
DRAW (previously HJ)- Just south of the Beach Channel draw bridge on the Rockaway line. Two different structures occupied site at different times. See pp 39-40 in "Change at Ozone Park".
ROCK (previously FW) Tower - located just east of Far Rockaway station. Could still be there. I plan to check it out.
HOLLIS - My 1952 track map shows a tower at HOLLIS just east of the passenger station. As I wrote you already, I grew up in QV and rode the LIRR any number of times past Hollis. There may have been a tower there but I can't remember it for anything. From Dave Keller: Hollis tower, previously known as "IS" tower was located at the east end of the Hollis station platform. It was a kind of squat tower.
PARK - This tower was at Floral Park in the crotch formed by the Hempstead Br turning off from the main line. Tower would have been torn down when track elevated thru area because, after tracks were reconfigured with elevation project, trains where aligned onto proper track at QUEENS tower.
GREAT NECK - Don't know if this was tower
or cabin or whatever. I photographed Great Neck for my files within
the past couple of years and saw no evidence of anything there
now. There are two switches there, one with points facing east
where the e/b and w/b tracks merge to a single line. Facing this
switch is one with points facing west that leads to the single
track serving the remaining station while other other track is
a siding for trains terminating at Great Neck. Dave Keller adds:
Great Neck did indeed have a tower. Originally "G"
cabin was located there. Later a full sized tower was erected.
I believe it also controlled the Whitestone branch connection.
It was demolished with the depression of the ROW.
PORT - After I sent you photos of PORT, I found a photo of it in "Diesels of the Sunrise Trail". It showed PORT as brand new in 1960 with windows indicating it was manned at that time.
