Route New York City Subway Irt Flushing Line: Flushing-main Street–34th Street-hudson Yards

Discussion in 'Suggestions' started by WonterRail, Jul 3, 2022.

  1. WonterRail

    WonterRail Well-Known Member

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    It's time to take on another 'Rush Hour' style route that featured in that thread I did (Which is coming up to other a year since I posted that, funny how time can fly since then) and this is a pretty big one. This is a suggestion that's not so much about the route itself, but rather about the network that it's apart of, as it's one that has been heavily requested for TSW over the years. Admittedly, there was a part that didn't want to make a suggestion out it, because it's been suggested so many times already, but since it's was the next most popular route in the poll after Heart of Berlin, I might as well take it on any ways. Plus, maybe this will be a chance to maybe add my take on whether any part of this network should be made for TSW2, and what I'm taking about is none other than the New York City Subway. The line I have for you in question? It is the IRT Flushing Line, connecting the heart of Manhattan with the suburbs of Flushing.

    But as always with these suggestions....

    What he said in that post

    The rest of the routes and the poll can be found by clicking on the link here.

    The Route Itself

    Far to say that the New York City Subway in general needs no introduction, as it's pretty much one of the most famous subway networks in the world. What began life as an elevated railway in the 1860s, which eventually led to the first subway line opening in 1904 and has since grown into one of the largest subway networks in the western hemisphere, the seventh busiest subway network in the world and the subway network with the most stations at 424 (or 472 if going by how MTA counts it's stations).

    Of course with a subway network thats as iconic as this one, it's obviously been a hot topic for adaption into train simulation in general. Now I don't believe there are any NYC subway routes available for TS Classic (unless there are, but you have to actually go out of your way to find them) but there are other train simulators that have taken on the challenge of trying to adapt parts of the NYC subway, such as OpenBVE or World of Subways (which actually did the line that I'm about to talk about, which had nothing to do with my decision to include it in the Rush Hour thread, but more on that later). So of course, I couldn't do a big old thread, talking about a bunch of potential 'Rush Hour' routes without including a NYC Subway line as one of those routes. But the question was, which line should I pick?

    When deliberating what route to include in that thread, Flushing Line was one of two NYC Subway lines that I considered. The other being the J/Z service between Broad Street and Jamaica Center (also know as the Nassau Street/Jamaica/Archer Avenue Lines, but what swayed me towards Flushing Line at the time was not because of the aforementioned World of Subways recreation, but rather because the route passes underneath some of the city's most famous landmarks, such as Times Square and Grand Central. But from having a closer inspection, this route would actually interact with various New York routes that we have already had in TSW2, as well will get too.

    I know it would be easy for me to just find an online map of this line and place it here, but I still went ahead and made a map of the route in my maps anyways, which is also helpful for finding out where other features like depots are, so let's take a quick break from talking about the route and show what the route looks like on a map.

    Map of the Whole Route
    NYC Subway IRT Flushing Line 1.PNG
    Section in Manhattan
    NYC Subway IRT Flushing Line 2.PNG
    Section around Queensboro Plaza/Sunnyside Yard
    NYC Subway IRT Flushing Line 3.PNG
    Section around North Corona/Downtown Flushing
    NYC Subway IRT Flushing Line 4.PNG
    So going over the stats of this route, it is only 11.1 Miles (17.9 km) in total track age long, with 10.3 Miles (16.5 km) being the main end-to-end route and an additional 0.9 Miles (1.4 km) making up the various trackage around Corona Yard, which is also the routes only main depot. But this route also comes with a lot of stations, 22 to be precise, with 7 of them being underground and the remaining 15 being located aboveground.

    So what seems like a first a pretty short A to B route (probably the shortest route I have suggested so far) is actually one that has so much going in that length, I've already mentioned the amount of stations on this route is pretty high (the equivalent of one station every 0.5 miles on this route), but you also have the fact that this route winds it's way through New York connecting the heart of the city with the North-Central section of the Queens borough, something that should provide a fantastic backdrop for this route.

    Now, one of the first things you may have noticed regarding this route is that, for an subway route, it actually doesn't have that much underground portions on it. In fact, the majority of the route is above ground, with the only underground portions being the first section of the route under Manhattan and East River and the eastern terminus station at Flushing-Main Street, which is actually why I picked this route to feature in that thread to begin with. I talk about this if I ever get to a certain route that featured in that thread, as it also chose that route for the same reasons, but in my eyes, any underground/subway/metro that ever comes to TSW2 must have a good portion of the route be set outside, otherwise, if the route is just all set underground, it doesn't make it all that fun driving around in the dark all the time (expect for when you are in the light of a station), it would be nice to have some level of outdoors when choosing a subway line to adapt for TSW2, and this route has quite an outdoor section to say the least. I've already mentioned the fact you have the NYC skyline as a backdrop, but this route also has a significant section run above the street below. Mainly above Roosevelt Avenue for a good portion, with a small bit running above Queens Boulevard. It's also worth mentioning that this section is three-tracked, with faster-express services using the centre track during rush hour, but more on that when talking about the available loco as that goes into the services that run on this route as well.

    But what I personally consider the most interesting part of the route is actually the part just north of that section. For as much as it quite a straight route, you have this section around Queensboro Plaza where the route loops around and navigates both the skyscrapers and Sunnyside Yard, while either going down into the tunnels heading towards the heart of Manhattan, or climbing out of those tunnels heading towards Flushing. Plus, you also have Queensboro Plaza station itself, which is located on two levels, with not only the eastbound platform being located above the westbound platform, but these platforms also interchange with the N/W services that run on BMT Astoria Line right next to them. All of this should provide an interesting experience navigating this section overall.

    Which leads me onto this. You see, when I chose this route for the Rush Hour thread last year, I only chose this specific route because it passed under some of NYC most famous landmarks, such as Times Square and Grand Central. However, the more I look at this route, the more I realize that this route actually interacts with several NYC routes that we have already had in TSW, the main ones being Long Island Rail Road & NEC: New York, with the addition of Harlem Line aswell (as that route got made since I originally made that thread a year ago). This route would interact with LIRR & NEC: New York three times throughout the route. The first being at the western end at 34th Street-Hudson Yards, which also worth mention is part the newest section of the route, only opening in 2015 (and while you won't actually see the likes of LIRR & NEC: New York up close, the station is a stones throw from LIRR's Hudson Yard & New York Penn Station). Then the route would pass by and then pass over Sunnyside yard (Which I believe the tracks for the subway line weren't represented at all in those routes for some strange reason, probably because it wasn't deemed important at the time) and then it would interact with LIRR one more time at Woodside, as that station serves as an interchange between the two lines, with the subway line running right above the LIRR (the subway lines there was represented in that route, even if nothing ran on them). The route also passes over the New York Connecting Freight line between 69th Street & 74th Street-Broadway (which is featured as part of NEC: New York) and even though this station is not feature on the TSW version of LIRR, the LIRR Met-Willets Point station is located a stones throw from the subway station on our route of the same name, both station worth mentioning located outside Citi Fields baseball stadium. All of these other lines would be great to see again on this route from a different perspective, and since the rolling stock that runs on all these lines exist in TSW2, we can have AI traffic running on them to make them a lot more alive, but more on that when we get to the available locos and additional layers from other routes.

    We've talked for quite a bit now, so let's take a moment to see what this route actually looks like in real life.

    Picture of the route in real life

    34th Street-Hudson Yards
    [​IMG]
    Times Square-42nd Street
    [​IMG]
    Grand Central-42nd Street
    [​IMG]
    Hunters Point Avenue
    [​IMG]
    Queensboro Plaza
    [​IMG]
    46th Street-Bliss Street
    [​IMG]
    61st Street-Woodside
    [​IMG]
    74th Street-Broadway
    [​IMG]
    Junction Boulevard
    [​IMG]
    Mets-Willets Point
    [​IMG]
    Flushing-Main Street
    [​IMG]

    Available Locos

    So for once with one of these suggestions, we've got it pretty simple here. Just the one loco that would come with this route, as there is only one loco type that actually runs on this route at the moment, and it's one that is actually far more interesting than I first thought for reasons I will get too. Plus, I do have plenty more planned for the layering and what loco add-ons could come here after this route had been released, but we'll talk about that more when we get round to that.

    Kawasaki R188
    [​IMG]
    So this is the main Subway Car that runs on this route at the moment. There are currently 506 cars running on this route. Of which, only 126 of them are brand new, the remaining ones are actually R142's that have been upgraded for use on this route, which is why those look very similar to these cars with one major difference.

    I only found this out when doing the research for it, but this route has CBTC signalling (short for communications-based train control). To crash course the subject, it's means that the train sends information to a central control facility via wi-fi, which co-ordinates the movements of all train along the route. The block between trains, instead of being in-between signals, is now moving and responds to a trains speed and situation. This allows trains to run much closer together without jeopardising safety and makes much more efficient use of track space along the route. The subject itself is very complicated, so I've left down below a video which hopefully should explain the system a lot better than I ever could.

    This is a interesting thing to see in TSW2, the only downside is that you don't have as much control from the drivers cab as you would with most routes right now, as it's all done automatically. But we can set this route during the time when CBTC was being rolled out on this route. Specifically, during the end2017 when it was active between Flushing and 74th Street (It wouldn't be fully rolled out until a year later). This would mean you still get the hands on experience of operating a subway train while also getting to experience the route as it was transitioning into the new signalling system.

    But back onto the unit itself, it would be operating the 7 services on this route. These are full-lines runs of the route, but consist of two types. One is the standard local service that stops everywhere and another title <7>, which is a express service that runs on weekdays in peak directions during rush hour, into the early evenings and on special events, stopping at intermediate stations between Queensboro Plaza & Mets-Willets Point. This should provide a little variety to what would be really a straight forward A to B with the services on this route.

    Additional services from other routes

    Now for the fun part, you may think this route wouldn't have anything else to add of what we already have available, but like I said earlier, you have the fact that the route encounters the Northeast Corridor and Long Island Rail Road several times throughout, and since we have the locos that runs on those lines already in TSW2, it's the perfect opportunity to add AI services running on those lines to make them feel more alive.

    The first route, and the one that would provide the most when it comes to additional AI services is Long Island Rail Road, which is would add well... services running on the LIRR lines, using the M7 available with that route and the M3 from the loco add-on of the same name. You would mostly see these services around Sunnyside Yard and running below you at Woodside station, as well as also around Mets-Willets Point, as like I've said earlier, the LIRR station is a stones through from the Subway station, and also is right up next to the routes depot at Corona Yard.

    The next route is Boston Sprinter, which would add AI services using the Amtrak ACS-64 and Amfleet coaches on either services running straight under the Flushing Line at Queens Boulevard or have stopped in Sunnyside Yard waiting for it's next call, as something visual to look out for while crossing over the yard from the subway line.

    The last route that would add AI traffic is actually Sand Patch Grade, which would add AI freight trains running down the New York Connecting Railroad that the route passes over between 69th Street & 74th Street-Broadway. These would mainly be Manifest trains hauled by either the GP38-2 or SD40-2 and the various wagons available with that route (along with maybe some wagons from other US freight routes in TSW2) happening on an hourly basis, like the AI freight trains running under the Park Avenue Bridge on Harlem Line (I know in reality, these services don't happen that frequent, but they are AI services only, so you might as well try to put some life into an area that might as well look dead for the most part without it).

    Future Loco Add-Ons

    You may think there's not much else to add here, as we have already covered the only loco that runs on this route in real life. However, there's actually a lot more to see here than at first glance, as this is the section where we can have some fun with. I have lined up two loco add-ons that could come to this route after it had been released and they both share one thing in common...

    ...they are both units that used to run on this route, but don't any more.

    Bombardier R62A
    [​IMG]
    First introduced in 1985 as a follow-up to the R62's that were introduced 2 years earlier, a total of 825 of these were built to replace the ageing stock of their time. Unlike the R62's, which were built by Kawasaki, these units were built by Bombardier after the formers refusal to build any more cars under separate orders. They have served various lines on the NYC subway over the years and have even ran on our route at one point, but were displaced to other lines by 2018 when the newer, CTBC equipped R188's were introduced. They are due to be completely phased out by around 2026-28, but in the time period we are setting this route (around late 2017) we can still have them feature here during their last days of operating on the Flushing Line.

    They would mostly be subbing into the existing services on this route, but should hopefully provide a different experience to drive something that is a little older compared to the more modern R188's that run on this route today.

    St. Louis R36
    [​IMG]
    Now what if you want something even older than the R62A? Well, I have that covered with this unit dating from 1963. The first batch of 390 were specifically built for the 1964 World's Fair (which the Flushing Line was the closest subway line to the fair) with an additional 30 being used on other lines in the network. They ended up being withdrawn by 2003 with most of them now either been scrapped, preserved or have been submerged in the Atlantic ocean in order to create an artificial reef off the East Coast of America.

    I envision this loco coming in the iconic 'Redbird' livery, as seen in the image above, and bringing a new period timetable that allows you to run this unit on the Flushing Line, without it interfering with the operations on the existing one. As well adding a excursion special to the existing timetable, representing one that had been preserved and restored to operational order on the main line (as two of them have been to form what is know as the 'Train of Many Colours', consisting of multiple old subway cars in varying liveries running on excursion trains on various subway lines across the network.

    Conclusion

    In the end, the route that seemed to just be straightforward A to B with nothing much else to offer, is actually a route is a far more complex and interesting that what it seemed like at first glance. You have route that may not have much of it be underground, but has great outdoor part with interesting parts that either navigate the skyscrapers, crosses over railroad lines, or follows the streets of the outer boroughs of the city, you have interesting timetable that, while it would be just a simple as services going from A to B, has lots of them running on it and has a few running at peak that only skip certain stations, and you have a solid base loco that brings an fascinating and complex new system (CBTC) to TSW2, which would probably be the big selling point here to have a route that allows you to operate services using the new signalling system, while still having a good sized section of the route that you can still operate hands on, and that's not to mention all of the additional AI stuff running on the lines below, all the loco add-ons that could add period stuff here and so much more. It goes to show that you don't need the route to be ridiculously long to be interesting, you just need to route to have lots going on in that length and this route would certainly provide that with all those services and the amount of stations that are along it. Plus, on the subject of this being a NYC subway route, this would be a great route to bring the network in TSW for all the reason we have just talked about. I'm sure that there are bigger, longer lines that could be made instead of this one for TSW2's first NYC Subway route, but from what we've just talked about, as far as this route goes, it's hardly a bad choice and one that would be just as interesting as any other NYC subway line already suggested and one that could offer far far more than any route that might so happen to be longer than this one, that we might already have in TSW2.

    Time to end now, but as always, if you have any ideas for this route, or if you feel like there's something here that can be differently, then be sure to let me know in the replies down below.

    That's all for me, and I'll see you all for the next route suggestion.

    Image Sources
     
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  2. driverwoods#1787

    driverwoods#1787 Well-Known Member

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    Excellent ideas and for R62A you can also have that layer to the Lexington and Broadway 7th Avenue lines or the reverse is have both route layer R62A from them to flushing line. Key reason is this they actually have destinations r all interborough rapid transit stations
     
  3. tallboy7648

    tallboy7648 Well-Known Member

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    Honestly I think DTG would get so many parts of this line wrong or any nyc subway line wrong for that matter that frankly I don't think DTG should make a nyc subway route.
     
  4. Turbojugend

    Turbojugend Well-Known Member

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    The 7 Line is at the top of my TSW3 dream list. Great article.
     
  5. driverwoods#1787

    driverwoods#1787 Well-Known Member

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    Same and for R62A DLC owners that can layer to IRT Lexington Ave and IRT West Side Lines. I was just on R62A 1838 over the summer 1900s Winter 2015. R188s are CBTC equipped R142A meaning 7 train owners can simply combine them with a R142A 4 train if both Flushing and IRT East Side Lines are owned
     
  6. kiyoko91

    kiyoko91 Well-Known Member

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    The R142A (7221-590) was recently on the 6 for over 15 years, now on the 7. This is a great route, I'm already proposed that subway line in a past. Also includes Cararsie, Jamaica or 8th Ave line add on or the first ever individual game.
     

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