This massive storage yard (which we passed once before at street level) serves the nearby Linden Shop, where the MTA fabricates all of the track panels (pre-assembled sections of subway track) used in rehabilitation projects on the aboveground subway lines. After being delivered from the shop to a work site, the panels are lifted by crane onto the tracks, where they replace the old rails and ties. (Due to space constraints in the tunnels, underground tracks have to be constructed on site.)
The track you see curving overhead runs from the New Lots Line down to the Linden Shop, about a mile from here, merging with a track that splits off from the nearby Canarsie Line along the way. The combined track connects to the LIRR's Bay Ridge Branch; this is one of only two connections between the subway system and the national rail network, and it makes this yard a convenient location for storing materials and equipment delivered by rail from elsewhere in the country.
Day 416
Linden Yard
February 18th, 2013
Amazing that there still is no better substitute for wooden ties; the high strength to weight ratio, plus low cost.
Also, I like the phrase “aboveground subway” ;)
In the belowground subway I imagine that they would be using concrete by now?
-danny
I think they use concrete ties for non-elevated outdoor lines, but they still use wooden ties (with concrete poured around them) in the tunnels.