The Raunt (LIRR station)
Encyclopedia
The Raunt was a former Long Island Rail Road
station on the Rockaway Beach Branch
. It had no address and no station house, because it was meant strictly as a dropping-off point for fishermen
using a small island in Jamaica Bay
. The station was located 1300 feet west of signal station "ER" (presumably #96), and near the WU Tower. It was named for the channel on the south side of the island where it stood.
and thus doomed the entire line. Service on the Rockaway Beach Branch west of Hammels continued only via the Far Rockaway Branch
, until October 3, 1955, when the branch was abandoned west of Far Rockaway
itself, along with the entire Rockaway Beach Branch south of Ozone Park
.
Both branches were sold to the New York City Transit Authority
, which replaced the Rockaway Beach Branch, and the Queens half of the Far Rockaway Branch with the IND Rockaway Line
. The Broad Channel station was replaced in 1956 as a subway station, but the small community at The Raunt was ordered demolished by Robert Moses
and became part of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
.
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
station on the Rockaway Beach Branch
Rockaway Beach Branch
The Rockaway Beach Branch was a rail line owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in Queens, New York City, United States. The line left the Main Line at Whitepot Junction in Rego Park heading south via Ozone Park and across Jamaica Bay to Hammels in the Rockaways turning west there to a...
. It had no address and no station house, because it was meant strictly as a dropping-off point for fishermen
Fisherman
A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishermen and fish farmers. The term can also be applied to recreational fishermen and may be used to describe both men...
using a small island in Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay is located on the southwestern tip of Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, and the town of Hempstead, New York/hamlet of Inwood...
. The station was located 1300 feet west of signal station "ER" (presumably #96), and near the WU Tower. It was named for the channel on the south side of the island where it stood.
History
The Raunt station opened in 1888. It had a wooden pedestrian bridge between the two sheltered platforms, and was electrified on July 26, 1905. The Jamaica Bay Trestle was prone to fires, but The Raunt was the source of a May 7–8, 1950 fire that broke out between here and Broad Channel, destroyed the bridge over Jamaica BayJamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay is located on the southwestern tip of Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, and the town of Hempstead, New York/hamlet of Inwood...
and thus doomed the entire line. Service on the Rockaway Beach Branch west of Hammels continued only via the Far Rockaway Branch
Far Rockaway Branch
The Far Rockaway Branch is an electrified rail line and service owned and operated by the Long Island Rail Road in the U.S. state of New York. The branch begins at Valley Interlocking, just east of Valley Stream station; the Long Beach Branch also begins there, heading east and south to Long Beach,...
, until October 3, 1955, when the branch was abandoned west of Far Rockaway
Far Rockaway, Queens
Far Rockaway is a neighborhood on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens in the United States. It is the easternmost section of the Rockaways. The neighborhood starts at the Nassau County line and extends west to Beach 32nd Street. The neighborhood is part of Queens Community...
itself, along with the entire Rockaway Beach Branch south of Ozone Park
Ozone Park (LIRR station)
Ozone Park is a former Long Island Rail Road station. Ozone Park station was set up to enable passengers from Pennsylvania Station and Flatbush Avenue to reach the Rockaway Park area or Far Rockaway section simply by changing trains . The trains would stack end-to-end, and passengers would...
.
Both branches were sold to the New York City Transit Authority
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
, which replaced the Rockaway Beach Branch, and the Queens half of the Far Rockaway Branch with the IND Rockaway Line
IND Rockaway Line
The IND Rockaway Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway. It branches from the IND Fulton Street Line at Rockaway Boulevard, extending over the Jamaica Bay, into the Rockaways.-History:...
. The Broad Channel station was replaced in 1956 as a subway station, but the small community at The Raunt was ordered demolished by Robert Moses
Robert Moses
Robert Moses was the "master builder" of mid-20th century New York City, Long Island, Rockland County, and Westchester County, New York. As the shaper of a modern city, he is sometimes compared to Baron Haussmann of Second Empire Paris, and is one of the most polarizing figures in the history of...
and became part of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge
Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge in New York City that is managed by the National Park Service as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area....
.
