Cortelyou Road (Q) - The SubwayNut

Cortelyou Road (and its sister station Beverley Road) probably have the narrowest platforms on the entire subway system. This station is located on the Brighton Line and is in an open-cut trench. The station is so close to Beverley Road that a ten car train hasn't fully left one station before it begins to enter the other (the stops are only a long block apart).

The station's single entrance is from an extremely small cramped, and old-fashioned seeming 'cottage feel' station house that is located on the southern side of Cortelyou Road between East 15 Street/Marlborough Road and East 16 Street/Buckingham Road. Across Cortelyou Road from this station house is another small building above the tracks is a service buliding. and was restored in the early 1990s when the rest of the station was including the decorative Garden Stops fencing.

This station house has doors on either side of it that lead down to narrow staircases towards either platform that then split again, so there two narrow staircases down to each platform from the station house. The station house is slightly more towards the northern end of the platforms than their southern ends.

Both platforms are extremely narrow; portions of them cut directly into the sides of the Brighton Lines open-cut. For a good portion of each platform (south of the station house), a line of narrow light blue painted I-beam columns holds up the roof of the platform (that is carved into the trech), even so, here the platforms are only maybe four feet wide at most. The walls of the platforms here are nicely tiled white with Beverly Rd name tablets, each of these name tablets has Beverly Rd tiled, a yellow cream color on a dark green background, there are tiled diamonds to eitherside of it and an orange boarder. North of the station house and at the extreme ends of both platforms where they were extended, the platforms get even narrower (maybe two feet wide), with simple concrete-cream colored walls, portions cut directly into the sides of the Brighton Line's trench.
Photos 1-5: December 9, 2005; 6-17: August 13, 2008; 18-37: September 12, 2013; 38-47: September 24, 2014

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The northern end of the Manhattan-bound platform at Cortelyou Road, yes the end of that platform is that narrow.

Looking up at secondary concrete building that is nestled above the tracks at Cortelyou Road.

Another view across to the equally as narrow Coney Island-bound platform at Cortelyou Road on the portion of it whose sides are un-tiled.

A side view of Coney Island-bound R68A #5074 as it begins to leave Cortelyou Road.

A Manhattan-bound R68A Q train continues to leave Cortelyou Road.

Approaching the small station house at street level at Cortelyou Road.

A close up of unusual Cortelyou RoaD golden lettering on the side of the station house along the street.

A close up of some orange showing from what was once a D on the top side of the station house at the entrance to Cortelyou Road.

Inside the station house at Cortelyou Road, looking up at the nicely restored ceiling of the station house.

Looking up the set of extremely narrow staircases to the station house and exit at Cortelyou Road.

Looking across to the tiled portion of the Manhattan-bound platform at Cortelyou Road. A mosaic name tablet is also visible.

A view down the extremely narrow, but nicely tiled Coney Island-bound platform at Cortelyou Road.

A Cortelyou Road mosaic name tablet.

Looking up at the nice looking and small Cortelyou Road station house nestled above only the express tracks.

The two staircases that lead down from the station house to the Manhattan-bound platform at Cortelyou Road.

A Brighton-bound R40 Slant B train approaches Cortelyou Road to bypass it with a R68A Q train approaching the station to stop at it behind it.

R40S #4388 and a Brighton Beach-bound B train continue to scream their way through Cortelyou Road, bypassing it.

Approaching the ancillary building across from the station house

Looking across to the small 'cottage feel' station house across Crotelyou Road, a Jersey Barrier prevents cars from stopping in front of the station house

Another view of the ancillary building, there are no windows but there is an A/C unit.

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