Rockaway Ave (C) - The SubwayNut

Rockaway Avenue is a typical IND local station, with two side platforms for the four track Fulton Street Subway. An interesting fact of the history of the station was that it served as the terminal (definitely built to be temporarily) of the Fulton Street Line for 10 years from 1936 to 1946, as wartime material restrictions prohibited the partially constructed Pitkin Avenue subway from opening.

After the BMT Fulton Street elevated closed south of Rockaway Avenue in 1940 the station served as a transfer point from the IND subway to the BMT elevated, the station was designed for none of this. Looking at a track map there no obvious switches for how trains relayed directions, unless the tracks were completed into Broadway-East New York and wartime material restrictions prohibited putting the final touches to open it on.

The station has two exits, one at the extreme eastern end of the platforms leading up to Hopkinson Av (original name, as some platform tiling says) now renamed (after State Senator) Thomas S Boyland St. This exit has two staircases up to the NE and SE corners of Fulton Street and Thomas S Boyland Street. There were once also streetstairs to the NW and SW corners, but these have been closed off and slapped over. These lead down to a very small mezzanine area that has a single staircase down to either plaform at there extreme eastern ends. This is also where the station's token booth is.

The other exits are directly on the platforms, unstaffed and lead up to Rockaway Av. On the Euclid Av-bound platform there is simply a single high exit turnstile that leads to two staircases to the SE and SW corners of Rockaway Av and Fulton Street. On the Manhattan-bound platform are two High Entrance/Exit turnstiles and an Exit turnstile up to the NE and NW corners of Rockaway Avenue and Fulton Street.

Decoratively the station has a purple theme with purple backgrounds and white text for the name tablets and a purple trim with Rockaway written one tile below. The platforms are columnless except for a couple in the fare control areas. These are purple.
Photos 1-19: June 1, 2009;

Looking down the Euclid Av-bound platform at Rockaway Av, with the blur of a R32 C train leaving the station.

A second view down the Euclid Av-bound platform at Rockaway Av after the train has left.

Looking along the simple IND platform walls at Rockaway Av, most of the black painted areas where ads could go are currently empty.

A Rockaway Ave name tablet with arrow tiling for the namesake exit at Rockaway Av beneath it.

Looking down long and empty the Euclid-bound platform at Rockaway Avenue that is completely columnless and in this view quite empty.

Approaching the eastern end of the Euclid Av-bound platform at Rockaway Avenue with the exit only exit to Rockaway Avenue visible.

A single High Exit Turnstile is the only way to exit to Rockaway Avenue at Rockaway Avenue.

The small area beyond the High Exit turnstile at Rockaway Avenue with the two staircases up to either side of the street visible.

Looking up the staircase to Rockaway Av & Fulton St SW corner, the railings look extra yellow like they were painted recently.

The top of the staircase to the Rockaway & Fulton St SW corner exit, with its NO entry sign and to enter across Fulton Street or at Boyland Street.

The entrance to Rockaway Avenue, says the station is still an AC station, even though the A has served the station only during late nights (witch aren't usually bulleted for except in the service times signs) since 1998. This entrance leads to the end of the Manhattan-bound platforms, so Rockaways/Lefferts-bound passengers would have walk the length of the platform for the overpass, the sign doesn't acknowledge this.

Thomas S. Boyland Street with a Rockaway Av subway entrance in view.

All the entrance staircases to Rockaway Av still say AC and not just C, here's a view of another one.

To Street tiling in the tiny mezzanine at Rockaway Avenue.

A view of the small by IND standards but not at all cramped mezzanine from the Thomas S. Boyland Street entrance to Rockaway Avenue.

A mosaic (I think original) sign down to the Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx platform at Rockaway Av. It really shouldn't say Queens since trains on the opposite platform lead to and enter Queens much sooner without having to go through Manhattan.

The tiled sign for the Euclid Av-bound platform was written extremely conservatively and simply says 'To East New York', To Euclid Avenue had been painted over it in the Black text on white paint format and a red arrow.

A Rockaway Av name tablet with tiling for the Hopkinson Av exit beneath it.

A sign for the Fulton St and Rockaway Avenue Station exit and a long an empty Euclid Av-bound island platform.