Gibson
Hewlett has both the oldest, built in 1870 and one of the newest opened in 2009 depots on the Long Island Railroad (according to this Wikipedia photo). Only the newest is still open for passenger use, and had a ticket office open weekdays for one shift until August 2009 (TrainTalk Archive). The historic depot is painted red with a small gabled roof and is across Franklin Avenue just north of today's station platforms. It is along the New York-bound track that still has an unfenced low-level platform that extends with parking up against it along Hewlett Plaza to the next grade crossing at Broadway. There is a new bike rack and also still has a post World War II clock advertisement. The clock still works, displaying the current time, and the ad is relatively for the 'Bad Girls Club,' still on the air, but for judging from the air date, was installed for season 2 in 2008.
The two modern platforms extend from Franklin Avenue's grade crossing south and are of the pre-M1s 1970s verity. Each has just a painted yellow line. The New York-bound platform is along Railroad Avenue, with a few staircases and a ramp (for ADA compliancy) up to the platform with two silver shelters for the only protection from the elements. One has a TVM inside it. Railroad Avenue is home to a few low-rise commercial buildings and then a yellow school bus depot for Independent Coach Corp. It dead ends where the platform ends at fence and Trinity Cemetery. The Far Rockaway-bound platform has one silver shelter and a few staircases and a ramp up from the large parking lot it is along. The new depot building is inside this parking lot along Franklin Avenue with an access road to lot between it and the platform. Inside the depot (open Monday-Friday from 6am to 2pm) are a few modern wooden MTA benches, the sealed ticket window and restrooms. There is wood paneling trying to evoke a historical look. The outside has a metal gabled roof and metal walls like many modular homes.
All photos taken on 3 January, 2012
