Ralph Avenue (C) - The SubwayNut

The Ralph Avenue Station has two side platforms for the Four Track Fulton Subway. It opened with a full-length mezzanine half of which has been closed off, but is still visible beyond a fenced off portion of the mezzanine.

Currently the only exit is towards western end of the platforms and is simply at the western end of the portion of the mezzanine that is still open with the token booth and turnstiles. Streetstairs lead out to the SE corner of Ralph Avenue and Fulton Street. To the north are two streetstairs, one would be to the NE corner of Ralph Avenue, across the intersection from the SE corner streetstair, except McDougal street ends at Fulton Street at an angle, a short passageway leads under McDougal Street, to a final streetstair at the corner of Ralph Avenue (now at a slightly different angle after this five-way intersection) and McDougal Street. There is an abandoned slabbed over streetstair, with locked gates in the fare control area, that once led to the SW corner of Ralph Avenue and Fulton Street.

At the eastern end of the mezzanine is a closed exit that still has tiling for the exit beneath the platform name tablets, along with mosaics along the mezzanine. These all say Howard Ave. This exit conisited of a narrow passageway from the middle of the of the mezzanine that went up a gentle ramp before splitting into two passageways and staircases going north and south that led to now sealed off with sheet metal staircases up to the NW and SE corners of Howard Avenue and Fulton Street. The former streetstair to the NW corner is still very visible on the street the entrance opening covered up blue plywood.

The station has the purple color theme with white text on purple name tablets and a purple trim. This platform has no columns but all of those on the mezzanine are painted a turquoise blue with the exception of those around the Special Waiting area benches in full view of the token booth that have been painted yellow, the only place in the entire subway system I've scene this. The columns were not paited very recently because one of them has a pay phone on it and the sign above it says Bell Atlantic, the phone company before the year 2000. The former advertising panels on the platforms have been tiled over, the mezzanine is still covered in advertisements that looked current.
Photos 1-11: June 25, 2008; 12-16: October 11, 2014

A purple Ralph Ave name tablet.

Looking down the columnless island platform at Ralph Av with one of the staircases up to the mezzanine visible.

tiles spelling out Ralph beneath the station's purple trim.

Looking across the tracks at Ralph Avenue, A black text on white Ralph original sign are still on a pillars facing the express tracks.

The waiting area benches in view of the token booth on the mezzanine at Ralph Avenue, with the columns near them painted yellow.

Four turnstiles and a high exit gate are the only ways to leave the subway at Ralph Av.

Looking down the mezzanine at Ralph Av that still seems quite long, the simple fence that closes off the other half is in view in the distances.

Another view back towards the turnstiles and an older wooden high exit turnstile to the exits to the street on the mezzanine at Ralph Av.

A mosaic sign on the mezzanine at Ralph Ave with an arrow pointed towards the exit.

A mosaic sign on the mezzanine for the now closed exit to Howard Ave that is currently only partially blacked out.

A name tablet at Ralph Ave with the exit beneath it for the now closed exit to Howard Ave.

A Ralph Avenue name tablet, still with the Howard Ave arrow beneath, as a R32 #3515 and a C train closes its doors

The blur of a C train leaving Ralph Avenue

In the middle of the vast full length mezzanine.

On the vast mezzanine, the fenced off abandoned section that once led to Howard Avenue is visible

Looking towards the token booth and the middle of the mezzanine, where the 'special waiting area' is with yellow columns and the token booth able to watch over it