Woodside
Forest Hills is one of the most unique LIRR. Located at Station Square, it is the focal point of Forest Hills Gardens, one of the oldest American planned communities and the stations design comes directly from the Tudor, Brick Tudor or Georgian style, that are most of the houses in the community built on private streets (which the public can walk on and drive through, but cannot park on). The stop has no standard LIRR signage, its all in a different font and design to fit into the surroundings. The fact the station is still in existence (and used by community, although the subway is only a block north of the station) can is a testament to the fact the community was a pioneer to the railroad suburb. Numerous other stations that originally operated along the present day open LIRR railroad lines in queens have been closed. The station platforms themselves can only platform the first four cars of a train, and are located raised on the embankment that carry trains through the community. This station also lacks a dedicated crossover/under, to change platform directions passengers must use 71 Avenue that crosses directly beneath the middle of the platform.
For access and design the Eastbound, LI-bound platform's access is entirely from Station Square (just south of 71 Avenue). There is both a ramp that leads circulates its way up to the southern end of the platform and a small Tudor style with benches waiting area at the southern end of the platform where an enclosed now sealed at the platform overpass from an adjacent large building originally provided direct access to the platform. In the middle of the short platform is a wide 'grand' staircase (becoming two separate sections at one point) that leads up to the largest of the small-canopied waiting areas with some glass windows allowing more light than just from the platform to pour in. Staircases up to this one are found both inside station square and from the east side of 71 Avenue. This is also where a TVM is found. At the northern end of the platform there is an additional small, enclosed waiting area with another now-sealed enclosed overpass extension that originally provided direct access from a surrounding building.
The Westbound, Penn Station-bound platform affirms the station still as New York-direction centric. Accessible entry access is via a different long and circuitous ramp up from the west side of 71 Avenue, to the extreme western end of the platform. This leads up to a small, enclosed portion of the platform. The main entrance is from a staircase between storefronts on the east side of 71 Avenue that goes up halfway before curving up to the platform. It arrives at a main canopied area of the platform where a TVM is, as well as the nicely restored (or rebuilt) station house with little vintage LIRR logos in the wooden structure that holds up the roof. This station house has a ticket office that was perminately closed in August 2009, many station signs still claim it is open M-F 7:00am to 9:50am, and some standard subway benches with arms for waiting passengers that is open between 5am and 1pm, Monday to Friday, although the MTA website claims its hours are only from 6:25am to 11:15am. The northern end of the platforms consists of simply a unique and decorative green fence that extends for its duration with the unusual Forest Hills signs inside it. Service to the station is at least once an hour (two trains per hour on weekends), with more peak hour service.
Photos 1-13: June 15, 2005; 14-50: June 13, 2011
