South Ferry (IRT West Side Line)
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South Ferry Station · Opened 1905The Outer Loop
South Ferry Station is a unique two-track loop
station. The outer loop platform was built in 1905 as part of the
original IRT Brooklyn Extension and
was served by this line until the IRT West Side/7th Ave. Subway
reached South Ferry in 1918. The platform is extremely short (only
five cars fit), so passengers wishing to exit at this station must be
in the first five cars. It is also extremely curved, requiring the use
of gap fillers to bridge the spaces between platform and middle door
on the cars. On the platform itself is an active tower which includes
indicator lights for the gap filler signal at the front end of the
platform. The gap filler signal is a one-tiered signal lit up red when
the filler is extended. Under the signal a sign reads "GF Signal"
which is lit in white when the signal is clear and the gap fillers are
fully retracted. The gap fillers retract via a proximity sensor that
detects the car moving against the edge of the gap filler. While not
harsh like 14th Street on the Lexington line, there is an announcement
to "stand clear of the moving platform."
Station Decoration
The platform is quite ornate with large "South Ferry"
mosaic name panels and terra-cotta sailing ship plaques by Heins & La
Farge. The inner platform has small "SF" tile mosaics. There are fancy
rosettes around removed old light fixtures and along the ceiling.
The Inner Loop
Essentially a separate station, the South Ferry inner
loop platform was built in 1918 for IRT Lexington service when the IRT
West Side service was given the outer loop. The inner loop platform
was used up till 1977, mostly by a shuttle to the Bowling Green
station on the Lexington/Brooklyn IRT. Because of the sharp curve
(even sharper than the outer loop), trains could open only their
center doors at the inner loop station, and so instead of a full
platform face, slightly arched openings were cut into the old walls
only where the center doors would be. This also probably simplified
the engineering problem compared to removing all of the old wall.
Starting in the late 1950s, when the new R-type cars displaced most of
the original IRT rolling stock, trains arriving from the Lexington
line on nights and weekends were rerouted to share the outer loop,
because on the new cars it was not possible to selectively open only
the center doors. The weekday shuttle used specially modified cars
that opened only center doors, and continued using the inner loop
until service ended in 1977. The track past the inner loop is still
used to turn the #5 train when it is terminating at Bowling Green and
not running to Brooklyn. The inner loop platform at South Ferry is now
used for crew quarters, offices, storage, etc. and has a separate
entrance from the fare zone upstairs. There was no free transfer
between trains on the two platforms.
Artwork: South Sails, Sandra Bloodworth (1990) Artwork: Untitled, Doug Starn/Mike Starn (2007)
Photos - Outer Loop
(image 82670) (150k, 819x619)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Photo by: Bill E.
Date: 3/29/2008
Viewed (this week/total): 33 / 1296
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(image 80808) (93k, 800x600)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2372
Photo by: Phillip Lee
Date: 1/17/2008
Viewed (this week/total): 26 / 984
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(image 80809) (105k, 800x600)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2373
Photo by: Phillip Lee
Date: 1/17/2008
Viewed (this week/total): 14 / 758
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(image 80810) (109k, 600x800)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Photo by: Phillip Lee
Date: 1/17/2008
Notes: Gap filler.
Viewed (this week/total): 14 / 705
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(image 78429) (112k, 820x620)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Route: 1 (Broken sign)
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2310
Photo by: Gary Chatterton
Date: 12/18/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 14 / 1577
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(image 77869) (87k, 950x712)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 11/15/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 18 / 1968
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(image 77870) (105k, 950x712)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 11/15/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 15 / 1687
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(image 75833) (194k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 1845
Photo by: Danny Molina
Date: 10/10/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 5 / 855
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(image 75832) (236k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987)
Photo by: Danny Molina
Date: 10/10/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 18 / 1264
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(image 73649) (187k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2314
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 9/11/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 14 / 1357
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(image 73650) (173k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2315
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 9/11/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 3 / 1065
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(image 73651) (156k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 9/11/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 8 / 678
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More Images: 1-12 13-24 25-36 37-48 49-58
Photos - Inner Loop
(image 79197) (88k, 695x921)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: Robbie Rosenfeld
Date: 12/10/2007
Notes: View into inner loop station area.
Viewed (this week/total): 16 / 1085
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(image 74874) (107k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: Matthew Shull
Date: 8/31/2007
Notes: View of Abandoned Inner Loop platform from window of 1 Train
Viewed (this week/total): 26 / 2406
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(image 80820) (123k, 704x1044)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: Filip Matuska
Date: 6/6/2007
Notes: View from outer loop to inner loop platform.
Viewed (this week/total): 4 / 665
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(image 80821) (118k, 704x1044)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: Filip Matuska
Date: 6/6/2007
Notes: View from outer loop to inner loop platform.
Viewed (this week/total): 9 / 653
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(image 61684) (87k, 794x596)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Route: 1
Car: R62A (Bombardier, 1984-1987) 2114
Photo by: Phillip Lee
Date: 10/30/2006
Viewed (this week/total): 12 / 2446
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(image 249) (166k, 1044x705)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 2/2/1997
Notes: View of an archway in the inner platform wall
Viewed (this week/total): 19 / 12547
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(image 251) (198k, 1044x693)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 2/2/1997
Notes: South Ferry mosaic tiling
Viewed (this week/total): 12 / 4648
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(image 252) (190k, 1044x692)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 2/2/1997
Notes: View of an inner platform archway from the open outer loop platform
Viewed (this week/total): 11 / 8323
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(image 44167) (212k, 1044x696)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 2/2/1997
Notes: Mosaic panel on inner loop platform.
Viewed (this week/total): 6 / 1443
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(image 44168) (201k, 1044x697)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 2/2/1997
Notes: View of inner loop platform.
Viewed (this week/total): 14 / 4099
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(image 44170) (286k, 1044x692)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: David Pirmann
Date: 2/2/1997
Notes: View of inner loop platform.
Viewed (this week/total): 14 / 3591
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(image 250) (63k, 858x576)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: IRT West Side Line
Location: South Ferry Inner Loop
Photo by: Peter Dougherty
Date: 2/1997
Notes: View down the inner platform
Viewed (this week/total): 15 / 10059
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More Images: 1-12 13-14
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