Wikipedia

Queens Surface Corporation

"Queens Transit Corporation" redirects here. For the company that operated streetcars, mainly in Brooklyn, seeBrooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation.

Queens Surface Corporationwas abuscompany inNew York City,United States,operating local service inQueensandthe Bronxand express service between Queens andManhattanuntil February 27, 2005, when theMTA Bus Companytook over the operations. The company was known for its orange paint scheme, used since the company's inception in the late 1930s.[1][2]

Queens SurfaceQM4bus in Midtown Manhattan. This bus is now retired and scrapped.

Queens Surface Corporation was privately held by the Gordon and Burke families.[3]The Queens Surface Corporation facility was located at 128-15 28th Avenue in theCollege Pointneighborhood of Queens.

History

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Partial remains of the former Steinway/New York and Queens County Railway car barn inWoodside.Now a Pizza Hut franchise.

New York and Queens County Railway

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TheNew York and Queens County Railway(NY&QC) became the largest trolley line in Queens in 1896, through the consolidation of four previous streetcar operators: Flushing and College Point Electric Railway, Long Island City and Newtown Railway, Newtown Railway, and the original Steinway Railway Company. It servedLong Island City,Woodside,Astoria,North Beach,College Point,Jamaica,and even theQueensboro Bridge.Between 1903 and 1922, the NY&QC became an affiliate of theInterborough Rapid Transit Company.[4]On June 24, 1930, the Woodside Car barn was hit with a massive fire that destroyed much of their fleet, along with the fleet of their competitors, the Steinway Railway (see below).[5]

Steinway Railway

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Long Island City Steinway Railway Company c 1894

TheSteinway Railwayoperated in northwestern Queens in 1892, through the merger of the Rikers Avenue and Sanford Point Railroad and Steinway and Hunters Point Railroad, only to be acquired by NY&QC in 1896. As NY&QC faced bankruptcy in 1922, it began to sell off Steinway as a somewhat independent company. It was bought by theThird Avenue Railway Systembut was allowed to operate under its own name.

Bustitution and re-merging

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On February 19, 1926, NY&QC established a bus division called theQueens-Nassau Transit Lines.[6]Queens-Nassau buses replaced all NY&QC trolleys by 1937, with the last being motorized on October 30 of that year.[5]In the fall of 1938, the Steinway Railway was bought byQueensboro Bridge Railway Companyand renamed asSteinway Omnibus.Steinway began operating buses over former Steinway Railway lines on September 29, 1939.[5]Both companies were operated by the same management,[7]and casually referred to as the "orange buses".[1]Queens-Nassau was renamedQueens Transit Corporationin 1957, and Steinway Omnibus becameSteinway Transitin 1959.[8]The two companies merged again in 1986 to form theQueens/Steinway Transit Corporation.The joint company was owned by theH.E. Salzberg Company(scrap metaland short-haul railways) with father Harold Salzberg, son Murray M. Salzberg (1915-1984, aged 69) and grandson Harry Salzberg, which had ripped up the rails, running these two companies until 1988, when theLinden Bus Companyacquired the routes from the aging grandson Harry Salzberg. Shortly thereafter and before operations commenced, Linden Bus Company changed its name toQueens Surface Corporation.[8]

On February 27, 2005, theMTA Bus Companytook over the operations of the Queens Surface routes, part of the city's takeover of all the remaining privately operated bus routes.[9][10]

Bus routes

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Prior to MTA Bus takeover, Queens Surface operated the following routes that are now based inCollege Point Bus Depot,theLaGuardia Depot(the formerTriboro Coachdepot), and theEastchester Depot(the formerNew York Bus Servicedepot in the Bronx).[11][12]

Route Terminal A Major streets of travel Terminal B Notes/History
FORMER QUEENS SURFACE CORPORATION BUS ROUTES
Bronx and Queens Local
QBx1 Flushing
Main Street and 39th Avenue
nearFlushing – Main Street(7<7>​ trains) 		Whitestone Expressway,Hutchinson River Parkway,
Bruckner Boulevard,Co-op City Boulevard 		Co-op City, Bronx
Earhart Lane and Erskine Place 		Limited Stop Service; most service ran exclusively between Pelham Bay Park and Co-op City. Interborough service is now called theQ50.Co-op City shuttle service is now theBx23.
Queens Local
Q25 Jamaica
Sutphin Boulevard and 94th Avenue
atSutphin Boulevard – Archer Avenue – JFK Airport(E​ ​J​Ztrains) andJamaica LIRR / AirTrain Station 		Parsons Boulevard,Kissena Boulevard,127th Street College Point
Poppenhusen Avenue and 119th Street
  • Originally owned byFlushing Heights Bus Company,service began in 1928.[13]
  • Acquired byQueens–Nassau Transit, Inc.on May 25, 1933.[6]
  • Weekdays, Q34 also provides service between Flushing and Jamaica.
  • The original Q25 terminus was in Flushing; it was combined with the then-Q34 route into College Point.
  • Southern terminus moved from 160th Street and Jamaica Avenue to Parsons Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue in 2005;[14]extended to Jamaica LIRR station on Sutphin Boulevard in 2006.[15]
Q34 Parsons Boulevard, Kissena Boulevard, Union Street Whitestone
Willets Point Boulevard and 149th Street
  • Service began in April 1933.[13]
  • Weekday service only.
  • The original Q34 route was the College Point segment of the Q25; it was later rerouted to its current alignment in Whitestone and then extended along the Q25 route.
  • Southern terminus moved from 160th Street and Jamaica Avenue to Parsons Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue in 2004;[14]extended to Jamaica LIRR station on Sutphin Boulevard in 2007.[15]
Q65 164th Street, 45th Avenue,
College Point Boulevard 		College Point
14th Avenue and 110th Street
  • Service started on August 10, 1937, to replaceFlushing–Jamaica LineandCollege Point Linestreetcar service.
  • Southern terminus moved from 160th Street and Jamaica Avenue to Parsons Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue in 2004;[14]extended to Jamaica LIRR station on Sutphin Boulevard in 2007.[15]
Q65A Forest Hills
Queens Boulevard and 71st Avenue
atForest Hills – 71st Avenue(E​F<F>​M​Rtrains) 		Jewel Avenue Electchester
164th Street and Jewel Avenue
  • Service started in 1951.[13]
  • Renumbered as Q64 in 2007.
Q66 Long Island City
28th Street and Queens Plaza South
atQueensboro Plaza(7<7>​​N​Wtrains)
andQueens Plaza(E​M​Rtrains) 		21st Street, 35th Avenue,
Northern Boulevard 		Flushing
Main Street and 39th Avenue
near Flushing – Main Street (7<7>​ trains)
  • Service started on September 5, 1937, to replace streetcar service.[13]
  • Original terminus was at 51st Street in Woodside; extended to Queens Plaza in 1989.
Q67 21st Street, Borden Avenue,
55th Avenue, 69th Street 		Middle Village
Metropolitan Avenue and Fresh Pond Road
  • Service started on October 30, 1937, to replace streetcar service.[13]
  • Original Middle Village terminal replaced by Fresh Pond Road terminal after the Metro Mall in Middle Village was built and opened in 1974. The mall sits on some of the side streets that were formerly used to turn buses, therefore the route was extended several blocks west to Fresh Pond Road, and uses Eliot Avenue to turn around back on to Metropolitan Avenue.
Queens-Manhattan express
QM2 Midtown Manhattan
6th Avenue 		Manhattan:34th Street, 6th Avenue (or 3rd Avenue), 57th Street (Manhattan bound), 59th Street (Queens bound)
Queens:Whitestone Expressway service road (weekdays only), Parsons Boulevard (weekends only), Cross Island Parkway service road 		Bay Terrace
Bay Terrace Shopping Center
  • Bayside-Whitestone Express, via 6th Avenue or 3rd Avenue
  • Operated by Queens Transit from 1969 until June 30, 1988.
  • Operated by Queens Surface Corporation from July 1, 1988, until MTA takeover on February 27, 2005.
  • Last Manhattan bound dropoff is at 57th Street and 3rd Avenue.
  • Last Queens bound pickup is on 59th Street and Lexington Avenue.
  • Rerouted away from Whitestone Expressway Service Road to serve Parsons Boulevard on weekends on April 6, 2014.
  • Rerouted away from 57th Street onto 59th Street in the Queens bound direction on August 24, 2015.
  • 3rd Ave route split off to new route QM32 in early September 2016
QM2A Manhattan:34th Street, 6th Avenue, 57th Street (Manhattan bound), 59th Street (Queens bound)
Queens:Willets Point Boulevard, Utopia Parkway, 26th Avenue 		Bay Terrace
Corporal Kennedy Street and 23rd Avenue
  • Clearview, Linden & Mitchell Express
  • Weekday service only.
  • Operated by Queens Transit from 1971 until June 30, 1988.
  • Operated by Queens Surface Corporation from July 1, 1988, until MTA takeover on February 27, 2005.
  • Last Manhattan bound dropoff is at 57th Street and 3rd Avenue.
  • Last Queens bound pickup is at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue.
  • Rerouted off of 57th Street and onto 59th Street in the Queens bound direction on August 24, 2015.
  • Renumbered to QM20 from QM2A in September 2011.
QM3 Manhattan:34th Street, 6th Avenue, 57th Street (Manhattan bound), 59th Street (Queens bound)
Queens:Northern Boulevard, Little Neck Parkway. 		Little Neck
Little Neck Parkway and Horace Harding Expressway
  • Deepdale-Douglaston Express
  • Originally Operated by Queens Transit from 1970 until 1988.
  • Temporarily operated by Caravan Transit from 1988 until 1990.
  • Operated by Queens Surface Corporation from 1990 until MTA takeover in 2005.
  • Last drop off is on 57th Street and 3rd Avenue.
  • Last pick up to Queens is on 59th Street and Lexington Avenue.
  • Queens bound buses taken off 57th Street and put onto 59th Street on August 24, 2015.
QM4 Manhattan:34th Street, 6th Avenue (or 3rd Avenue), 57th Street
Queens:Jewel Avenue 		Electchester
164th Street and Horace Harding Expressway
  • Jewel Avenue Express
  • Operated by Queens Transit from 1971 until 1988.
  • Operated by Queens Surface Corporation from 1988 until MTA takeover in 2005.
  • Last dropoff is at 57th Street and 3rd Avenue.
  • Former 3rd Avenue service relabeled to QM44 on July 5, 2016.
FORMER STEINWAY TRANSIT BUS ROUTES
Queens Local
Q101 East Midtown,Manhattan
East 61st Street and 2nd Avenue 		Northern Boulevard, Steinway Street,
20th Avenue 		Steinway
77th Street and Hazen Street
  • Service started on November 1, 1939, to replaceSteinway Street Linestreetcar service.[5]
  • Formerly operated by Steinway Transit until 1988, and then by Queens Surface Corporation until takeover in 2005.[8][10]
  • Travels between Manhattan and Queens via theQueensboro Bridge.
  • Original northern terminus was Rikers' Island; when the Q101R (now Q100) was created, service was truncated to 19th Avenue. Prior to the creation of the Q101R, this route was the ONLY local bus route to traverse three boroughs, since Rikers' Island is located in The Bronx.
Q101R Long Island City
Jackson Avenue and Queens Plaza South
atQueensboro Plaza(7<7>​​N​Wtrains)
andQueens Plaza(E​M​Rtrains) 		21st Street, 20th Avenue Rikers Island,Bronx
  • Started service in the 1980s.[13]
  • Formerly operated by Queens Surface Corporation until takeover in 2005.[10]
  • Renumbered as Q100 on April 6, 2008.[16]
  • Originally non-stop between Long Island City and Rikers Island parking lot.[17]
  • Limited-stop service along 21st Street began on February 1, 2009.[18]
Q102 Roosevelt Island, Manhattan
Coler-Goldwater Hospital 		Main Street (Manhattan), Vernon Boulevard, 31st Street, 30th Avenue Astoria
27th Avenue and 2nd Street
  • Service started on September 29, 1939, to replace a Steinway Streetcar.[13][5]
  • Formerly operated by Steinway Transit until 1988, and then by Queens Surface Corporation until takeover in 2005.[8][10]
  • Travels between Manhattan and Queens via theRoosevelt Island Bridge.
  • Newtown Avenue, Crescent Street, and Astoria Boulevard segment discontinued in favor of operating via 30th Avenue on June 29, 2014.
Q103 Hunters Point
Borden Avenue and Vernon Boulevard
atVernon Boulevard – Jackson Avenue(7<7>​ trains) andLong Island City LIRR station 		Vernon Boulevard Astoria
27th Avenue and 2nd Street
  • Service started on September 29, 1939, to replace a Steinway Streetcar.[13][5]
  • Formerly operated by Steinway Transit until 1988, and then by Queens Surface Corporation until takeover in 2005.[8][10]
  • Weekend service added on June 29, 2014
Q104 Ravenswood
Vernon Boulevard and 34th Avenue 		Broadway, 48th Street Sunnyside
48th Street and Queens Boulevard
at46th Street – Bliss Street(7train)
  • Service started on September 29, 1939, to replace a Steinway Streetcar.[13][5]
  • Formerly operated by Steinway Transit until 1988, and then by Queens Surface Corporation until takeover in 2005.[8][10]
Queens-Manhattan express
QM1 Midtown Manhattan
6th Avenue
or
Downtown Manhattan
Downtown Loop 		Manhattan:34th Street, 6th Avenue, 57th Street
Queens:Union Turnpike, 188th Street 		Fresh Meadows
188th Street and 64th Avenue
  • Fresh Meadows Express
  • Operates during rush hours only, off peak service available via QM5
  • Off-peak service discontinued on December 31, 2015
  • Began service on February 26, 1968;[19]operated by Steinway Transit from 1968 until 1988.[19]
  • Last dropoff from Queens is at 57th Street.
  • Downtown trips redesignatedQM7in June 2010.
  • Former 3rd Ave branch split off to newQM31in early September 2016
QM1A Manhattan:34th Street, 6th Avenue, 57th Street
Queens:Union Turnpike, 73rd Avenue, Horace Harding Expressway, Lakeville Road 		Glen Oaks
260th Street and Union Turnpike
or
Lake Success
North Shore Towers
  • Glen Oaks-Windsor Park Express, and Lake Success Express (a.k.a.; North Shore Towers Express)
  • Operated by Steinway Transit from 1968 until 1988.
  • Temporarily operated by Caravan Transit from 1988 until 1990.
  • Operated by Queens Surface Corporation from 1988 or 1990 until MTA takeover in 2005.
  • Last dropoff from Queens is at 57th Street.
  • Glen Oaks-Windsor Park Express redesignatedQM5in June 2010.[20]
  • Lake Success Express redesignatedQM6in June 2010.[20]
  • Downtown trips redesignatedQM8in June 2010.[20]
  • Former 3rd Avenue service on QM5 relabeledQM35in September 2016
  • Former 3rd Avenue service on QM6 relabeledQM36in early September 2016
  • Peak service only.
  • QM8 operates from Glen Oaks bypassing Fresh Meadows.
  • QM8 AM super express service serves Fresh Meadows.

Depots

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See also:Bus depots of MTA Regional Bus Operations

Queens Surface depot

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Main article:College Point Depot

Queens Surface's depot was located at 128-15 28th Avenue in theCollege Pointsection ofQueens,near the printing plant ofThe New York Timesand the former site ofFlushing Airport.[21][22][23][24]It was built in 1997 by theNYCDOT,and leased to Queens Surface.[22][25]Many buses under Queens Surface usedcompressed natural gas(CNG).[21][25]It is now theCollege Point Depotof the MTA Bus Company.[9][25]

40°46′24″N73°50′27″W/ 40.773378°N 73.840804°W/40.773378; -73.840804

Steinway Transit depot

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The Steinway Transit depot, built in 1939, was located at the northwest corner ofSteinway Streetand 20th Avenue inAstoria, Queens,near the northern terminus of the company'sQ101route.[7][26][27]It was the successor to the Steinway Railway depot.[5]The trolley depot sat across from theDaimler Manufacturing Companyautomobile factory, opened in 1890 byGottlieb Daimlerand local businessmanWilliam Steinway.[28][29][30]The bus depot was closed prior to the company's takeover by the city, and has long been demolished, and replaced by new apartment buildings, similar to what was done at the old West Farms Depot site.

40°46′36″N73°54′06″W/ 40.776744°N 73.901683°W/40.776744; -73.901683

Woodside Garage

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The Woodside Garage was located at 51-00Northern Boulevard,at the southeast corner 51st Street and Northern Boulevard inWoodside, Queens,adjacent to theWinfield Junctionof theLong Island Rail Road.It was the original headquarters of Queens-Nassau Transit.[7][31]It was also the successor to the NY&QC Woodside Trolley Barn, which opened in 1896 and burned down on June 24, 1930.[5][32]The front facade of the trolley barn survives as aVerizonstore in the Tower Square Shopping Center.[32]

40°45′10″N73°54′36″W/ 40.752684°N 73.910128°W/40.752684; -73.910128

References

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  1. ^ab"Roberts Out as the Boss of Orange Buses".Long Island Daily Press.Fultonhistory.com.1941.Retrieved2 March2016.
  2. ^Greenhouse, Steven (January 8, 2002)."Surprise Bus Strike in Queens Forces 120,000 to Scramble".The New York Times.Retrieved2 March2016.
  3. ^Chan, Sewell(2005-02-01)."City Will Pay $9.5 Million for Bus Line in Queens".New York Times.Retrieved2010-01-22.
  4. ^New York and Queens County Railway Waiting Room (Long Island Stations & Structures, by Paul S. Luchter; TrainWeb)
  5. ^abcdefghiSeyfried, Vincent F.(1950)."Full text of" New York and Queens County Railway and the Steinway Lines, 1867-1939. "".archive.org.Vincent F. Seyfried.Retrieved20 December2015.
  6. ^ab"Full text of 'State of New York Department of Public Service Metropolitan Division: Fourteenth Annual Report For the Calendar Year 1934'" ".archive.org.New York State Department of Public Service.February 14, 1935.Retrieved2 March2016.
  7. ^abc"Bus Strike Talks Break Down: Tie-up Tomorrow Appears Certain".Long Island Star-Journal.Fultonhistory.com.July 12, 1946. p. 1.Retrieved2 March2016.
  8. ^abcdefRoger P. Roess; Gene Sansone (23 August 2012).The Wheels That Drove New York: A History of the New York City Transit System.Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 416–417.ISBN978-3-642-30484-2.
  9. ^abSilverman, Norman (July 26, 2010)."The Merger of 7 Private Bus Companies into MTA Bus"(PDF).apta.com.American Public Transportation Association,Metropolitan Transportation Authority.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2015-10-16.Retrieved16 October2015.
  10. ^abcdefWoodberry, Jr., Warren (February 24, 2005)."MAJOR BUS CO. TO JOIN MTA".Daily News (New York).Retrieved4 January2016.
  11. ^Queens Surface Corp: Employment(via theInternet Archive)
  12. ^"MTA Bus: LaGuardia Pick Glossary"(PDF).lgaunion.com.MTA Bus Company.January 3, 2016. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2 March 2016.Retrieved2 March2016.
  13. ^abcdefghi"NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ROUTES".www.chicagorailfan.com.Retrieved2016-01-01.
  14. ^abcHirshon, Nicholas (March 2, 2006)."BIZ DRIVEN AWAY. BUS REROUTE HURTS SALES, SAY JAMAICA MART OWNERS".Daily News (New York).Retrieved16 December2015.
  15. ^abc"The MTA 2006 ANNUAL REPORT: Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2006 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the Year Ended December 31, 2006"(PDF).Metropolitan Transportation Authority.May 1, 2007.RetrievedDecember 28,2015.
  16. ^"MTA Bus Service Changes".Metropolitan Transportation Authority.April 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 2008-04-18.Retrieved1 January2016.
  17. ^"Queens Bus Map: Notes"(PDF).mta.info.December 2002. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2003-03-23.Retrieved6 July2015.
  18. ^"MTA Bus Service Changes".Metropolitan Transportation Authority.January 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 2009-01-25.Retrieved1 January2016.
  19. ^abPerlmutter, Emanuel (February 27, 1968)."Queens-Midtown Service Starts: 11 Express Buses Carry 1,000 on Test Runs"(PDF).The New York Times.Retrieved26 August2016.
  20. ^abc"Northeast Queens Bus Study"(PDF).Metropolitan Transportation Authority.September 2015.Retrieved11 December2015.
  21. ^abUrbitran Associates, Inc (May 2004)."NYCDOT Bus Ridership Survey and Route Analysis Final Report: Chapter 3 Transit System Characteristics"(PDF).nyc.gov.New York City Department of Transportation.Retrieved16 October2015.
  22. ^ab"Police Academy – College Point, Queens FEIS CHAPTER 7: HAZARDOUS MATERIALS"(PDF).nyc.gov.New York City Police Department.Retrieved16 October2015.
  23. ^Queens Surface Corporation homepage; including address (Internet Archive)
  24. ^New York Times College Point Complex and vicinity (Wikimapia)
  25. ^abcFor Release (April 7, 2006)."Trillium Expands New York City Operations: New Contract Signed with MTA Bus Company".Integrys Energy Group.Salt Lake City,Utah.Retrieved2 March2016.
  26. ^"Buses To Replace Four Trolley Lines Next Month; Steinway St. Motor Route Meets Delay; Queensboro Bridge Cars To Continue To Permit Stops At Island"(PDF).Long Island Star-Journal.Fultonhistory.com.September 9, 1989. p. 1.Retrieved1 March2016.
  27. ^DeJong, Herman D. (June 22, 1981)."Crime and Punishment".New York.Retrieved2 March2016.
  28. ^Bindelglass, Evan (March 21, 2014)."Parsing The Steinway Mansion's Rich Past & Uncertain Future".Curbed.Retrieved2 March2016.
  29. ^Barron, James (July 19, 2003)."Today's Pianos Have Prelude In Yesterday's; Steinway Family Legacy Pervades Factory in Queens".The New York Times.Retrieved2 March2016.
  30. ^A. J. Jacobs (16 December 2015).The New Domestic Automakers in the United States and Canada: History, Impacts, and Prospects.Lexington Books.pp. 22–23.ISBN978-0-7391-8826-2.Retrieved1 March2016.
  31. ^"Bus Drivers End 'Sick' Strike; Service Restored On 'Orange' Lines; Union Orders Arbitration Of Dispute".Long Island Star-Journal.Fultonhistory.com.November 17, 1945. p. 1.Retrieved2 March2016.
  32. ^abWalsh, Kevin (September 15, 1998)."WOODSIDE'S TROLLEY BARN".Forgotten New York.Retrieved2 March2016.
  • Lost Trolleys of Queens and Long Islandby Stephen L. Meyers, 2006
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