Q Train Makes Final Trips To and From Queens

Say so long to the Q train in Queens, which makes its last trips to and from the borough on Friday night. NY1's Jose Martinez filed the following report.

As the Q train made its final runs in and out of Queens on Friday, camera-toting railfans wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else.

"This is a really special event, you know, for the transit universe," said railfan Kal-El

Starting at 6:30 a.m. Monday, the Q train will run between Manhattan and Brooklyn. Eventually, it will run along the soon-to-open Second Avenue line.

Its former route in Queens will be served by the return of the W train, which was shelved in 2010 by the MTA's so-called doomsday cuts.

Such changes excite transit buffs like Daniel Kotlyarskiy. He has a soft spot for the W train.

"My childhood is coming back," he said. "That's the only thing I can describe. I want to see my childhood resurrected after budget cuts."

"I've been a fan of transit since I was like two-and-a-half, and hearing about this, I thought this would be pretty interesting to see because this would be like the last Q train coming into Queens," Johnson said.

The transit enthusiasts say they cannot wait to find out what model subway cars go into service on the W line.

"Will it be a 160 like one of these? Or will be an older train like the 68? We'll have to wait and see," Johnson said.

The signs of the looming changes have been appearing in stations for weeks, and the rail fanatics have been documenting them all.

"I think this is pretty interesting to see, see like all these events unfolding," Johnson said.

And when the W makes its first southbound trip out of Ditmars Boulevard Monday morning, weary commuters will have to share the platform with those capturing the realignment on camera.

"I run a YouTube channel, and I also have a Flickr as well to put my pictures up," said railfan Michael Bonilla.

But for all their excitement over the return of the W train, the railfans readily acknowledge it's but a prelimiary to the hoped-for main event which would be the December opening of the Second Avenue Subway.