Sunnyside Yard

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Coordinates: 40°44′59″N, 73°55′37.37″W Sunnyside Yard is a large railroad yard in Sunnyside, Queens in New York City.

Sunnyside Yard as seen from Queens Boulevard, from Flushing Line train
Sunnyside Yard as seen from Queens Boulevard, from Flushing Line train
The yard at dusk from the east; Citicorp Building in background left
The yard at dusk from the east; Citicorp Building in background left

When built by the Pennsylvania Railroad at the beginning of the 20th century, the yard was the largest passenger railroad yard in the world. The yard served as the main train storage and service point for Pennsylvania Railroad trains serving New York City. It is connected to Pennsylvania Station in Midtown Manhattan by the East River Tunnels.

Currently, the yard is owned by Amtrak, but it is also used by New Jersey Transit. The shared tracks of the Long Island Rail Road's Main Line and Amtrak's Northeast Corridor pass along the southern edge of the yard. Plans for the Long Island Rail Road's East Side Access project to build tracks to Grand Central Terminal have those tracks diverging in the vicinity of, or perhaps through, the Sunnyside Yard.

Northeast of the yard there is a balloon track which is used for "U-turning" Amtrak and NJ Transit trains which terminate at Pennsylvania Station. Leading eastward, this balloon track switches off at the southernmost portion of the yard. It then turns left under the LIRR/Amtrak tracks, turns left once again, and merges with the Sunnyside yard track to turn the train west toward Penn Station.

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  • Photos of Sunnyside Yard circa 1925.