CREEDMOOR:  OPENED: 1/8/1873, TO SERVICE THE RECENTLY FORMED (1871) NATIONAL RIFLE ASSN.'S (NRA) NEWLY OPENED NATIONAL RIFLE RANGE BUILT, IN CONJUNCTION WITH N.Y. STATE LEGISLATURE AND THE N.R.A., ON 70 ACRES OF LAND ACQUIRED FROM A MR. CREED. 1^st  INTERNATIONAL MATCH HELD AT RANGE:  1874.

BRANCH AND PASSENGER SERVICE ABANDONED BY CRR OF LI:  4/30/1879. USED BY LIRR UNTIL 1881 TO CONTINUE TO SERVICE THE RIFLE RANGE VIA LIRR'S MAIN LINE AND "CREEDMOOR CUT-OFF" WEST OF HINSDALE (LATER FLORAL PARK) STATION.  DEPOT REMOVED: ___? 

RIFLE RANGE RELOCATED TO NJ IN 1891 AND LAND REVERTED TO STATE OF NY IN 1907.  STATE HOSPITAL BUILT ON SITE: 1912.

HINSDALE : OPENED: 1/8/1873, ABANDONED: 4/30/1879, MOVED TO PRIVATE LOCATION: 4/1883

CENTRAL JUNCTION CRR OF LI OPENED: 7/1873, ABANDONED: (CREEDMOOR) 4/30/1879

KISSENA PARK CRR OF LI OPENED: 6/1873, CLOSED: 8/1876, (CREEDMOOR) RE-OPENED: 6/1877, ABANDONED: 4/30/1879, MOVED TO PRIVATE LOCATION, BURNED: 5/8/18

FRANKISTON CRR OF LI OPENED: 6/1873, ABANDONED: (CREEDMOOR) 4/30/1879

HILLSIDE CRR OF LI OPENED: 4/1874, ABANDONED: (CREEDMOOR) 4/30/1879

HINSDALE CRR OF LI OPENED: 1/8/1873, ABANDONED: (CREEDMOOR) 4/30/1879, MOVED TO PRIVATE LOCATION: 4/1883

CREEDMOOR CRR OF LI OPENED: 1/8/1873, ABANDONED BY (NAT’L RIFLE RANGE) (CREEDMOOR) CRR OF LI: 4/30/1879. USED BY LIRR UNTIL 1881 TO SERVICE THE RIFLE RANGE.

GENERAL ORDER: EFFECTIVE 1921: BETHPAGE AND CREEDMOOR BRANCHES AND CENTRAL EXTENSION “HC” TO BETHPAGE JCT. WILL BE CONSIDERED SIDINGS.

GENERAL ORDER #1-21, EFFECTIVE 12/27/66: LEAD TRACK FROM EAST END OF JERICHO TURNPIKE OVERGRADE BRIDGE TO CREEDMOOR STATE HOSPITAL, OUT OF SERVICE.

GENERAL ORDER #119, EFFECTIVE 10/1/73: HAND-OPERATED ELECTRIC LOCKED SWITCH IN NO. 1 TRACK LOCATED 1,800 FEET EAST OF FLORAL PARK LEADING TO
CREEDMOOR LEAD TRACK REMOVED FROM SERVICE.    Research: Dave Keller

The range was established after the New York Legislature and the newly formed National Rifle Association (NRA) combined in 1872 to acquire 70 acres of farmland from a Mr. Creed for long-distance rifle shooting and the holding of shooting competitions.

The range officially opened on June 21, 1873. The Central Railroad of Long Island established a railway station nearby, with trains running from Hunter's Point, with connecting boat service to 34th Street and the East River, allowing access from New York City.

In 1873 the NRA and the Creedmoor range benefitted greatly from the substantial publicity created when the Irish Rifle team, in that year the British champions having won the Elcho Shield, challenged the NRA to a rifle shooting match at Creedmoor the following year. The Amateur Club accepted the challenge and won by a small margin.

In 1874 the Leech Cup was presented to the Amateur Rifle Club by Major Arthur Blennerhassett Leech, Captain of the visiting Irish Rifle Team and is thus the oldest trophy offered today in competitive target shooting in the United States . It was presented to the NRA in 1901 and was then annually awarded for long distance shooting by any rifle.

In 1875 the Wimbledon Cup was presented to the NRA by the British team on the occasion of their shooting at Wimbledon , then the home of British rifle shooting. It was then annually awarded for 1000-yard shooting.

International competitions, organized by the NRA, were held annually at the range until 1891, after which a decline in interest and support caused them to be moved to the range at the National Guard Camp, Sea Girt, New Jersey under the auspices of the New Jersey State Rifle Association. The Creedmoor site reverted to the State of New York in 1907 and in 1912 became the Farm Colony of Brooklyn State Hospital. Today it is the site of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. Wikipedia

Train Simulator screen shoot is looking west at the Frank R. Smith Coal siding, 235th St & 88th Ave. about 1/2 west of the Creedmoor Hospital siding switch. Designer/Research: Vince Cockeram

The box (close-up photo location is on the Creedmoor Branch near the Jericho Sash & Door Co siding. Archive: Art Huenke) contains a copper knife switch with a wooden or fiberglass handle and/or a cartridge fuse. They feed sections of third rail, so that different portions can be isolated or sectionalized. In complex arrangements, a group of rails may be fed from a single or several feeders that can be controlled remotely by the Power Director (now called the ESO). But each rail in this group or cluster can be controlled separately in the field through the use of these switches.

Some switches are normally closed (on), while others, which offer alternate feeds, are normally open (off). These days, certain boxes are painted blue and contain switches that are permitted to be operated by power-qualified employees other than those of the Power Department. Those employees include Car Inspectors and Yardmasters. A blue box usually contains a switch that controls one or more yard tracks and are operated to isolate a train for service. Most boxes are designed so that the knife blade of an open switch extends past the box, keeping the top lid open. In this manner an open switch is visibly apparent. Some are also equipped with a quick-break feature to suppress arcing when operated under load.

Similar (though often smaller) boxes house fuses and feeds for any 600 volt appliance powered from the third rail. This would include switch heaters, waiting room and shanty heaters, signal supervision and battery charging circuits. Subterranean third rail cable feeds came up from the ground in "bootlegs" that were protected from the elements by domed concrete "helmets" adjacent to these boxes. These were painted with vertical black and which stripes from about 1910 until the late 1930's.

Since the early 1970's these boxes are made of molded gray Fiberglas. Prior to that they were made of white concrete colored asbestos board called Transite with fiber or wood frames surrounding the board . Before then, they were painted wood. They all have hasps for a Power Department lock. Like the bootlegs, I don't think any of these boxes were painted in stripes much past the 1940's.

Your photo shows a wooden box painted with black and white stripes. Red wasn't used as it was believed that the black/white contrast was more visible to horses. Research: "LongIslandTool"