Jamaica

Jamaica is a town in the NYC borough of Queens. Since the LIRR was primarily a commuter railroad, Jamaica was a significant transition location for the LIRR. First steam, and then eventually diesel, engines would pull passenger trains filled with commuters who lived on Long Island but worked in NYC to Jamaica. There, the commuters would “Change at Jamaica” onto electric trains powered by an electrified third rail. These trains would carry the commuters from Jamaica through Queens, under the East River, and into Pennsylvania station, since steam or diesel powered trains could not operate in the underground tunnels or stations on Manhattan.

My Jamaica Station model does not model the actual Jamaica station, and has two tracks for incoming or outgoing steam or diesel pulled trains, and three tracks for the electrified cars that went to Penn Station.