East River Portal

When riding on trains heading into the East River Tunnel, I've noticed some tracks to the north side of tube 4 (westbound to Penn). I believe some of those tracks head off the Yard A? Yet, it seems that some tracks head into a portal or archway. This is just where the track for tube 4 starts its decent. Looking out the side window, I could never tell where these tracks go. I assume they can't go to Penn, because my train would be on the northern most track for tube 4.

The entrance to Yard A is back in Harold Interlocking. Perhaps you see tracks heading to Arch Street Yard spearated by the Montauk cutoff structure.

I'm not sure which is tube 4, but I know that one of the tubes is next to the 7 line, which does descend into a portal, which is actually right where the Hunterspoint Av station on the 7 is located(more or less same location as HP Av LIRR station).

There are other tracks that go up, and then they turn south, over the main line tracks, then turn east(forming a 180 degree turn), then merge with the LIC line.

RC is referring to the tracks that led from Yard A to the floats. There was a little yard there where salt or sand was dropped for a customer, (correct me on that any NYA guys out there) but in the past that was the where the tracks led to the leads going to the floats. The tracks that sweep up and over Harold Interlocking are the Montauk Cut-Off secondary tracks that lead from Yard A to Bliss in LIC and link up with the Lower Montauk Branch. One track branches away in the middle of that loop and that is known as the Mainline Cut-Off, where you can get to Harold from the Montauk Cut-Off.

Krispy:

You are correct about the salt and sand customers on that lead, but that was all before NYAR was around. I'm not sure of the salt customer's name, but the sand customer was Hampton Materials. He stiffed the LIRR on his freight bill and shipments were stopped.

Jay

Try to pay attention to the next time you go in to line 2
Yard A is gone and the tracks you are refering to now lead to a new maintenance facility. Haven't heard for sure but the word is is that the new facility is for the M-7 fleet and to be staffed by Bomadier employees
The new facility can only be seen when routed for line 2
North of line 4

Yes, the Arch Street Yard Facility, although a LIRR facility, will initially be used by Bombardier. See article
http://www.mta.nyc.ny.us/capconstr/esas/news.html
and scroll to the pertinent section.

So those are the tracks that go through the stone archway under the "Montauk Cut-Off secondary" tracks? These being the northern most tracks? If indeed these are now serving M-7's, I recall that these tracks are not electrified. Is this true? Thanks.....

I think they're putting in 3rd rail around the shop biuilding. I forget offhand... will they add 3rd rail to part of the cutoff so M7s can go up and over, switch ends and off into harold, or will there be a direct connection to the 'main line' ?