Where in Queens?
Some things to note:
Getting to the R (from 1) requires lots of stair climibing.
No, it's up one flight of stairs and down another slightly longer flight.
Getting to the 7 from the 1, you can use a DOWN escalator.
No, not unless you first climb a flight of stairs. To get to the 7 from the 1 you descend two flights of stairs. If you are coming from the downtown 1 train, you can take an elevator directly down to the 7. If you are coming from the uptown 1 train, you'd have to take an elevator up, cross over, and then take the elevator down to the 7 platform. (Of course this is only if stairs are a true obstacle).
I agree that if we knew exactly where in Queens OP was going, we could provide more precise advice.