Old New York

This was the last of the 69 street ferries   It saw service as the Governors Island ferry too.  It is currently rusting under the bayonne bridge

All of these old Staten Island Transportation photos are GREAT!! Not sure where you get them.  But I'd like to add to my collection.

Mike, ex-Staten Islander and ex-Brooklynite.  

Trolley to Brooklyn?

Queens Blvd

Third Ave El

In 1827, a steam powered ferry line opened at Corlears Hook to connect Grand Street in Manhattan with Grand Street in Brooklyn. De Lancey was the owner of the lands in this area. He had a farm and was an early developer. On his street map he marked a Great De Lancey  square and from the River bank, he mapped a wide street which he called Grand Street. There was a street that crossed Grand which he called Orchard Street because it went to , you guessed it, an orchard on the farm. And so that was likely the beginnings of that lower east side community which today has a Grand Street, Delancey street and an Orchard street.

On the Brooklyn side, the ferry opened up lands in Williamsburg to development. Companies that started there were Pfizer which grew to a large Pharmaceutical concern and a Havermayer sugar business which became Domino Sugar. an additional ferry was established to Broadway Brooklyn which allowed this area to develop as an important commercial and banking center , ie the Williamsburg Bank. There were horse car lines emanating from the ferry slips, the Broadway Elevated and even a car line to Bushwick station which made a connection with Long Island railrroad trains to the east. The Grand street Ferry ran to 1910 shortly following completion of the Williamsburg Bridge. 

Here is a map of the area and an early stereo slide view of a Ferry.

My Mother in law was always talking about how she took the ferry from Staten Island to BAyonne   I have been looking for any info or pics on this and can't seem to find any   The Ferry ran from Port Richmond to Bayonne

Here you go Ben. It was the Port Richmond- Bergen Point Ferry. Ran for 30 years after the Bridge opened

New Jersey side

Just a sign on the New York Side

The NewYork Side

One of the newer boats which ran in late years

Thanks Larry  Had  a feeling you would have something on it

I remember occasionally taking that Ferry to my Grand Mother's in Bayonne.  Always enjoyed as a little guy.  

SIRT old Wentworth Avenue station,  Quite impressive.  Looks like a place for a quick bio break. 

Snug Harbor Station.  Track looks in a little better shape then it is these days. 

Love that Wentworth ave station  That was added after electrification

This is Arlington Yard right before P&G moved all their operations to Cincinnatti.  The engine on the right was being operated by the Delaware Otsego shortline after Chessie abandoned SI freight.  The engineer was my next door neighbor  Took a lot of cab rides then.

Second ave El by Radio City

Grand Central Shuttle

Secind ave El

 A few shots of the ninth and sixth avenue els along the line. These lines startedn 1878 and were closed in 1938 6th avenue line and 1940 9th ave line. The section of the ninth avenue line from the Polo Grounds north across the harlem river remained until after the N Y Giants left for San Francisco and the Putnam line trains were discontinued.

This is the Southern end at South Ferry

The 6th ave El joined the 9th ave el about Rector street. In this view you can see the 6th ave on the right and the original stub end of the el. This place was just North of the battery Place station which was the 1st stop leaving South Ferry

This is the station building on the downtown side of the Barclay Street Station on the 9th Ave line. The building was Victorian in style complete with the witches hat. It is a real cutie. Who is up for modeling this one on their layout

All the way to the North End at the Polo Grounds. The station was a 5 track affair and had a complex switching arrangement with double slips in the throat leading to the yard next to the Polo Grounds. This was the largest El yard on the New York city system.

Here is the yard itself. Look at all those el cars!!

In Brooklyn, cars of the B&QT ran over to Long Island City in Queens travelling accross the double Bascule Bridge on Manhattan Ave and Vernon Boulevard which spanned the Newtown Creek at this point. This bridge was fascinating to watch and did operate quite frequently since there was a lot of water traffic on the creek in the late 40's early 50's. It made quite a racket as there were two bascules opening and closing at the same time. On the Queens side, Vernon Boulevard was on a viaduct that spanned the LIRR Long Island City yards and station as well as an adjunct PRR yard to handle cars that could not be accomodated in Sunnyside yard. There were a lot of trains to see. The B&QT had a turnaround loop at Vernon and Jackson Avenue where you could get a Queens trolley or the Flushing Line at Vernon and Jackson ave. Station. The subway still stops there but the trolleys and double bascule are long gone. 

Heres a B&QT car and other traffic waiting on Vernon Boulevard while the bridge is open for water traffic.

With the bridge closed, we have a Graham ave car coming off the Bridge onto manhattan ave in Greenpoint Brooklyn. The car is a 6000 series built in the early 1930s and was the last car designed by B&QT before the purchase and delivery of the 100 PCC cars. It is still in its B&QT red and cream colors before the Board of Transportation colors were applied. This route ran to downtown Brooklyn and continued through the sands street area onto the Brooklyn Bridge and to Park Row in Manhattan. It was one of a few routes that served three boroughs of the city. 

And for our Staten Island Friends, another shot of the Miss New York with a hoard of commuters on board. This was when the Staten Iland ferries were in the Department of Marine and Aviation Red colors. They were handsome looking boats.

I am really enjoying this thread!!  Thanks so much!

Alan

I think this is one of Ben's photos, posted a few years ago.  I love it. It shows the 6 turning off Westchester Avenue into the Whitlock Avenue station and the EL crossing over the New Haven river line/New York Westchester & Boston line.  It has a nice view of the crumbling Westchester Avenue station.

Peter

New York City 1939

The Polo Grounds and the spur off of the #4......then and its remnant now, next to the new Yankee Stadium.

On the north side of the new stadium

Coming over the bridge with High Bridge in the distance.

just north of the new stadium

a magnificent overview.....you can easily see the trestle bridge over the Harlem River where the EL spur used to be. North of the Polo Grounds the subway car yard is gone and has been replaced by high rises (compare it to the 1st picture).

I'd be interested if anyone can date these B&W pics.  I took the color shots the summer of 2009.

Peter

The second photo I believe is in 1940 when the 9th Ave el service ended. The trains are composites. The station at the PoloGrounds is still intact as it was when the 9th ave el used it and the Storage yard was just to the north. The first photo , the aerial view of the polo grounds is likely from about the same time The Yard is still in use . It was closed sometime about 1942. Check out the field with a magnifying glass. There are players on the field. Who played for the Giants in 1940 or so. 

Photos 5 and 6 are from about 1953-54 or so. There is a vehicle from that period in the street. We know its before 1958 since the sign board in the stadium is advertising a Giants Night game, Giants vs the Phillies. I wonder who won.

Thank you so much!

Peter

"Photos 5 and 6 are from about 1953-54 or so. There is a vehicle from that period in the street. We know its before 1958 since the sign board in the stadium is advertising a Giants Night game, Giants vs the Phillies. I wonder who won."

5/24/1955 Tuesday night game vs. Philadelphia.

Phillies 6 - Giants 2

http://www.baseball-reference....I/PHI195505240.shtml

They didn't play on Monday 5/23 (remember when baseball teams had Monday's off regularly and the Cincinnate Reds started every season.)  That picture may have been taken on 5/23. 

"The End of the El" - 1955

The Crosstown car #61 route continued as a trolley on Manhattan ave a bit longer after the trolley buses came. Trolley Buses were used on the Graham ave line, The Lorimer street Line which ran up Nassau Ave in Greenpoint, and the Tompkins ave line which went from Bridge Plaza down to Ebbets Field.The trolley buses went into service in 1949.  When the Pulaski Bridge replaced the Manhattan ave double bascule, Buses were used to cross that Bridge to go to Long Island City. The Graham ave trolley bus did not cross the Brooklyn Bridge as the predecessor trolleys did. 

Here is a Trolley Bus on the Lorimer street route. I believe this photo is at Nassau Ave and Manhattan ave.

Charlies photos are all very interesting. The first photo is of the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn Bridge. It is probably from about 1905 as the Brookly Elevated lines are electrified. Location is about Sands street. Motorized traffic across the span is non-existent. The BRT ran its elevated trains to Coney island and Brighton Beach via the Culver , Fifth Ave and Franklin ave lines . Trains to east New york ran via the Fulton street El and out to Richmond Hill and Ridgewood via the Lexington ave El and the Myrtle ave El.

The second Photo is at Cortlandt street and West street , where the World Trade Center is located. Cortlandt street was known as " Radio Row" home to Leonard radio, arrow Electronics and Blan the Radio Man. That was well after this photo was taken. Looking up the center is the Cortlandt street station of the 9th ave El. The building just to the left and behind the station is 30 Church street which was in The Hudson Terminal Complex , the original station in downtown Manhattan for the Hudson Tubes or todays PATH . The tallest building in the photo behind the el and just to the right is the Singer Building. It was the Worlds Tallest Building in 1908-9. Down in the foreground on the right, we can see a sign for the Pennsylvania Railroad, The lehigh Valley railroad and the New York Susquehanna and Western. This was the terminal for the Pennsylvania's railroad's ferry that ran over to its Exchange Place terminal in Jersey City.

In Photo 3 we are on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. The El Train might be a Culver train heading to Coney Island. The BRT's Park Row Train shed is in the background. Early photo, the El is electrified but the Municipal building is not yet in place.

The 4th Photo shows us the then new Times Building.several theaters in the photo including the Astor Theater and across the street , the Astor hotel. I am thinking that the photographer was probably right about at todays W 46th street where the TKTS booth is today.

Thanks for posting these Charlie.

How about some Fulton Street El in Brooklyn? This line served downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan , went east through the atlantic Avenue complex and east to Lefferts ave.We aredowntown Brooklyn near Borough Hall

At the intersection of Fulton Street and Flatbush ave, The Fidfth Ave El passed under the Fulton Street line. The Fox Theathre is just to the right on Flatbush ave.

We are out at East New York now. The Fulton Train, C types has just left Atlantic ave and is heading east to Lefferts Blvd. The Carnarsie line is in the Foreground.

Herre we have a train of C Types somewhere in Brooklyn on the Fulton Street line.

I only have this one picture to offer to this wonderful collection of images. This photograph is from around 1900.

There was quite a system of Trolleys operated in the Borough of Queens. Many lines were part of the Brooklyn and Queens Transit company which was part of the BMT. These lines began in Brooklyn and ran out into the Borough of Queens. There were other companies which ran to Astoria, Flushing and Jamaica. The latter route ran along Queens Boulevard in what is today the roads median as it makes its way from Long Island City through elmhurst, rego park, kew gardens and reaching Jamaica avenue. Heres a shot of one of those cars running on the Boulevard out to Jamaica Ave.

The Last Trolley line to Run in New York City was the Steinway Transit companies Queensboro Bridge line . In 1957, its route ran from Queensboro Plaza over the Queensboro Bridge stopping at Welfare (now Roosevelt) island and into an Underground station at the Manhattan End, 59th street and second ave.

One of the cars at Queensboro Plaza getting ready to tun West.

At the Manhattan Terminal

Heres the Kiosk on the Manhattan end. The trolley and terminal are long gone but the entrance exit Kiosk survives

Here is ashot of Sand Street terminal

The green hornet

This is where Trainworld is now

Brightliners at Mott Haven

Ben....this thread that you started in absolutely one of the best ever here on the OGR forum!  To all of you that keep posting these fantastic pictures...thanks so very much.  I am really enjoying this!!

Alan

Ben, that first picture is a classic, gives me an idea for the layout.

Jack

The Sands Street Terminal began operations in 1888 and was closed in 1944. When the Brooklyn Bridge opened,Brooklyn Els provided access to lower Manhattan using the Bridge via the Sands Street terminal. The Brooklyn Els were organized into a single system under the aegis of the BRT or Brooklyn Rapid Transit. In Bens Photo , the tracks in the foreground served the Fulton Street and Brighton Line trains which terminated at Fulton Ferry in Brooklyn. Behind these tracks was a set of tracks and platforms that served all services which operated into Park Row in Manhattan. Thesse included trains from all the BRT el lines except the Jamaica line. Lines included Myrtle Ave, Lexington, Ave 5th Ave , West End line Seabeach line  and Culver lines. Trains which did not go to Park Row continued on Adams street to connect with the upper level loops at sand Street. Trolleys which went to Park Row also went through  the main level . When the station closed in 1944 only the Myrtle Ave and Lexington Ave Els were running to Park Row.

Here is a track diagram that shows the operation through and into the terminal for all lines that used it

Another for the modeler of the track arrangement at Sands Street.

an Aerial view that show the various els in the area and how they connected with Sands Street.

Bens shot of the upper level interior is most interesting. I dont think I have seen that before . The cars in the station are a Fulton street train made up of BMT C types. This was the BMT's first experiment with an articulated subway train set. These cars lasted and worked the Fulton Street line until the end when the IND Rockaway line took over the El section in Queens.

The BMT did a lot of work with Lightweight articulated train sets of whuch the Green Hornet was one. They were built in the 1930s. The design built in quantity was 5 car set called the Multi's . They worked the Myrtle Ave Line North of Broadway, The Canarsie line and the Fulton Street el in Queens. They were very art deco and sadly none were preserved.

Thanks for the trackplans  Seems like a kluge doesn't it

Great photos and track plans.  As a native New Yorker, I really enjoy seeing these photos and being able to compare how the city has changed over the years.  It's amazing.  Thank you.

Kluge? Yes maybe in appearance . It seems however a clever use of the space with the loops for Brooklyn turnarounds over the through to Park Row tracks . The loops had side and center platforms to reduce dwell time . Any line operating either on the Myrtle avenue ROW or the Fulton ROW could terminate in Brooklyn or go to Manhattan via different platforms thus minimizing congestion and train delays perhaps. One could walk down from a loop platform and continue to Manhattan by catching a Manhattan bound train on the lower level. Seems like that might have increased utilization of trains operating on this system .

Be interesting to see how they actually operated this system over the years. Originally, everything went through there but by 1920 with the 4th ave subway and Dekalb ave complex in service, Sea Beach, West End and Brighton Services could now use the Manhattan Bridge. The Montague street tunnel and later the Nassau loop took the Culver and local Brooklyn services out of Sand Street. By That time late 1930s only the Fulton St, Myrtle Lexington and 5th ave Els were using sand Street. I believe a Myrtle Ave Train may have been the last train to use the Sand Street facility in 1944 when it was closed.

Clearing snow

And another GCT pic

There was Baseball in Brooklyn. Dodgers played at Ebbets Field to the Flatbush Faithful. We are in 1956, the season following the Dodgers first ever 1955 World Series Championship. The pastor in our school was so excited that he closed the school and sent all of the kids home to celebrate.

We took the trolleys to see " Them Bums". Here's PCC 1000, the first one in Board of Transportation colors

This is the Lorimer Street car, a Peter Witt that did not make it to the New Colors,

When you were in the stadium, you noticed the hand operated scoreboard. No lights here , just the number boards handled by the folks in back of the Board.

and what do we have here, riding on the rear bumper because you didn't have the fare, a time honored tradition that made it into the trolley bus era. I Think I see Ben on the back of that bus in this photo.

LOL  We always hitched the buses.  Then they came out with those fishbowls that had the anti-hitching brackets over the bumper.   They were sloped so you couldn't get a foothold

Williamsburg Bridge

Fulton El with a Forney

The Bluebirds

Sands Street

Well Ben you have done it again. Just great photos from a time many years before. On the Williamsburg Bridge we are over the East river, not quite midspan . Weare looking toward Manhattan and it looks like its a weekday morning with lots of Rush hour traffic stopped on the bridge. Lot of pre-1950 cars there including a Desoto limo style taxi. The truck in the right lane is loaded to the hilt with packages on the tailgate outside the truck box area.(Try and do that today).

The BMT train could be a Broadway local or a Myrtle ave train on the way to Marcy Avenue. The street car is an 8000 series B&QT Peter Witt heading for Essex/Delancy street terminal having stopped at Bedford ave station on the bridge. It might be a Raplh Ave car and it is still in the B&QT colors not the Board of Transportation green and silver.

On the Fulton street El, This is turn of the century stuff. That train is near Franklin Ave and Bedford Ave at the start of Bedford Stuyvesant Neighborhood. This looks to be a real fashionable place to live judging by the business on Fulton street in hhe phoro.

The Bluebirds are on a Fulton Street train heading into Sands street and then on to Park Row in Manhattan after having crossed the Brooklyn Bridge.The catenary structure next to the train is for the trolley power wire for cars that went through Sand Street and over the Brooklyn Bridge to Park Row. This photo is about the same location as the next photo but at later point in time. The track plan has been simplified some what.

In the Last Photo, I believe that is a train that has come from the fifth ave el. It might be a Culver or possibly a West End train operating to /From Park Row. There is a Fulton st train following . Looks like C Types in that train.I think this one might be from the1920's or so. The C Types would have been rather recent at this point.

Ok Crossing the river. The Erie railroad was one of the many lines having a New York Terminal on the New Jersey side of the Hudson. Here we have a shot of a pair of Erie commuter trains arriving at the old Pavonia ave terminal. The PA's are new but the Stillwells have been around for a while.

Folks going to New York City or Downtown Manhattan took the Erie Ferry from Pavonia Avenue to DeBrosses street. Here we see the Erie's Youngstown making the crossing.

The Central of New Jersey had a Ferry at Liberty Street which went accross the Hudson to their terminal in Jersey City. This is the CNJ's Elizabeth 1 over on the Jersey side. It is an older steam powered ferry. The CNJ replaced this boat later on with the Elizabeth II. They were like Cunard Line in this respect with two Elizabeths.

s

When traveling across the Hudson, it would be a common site to see RR carfloats crossing the river on the way to/from a freight terminal . Here we have a pair of PRR tugs and  a pair of floats .

It's amusing to look at these old pictures and see all the people in "formal" wear.  Virtually every guy has a business suit, contrast that with what you see nowadays on a train platform.

John...and the ladies have hats and white gloves!

And high heels!  Think about seeing that on the platform nowadays.

LOL  Look at these people getting off the Staten Island Ferry in 1901  Have to get my tophat

Here are a couple more from Staten Island 

This is the Staten Island ferry in the background with the SIRT/B&O yard beneath

This is a track cleaning car that derailed in a snowstorm 1960

Ben Great Photo.

It tells a lot about the times. There are few women in the photo and they seem to be mostly unaccompanied . It must be late spring near summer as there are some straw hats among the derby's and top hats. Check out the policeman in front of the B&O office on the right.

Notice from the signage that you could send a telegram from this location. I think there may have been a post office here as well judging by what looks like a US Mail signage with the Baltimore and Ohio. Did the B&O ever operate passenger  trains to St George from New Jersey? Also on the left there seems to be a waiting room and ticketing for the Royal Blue line which probably was a coastal steamer line. I wonder where it went.

The ferry looks interesting. It seems to have an upper deck although the slip here does not have a movable bridge to allow passenger access . I am wondering if this was the ferry slips immediately west of the ferry terminal which was adjacent to the Elevated transit station for the 2nd ,3rd, 6th and 9th ave els.?

It seem the Royal Blue Line was the early B&O passenger service between NY & Washington.  An interesting read below.  According to this article a few east coast firsts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Blue_(train)

Thanks Chris

Interesting about the Royal Blue Line being in fact the Baltimore and Ohio. So perhaps there was a ferry going over to the CNJ terminal from South Ferry around the turn of the century. I dont recall anything about B&O Passenger trains leaving from St George for the service to Washington, yet the company was selling tickets from this location in the photo.

I'm not sure that the picture is of St. George.  This link from Museum of the City of New York has this and 2 other pictures identified as being Whitehall Street.

http://collections.mcny.org/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult_VPage&VBID=24UP1GGX0672

Also, in looking around I found an NY Times article about a 1903 Royal Blue Lines crash.

Chris

I think we agree. I was thinking the photo was Whitehall street but with the B&O ticket office there , I was surmising that there was a ferry from this point at Whitehall to Jersey City where the trains arrived and departed. The SIRT in Staten Island was a B&O line but I don't think they ever had any long distance passenger trains from there.

I believe that just east of this slip were additional slips and these were in front of the Elevated station.

Gents... What a great way to start my Sunday.... Better the the Sunday paper.

thanks!

This thread is the OGR Forum at its best!

Great Pictures. Thanks for sharing. Its neat to look back at old pictures and see how things used to be..

In the 1950's, we went to Coney Island for a day of summer fun. The best way to get there was by the BMT . Perhaps the Sea Beach, WEst End, Brighton line or Culver. WE could get there on the McDonald ave or Coney Island Ave Streetcar lines as well.

So if you were on the SeaBeach, you probably road the Triplex cars

If  you came via the Brighton Line BMT standards was your Vehicle

If you were real lucky, you might have rode in part of the trip in an R-11 set

You could ride the PCC's from Grand army Plaza or the Parade Grounds

When you arrived it was the old stillwell ave terminal

Across the street was and still is today Nathans famous

Then there were the rides. Remember the Cyclone. Its still there

There was the Wonder Wheel. Its still there

And some might remember SteepleChase Amusement park with the famous Steeplechase Horse ride, side shows and other attractions. Its gone quite a while

The Horse Ride

The park in total

Parachute Jump still there although only as a sight. Originally constructed for the 1939-40 Worlds fair, It was moved there when the fair closed. In the 1950's one trip to the top and one fall to the bottom with the shoot open was 50 cents.

Alas the day was done and it was time to go home. Hope you enjoyed your trip to Coney Island.

Larry

We used to have our family excursions to Coney Island on the Sea Beach line from the 8th ave stop.  I thought Coney Island was the center of the Universe when I was young.  The Stillwell terminal was always mobbed when getting off.  The ramps instead of stairs was probably because of the crowds.

Ben

Here are a few photos at 8th ave on the Sea Beach Line. The station entrance

When going to Coney Island, the standard equipment was the BMT type D Triplex from the 1920's . a Train of D Types at 8th Ave.

So lets see the Triplex from ground level

BMT Work Trains at 8 th ave . Here we have the triplex, some BMT standards and a South Brooklyn Steeplecab. Lots of variety

Heres one that you will like Ben. Even the Bluebirds showed up at 8th Ave.

In  the Summertime, the BMT had an express service that ran from Fulton st/Franklin ave o the Franklin line , down  the Brighton line through Coney Island and up the Sea Beach over the manhattan Bridge on the South Trackways to Chambers street. It returned over the same route and stops were limited on the Seabeach since it operated on the express tracks. In the 1950's, the train was usually BMT standards. When the letters were adopted to identify the trains, This service became the NX . Here we have an NX special coming through Coney Island with more modern equipment.

The shot of the Bluebirds shows the 7th ave side of the station   It originally had entrances on both ends   7th ave was closed in the 1970's  You can see the open air bridge there

Multi's at myrtle ave.

Looks like they boys are on the way to school having used their 5cent ride pass.This train is headed towards queens . There is a train of Q Types on the upper level also heading toward Queens. Very Late 50's. The multis were running the Myrtle-Chambers service as we called it in those days. They were also used on the Canarsie line and on the Fulton Street El which remained in service from Atlantic Ave to Lefferts Blvd. That service was a rush hour service which went from Lefferts Blvd to 8th ave in Manhattan on the Canarsie line. 

Heres a set of Multis on the Fulton Street El coming off Pitkin ave. Check out the billboards for the Chevy Ragtop.

We're at Lefferts Blvd. The BMT is still in charge and we have a rush hour Multi Train and the regular C Type train which ran to Rockaway Blvd on Fulton Street. The C Types where the very first BMT articulated train dating from the 1920s.

Back to Mytle Ave and Broadway. Remembering where the boys stood in the earlier photo, this is what it looks like today. Myrtle Ave El long Gone, but the structure and upper platform still there.

This location was a pretty busy place back then. BMT Standards handled a lot of the business. Here we have a shot with 4 trains in it. WE have a northbound and southbound Myrtle chambers trains turning off the Jamaica El in the foreground, an eastbound BroadwaY Brooklyn Local and its probably heading to Canarsie since it is the evening rush hour. In the distance with lights on  is a R-16 set running a Jamaica Train west to Broad Street in Manhattan.

Heres the spot where the boys were . Q cars handling the duties on the Myrtle Ave El.

Same spot  but about 10 years earlier than the previous photo. This time Gat5e cars holding down the service on the Myrtle Ave. El. Standards on the Jamaica line

Interesting shot of the Myrtle ave El just north of Broadway where the connection to the Broadway line meets the Myrtle ave Line. There are two types of Gate cars in the Myrtle Train and we can see a set of BMT standards on a Myrtle Chambers line just starting to come up the ramp. 

 Same spot as previous photo. Looks like there was an express track here on the Myrtle but the connection has been removed.

And would you know it, even the Bluebirds were seen on the Myrtle Chambers run at Myrtle Ave on the espress track. BMT standards on the Broadway Service on the local track.

Love those Myrtle ave shots Larry 

Here is St George in Staten Island circa 1946 

Can you guess where this is?

This is it from the other side

Two pics that I find very interesting

This is a clearance check for the IND construction  Very High Tech

This one baffles me   What was this doing in New York and did it use its own power in the tunnels.  My guess is that an Electric was pulling it

When the M-10000 was completed, it was the first streamlined train for the UP and perhaps the country. The UP did not operate this train in revenue service initially. IT went on a coast to coast tour in 1934 before taking up the assignment as the "City of Salina" It was the first of the streamlined lightweight UP Streamlined city trains.

The train was 204 ft long, and road on fully articulated trucks .There were three cars , a power  baggage car at the front; and two passenger cars. The sleeping car "Overland Trail" was constructed for M-10000 and included in the consist in May 1934, but it was never used in regular service with that train. Subsequent streamliners were diesel powered, but a reliable engine of sufficient power  was not available for the M-10000 and it was delivered instead with a spark-ignition Winton 191-A distillate engine. The front truck carried one General Electric traction motor per axle, and was the only one powered. It was constructed of " Duralumin" a light weight aluminum alloy material which could be used for both structural material and sheeting. It was widely used in the aviation industry, most notably in the rigid airships of the 1930's, Graf Zeppelin ,Hindenburg ,The Los Angeles, Akron, Macon and Shenandoah. 

The M-10000 was as much a publicity tool as a practical train. During 1934 it made a 13,000-mile exhibition tour across the US, visiting Washington, DC, for inspection by President Roosevelt, New York's Grand Central Terminal where most likely it Most likely it was towed in by an S or T motor .and the Chicago World's Fair.  Everywhere it went it attracted crowds and press attention, hosting almost 1,000,000 visitors. M-10000 succeeded in its aim of helping reinvent and modernise the passenger train in the popular imagination of Depression-era America. Lionel imortalized it by their rendition as a O72 Streamliner in the 1930's Many other Streamliners inspired by the M-10000 were rapidly developed, and within 15 years most major American railroads had a "streamlined" train of some type.

Here is how the Union Pacific Promoted it

Underway on the road.

And posing with a Chrysler airflow. The dawn of the streamliner era... how modern we were.

Ben's earlier post showed the BRT's Culver Terminal at Coney Island. originally built by the Prospect Park and Coney Island Railroad. It was the main access point in Coney Island around the turn of the century.This was before the station at Stillwell avenue . You could get there from the New York Side of the Brooklyn Bridge via the elevated trains and the Long Island Railroad went there as well.There was also a trolley terminal here which was used i believe to the end of the PCC cars service in 1956.

Here are some Coney Island Visitors arriving all decked out and ready for a day of fun at Coney Island.

Perchance it is this?

Brooklyn Visual Heritage

http://projectchart.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/

I always like looking at these old pics, I often try to locate the area as it currently stands using Google Maps.

Jerry

One step forward and two steps back!

Jerry

In 1964 we went to the worlds fair. We rode on the Brand New R-36's and the Transit Authority did promote it. Enjoy

Great Worlds Fair video ! Thanks for posting. I lived down the block back then and rode in my stroller to the fair.

  Later when in high school I rode the R-36's.  By then there was graffiti inside and out. Some of my friends would walk on top of the cars when the train was moving.

How about a Triplex at Pitkin Yard

Originally Posted by bluelinec4:

How about a Triplex at Pitkin Yard

It kind-of looks like it's hiding

---PCJ

It is hiding   Its all the way in the back corner of the yard

Ok Ben. Don't be foolin us now. WE know that this is on your layout in your basement!!

A Bluebird rests at East New York Yard. According to the signage, she was working the run to 8th ave on the Canarsie line. At this time, this could have been the rush hour service from Lefferts Blvd on the Fulton Street El. There are C types next to the Bluebird and C tupes were the mainstay of the Fulton Street El in the final years. Oh yes, In the backround is where Bert and Harry brewed their Piels Beer. This brewery was originally Trommers White Label, an old Brooklyn Brand, before Piels Brpothers took it over. The photo is likely from the first part of the 1950's. Maybe Ben will do a Weaver TOFC with a Piels brothers beer trailer.

Great video   Love that 15 cents will get you there

Piels is a good idea   I have been kicking around either Piels or Horn & Hardart for the next  trailer   Piels also had a brewery in Staten island for awhile    They acquired the Rubson & Horman facility in Tompkinsville.   This is the original owner

Bay Ridge branch of the Long Island

Thanks for posting the Bay Ridge Branch Photos. This was an interesting operation over the years. It began in 1878 and was leased then owned and operated by the LIRR as the New York, Brooklyn and Manhattan Beach railroad. It ran from Bay Ridge to Fresh Pond in Queens with connections to the Atlantic Ave line in East New York and the Evergreen and Bushwick Branches just North of East New York. Passenger trains were operated until 1924, primarily to the beach areas in Brooklyn.

When the plan was conceived for HellGate, This line became an important component serving as the route for freight to be floated across the harbor from Bay Ridge to Greenville on the Jersey side. When Hellgate opened in 1917, there was no catenary and Steam handled both Freight and passenger trains from the New Haven. The Freight tracks on the Bridge were not electrified until 1927. During  that 10 year period, New Haven J-2 Mikados handled the freight trains running through from Oak Point in the Bronx, across Helllgate , along the New York Connecting to Fresh Pond and the Bay Ridge branch. .The LIRR always switched the float yard using C 51 class 0-8-0s at Bay Ridge.

New Haven Steam was not turned at Bay ridge so East bounds ran tender first and for good reason. The route through Atlantic ave in East New York and past the Evergreen cemetery was in a tunnel on a grade. There was a lot of smoke on the eastbound upgrade and running tender first put the smoke behind the crew. Long Island trains always had steam on the Bay Ridge line up until the 1950's when diesels replaced all steam. Normal LIRR power on the branch was H-6sb's and H-10s 2-8-0's. Of leased engines, PRR K-4class Pacifics and L class 2-8-2 s were seen on the branch as well.

The Branch was electrified in 1927 and was operated this way until the late 1950's. It was dieselized for a short period until the Virginians came in the 1960's . The LIRR switched Bay Ridge yard and East New York Yard with BB-3s when the route was electrified. In the 1950's, LIRR replaced the BB-3s with Alco S-1s and S-2s.Today, The New York and Atlantic operates the branch with local traffic and cars for the Cross Harbor Sucessor float operation.

Bens first photo is one of those J-2 class New haven Mikado's . It happens to be at Oak Point in the Bronx, getting ready to head on down to Bay Ridge. Time period is probably in the 1920's. Next photo we are 40 or so years later into the mid 1960's with the Virginians handling the train. Next two shots have the LIRR BB-3s working the flaoat bridges. An idler flat was used to pull and push cars on and off the floats . These were sometimes called reach cars since the loco needed to reach the cars on the floats. New Haven Tugs generally handled the across the Harbor float worked although LIRR tugs were used in peak times. New Haven Tugs were named " Transfer No __. The one in the photo looks like twenty something. Last Photo is a New haven Electric waiting on an Eastbound train to be made up for the run across the Bridge and on to Oak Point.

Thanks for posting the photos Ben. 

Ok so we talked about the Bay Ridge Branch of the LIRR and a bit about its early days in the 19th century. Brooklyn in those days ad its population centers up North in what is today the Williamsburg and the downtown areas. The outer reaches of Brooklyn were largely rural. There were some communities like Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst, which were like surburban towns . What developed early was the Coney Island, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach areas. These areas developed as Resorts and amusement areas with Hotels such as the Sea Beach, Brighton Beach hotel and the Culver Hotel. There were also race tracks in the area as this was a popular pastime for New Yorkers.

In the 1870s, Steam railroads were built to serve these hotels , often financed by the Hotel owners themselves as a way to get patrons and guests to the Beach resorts. These steam railroads ran to ferry terminals at 65th street and 39th street and also reached areas around prospect park to connect with other transport back to New York City proper. In the 18880s . El construction became popular and Several El Lines were built to connect with the Steam Railroads. Eventually, the Els and Steam Railroads were unified and became the BRT around the turn of the century.

One of these early El Lines was the 5th Ave. El which came from the area around the Brooklyn Bridge , ran on Flatbush ave and turned South to reach the 36th-39 th street area were the El connected with a Steam Railroads that became what we called the West End Line and the Culver Line of the BMT. The 5th ave el was extended further South to Bay Ridge Aat 65th street where it connected with what became the Sea Beach Line of the BMT and the Bay Ridge Branch of the LIRR.

The 5th Ave El lasted until 1940 . Over the years , the 5th ave el would allow direct train service over the West End and Culver lines, making a one seat ride from downtown Manhattan to Coney Island Possible. When the 4th Ave subway was completed into brooklyn , the Sea Beach and West End were reconnected to the new Subway replacing the 5th ave connection. The 4th ave subway was extended down to 95th street in Bay Ridge which reduced the service requirement for the spur south of 36th street. In the 1930s, The BMT built the Nassau Street Loop which allowed Culver service to reach manhattan via the Montague street tunnel. The El was soon closed thereafter. Near the end, Culver trains would operate on the 5th ave El with the last car being the Bay Ridge shuttle. It was cut off at 36th street and proceede dto Bay Ridge as a separate second train.

Heres a Culver train coming down the 5th Ave el. The signage on the train advises Passengers to board the last car of the train for service to BaY Ridge. At 36th street, the last car was cut off the train and then operated as a single car train over to third Ave and down to Bay Ridge.

The El train on the 5th ave line has just turned onto Flatbush Ave at Fulton Street .This photo is taken from a train on the Fulton Street El which crossed over the 5th ave line at this point. The Fox Theatre is behind the El here. A John Wayne film and a Ray Milland Film are playing at the Fox. The El was gone in 1940. The Fox theatre lasted some 30 years longer. In later years, it was the venue for Rock An Roll Shows hosted by Alan Freed, Murray the K and Cousin Brucie Morrow.

The 5th Ave Line traveled along Flatbush Ave , past Atlantic Ave and the terminal for the LIRR Brooklyn branch over to 5th Ave where it turned South. Heres a train heading up the line towards Fulton Street. It has 5 cars so it might be a Culver train with the Bay Ridge car on the end.

At 36th street, The El had a ramp into the 36th street yard and over to the tracks of the West End and South Brooklyn Railway coming down a ramp and arriving at the 9th Ave. Station. This station was two levels with 6 tracks . The West End Service is on the upper level and still used today. The lower level is below grade and was used by the Culver trains until the Culver shuttle was ended and torn down. Platforms and tracks are still there and the South Brooklyn operates through it now. 

Here is a Culver train turning off the 5th ave at 36th street. The %th Ave car has been cut off at the station and will shortly proceed as a single car train to Bay Ridge. 

The single car 5th ave train is heading South to Bay Ridge. It is approaching 4th Ave. Below you can see the tracks and connection with the 4th Ave subway for the West End and the South Brooklyn Railway continuation.

Past 4th Ave and on the way to third Ave, our single car train travels . Down Below, we have some vintage railroading going on with a South Brooklyn Train and a cut of local freight heading over to the car float at 39th street or perhaps interchanging with Bush Terminal.

I hope you enjoyed your historic ride on the 5th ave El , once part of Brooklyn's extensive El System.

Here is a view of South Ferry from the water side . The full el terminal is still in place with all routes operating so this photo predates 1940. A lot of water action is present with several boats in the slips.

Great photos, everyone.  The pics from this link aren't as old, only from the 80's.  However, it sure looks worse than I remember when I was living through it!

Click on the link here: http://www.rsvlts.com/2013/10/...no-joke-47-photos/#1

Cows grazing next to Grand Central Depot NYC:   http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpr...xt-to-grand-central/

Wooden viaduct over the Harlem Flats NYC before the new stone and metal viaduct was built:

http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/beach/fig11-7.jpg

There were Erie Alco's in Bay Ridge?

Sorry Chipset.. No Erie here. That is a New Haven Electric either EF-3 or EP-4.

That is a New Haven EF-3.  They ran over the Hellgate and down the Bay Ridge branch to the car floats.  After the New Haven acquired the ex-Virginian rectifiers they ran the same route over the hellgate

Here are a few of the Els in Manhattan

The Williamsburg Bridge originally had 6 track ways on the bridge. Two are used by the Jamaica El subway, former BMT line. Two Trackways on the North Side were used by the Metropolitan street railway, the Green line as it was known running from Washington Plaza in Brooklyn to various locations in Manhattan. The South side of the Bridge had two tracks reserved for the B&QT trolleys. It connected an underground terminal in Manhattan at Essex st and Delancy street with numerous car lines going to Brooklyn. There was also a terminal at Bridge Plaza in Brooklyn

The underground trolley terminal is the abandoned station. The bridge was opened on 13 December 1903, and bridge local streetcar service began on 10 October 1904, followed on 3 November by through service from Brooklyn trolley lines. The underground terminal was not finished in 1904 and probably opened on 18 May 1908. The Brooklyn car lines and their loop assignments of 1908 were:

Nostrand Ave [BC], 1904-1923, 1931-1948, loop 1
Nostrand-Prospect [BC], 1906-1919, loop 1
Nostrand-Culver [BC-SB], 1906-1919, loop 1
Reid Ave [BQC&S], 1904-1923, 1931-1937, loop 2
Hamburg Ave (Wilson Ave) [NE], 1904-1923, loop 3
Ralph Ave [BQC&S], 1905-1908, loop 4
Ralph-Rockaway [BQC&S], 1908-1923, 1931-1948, loop 4
Bushwick Ave [BC], 1904-1921, loop 5
Tompkins Ave [BC], 1906-1923, 1931-1947, loop 6
Bridge Local, 1904-1948, loop 7
Grand St [BC], 1904-1923, loop 8
Franklin Ave [CI&B], 1904-1923, loop 8
Broadway [BQC&S], 1904-1923, loop unknown
Sumner Ave [BQC&S], 1905-1923, loop unknown

The trolley operation lasted until 1948 . The tracks on the South side were replaced by  a roadway and the underground terminal then cutoff from rail access. there is some discussion about creating an underground park at this site. 

Here is a photo of the terminal as it was when in service

The terminal pretty much as it is today

A Brooklyn bound car on the Bridge in the 1940s. Still in the B&QT colors

This car is at Bridge Plaza on the Brooklyn side. The photo dates to the mid 1030s. The cars paint was a bit more elaborate.

Finally, a shot back on the Manhattan side when the Bridge was relatively new. Not many automobiles but plenty of trolleys. The large square structures were the entrances to the BRT /BMT/LIRR station at Essex on the left and the Trolley terminal on the right

Larry   I walked through the trolley terminal the other day at the foot of the Williamsburg bridge  Many tracks are still intact  They want to make it a super market I heard

Ben that is nice duty you have at the MTA. Looking forward to a tour by you one of these days. Did you get a photo of the present day terminal with your I phone?

I can believe all of you guys forgot City Hall Station...

The City Hall Station was the original southern terminus of the first "Manhattan Main Line" built by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Company. The line, opened in 1904, was intended to be a showpiece and crown jewel of the new subway system. Unlike the rest of the line, City Hall featured tall tile arches, brass fixtures, and skylights that ran along the entire curve of the station — a sort of miniature Grand Central Station. In fact, befitting the elegance of the station, it was even the chosen place for hanging the commemorative plaques recognizing the achievement of building the underground train system

Hi Madison

Thanks for posting. We were waiting for your post and to join this old new york celebration. Thanks for the great info  on this station.

The #6 trains currently use this loop to turn around southbound trains to head North to uptown manhattan and the Bronx. I believe that the train personnel no longer chase you off the Southbound at Brooklyn Bridge so it may be possible to ride the loop and get a glimpse of this treasure today.

So I came across this route map and it has a very interesting addition to it. Yes it is the route of the 2nd ave subway as it was envisioned back in 1951. The map shows the second ave line tied into the BMT Routes , the Broadway Brooklyn line in both directions,the Broadway NY -4th ave Brooklyn line southbound and a connection to the uptown IND at 2nd ave on the 6th Ave IND line. There are no stations noted on the 2nd ave route. It appears that service North south on this line was planned to/from Broad Street on the Nassau Loop and North south to Brooklyn on  both the Jamaica line over the Williamsburg Bridge and the Southern Division over the Manhattan bridge . Also looks like North South service from the Brooklyn lines were envisioned onto the existing IND lines via the 2nd ave connection.

The R-11 prototype train was built for these operations and as we know worked on the BMT for a large part of its existence. Interesting that the connections shown with BMT manhattan Bridge Line, The BMT Williamsburg Brooklyn Bridge lines and the IND 6th ave line all came to pass despite the fact that the 2nd avenue line was not built. I addition, this link has become important in the unification of the BMT and IND with services operating to and from manhattan today somewhat the same as they thought in 1951.

Oh one more thing. Check out the third ave route. You will note on the nap that the south Ferry Branch is gone but the city hall to chataham square section is still in service.