Various Brighton Line Track Plans: 1912, 1937-2003

Source:  B. Linder, Layout: J. Erlitz, New York Divsion, ERA, The Bulletin, Vol. 46, No. 7, July, 2003, pp. 3-5.  Title:  Brighton Line Track Plans.

Very interesting track diagrams.  See particularly in the 1937 South map the connection of the former Norton's Point Trolley to the Lower Level tracks of the Culver Line west of West 8th Street station in Coney Island.  This connection was removed in 1939.  In the Brighton Line 1912 map, look at the track connection between the Fulton Street El and the then Brighton Line (Now Franklin Shuttle).

West End "D" Simulation from 36th Street - 4th Avenue

Catch this great simulation on the West End Line "D" as it goes south to Coney Island from the 36th Street Station.  A R-68 car with audio will be under your control.  You will see some of the "mystery ramps" as well.  Posted in "Subchat" by

Broadway Lion   Go to link below:   Please see my question below:

This is the text that associated with the posting:

Sheepsheadbites just posted this:

"OpenBVE is an open source program for Windows, Linux and Mac created by dedicated train simulating enthusiasts. This particular video (Brighton Line) was created by AlognquinRider810.

According to Wikipedia:

Users operate trains from the cab controls viewing the track ahead, or from trackside with a roaming view of the 3D exterior and railway scenery. The goal is to successfully drive a selected railway route and train, obeying signals, making stops on schedule, picking up and dropping off passengers, without speeding or derailing."
There are a whole bunch more on You Tube. Just search for OpenBVE.

Get a cup ready first to catch the foam.
R-68 Simulation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=SlpWDeQctmc

below is the same simulation with an R160 Q Train in D Train Service.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKjDsWfBEn0&feature=player_detailpage

 Folks, listen to the noise of the R-160 when it leaves a station.  These three musical notes, I am told where used in a 1950's American science fiction film when the spacecraft takes off.  Can anyone comment on this?  Is this true?

Details?  


Tramway Null(0)
Get ready to foam!

Tramway Null(0)

Relative Position of New Jersey Light Rail and NY Subway and Elevations

In the map below, I brought in New Jersery Transit Light Rail Lines shape files and produced a map with New York Subway Lines and street elevations.  This map shows the relative positions of these three systems.

In the chart below, I used GEODA  (from University of Arizona) to calculate spatial position and the magnitude of New Jersey Earthquakes and the results show in this Moran's Analysis that knowing somewhat the position and magnitude of earthquake I can know it's neighbor.  Everything is spatially related.  "W-Magnitudes" is a weighted index created by spatial position.

Those readings in the upper right quadrant which are high correlates with corrected weighted index magnitudes are related to other readings in Northern New Jersey.

Each circle is one earthquake reading in NJ.

In the analysis below, more data was provided using a New Jersey elevation file.  To create the spatial join, I asked the program to assign an elevation to any quake site within 5000 feet of known contour line if available.  The multivariable Moran's I shows that there is a spatial relationship between one quake area and another and that there is a relation between quake magnitude and elevation.  In this case negative.  All this is theoretical, I am not a geologist or spatial environmental scientist. I am just playing with the programs.

IND Super Express Bypass Line (Route 131-B 8-26-77)

Source:  J. Erlitz, Drawing #IRT-SK12, in "Tech Talk", by Jeffrey Erlitz, In The Bulletin, Vol. 48, No. 2, February, 2005, Page 11.  The drawing is dated 8-26-1977.

  This map was in my archive and I wanted to share it.  In the 1970's, in several planning documents, there were plans to construct this by pass line in Queens using the right of way of the Long Island Railroad.  Since Queens transit is not my forte, I cannot give more details, but I believe the bypass  line which would have involved running in the back yards of houses, was stopped by neighborhood opposition.  I do not believe in Queens rapid transit planning circles if the plans of this line have been revived.

New (December 2012) Proposal for Streetcars for 42nd Street

  A new proposal for streetcars for 42nd Street using battery cars was proposed by Sam Schwartz.  Please see Brooklyn Historical Railway website for details.  Copy of the commentary by Bob Diamond is copied below.  Hope any form of trolley on 42nd Street comes true.

Please click at link below at the bottom of this page.  When you get to Bob Diamond's website, check out "Whats New?".  There is a cool news video there.

BHRA Heartily Applauds This Initiative Here are some of the the praiseworthy aspects of this proposal:   The $50 million price tag is certainly a very good price  - cited to be 10% of the circa 1990's "Fred Papert" $500 million cost, quoted by the multinational construction consortium(s) he personally selected back then. The new plan must be avoiding utility relocation by not digging into the street more than a foot or so. That's another good idea.   Aspects of this some this proposal that are of questionable practicality: These cars are too small (don't carry enough passengers to make the line close to profitable). Another problem we foresee is battery power itself: from an operational viewpoint, battery packs simply cant provide the instantaneous energy needed to make the cars accelerate fast enough to keep up with automobile traffic. Further, due to the principal of Conservation of Energy, it's impossible for any regenerative brake system to generate enough electricity to fully recharge the batteries on the car as it operates in service. There will always be power loss due to mechanical heat and friction (bearings, etc) and small electrical losses which add up quickly in a closed system. This is why battery cars were never used on main streetcar routes a hundred years ago. A battery is still only a battery. It needs recharging every few hours, and the car has to be removed from service. For example, you need many more fully charged spare battery cars to maintain the same 24 hour service as you would with a fleet of "standard" streetcars. This combined with the lower passenger capacity and poor acceleration led to the battery powered cars (yes they had them back then) being the first streetcars to be replaced by buses in the 1920's. BHRA's suggestions and comments on how to make this proposal even better: On the other hand, electrifying the proposed new route with a simple and reasonably visually unobtrusive "direct suspension" trolley wire (like the type used in Philadelphia and San Francisco), would only add about $5- $7 million to the project cost, and would greatly enhance the service and operating characteristics of the line: bigger, faster (but not too much heavier) streetcars take in more revenue per car operator, while being able to "keep up" with automobile traffic. No power substations or distribution is needed, as there are numerous opportunities to tap 600 volt DC power from the many subway lines along the trolley route. The MTA wouldn't even notice the power being used, its like adding one additional subway train to the overall system- with the power load of the individual streetcars spread over several subway lines. An interesting alternative "Green" approach, would be to retain the on- board battery technology, but combine it with a larger car body to carry more passengers, AND the direct suspension trolley wire to supply both additional battery "trickle charge" and "on demand" high energy input to the streetcars as required. The resulting "hybrid" power system would operate largely on battery energy derived from the regenerative braking on the streetcars, BUT the cars would have available the high instantaneous power needed for quick acceleration that can only be provided by an overhead trolley wire. Further, the trolley wire would supply the extra "trickle charge" needed to over come the "loss due to friction" inherent in any regenerative brake power feedback system...In other words, the streetcars would never need to be removed from service in order to recharge their batteries, and only a minimal amount of "outside"  electrical energy would be needed to be drawn from the overhead wire at any given time. A truly "Green" urban mass transit vehicle :-) Compare to the energy wasting and greenhouse gas spewing buses currently in use (including the "Hybrid CNG- Electric" models), which on a "good day", have a fuel efficiency of less than 3 miles per gallon, and on a "bad day" get less than 1 mpg (CNG Therm equivalent). The novel idea of using custom built car bodies honoring the original trolleys of the 3rd Avenue Railway could still be used.  New Orleans RTA still builds brand new streetcars in the "Perley Thomas" 1920s style that matches their vintage fleets (but have A/C, are ADA accessible and have modern propulsion systems).  Other private companies in the US also build old-style replica streetcars with modern amenities.  Another idea is to run modern US built streetcars and also run vintage trolleys mixed in with modern streetcars (some European cities such as Lisbon, Portugal do this), Tuscon, Az also intends to do this on their under construction streetcar system.  One more imaginative idea would be something similar to the old "AFX" slot cars of our youth: a single common electric power chassis with many interchangeable car bodies that could be "snapped on".
©2002-2012 Brooklyn Historic Railway Association, Brooklyn, NY. All rights reserved.Web design by Brian Kassel

Richards Street Area of Red Hook with Building and Street Elevations

In the map below, I included building and street elevations.  I symboled the lowest elevation, -10 feet to 20 feet in red.  Many buildings have heights in this red area on Van Brunt Street and elsewhere.  Elevation contour lines with posted elevations, hurricane zones and polar ice cap map scenarios are also included with an older file of the building footprint.  Tramway Null(0)

Transit Authority's Airline Replacement for the BMT Culver Shuttle

Source:  ARCGIS ESRI Sandy Hurricane Before / After Map Source Panel

www.esri.com/services/disaster-response/hurricanes/hurricane-sandy-the-aftermap: 6k

"In order to help "D" (West End) riders reach the "F" line at Ditmas Avenue, the Transit Authority is pleased to announce the establishment of the new "Culver Shuttle Airplane".  This service will be made available by walking by foot to the "airport" on the easterly side of 37th Street near Fort Hamilton Parkway or taking a new shuttle train that will arive in the lower level of the Ninth Avenue Station and will exit the portal to a temporary wooden platform on 37th Street near the airport.  Passengers will need only to cross 37th Street.  (The track in the area is already 3rd Rail equipped).  Passengers will be equipped with parachuttes and will be given a selection of stops to drop off at, the main drop off point will be Ditmas Avenue on the F train and Coney Island.  Please speak to your pilot for requested drop off points.  If the service becomes popular, some "V" trains will provide direct service to Ninth Avenue (Lower Level) or the airport at 37th Street."  In keeping with tradition, the shuttle train between Ninth Avenue Lower and the airport will be labeled number "5"".

Actually, I am not sure if this airplane was photographed by satelite or a higher flying plane.  I came across it by accident.  ARCGIS ESRI provides an interactive map showing before and after pictures with a map underlay.  The focus when opening this map is the devasted Breezy Point area of the Rockaways, but you can adjust the map to anyplace in New York City.

There is an airplane path in the area that flies north following the numbered avenues (like 13th Avenue) and passes the Grand Army Plaza area of Brooklyn.  As a child, I remember the same path was in existence and I remember the propeller planes (US Constellations?) that followed this path.  I remember that at times, one of the four propellers would drop out of service and would start to sputter.  You could see and hear this at ground level.  Thank Gd the plane had three other propellers.  The plane in the picture is following the same air pattern.

Please find below a aerial of the washed out section of the Rockaway Line after Sandy using the same resource.  Its' location is north of the Rockaway area in Jamaica Bay.

If it Quacks Like a duck, it must be a... R1/9 in Sweden?

The idea for this posting comes from subchat.  Someone posted  a video showing a Denmark S-Ban train (red delivery) sounding very similar to the retired R1/9 class subway cars used on the Independent Subways system.  I could not bring up the original posting but the posting below from Sweden has a trainset that sounds very similar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3Fud0XmiDE&feature=player_detailpage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbGP6yzpilY&feature=player_detailpage

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A67TU10LHc&feature=player_detailpage


The photograph below comes from Dave's Rail Pix and it shows a southbound PCC trolley, either a Church-McDonald car or a McDonald Avenue car running southbound along the incline to the Independent subway between Church and Ditmas Avenue stations.  Right along side the PCC car is a southbound "D" train (Concourse-6th Avenue Express) emerging from the tunnel.  These R1/9 subway cars were posted in an earlier video.  The date of this photo must be between 1954 when the IND subway was extended to Coney Island via the Culver Line and the last day of trolley service in Brooklyn on October 31, 1956.  The back of the portal, towards the left is McDonald Avenue and Avenue C.  Today at that location, the New York City Transit Authority is building a signal room just above the entrance to the portal at Avenue C. 

When I heard the original video from Europe,  from equipment that sounded so similar to the retired class R/9's, I expected the conductor to yell out "59th Street - Columbus Circle".


I was not able to contact the correct source video.

Lower Manhattan Polar Cap Melt Flood Scenario, 2020

To produce this map, the flood shape file was processed in ARCGIS and transported to GRASS 6.4.1 using a previously saved file dealing with Smith-9th Street.  The pink areas are those areas in danger of flooding by 2020 if the sea level rises due to a drastic polar melt.  Subway lines that pass through these flood areas will need their air vents raised and other precautions must be taken

Red Hook Area Polar Ice Caps Melts Flooding Scenarios: 2020, 2050,2080

In this ARCGIS map, I brought in the shape file that was used in the previous post for Staten Island.  The area enclosed by the red polygons are those areas that are projected to be under water by 2080 if the polar ice caps should melt.  The previous precautions state by the City of New York agency applies here.  The area enclosed by the black polygons are those areas to be flooded by 2080 if there is a steady polar ice cap melt until 2080.  The yellow polygons are those areas to be flooded by 2050.  The polar ice cap flooding of Red Hook generally follows, but is not exactly the same as the hurricane warning zones, A, B and C.  The area enclosed by the red polygons represent those areas to be flooded by 2020 and appear to be the lowest elevation areas.  Sorry for the mistake on the map title:  Senarios =  Scenarios.

Source:
This file contains 3 sets of shapefiles representing possible Flood Hazard Zone Areas in the 2020's, 2050's, and 2080's, based upon a rapid ice melt scenario. The NYC Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability (NYC OLTPS) and the City of New York assume no responsibility for the accuracy of this data or its suitability for any purposes. All users should independently verify the accuracy of the data for their purposes. This data on 1-in-100 year flood zones for New York City with Projected Sea Level Rise was produced by the Institute for Sustainable Cities, City University of New York for an analysis of large geographic areas only. 1. Methods and Caveat – The projected flood extents included in this data reflect a “bathtub” methodology whereby a flood elevation is extrapolated landward until it reaches the equivalent contour height on land. This approach does not account for cumulative effects of soils, vegetation, surface permeability, bathymetry, infrastructure and beach structures, friction, and other factors that affect the movement of floodwaters resulting in local variations in flooding extent. 2. Error – Numerous sources of potential error are present in the data. These include limitations of model input and scope (climate and FEMA floodplain models), error inherent in model output, errors in and coarseness of topography, the rounding of base flood elevations to the nearest foot, and in GIS technique. 3. Interpretation - The floodplains delineated in this data do not represent precise flood boundaries but rather illustrate two distinct areas of interest: A) areas that do not currently flood but are expected to potentially do so in the future and B) areas that do not currently flood and are unlikely to do so in the timeline of this research

Possible Flood Hazard Zones in 2020's, 2050's and 2080's Rapid Melt Scenarios for Staten Island

This Staten Island map was prepared using ARCGIS and was made possible from the shape file that is provided by the NYC Office of Long Term Planning.  The areas enclosed in the red polygons are those areas most likely to be flooded by 2080 if there is a continuous melt of the ice caps.  The yellow polygons enclose areas most likely to be flooded by 2050 while the green areas are most likely to be flooded by 2020.  You can see as far as the Staten Island Rapid Transit System is concerned, assuming the worst scenario, most of the system is safe except the northern portion near St. Geoge and the southern end.  Please see statement from agency that provided the shape files for this map.



Source:
This file contains 3 sets of shapefiles representing possible Flood Hazard Zone Areas in the 2020's, 2050's, and 2080's, based upon a rapid ice melt scenario. The NYC Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability (NYC OLTPS) and the City of New York assume no responsibility for the accuracy of this data or its suitability for any purposes. All users should independently verify the accuracy of the data for their purposes. This data on 1-in-100 year flood zones for New York City with Projected Sea Level Rise was produced by the Institute for Sustainable Cities, City University of New York for an analysis of large geographic areas only. 1. Methods and Caveat – The projected flood extents included in this data reflect a “bathtub” methodology whereby a flood elevation is extrapolated landward until it reaches the equivalent contour height on land. This approach does not account for cumulative effects of soils, vegetation, surface permeability, bathymetry, infrastructure and beach structures, friction, and other factors that affect the movement of floodwaters resulting in local variations in flooding extent. 2. Error – Numerous sources of potential error are present in the data. These include limitations of model input and scope (climate and FEMA floodplain models), error inherent in model output, errors in and coarseness of topography, the rounding of base flood elevations to the nearest foot, and in GIS technique. 3. Interpretation - The floodplains delineated in this data do not represent precise flood boundaries but rather illustrate two distinct areas of interest: A) areas that do not currently flood but are expected to potentially do so in the future and B) areas that do not currently flood and are unlikely to do so in the timeline of this research.

In the next map, I added the Hurricane zones where A is the most servere.  The 2080 senario is in cross hatch.  You can see for the St. George area, the projected flood zones for 2080 follows the Hurricane Zone pattern, but not exactly.

Elevations in Feet Near the Rockaway Park Station and Yard in Queens

The area shown by the map was hard hit by Sandy.    Map produced using ARCGIS.

A GRASS 6.4.1. Output Aspect (Terraine Analysis) map of the Hammel's Wye Area below:

Miracle on 35th Street

About 33 days after streetcar service came to an end on October 31, 1956, on December 3, 1956, this tragedy occured at a pier at 35th Street, Brooklyn, four blocks from the trolley turnround shown on this blog's headpiece.  Many people were killed and injured and windows were shattered many miles away from the blast site near the former trolley loop.

http://marine1fdny.com/miracle_35th_new.php

The above photo comes from Dave's Rail Pix and shows a Church Avenue Car on 13th Avenue
 bound for the waterfront, just about to turn unto 39th Street, to the side of the retail market shown below.
Windows at 13th Avenue and 39th Street at the wall paper store shown on the right broke from the shock wave of the explosion, many miles away from the Luckenbach pier at 35th Street.  In the background, you can see the staircase to the 13th Avenue Station of the Culver Line and you can see the horizontal wooden trough for the overhead of the South Brooklyn Railway beneath the el.  Windows also broke on 39th Street at a laundry right off 13th Avenue and other places all over the city.

At the time of the blast, doors similar to these at the 39th Street side were blown open by the force of the  explosion.  I was inside the market  at the 39th Street side at the time of the explosion.  Within minutes, the sky darked from the west eventhough the sun was setting.

Norton's Pt and Sea Gate Line Trackmaps

Source: B. Linder, "Sea Gate Line" and "Norton's Point Line" in New York Division Bulletin, Vol. 21, No. 2, February, 1978, pp. 2-5.

Note:  This lines have a complicated history.  Service was not always electric operated during the span of years of operation.  For example, the Norton's Pt Shuttle was bustituted in 1935 but cars came back during the war between June 7, 1943 and October 1943.  The Norton's Point Shuttle ran from West 37th Street to Norton's Point at the end of the land mass.

Nortons Point Line in Coney Island

This great picture, whas just posted a few hours ago in subchat by Avid Reader and he asks information regarding this ramp.  According to Edward S. Watson in his history of various lines in Coney Island (Source: New York Division Bulletin, Vol. 21, No. 2, February, 1978, p.3.), the Norton's Point Line started as a Steam line from June 9, 1879, and was routed from the Culver Terminal at West 7th Street and Surf Avenue and via a Private-Right-of-Way west to the Norton's Point Dock.  This line later became part of the Culver Steam Line.    In 1899, the line was electrified and was called Coney Island-Norton's Point and the line was operated by surface trolley cars from July 3, 1910.  Before this and since electrification, elevated cars were used.  The line was doubled tracked from West 8th Street to West 37th Street in 1912.  In May 25, 1918, the line was cut back to the Culver Terminal to Stillwell Avenue using the incline shown in the photo that bridged over Stillwell Avenue and connected with the then new Elevated/Subway terminal.  From May 25 1918 to October 19, 1919, single elevated cars were used on the line.  The tracks at Stillwell Avenue connected with the Culver Line Tracks directly as the Culver Line makes a 90 degree turn going into West 8th Street Station.  In 1929, the line was connected to the Sea Gate Line at West 37th Street.  The line was terminated on November 7, 1948 and its' history is connected with other lines, such as the Norton's Point Shuttle and the Sea Gate Line.   According to my track diagram, the structure begins at West 16th Street and crosses Stillwell Avenue with a two platform wooden station.   I remember reading that later the line was physically isolated from other streetcar lines and order to service the cars, east of the Stillwell Avenue Station,  an employee had to hold a jumper cable connected to the trolley line with an insulated stick and make contact with the then uncovered third rail on the elevated structure.  This difficult task had to be done until the trolley reached the Coney Island shops for service.

I hope to post the track diagrams tommorrow.

Tramway Null(0)

Thank you Avid Reader for posting these great pictures.  The diamond crossover may be directly over Stillwell Avenue.  A passageway lead to the subway station.