Culver Line with BMT Standard Cars ( UFO Included)

Source: David Pirmann Collection from http://www.NYCSUBWAY.org

The top photo comes from the NYCSUBWAY.ORG website while the second photo comes from off the web and shows the former Boston trolleys parked in back of the Fairway market in Red Hook.

The top photo is interesting because it shows the elevated structure south of Avenue X adjacent to the Coney Island Yard and Shops.  Taken probably in 1954, the top photo shows the Culver Line with BMT Standard Cars before it was converted to IND Independent Line Service with "D" trains to 205th Street in the Bronx.  Notice that the elevated structure is of the lattice type, which is not typical of the more modern elevated structures in Brooklyn and the other boroughs.  In fact, on the same line, from the Avenue X station north to the portal north of Ditmas Avenue, the structure in more of solid girder type.  I believe that the section on the Culver Line openned between 1919 and 1920 and is in the period when solid girders were used for elevated construction.  What gives?  To save money, the BRT Corporation? used older elevated parts from the Fulton Street Elevated that was going under modification at the same time.  This lattice type construction is found south of Avenue X to near the West 8th Street station.

Notice that next to the elevated structure on Shell Road was a yard equipped with trolley wire.  Notice the trolley line support poles and it's associated UFO (lamp).   Some of these poles were given by the Transit Authority to Bob Diamond for use at his Red Hook trolley line in back of the Fairway market.  If you look closely at one of the trolley poles in the second picture, you can see that some loops and a side bracket is still attached, just like they were originally found in the Coney Island Yard so many years earlier.

Tanks Alot! The Gas Tanks of Kings County (Brooklyn)

The map above used a typology shapefile that I obtained from a website connected with Rutgers University in New Jersey.  Although it is dated and appears to be at least 20 years old, it provides very interesting information regarding railroads, subway tracks and yards and many other features, including gas tanks!

The above two photos where taken off the web while the photos below come from the http://www.nycsubway.org website.  Many of these yard photos were shot by Steve Zebel and are in the Joe Testagrose collection.  Most appear from 1979.

Brooklyn like many other cities had gas tanks or gas holders all over the place. Some where movable in which the tank rose in height as more gas was stored.  The tank floated in a pool of water at its' base..  The Coney Island tank shown in the picture was of the rigid type.  I remember tanks located at Smith Street where the IND subway train declines into the subway to Carroll Street.  A movable tank was just accoss the street from Kings County Hospital, at Clarkson Avenue.    I was surprised as a child that such a tank would be accross the street from a large hospital.  What happened if the tank exploded?  Other tanks where near the Sea Beach Line in Bay Ridge but I am not sure where.  The Coney Island Tank is shown in these pictures.  The bridge that carrries

present day Sea Beach and West End Line trains was almost at the base of the tank.  Other tanks were in East New York and in Greenpoint.  The last two twin tanks were in Greenpoint and were dismantled by explosives I believe in August, 2001, right before 9-11.  Manhattan had it's share of tanks and one large one was in Bridgeport Connecticut, visable from Metro North.  A smaller set of tanks were also found at the south east corner of the Coney Island yard, at the Coney Island Creek and the Belt Parkway near Shell Road where the baseball field is today, next to the Culver Line El that goes over the Belt Parkway.

This shot was taken from a West End Train.

 A group of BMT Standard cars and Triplex Type D's near the West End Lead In?

A train of IND R1-9 cars in the Coney Island Yard.

 A group of vandalized R-32 and  R-36 cars.

A Steve Zobel Photo taken in 1979 showing a group of restored EL cars and a Boston PCC Trolley that resided for some time in the yard before being sent elsewhere.

Another shot of the yard.  I cannot make out if the train consists of R-38 cars?  I believe in regular Sea Beach (N) service.  Our "friend" is in the background beyond the Belt Parkway.

In the 1951 aerial below, what appears to be a rigid style gas tank (white circle) that is casting a giant shadow is located at 64th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues in Brooklyn.

                                            The gas tank is here.   The right of way for the Bay Ridge LIRR Division and the BMT Sea Beach Line is about one and half blocks away.  The street to the right that goes off on the diagonal is Fort Hamilton Parkway.

As of Tuesday October 30, 2012 7:45 AM ....

As of now, all bus and subway service in New York City has been suspended including the commuter railroads.  It is said that seven subway tunnels that run under the East River are flooded or damaged.  It is not known when service will be restored.  The streets of Brooklyn are deserted.  Please see photos taken by docjayca at Brighton Beach yesterday.

It looks like a rough week ahead for New York City transit riders.

Tramway Null(0)

The picture above is from the web. Not from docjayva.  The Coney Island yard is empty because the cars are stored elsewhere on account of low elevation near the Coney Island Creek.