South Brooklyn RR Map with Street Crossings - by H. Raudenbush 2/61

Source:  Groh, Karl F. and Seyfried, Vincent F. "The South Brooklyn Railway", in Headlights, Arthur J. Lonto, Editor, Vol. 55, Number 5-6, May-June 1993, Trackage by H. Raudenbush, February, 1961, p. 8.

I posted some South Brooklyn Railroad maps before but this map is more complete in showing the various sidings and connections to other railroads and rapid transit.  Notice the siding on 37th Street between Fort Hamilton Parkway and Ditmas Avenue.  Previous trolley trackage and loops such as the Kensington Junction Loop and the loop at First Avenue and 39th Street is also shown. This is a good detailed map and a notice shot of Locumotive #1 is included.

Lower Manhattan Trackage Map from New York Division Bulletin, January, 1987

This trackage map was drawn by B. Linder showing streetcar trackage below 23 Street and does not shown the tracks of the Third Avenue Railway System.  Although is is not clear on the map, not all trackage was electrified.  In the downtown and lower east side areas, some trackage was never upgraded to electric conduit track from the time of horsecars because some of the routes did not have enough passengers to warrent the upgrade.  Some line management experimented with battery and compressed air cars.  I believe that some of the battery operated cars lasted until the early 1930's but I am not sure.

Tramway Null(0)

42nd Street Streetcar Track Map by B Linder

Manhattan Streetcars were very different from the system running in Brooklyn and elsewhere.  For start, most Manhattan streetcars got their power from an underground conduit in the middle of the two running rails.  Most Manhattan streetcars did not have trolley poles, although some that ran into the Bronx did.  Only short stretches of track in upper Manhattan had small segments of overhead trolley.  The track map for 42nd Street has its source listed on the map: New York Division, ERA, September 2002, Vol.45, No. 9, Page 4.  Map drawn by J. Erlitz from original data by B. Linder
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