Sound View Avenue Trolley in the Bronx: Track Plans 1931-41

Source:  Linder, B. "Sound View Avenue Line ( originally Clason Point Line )" In The Bulletin, New York Division, Electric Railroaders' Association, Vol. 42, No. 9, September, 1999, pp. 2-4.

  According to B. Linder, this line started on May 29, 1909 as a line to an amusement park at Clason Point in the Bronx.  Terminals changed during the years and during the season.  Summer service was extended to East 128th Street and Third Avenue,  The line ended in 1947.  It had an official number of 22 which was not displayed.  The line sported a large "V" with "Sound View Avenue" under the "V" on a metal plate in front of the car.  Simpson street was the terminal from 1923 to 1947.

University Avenue Trolley, the Bronx, 1934-1947 Track Diagram

Source:   Linder, Bernard in "University Avenue Line", The Bulletin, New York Division, Electric Railroaders' Association, Vol. 40, No. 5, May, 1997, pp 2-4.

According to Mr. Linder, the University Avenue Line in the Bronx ran from May 31, 1906 to October 26, 1947.  The official number of the line was # 7 but thus never appeared on the cars.  When the 1200 series cars were placed in service, the cars carried a large metal plate on the dashboard with the letter "U" and "University Avenue" written underneath.  The line was originally a New York City Interborough Railway Company.

Calcutta & Howrah Street Car Lines

Source:  Maurice J. O'Connor & Marvin Landsman (Undated Map) In "Calcutta, India", Headlights, Vo. 57, No. 3-4, March-April 1995, p 9.

  I have not come across too much transit information from India but I came across this undated map from "Headlights".  Also on the same page, is some information of the Calcutta Metro as of 1995 with a map and a list of stations.  I hope you find this information useful.

Calcutta Trams got their power by traditional trolley pole.

Nice Tunnel Entrance on Mars: But Where are the Tracks and Wires?

  Recently, a reader used " www.ufo a concave tunnel entrance on mars.com  " to bring up my blog and I was interested because my blog covers abandoned tunnels and entrances related to rapid transit.  So I was amazed when I brought up a "tunnel "entrance on Mars.  I cannot tell you if this was caused by natural conditions such as wind and ancient rivers that used to flow on mars or if was "man" made, this time by a UFO person(s).  At any rate, when I was a child, I used to go to the astronomy section of my library and I used to look for hours at maps of mars and the supposed canals that existed.  It later came out at the beginning of the 20th Century that the older pictures of mars were distorted by optical illusions.

Below is the tunnel entrance on Mars.  Where are tracks and wires?  If there is a station in the tunnel, would the first stop be Canal Street?

 

  The Martian canals were supposed to direct the flow of polar water to the more dryer parts of the planet, near the equator during the summer..

Ignore

Edit Word

Trolley Video in Brooklyn, Private Right of Ways

Hi Folks:

 

   I just found these additional two videos dealing with Brooklyn Trolleys that I did not see before.  The first one deals with what I believe is he right of way of West End trolley line near Bay 19 th Street.  There are shots also of the Norton's Point Line showing a short elevated incline going into the Stillwell Avenue Station.  There is a shot also of the one track private right of way at the extreme western end of Coney Island on the Norton's Point Shuttle.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un3o9SkUInY&feature=player_detailpage

 

The second short is hard to identify.  I believe it is a McDonald Avenue streetcar running north on the private right of way about to enter the back of the laundry building south of Neptune Avenue.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O05hWCO3tNo&feature=player_detailpage#t=2

Wellington Trolleybuses in Rain and Shine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y78xhBDUQaA&feature=player_detailpage


Posted by:

New Zealand Trolley buses

Posted by TransitChuckG on Mon Jan 6 09:16:12 2014 Trolleybuses

In subchat.

This map was posted in an earlier post.  From North American Trackless Trolley Association.  (Trolley Coach News # 48, 1980).

Hi Folks:

   I came across this great video posted in subchat dealing with the trolleybus system in Wellington, New Zealand.  Unlike the video dealing with Riga, Latvia tramways, this video is very interesting because:

1.  There is no music and you can concentrate on the sound of the trolleybus as it travels through scenic Wellington.
2. You can get to hear the trolley poles going trough switches and regular supports  You can here the faint metallic vibration, a sound that we did not hear here in New York since July, 1960, of the trolleybus contacts passing through wire and various switches and clamps.
3. This video covers the overhead and special work.  Special attention is given to the unique two direction single lane tunnel.
4. This special single lane tunnel is covered by the video from the front of the trolleybus and even above the entrance of the tunnel concentrating on the special switch work.
5. Off wire battery operation is also shown at terminals and there are shots of work equipment.
6. Views of scenic Wellington is shown including the central city, hilltop passes and terminals.
7. Road markings dealing with the operation of the trolleybus is shown.
8. I enclosed below a 1980 map of the overhead from the North American Trackless Trolley Association which no longer exists.  I am not sure if this old map is helpful, but I enclosed it anyway.

Enjoy the video:  Tramway Null(0)

Question About Interlocking at the Brooklyn Bridge

  A few weeks ago, a reader raised a question regarding the interlocking on the Fulton Street El near the Brooklyn Bridge where the tracks divide into the Kings County Station and the Fulton Ferry Station.  According to the map, the interlocking was removed from service on January 22, 1934.  Please see below part of a article titled " Two Brooklyn Elevated Lines Opened 120 Years Ago   ".    This is an article by Bernard Linder in the Vol. 51, No. 4 (April, 2008) edition of  "The Bulletin" of the New York Division, Electric Railroaders' Association.   As shown by the article, the Fulton Ferry Station was used only until May 31, 1940.  Does this mean that service was still provided even though the interlocking was removed years before?  Page 3 also has interesting information about the "C" type of wooden elevated car that was used on some of the elevated lines in Brooklyn.  Notice that the "C" types had originally two sets of doors only in the middle of the car but the fleet was altered with doors placed more towards the ends.  It is funny, that the doors on the "C" types appear similar to the sliding doors on the "D" Type articulated units of the BMT subway.  Wooden elevated cars provided some service on the Culver Line south of Ninth Avenue right up to 1954 when the southern portion was converted to Independent Subway Service.  Notice a train of "C" types in Culver Express service on the middle track at the Avenue P station.  Notice the wood and glass wind screens adjacent to the platform.

It Sometimes Snows in the Subway as Well

https://twitter.com/heyfeifer/status/418958241779814400/photo/1

  Folks, we just got over a snowstorm here in New York City.  It was not the snowstorm with the most snow, but the temperatures are quite chilly.  In subchat, Gold-12th posted this great picture.  The link is above.  I am bringing it up because the Borough Hall station on the IRT 4 and 5 routes is quite elderly.  It was probably in service in 1908 and it is close to the surface.  I believe the air vents are built as long strips along the sidewalk near the curb.  Probably in the station, the vents are right against the wall along the platform.  Believe it or not, this is not a rare occurrence and I saw subway snow drifts at the Bergen Street F train station on the upper level as well many times in the past.  There are probably many more sites were this occurs as well.  It depends on the amount of snow, temperature and wind speed and the position of the air vents and its' structure.

The Borough Hall Station on the Lexington Avenue Line is a two track station.  I posted plans showing that the station was supposed to be a three tracker.

The building across the street is the Brooklyn Municipal Building.  The subway entrance is to the extreme right.  To the back of the photographer is Brooklyn Borough Hall.  I do not see any air vents in this shot.  I believe the air vents  are across the street.  The street at the extreme right and perpendicular is Court Street which had a rich electric transit history.  Picture taken off the web and shows springtime blossoms.  This is near the Supreme Court.

The Boro Hall station with original equipment in 1908.

To me this looks like the Fulton  Street Elevated passing in front of Borough Hall.  The picture I believe is facing Court Street.  Service on the Fulton Street Elevated in Downtown Brooklyn ended in 1940.