Culver Line Track Plans (1931-1954) with 38th Street Yard

Source: Linder, B. & Erlitz, J.  "Culver Line 1931-1954" In The Bulletin, New York Division, Electric Railroader's Association,  Vol. 43, No. 9, September, 2000, p.3.
Source: Linder, B. & Erlitz, J. " 38th Street Yard Tack Plans 1939-1943 ", In The Bulletin, New York Division, Electric Railroader's Association,  Vol. 43, No. 11, November, 2000, p.2.

  Some time ago, the question was asked regarding which of two sets of ramps Culver-5th Avenue El service used to exit the 38th Street cut in order to reach the higher levels of the yard.  The track diagrams, as provided below, shows that the most easterly ramps were used to access the el and yards.  These ramps are used today to access the yard that was greatly modified over the years. Other interesting features is a trolley wire equiped yard to the west of the yard and other interesting details.  On one map, notice the interlocking between Ft. Hamilton Parkway and 13th Avenue Stations.  When I was small in the 1950's, the shadows of this interlocking that were removed in 1938 or 1939 was still visible.

Questions Regarding the correct 5th Avenue El Ramp Continues

Source:  Unavailable.  Obtained from "Subchat" today.

  This photo was taken during the time the 38th Street cut was under construction around 1916.  If you look at the right of the picture, at the skyline, you can see the trolley support poles for the old PRW of the West End and 5th Avenue - Culver elevated trains.  These two ramps, as titled in the photograph are not the set further east that are in use today.  According to the picture, the ramp on the left side have tracks on it.  According to my earlier post aerial from 1924, these set of ramps do not lead to the elevated complex at 36th Street and Fifth Avenue.  As a small child, in 1957, while riding on either the West End or Culver subway trains in the area, as I recall, these ramps did not have ties on it nor were there shadows of buried ties.  In 1957, which was only 17 years after the 5th Avenue El was abandoned, it is unlikely that the old trackage would have been removed, even though it was not in use.  I remember that these two ramps at this location never had handrail protective fences for workers like the two set of ramps to the yard further to the east.  Do you think that for a period of time from 1916 to before 1924, these two westerly ramps had tracks on them in temporary service?  Were these tracks temporary used in the construction of the ramps?  The main line tracks seem to have third rails already installed but they appear to be missing from the ramp on the left.
Tramway Null(0)

Long Gone Brooklyn Elevated Lines by Roger Arcara

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPWVQzN7AF8

   The attached youtube video was narrated by the late transit historian, Roger Arcara.  It is a great narrative for those of us born after 1950, because we get to see so many elevated lines that have been gone for over sixty years or more.  You will get to see the els that died or were truncated in the 1940's, namely the Fifth Avenue - Culver El, the 5th Avenue - 3rd Avenue Bay Ridge Branch, the Fulton Street El, the western end of the Myrtle Avenue El.  The Lexington Avenue El that died in 1950 is also shown and parts of the City Line Branch as well.  The fabulous structure just south of the Brooklyn Bridge is also shown, near Sand Street where you will see various Brooklyn trolleys entering the elevated structure.  Notice the lattice trolley wire support frames, they are most interesting.  You will get to see a Fifth Avenue - Culver Elevated train pass through the 38th Street Yard, and you will see for a nanosecond that the trackless westerly ramps were not used, instead the present day yard leads were utilized.  A young person walking near the Brooklyn Bridge today near Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn will never have imagined that such complicated rapid transit structures were in place, both for rapid transit and trolley.  With the opening and the extention of the IND subway in Brooklyn in the 1930's through the 1950's, the number of passengers gradually fell on both trans East River elevated and trolley cars as a one seat, one fare ride was provided for passengers coming in from eastern Brooklyn and Queens to Manhattan.  For this reason, and others, all these great structures and trains and trolleys were discarded.  Today in Brooklyn, there are very little artifacts of our great elevated and trolley heritage except for some vastly spaced  trolley line poles and some trolley track shadows under the asphalt on some streets.  Thank you for making this video available for us to enjoy!  Tramway Null(0)