Let Us Give a Tanks

These two personal pictures come from the personal collection of ..... which are part of the Brooklyn Historical Society collection.  I am posting them here not because I like stealing but because these photographs are very rare.  I posted earlier that there were gas tanks near the Sea Beach Line in Bensonhurst near 8th Avenue.  Here is a 1950's picture of the Sea Beach "8th Avenue Station" showing the edge of a large gas tank.  The gas tank is of the stationary type and I do not know if it was as tall as it's brother in Coney Island.  Notice the Type D Triplexes at the station.

The photo below comes from the collection of John D. Morrell and the photograph was taken on 5/30/1958.  I do not know when the gas tank on the extreme right was taken down.  The gas tanks were are over Brooklyn, including some "baby" tanks in Sunset Park.  They are all gone now due to advances in storage technologies for natural gas.

  This photo also comes from the Brooklyn Historical Society and was taken in December 1958.  You are facing the Manhattan bound platform  at Smith-9th Street of the then "D" train that ran between Coney Island and 205th Street in the Bronx.  Notice the gas tanks above the station roof.  At that time, the platform had windows of frosted glass.  They became shabby after the years and the Transit Authority blocked them up.  In a recent renovation, the windows were restored without glass and they are very nice and offer beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline and downtown Brooklyn.  Unfortunately, in my opinion, the restored arch over Fourth Avenue and 9th Street was also restored but with frosted glass and we thus are missing a nice vista.

A View of the Culver Viaduct from Below

Many of my posts deal with the area around the Smith-9th Street station in Red Hook.  This viaduct, that includes the Smith-9th Street station was built in the late 1920's and early 1930's for the city run Independent  (IND) subway extension to Church Avenue.  Unlike earlier elevated lines, this structure is very high and the steel is covered with a layer of concrete.  This viaduct has just recently undergone a multi dollar renewal.  This is not the only concrete viaduct for subway service.

  In this shot below, which is taken from the New York Transit Museum archive, shows Smith Street facing north.  The Smith-Street station is towards the photographer's back and you see the curve of the structure as it swings to the west and starts to decline into the tunnel.  The structure is not over Smith Street but to the west side of the street.  Smith Street had trolley service as well.  The photo was taken on November 29, 1950 by Leon and it is part of the Lundin Collection.  You are looking at Smith Street between West 9th Street and Huntington Streets.

  If you look to the right (east side of Smith Street), you can see not one, but I believe two gas tanks (holders) that are adjustable?   It is said that gas tank site has many toxins buried underneath.

Smith - 9th Street Station will open today

In the undated picture below, a GG train with head car of type R-4 is getting ready to relay to the northbound track at the Fourth Avenue station, which is one station away from the Smith-9th Street station. Notice that the Fourth Avenue station had window panels with non transparent glass.  I remember the days before the viaduct on 9th Street was called the Culver Viaduct.  Until 1954, the traditional Culver Line never reached this spot.    The picture is from the Joe Testagrose collection from the http://www.nycsubway.org website.  Before 1979? the G train was called the GG train.  The GG train below looks like it is just about to stop in the southbound express track before it relays for its return trip to Queens.  Notice the crossover track just in front of the train.  The former interlocking plant is just behind the front car on the other side, see the stairway leading to it.

When is an "EL" not an "EL"?

These two photographs taken this morning from a Manhattan bound F train on the "Culver Viaduct".  The top photo shows lower Manhattan as the train is about to enter the Smith-9th Street station which is the highest in the NYC subway system.  The second photo, take a few moments later as the train is going down the incline to the Carroll Street station which is underground.  The "Culver Viaduct" is a concrete covered steel structure which is going under rehabilitation.  The foreground of the second photograph, where you can see green grass, was the former site of large natural gas gas tanks.  Beyond the grass is the Gowanus Canal and the high Smith-9th Street station that goes over the canal.  I believe the former gas tank site is a very toxic site and nothing can be built over it.  The viaduct was constructed in the late 1920's and opened in the early 1930's for the new Independent Subway Prospect Park Line.  The traditional BMT Culver Line, that reached Manhattan by way of the 5th Avenue El and the Brooklyn Bridge or the BMT subway on 4th Avenue and through the Montague Street tunnel, never used this trackage.  When the IND Prospect Park Line was extended to Coney Island via the BMT Culver Line south of Church Avenue in 1954, the line became know as "Concourse - Culver ", but on the old R1-9 equipment, this name was never applied and the train was simply known as the "D" train,  or "Houston Street - 6th Avenue Express" . Only many years later, after 1967, did the rerouted "F" train became know as the "Culver Line".