McDonald Avenue PCC and South Bklyn RR Diesel # 8 at Avenue "I'

Picture Source:  Undated.  Frank Pfuhler Collection from Dave's Rail Pix: http://www.davesrailpix.com/nyc/htm/bqt806.htm

In this undated photo, a McDonald Avenue PCC car is headed north while South Brooklyn RR Locomotive # 8 switches tracks.  An observation of the area makes me believe that this is under the Avenue "I" station of the IND Culver Line prior to abandonment around 1956.  Presently, "Shop Rite" is on the left.  From my previous track diagram, there is no other crossover between tracks on McDonald Avenue except at Avenue "I".  Though not shown in the picture, a couple hundred feet north in the picture is a overpass over the LIRR Bay Ridge Division which at that time had two tracks and had high voltage type of overhead.  Surprisingly, tracks remained intact on McDonald Avenue many decades after 1956.  In the early 1980's, the overpass over the LIRR tracks was reconstructed but without trolley tracks.  Around the 1990's,  the trolley tracks were covered with asphalt and within the last 10 years, the trolley tracks were completely pulled out of the pavement from Cortelyou Road to around the Avenue X shops by the New York City's Department of Transportation probably because of complaints from motorist that the tracks were slippery in wet weather.  In my humble opinion, McDonald Avenue would have been good candidate for a historic streetcar line because the tracks were there, the electric power source was a few feet above on the el, and the trolley wires did not need poles for support.  Could you have imagined the action movie shots of chases on McDonald Avenue dodging trolley cars under the el?  The fees that New York City could have received  from these movie shotscould have paid many of the expenses connected with this hypothetical trolley line.  Today, there are no tracks on McDonald Avenue, the LIRR Bay Ridge Division at this point has one track that is diesel operated, and the interchange track between SBRR and the LIRR at Avenue I (south of this shot) in back of  "Shop Rite" is gone.

South Brooklyn Diesel No. 8 Headed West on 37th Street 1956

This copyrighted photograph  (2008) was shot by Brian J. Cudahy in 1956 and shows Whitcomb Locomotive Number 8 leaving the right of way west of Fort Hamilton Parkway under the Culver Line and entering the 37th Street Yard as the Culver Line swings to the west.  In the background, you can see the incline of the Culver Line as it descends from elevated line level to surface and then to the three track underground Ninth Avenue Subway Station.  As you look carefully at the photograph, you can see trolley wire and two frogs near the cement decline and this thus shows that at least up to 1956, part of the 37th Street Yard was under trolley wire.  A few years later, even before 1961, this yard trackage was equipped with third rail.  Behind the locomotive and the box car is a short siding that enters a factory.  This curved siding is very short and is shown on the SBRR track diagram north of Fort Hamilton Parkway.  To use this short siding, the railroad equipment must have had very tight clearances under the descending el structure.

B.M.T. Culver Line Before its' cutback at Ditmas Avenue

Photo Source: Collection of George Conrad,  http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/

This photo, taken on 9/12/54 which  was several weeks before the line was cutback at Ditmas Avenue, two stations down the line.  The view is from the southbound track facing the 13th Avenue Station to the east.  The train is on the Manhattan bound track and consists of B.M.T. Standard Cars.  These standard cars were made of steel and where quite comfortable.  What is interesting in this photo is that the third rails were at time and never on this portion, ever covered with wooden protection boards.  On the right side of the photo, you can see at least three coal silos.  The large factory that appears above the train
is the Flatbush Terminal Building which occupies most of the block on 14th Avenue between 37th Street and 38th Streets.  This large factory had its' own freight siding equipped with trolley wire and poles.  Underneath the el structure was two South Brooklyn Rail Road tracks in a private right of way.  This trackage was equipped with trolley wire and there were many sidings also equipped with trolley wire under the structure for freight delivery, specially coal. In the later years, only one el track remained in service (the one on the right) and one track shuttle service was provided between Ditmas and the Ninth Avenue stations.

13th Avenue Station on the Culver Line - Prior to October, 1954

Photo Source:  George Conrad Collection    http://www.nycsubway.org/perl

In this undated photo, a Brooklyn Union Elevated Car is shown at the 13th Avenue station on the BMT Culver Line prior to this section becoming the Culver Shuttle in October, 1954.  Due to a car shortage, surplus BMT Elevated Line equipment was called into action as shuttles between the Ninth Avenue Station and Coney Island during the rush hours.  Regularly, BMT Standard steel equipment was used on the line.  This photograph is interesting because it shows the wooden platform floors and wooden wind screens with windows.  The shot is facing west, towards the Fort Hamilton Parkway station and is taken from the Manhattan bound platform.  The el train is on the Coney Island bound track.  The Church Avenue trolley shot shown previously at 37th Street is right below the station where the woman on the Manhattan bound platforming is standing.  Notice the concrete coal silos, near the Coney Island bound platform and another one on 37th Street west of the station.  These coal companies had their own track sidings equipped with trolley wire under the structure and were served by the South Brookly Railroad Company.