Showing posts with label streetcars. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Interesting Article

https://placesjournal.org/article/roads-to-rails/?gclid=CjwKCAjwwo7cBRBwEiwAMEoXPHvesNGvNLJSCBcZavTyg_WRJ3CJJbFrItlJ1nHitEAHClNTYes-CRoCZWwQAvD_BwE

Monday, December 4, 2017

New York's 4th Regional Plan Suggests some Streetcar Routes for NYC but does not give details.

This map comes from the NY Regional Plan (4th) where the blue lines are proposed light rail\streetcar routes (other than the BQX). I could not find out more information about the proposals. The blue line from Bay Ridge to Marine Parkway Bridge; is that line going down 65th Street? What about the other lines; is that a concourse line in the Bronx?

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

80? Years Ago in the Red Hook Community Room

As many of you know, community hearings are starting to take place in waterfront communities regarding the new proposed BQX Light Rail Line. On of the hearings\workshops was held, I believe in the Red Hook Housing complex as well. I posted the above picture from the net, which I believe is the picture of the hearing there.

I believe the Red Hook Projects opened in the 1930's and was one of the first public housing projects in Brooklyn. A relative of mine was one of the first tenants in that complex occasionally went to hearings and community meetings and classes, perhaps in that very room.

In the 1930's, perhaps in 1936, 80 years ago, guess who was a guest speaker? Yes, Mayor LaGuardia, the little flower, who was against streetcars. What did he speak about? Here are some of his words as he pounded his fist into the table:

Get Rid of The Streetcars, Get rid of them now! Get Rid of the Slot Machines!

I asked my relative, what did the audience think of this? They looked at him like he was a crazy man!

In the 1930's in Brooklyn, Brooklyn streetcars were run by the private BMT organization. The BMT was very pro transit and streetcars. By the middle thirties, only some minor streetcar lines were bustituted. The system remained mainly intact then, with huge cars on the Flatbush Avenue, Utica Avenue, Nostrand Avenue, Fifth Avenue lines and so many other lines, fully functioning and doing heavy duty work. The gasoline buses, were smelly and shook themselves apart after a few years and had few seats at that time compared to streetcars. In the early 1920.'s, parts of southern Brooklyn was being developed and certain streets, such as Avenue U, 13th Avenue, Foster Avenue and so on were ready for surface transit. The BMT or BRT at that time wanted to build streetcars lines for these new routes, but the City of NY refused.

It is ironic that in the same room, about 80 years ago, speeches were given to destroy the streetcars and now there a talks to bring them back, hopefully.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Hey Abbott; Get Rid of Streetcars Now!

An icon mayor of the City of New York during the Depression was Fiorello H. LaGuardia (1882 -1947) who was mayor for three terms from 1934-1945. A lawyer and a speaker of many languages, Fiorello, or as he was known as the "Little Flower", was an advocate for clean government, immigrant and worker's rights. However, he had a dislike for elevated lines and street railways. He used to go to public housing that he helped establish and speak in community rooms yelling and banging on the table: " Get rid of the slot machines now!" and " Get rid of the streetcars now! ". While everyone agreed that the slot machines had to go because these machines created all sorts of social problems such as gambling, why did the streetcars have to go? In the 30's, motor buses were not completely developed yet. They were smelly, had lower capacity than streetcars, and literally "shook themselves to death ". Streetcars in Brooklyn and elsewhere were large, lasted forever and really handled the crowds. I read someplace that LaGuardia in his youth was a lover of horse drawn fire engines and he witnessed a streetcar crashing into a fire engine. So it must have been the streetcars fault!. By the end of his final term in 1945, only a few lines streetcar lines remained in Manhattan. Most of the traditional els were gone and the streetcar decline in Brooklyn started.

On June 1, 1940, the City of New York took over the privately run BMT and IRT subway lines and the BMT streetcars in Brooklyn. On that same day, many elevated lines were abandoned. In the picture below, you see LaGuardia operating what appears to be a IND train with R1-9 cars on that important date. It is ironic that the train that he was operating was a city owned Independent Subway train that was always city operated. Does not the mayor look like Lou Costello?

Below is a picture of LaGuardia with Abbott and Costello, also a much beloved comedy team who made many films together. This picture is from a short that they filmed together.

Mayor LaGuardia at his desk (below) and Abbott and Costello together.

NOTE, Subject matter was brought up today for the first time in "Subchat". The June 1st anniversary of "Unification" was not too long ago and thus it is a good subject.

LaGuardia was at the dedication of PCC streetcar operation in Brooklyn in 1936?

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Sixth Avenue Streetcar (Manhattan) 1919-1933 Track Map

Source: Linder, B. "Sixth Avenue 1919-1933", In New York Division Bulletin, Electric Railroaders' Association, Vol. 30, Number 11, November, 1987. pp.4-5.

An explanation regarding this interesting map will be given in the future. Approx. Dates: Horsecar 1852, Conversion to Electricity, in stages, 1898. Replaced by buses, March 12, 1936.

Sixth Avenue in Manhattan is an interesting street regarding urban transit. It was one of the few streets in the city, such as Fulton Street in Brooklyn and parts of Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn that had the three types of electric urban transportation, namely electric streetcar service, elevated and then later subway service. The streetcar service on Sixth Avenue was conduit driven, like most Manhattan streetcars. The Sixth Avenue Subway was built as the Independent Subway while el service was still in operation. I believe Sixth Avenue El service stopped in the late 30's while the Sixth Avenue Subway openned in the early 1940's. Notice on the map below that Sixth Avenue trolley service ends at 3rd Street and curves to the left to West Broadway. Sixth Avenue or "Avenue of the Americas" was extended south by getting rid of old buildings and making a new street as the IND subway was being built. I think the Sixth Avenue El took the same path as the Sixth Avenue streetcar. Currently, Avenue of the Americas ends to the south near White Street. Also note, that the path of the Sixth Avenue streetcar downtown on Fulton Street between West Broadway and Church Street is right at the former "World Trade Center" and the area is now being redeveloped with new skyscrappers. Sixth Avenue was so much different than Fifth Avenue, it's neighbor one block to the east. The Sixth Avenue El had entrances to 19th Century Department Stores at selected stations while Fifth Avenue was so anti rapid transit, no streetcar line ever ran on the street. In fact, when it came to build IND or BMT subway entrances on Fifth Avenue, it was decided to place the entrances and laterns out of sight of the Fifth Avenue building line because they did not want to mar the beauty of Fifth Avenue with having the indignity of having a subway entrance in view! But the Fifth Avenue retail establishments enjoyed the customers arriving by subway for sales that were generated.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Train Buff's Dream: Streetcars for Brooklyn

Train buff’s dreams streetcar desire will become reality

By Natalie Musumeci

The Brooklyn Paper


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A transit buff’s quixotic two-decade-long quest to connect transit-strapped Red Hook to Downtown by trolley is really going to happen this time, the railway-loving legend claimed this week.
Bob Diamond, the frustrated streetcar advocate, who has failed to bring trolleys to the transit desert more time then we would like to remember, said his longtime dream of a Brooklyn bustling with trolleys will finally come true because this time he’s partnered with concrete titan John Quadrozzi Jr. of Gowanus Bay Terminal, and the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corp.
“I realized now that no man is an island unto himself and that there has to be a number of organizations to make this happen,” said Diamond, president of the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association. “Instead of Bob Diamond trying to do it alone, now I’m building a grassroots consortium of other organizations whose neighborhoods would benefit from the implementation of the streetcar project.”
The Gowanus Canal Community Development Corp., will now take on the role of political and public outreach for Diamond, while Quadrozzi has helped the redesign and enlarge his track route linking Downtown and the peninsula.

Diamond estimates that the implementation of the two-track streetcar project along with the excavation of the old rail tunnel under Atlantic Avenue he famously discovered in the 1980s would cost $50 million, and he will be seeking that money through federal grants.
And Quadrozzi can’t wait to get it done.
“It’s absolutely necessary and desirable,” said Quadrozzi, who has followed Diamond’s efforts during the past decade.
The concrete titan said the plan makes a lot of sense considering Brooklyn’s history with trolley’s around the turn of the 20th century, and with the limited access to Red Hook.
“This would be the best way to do it,” he said.
Ray Howell, a member of the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corp., said it jumped on board after considering the economic benefit Brooklyn’s only trolley would bring to the Hook.
“Mostly everybody believes that Red Hook needs transportation improvements in order to develop in a healthy way,” said Howell.
Diamond has tried to create a trolley service numerous times since 1989, but each time he claims he was hampered by the city, and by accusations that he is difficult to work with. He successfully laid tracks in 1999 for a line in Red Hook then, only to see his dreams crumble after the city cut off funding for a larger network of rails. Then, in 2011, the Department of Transportation said that bringing back the old streetcars would be too expensive.
Diamond says the route for the proposed streetcar line would be 1.6 miles starting near Fulton and Livingston streets by the Borough Hall subway hub. It would trek down Boerum Place and turn onto Atlantic Avenue. At that point, Diamond wants the line to move underground towards Columbia Street through the Long Island Rail Road tunnel that runs from Court Street to Hicks Street.
The trolley would exit the Atlantic Avenue tunnel when it reaches the Battery Tunnel on Columbia Street. At that point, it would turn down Richards Street, travel along Beard Street passing IKEA, turn back onto Columbia Street, run along Bay Street, and turn onto Clinton Street until hitting Hamilton Avenue where it would travel along W. Ninth Street right up until its ending point at the Smith-Ninth subway hub.
Armed with his new coalition, Diamond things he’ll be ready to seek city support after a new mayor is elected.
“We have a great chance of making this happen with a new administration,” he said. “I think Red Hook will finally get the public transportation it deserves.”
Reach reporter Natalie Musumeci at nmusumeci@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4505. Follow her at twitter.com/souleddout.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Sankt Petersburger Strassenbahn

My friend Igor who comes from Sankt Petersburg, was able to e-mail this wonderful historic track map of the Sankt Petersburg streetcar network going back to the early part of the 20th Century. Enjoy the map. The map is in German. Material is from http://www.piter-tram.de website which is great. I cannot make the attached map more flexible for viewing by increasing the magnification. The Sankt Perersburg system contained many grand junctions and was perhaps the largest tramway in the world.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Plenty of BMT Standards in this short clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUO-tnJWhas&feature=player_embedded

In this short clip of the "Naked City", which was filmed in New York City in 1948, you will see some of the subjects of this blog, namely the Williamsburgh Bridge, Delancey Street and the BMT subway line that ran over the bridge equipped with the BMT Standard Cars. You will see how New York City looked in 1948. You will see plenty of Bishop Crook Street Lamps, one of my favorite items. Although I looked for streetcar trackage on Delancey Street in this short or on the bridge, I did not find it. Enjoy the clip and some of you will recognize some of the "old timers" actors. Tramway Null(0).

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Delancey Street Trolley Terminal Brooklyn Streetcar Track Assignments

Source: Rogoff, David, "Fifty Years Ago in the Electric Railway Journal - BRT Williamsburg Bridge Terminal", New York Division Bulletin, Electric Railroaders Assn., Vol. 1, No. 2, June, 1958, p. 3-4

Delancey and Essex Street on the surface as of June 11, 2012. Photo by docjayva.

In the June 1958 edition of the Bulletin, one of the first issues published, there was an interesting article published by David Rogoff which itself was a review of a Electric Railway Journal article that appeared fifty years earlier, in 1908, describing the rapid transit facilities, both elevated line and streetcar at the Manhattan end of the Wiliamsburg Bridge. While the bridge openned in 1903, as built, the rapid transit and trolley facilities were not ready at the Manhattan end. In a future post, I hope to discuss this. It appears in the article that the trolley terminal alongside the Essex Street subway station did not open until 1908. For now, I just would like to add information from the article regarding the huge underground trolley terminal for Brookyn trolleys that crossed the bridge. The trolley terminal had 8 loops plus a 2-car stub for disabled trolleys and a bumper. The loops were numbered from 1 to 8 from west to east. Although the Essex Street elevated/subway station was a few feet away from the trolley tracks, there was no track connection.

The original track plan was as follows:

#1 Nostrand Avenue and Belt Lines
#2 Reid Avenue
#3 Hamburg Avenue (renamed WILSON AVENUE during World War I).
#4 Ralph Avenue
#5 Bushwick Avenue
#6 Thompkins Avenue
#7 Bridge Local
#8 Grand Street & Franklin Avenue

More information regarding both the subway and trolley terminal to follow in the future.

Tramway Null(0)\

Thursday, February 16, 2012

What Could Have Been - Part II

In the early 1980's, the Regional Plan Association studied transit use in 29 American Cities and came to the conclusion that new rapid transit lines could be supported from a passenger use basis in such cities as Los Angeles, Seattle, Honolulu and Houston. Light rail could also be supported in such cities such as Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati, Denver, Kansas City and so on. Looking back over 30 years, new systems were built and old systems were expanded. It was also reported that if as many as thirteen buses are needed in each direction, light rail begins to have an economic advantage over buses. Many of the bus lines in Manhattan and the following bus routes in Brooklyn could have operated more economically in Brooklyn:

B2- Avenue R
B6 -Avenue J
B35 - Church Avenue
B38 - De Kalb Avenue
B41 - Flatbush Avenue
B42 - Rockaway Parkway
B44 - Nostrand Avenue
B46 - Utica Reid
B54 - Myrtle Avenue
B55 - Richmond Hill

This listing comes from the New York Division Bulletin, Electric Railway Association's August 1982 edition (Vol. 25, Number 8).

In what will follow, you will see that according to the New York Division Bulletin, that the Board of Transportation studied the surface system and looked at operating statistics ending June 30, 1944. Their recommendations were listed in the Bulletin but what is surprising, as shown in a previous post, I have the link to what appears to be the original maps from the Board of Transportation dated 1945 and that many of the busy routes in 1944 were still the busy ones in 1982, even though they were bus lines. Many of the routes listed above which were then streetcar were selected for an upgrade to PCC operation at the end of 1945, but it never happened.

To be continued:
Tramway Null(0)

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

What Could Have Been

Please see this unusual and rare map from the subchat website. http://www.subchat.com/read.asp?Id=962048 These three maps, drawn in 1945 probably originate within the planning room of the New York City Board of Transportation, the local government agency that took over the privately run Brooklyn Manhattan Transit (BMT) in 1940. These maps shaped Brooklyn surface transit for the next 65 years. I always thought that the New York City Government was strongly anti-trolley, and I believe that I am partially right. What is surprising is that while it is true, ultimately all electric surface transit in Brooklyn was destroyed by July, 1960, in 1945 the New York City Board of Transportation wanted to convert 13 trolley lines to trolley bus and 13 other streetcar lines were to be upgraded with PCC car operation. More about this to follow as the above map is compared to the few streetcar lines that were converted to trolleybus and the ultimate end of streetcar service in Brooklyn on October 31, 1956 and future proposed routes.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Manhattan Streetcar Lines Except Third Avenue RWY System

This map, drawn by B. Linder, shows Manhattan Streetcar Lines except for the Third Avenue Railway System. The map covers 99 Street to the Harlem River and is dated circa 1933. Other streetcar lines continued to run in Manhattan to just after World War II. Source: B. Linder, New York Division ERA Bulletin, Vol. 30, Number 1, January 1987, P.2.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Streetcars and Spatial Analysis - Picture Credit: Frank Pfuhler Collection - Dave's RailPix-- 1015 at First Avenue Loop

If you came to this blog, you probably love streetcars and perhaps trolleybuses as much as I do. I live in Brooklyn, New York which is part of New York City. The last streetcar that was city owned ran in October 1956 and I remember it, although I was in the first grade. Trolleybuses, as someone said, is transit's stepchild, also ran in Brooklyn. I remember them on the Cortelyou Road route in Flatbush. The last trolley bus ran in Brooklyn in July, 1960. As you probably know, streetcars, also known as light rail, are coming back all over the world including many cities in the United States. Unfortunately, they do not appear to be coming back to Brooklyn or in the other boroughs despite the efforts of various groups such as Vision 42 http://www.vision42.org/ or Brooklyn Historical Railway Association.http://brooklynrail.net/.
About a year ago, Yonah Freemarkhttp://www.thetransportpolitic.com/ wrote an interesting blog asking the theoretical question: If streetcars did come back to Brooklyn, what would that system look like? He produced a great map that stole my thunder. I will comment on his map later but for now, I would like to present the aims of this blog:

1) If streetcars came back to Brooklyn, what routes would they run on? What would a map of these routes look like? Would the route be the same as in 1956? What routes do you think should come back and why? How about streetcar and or trolley bus routes in other parts of the city?
What do you think about "peak oil" and electric surface transportation and how about trolley boats and trolley trucks in a limited oil environment? We all know that electric surface transportation is good for the environment. Perhaps we can show this using maps.

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/12/trolley-canal-boats.html

2) How can I make better maps using ESRI ARCGIS to display this information?

3) How can I use some of the geoanalytical techniques available in ARCGIS for making better maps that show proposed streecar lines? For example, should new streetcar routes be established in neighborhoods that are far away from existing subway/bus lines and have light/heavy concentration of population?

4) If my edition of ARCGIS cannot do not regression analysis, can I use Geoda or "R" to do analysis for proposed routes? What methodology should I use? and finally:

5) Although not streetcar related, what geospatial /analytical techniques can I to study isolated communities that receive a form of social services if I have demographic and other type of census data including rapid transit line data? What software do you suggest other than ARCGIS, Geoda, or "R" can I use to study isolated populations?

Dear Visitors:

Webrings - Maps - Trolleys and More