Bergen Avenue Cut-off of the 3rd Avenue El

Source:  B. Linder & J. Erlitz, New York Division Bulletin, ERA, Vol. 48, No. 10, October, 2005, p. 18.

    Many of my posts were on the subject of the Third Avenue El.  In the Roger Arcara film on the subject, the Bergen Avenue cutoff was mentioned when the 143rd Street Station on the 3rd Avenue El was mentioned.  Here is a map showing the layout.  It connected with the I.R.T. White Plains Road Line just as it exited from the tunnel.  The last date of passenger service on this branch was 11/6/1946 and the structure was out of service on 11/10/1949.  The structure was still standing in mid 1950.  Although at the moment I cannot research the service pattern, I believe that this branch was used in the early years of the 1900's by Third Avenue El trains in order to provide service to the new White Plains Road elevated structure because the subway portion (southern underground section) of the line was not finished and may have provided access to the shops for Flushing Line cars after the lower portion of the 2nd Avenue El was abandoned..

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)

Car 6013 Nostrand Avenue Line at Avenue U Loop

Source:  Joe Testagrose Collection from "Daves Rail Pix"

This loop was added late in the lifetime of the Nostrand Avenue Trolley.

http://www.davesrailpix.com/

3rd Avenue El Video by Roger Arcara: Chatham Sq to Gun Hill Road Bronx

Roger Arcara film of the 3rd Avenue El (L-5) : Chatham Square to Gun Hill Road (1953-1955)  Film includes last day filmage on May 12, 1955.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=video&cd=3&ved=0CD0QtwIwAg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D7UW3ZjYVskk&ei=mRkhUPTbL8GJ6gGl8oCwCw&usg=AFQjCNF2bE_zhDIU5O71vJiwY_usq37r_w&sig2=IB8B4TALgxpeby5Pj_DdVQ

    This great video, close to an hour in length, is narrated by the late transportation historian, Roger Arcara, and shows the last days of the 3rd Avenue El from 1953 to 1955.  The film covers the section of the el from Chatham Square to Gun Hill Road in the Bronx only because the South Ferry and City Hall branches ceased service in 1950.
   This video covers the 3rd Avenue El differently than the other video posted or newsreel type of films of the era because the subject matter is covered from a railfan point of view.  You will get to see:

1. Express station layouts, such as 42nd Street and types of signals.
2. 125 th Street station and northern trackage.
3. 129 th Street station and complex and trackage to the 2nd Avenue Bridge.
4. You will get to see the two layer bridge over the Harlem River from all angles.
5. You will see the New York and New Haven and Hartford yard with freight cars and you will see the still existing track to the yard with a coal car on it.  According to Mr. Arcara, delivery of coal to the 3rd Avenue El for the stations' pot belly stoves was made by way of the NYNHandH RR connection right to the end. You will see this about 36 minutes into the film.
6. You will see trackage that is not shown that much on such films, such as the two layer private right of way trackage north of 133 Street and south of the 149th Street station.
7. You will see the old configuration of the 149 Street - 3 rd Avenue station.
8. You will get to see lesser shown trackage in the Bronx north of the 149th Street station and abandoned cut off stubs south of the station.

Bronx historians, both transit and and other will get much information from this film. Multi shots from northbound and southbound trains will be shown from the same location.  Service patterns in terms of which local and express services used a particular track is explained in detail.  There is so much here that it has to be shared paticularly about the section around and north of the Harlem River.

Tramway Null(0)

Nostrand Avenue Line - South Section

Source:  B. Linder and Edward B. Watson, New York Division Bulletin, Vol 20, No. 2, April, 1977, p2 -10.

Continous service from Delancey Street to Avenue U was not provided by a one seat ride. Passengers had to change at Nostrand and Flatbush Avenues, "The Junction", today at Brooklyn College for the Nostrand Shuttle that was eventually extended to Avenue U in 1917.  The loop at the right of way next to the Long Island Bay Ridge Division opened in 1936 and the loop on the east side of Nostrand Avenue at Avenue U opened in 1938.  The Nostrand Shuttle merged with the Nostand Avenue line in 1945.

Nostrand Avenue Trolley - North Section - 1912-1951

Source:  B.Linder & Edward B. Watson, New York Division Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 2, April, 1977, pp.2-5.

  The Nostrand Avenue trolley in Brooklyn was a long route, running from the underground trolley terminal at Delancey Street in Manhattan to Nostrand Avenue and Avenue U in Brooklyn.  It was a busy line that started its' life with horsecars on Junuary 5, 1871 and was electrified on May 10, 1894.  The line did not always go to Delancey Street via the Williamsburg Bridge.  The bridge years were from 1904 to 1923 and from 1931 to December 5, 1948.  The track diagram was very complicated and there were certain "derivative" lines such as the Nostand Shuttle, Nostrand-Culver, Nostrand-Prospect Park, and the Holy Cross Cemetery Line that are associated with the trackage.  Perhaps if we have time, these "derivatives" will be explained.  Thank you, B. Linder for your historical work.

The north section is only shown here.

R-6 and R-11 Class Cars at Bay Parkway on the Culver El, 1972

Joe Testagrose Photo shot on 10/21/72 Titled "R-6 with 1304".  This is at the 22nd Avenue - Bay Parkway station on the "F" line in Brooklyn.
This photo comes from the www.nycsubway.org website.  An interested reader recalls taking in the 1960's trains over the Manhattan Bridge with round windows and wicker seats and deck roofs.  The R-6 car on the left was used originally in the IND subway and sported wicker seats, ceiling paddle fans and a slotted deck roof that the conductor could manually open and close.  The car on the right was an experimental R-11 series car and was the first of the R types that were of stainless steel.  When new, these cars were the prototype cars for the proposed Second Avenue Subway.  They had germ destroying lamps and other innovations.  The windows adjacent to the passenger seats also were unusual in that they were crank operated.  I believe the R-11's were the only BMT-IND cars with portal door windows.

The photo below is an undated photo of A.W. Koster from the collection of Stephen DeLuca.  It shows the interior of a R-11 car constructed by the Budd Company in 1949.  The car in the photo is operating on the Franklin Shuttle and shows it's reconstruction as part of the R-34 contract.  From:  www.nycsubway.org