F Train the New Silicon Subway?

Hi Folks:  Please see the attached article. The F train in Brooklyn covers part of the original Culver Line route.  Who would think that part of the Culver Line would become fashionable?  Map drawn by myself to show New York City neighborhoods connected by the F train in Brooklyn and Manhattan.  Shapefile is not of the latest routing.  Tramway Null(0)

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20120729/REAL_ESTATE/307299984

15th Street Trolley Line in Park Slope and Red Hook Brooklyn

Source:  B. Linder, New York Division Bulletin, Vol. 20, No. 3, June 1977, pp. 6, 9.

The 15th Street Line was one of the lesser known streetcar lines in Brooklyn.  It started its' life as a Horse Car line in July 1888 from the historic transportation location of 9th Avenue and 20th Street to Hamilton Ferry.  The line was electricfied in 1893 and cetain cars ran from Hamilton Ferry to Coney Island via the West End right of way.  From 1899 to 1932, the line was extended to Coney Island via the Gravesend Avenue trolley line (McDonald Avenue) from 19th Street and 9th Avenue during various days in the summer season.  In 1929, the terminal was changed from Hamilton Ferry to Erie Basin via Richards Steet to Van Dyke Street.   The line was an early abandonment on November 8, 1941.  I believe this line never used PCC cars.  Historic routing information from Edward B. Watson in op. cit.

The Land of Trolley Poles - Riga Tram Route Number 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DLPoM4tWq0A

  This video, which is over a hour long, was posted in subchat by Jon Bell on August 16, 2012.  The actual time to cover Riga tramway route number 4 is 25 minutes but this video goes over the route one and a half times. What got my attention was the title that he used "The Land of Trolley Poles".  I thought, is this about the poles that support the span wires?   No, as I was surprised, Riga has trams that use the traditional type of current collector that was used in the United States until the revival of light railways in the United States.  The traditional trolley poles are now used by Philadelphia and Toronto streetcars.  The trolley poles in Riga, however, seem extremely long, but I do not know if this is an optical illusion. In this delightful video, you will see the rigid type of overhead that was used in Brooklyn and so many other places in North America and you will see the more flexible type of overhead as well.  You will see Riga trams in all types of running environments, such as streets with mixed traffic, on private right of ways, highways and scenic bridges.  This is really a great video and you will catch a glipse of a Riga trolley bus as well.  Enjoy the great music, it is very uplifting.  It seems to me that these long trolley poles function very well where there is street construction (you will see this in the video) and the overhead needs to be shifted away from the center of the track.  Also, Riga has a nice trolleybus system and perhaps traditional trolley poles on streetcars work well at crossings.

Montreal and Spokane Washington will look at or study Electric Trolleybuses

News Bulletin of the Edmonton Trolley Coalition

Sustainable Transit for Liveable Communities

www.trolleycoalition.org

Edited by Robert R. Clark, retired supervisor of transit planning
http://www.trolleycoalition.org/pdf/bulletin26.pdf


      In the United States and Canada, there is not much news in recent years regarding addtional cities interested in establishing new trolleybus systems.  There is some activity regarding fleet renewals in Seattle and elsewhere, but compared to light rail or tramway activity regarding new starts ups, the situation at least in North America was bleak.  Please see the link above published by the Edmonton Trolley Coalition regarding Montreal and Spokane, Washington.  Not all bus routes have the statistical numbers required for conversion to light rail or tramway and I hope that trolleybuses would fill a nitch.  Worldwide, new trolleybus start ups I believe have been slow as well, with some start ups in Italy and Saudi Arabia.  I think that it is very exciting that Montreal wants to establish big trolleybus system because it is our neighbor to the north and is very close to New York City.  Quebec is rich in hydo-electric resources and will use clean electricity to run it's fleet.  I am not sure about this, but New York City also may get some electric power from Quebec and it is natural that New York City should also consider trolleybus transport.  In fact, for a short period of time, perhaps 20 years ago, electric trolleybus service was considered for First and Second Avenues in Manhattan as a alternative to the Second Avenue subway.  Of course, nothing ever became of the proposal.

... and it may work well with e-trucks.

Tramway Null(0)

Another Great Photo Shot from the Manhattan Bridge

This photo was shot by docjayva several days ago from the Manhattan Bridge.  The white streak between the Manhattan tower and anchorage is a protective sheet at road level due to road maintenance.

A Look at Manhattan Land Book 1934 - East 42nd Street

Source:  Manhattan Land Book, City of New York, 1934, Plate 68.  G. M. Bromley & Co.

Serveral months ago, a reader brought to my attention about an incline just east of Second Avenue in Manhattan on East 42nd Street.  In what appears on the 1924 aerial is an incline that seems to be missing trolley tracks for the 42nd Street Trolley.  I went to the Municipal Archive on Chambers Street and I looked at the 1921 and 1934 editions of the "Manhattan Land Book", City of New York by G. M Bromley and Company.  The 1934 map is shown here but for our topic of interest, the layout of 42nd Street on the 1921 map is the same.  The 1934 map differs from the 1921 map in terms of building footprints.  Both maps show a "wall"  (two times) just east of the Second Avenue Elevated station.  There seems to be a marking on the map, two black rectangles just west of First Avenue and the 'hourglass figure" which appears to be the entrance.  No where on the map does the word "tunnel" or "underpass" appear and the trolley tracks in the area are not indicated.  According to my earlier 42nd Street trolley maps, the tunnel is not indicated by B. Linder as well.  The aerial map from 1924 does not show where the east end of it is, but perhaps the 1934 Manhattan Land Book shows that it may be west of First Avenue.   The trolley track mystery is not answered.
 Thanks to "threestationsquare" for bringing this to my attention originally.

Cable Fire Delays Subway Service near Manhattan Bridge Last Night

This photograph, taken by DOCJAYVA, is facing south on Flatbush Avenue Extension near Tillary Street.  The Manhattan Bridge is to the photographer's back.  Burning cables in a manhole just north of the Dekalb Avenue Station (the first station in Brooklyn south of the Manhattan Bridge) knocked out and disrupted subway service between Manhattan and Brooklyn last night.  The fire started about 4 pm and took more than two hours to control.  Thousands of passengers were delayed.  The photographer had to walk across the Manhattan Bridge which is to his back of the photograph.