ARRT'S   ARRCHIVES






Copyright © AUGUST 2005 Arthur John Huneke
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED



THE   LONG     ISLAND   RAIL   ROAD
and     ATLANTIC   AVENUE

RAPID   TRANSIT


IN 1877 THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD WAS AGAIN ALLOWED TO OPERATE STEAM WITHIN THE CITY OF BROOKLYN.   IN JUNE AND JULY THROUGH TRAINS BEGAN RUNNING BETWEEN FLATBUSH AVENUE TERMINAL BROOKLYN AND JAMAICA AND POINTS EAST THEREOF.   ON AUGUST 13 THE RAPID TRANSIT SERVICE BEGAN BETWEEN FLATBUSH AVENUE TERMINAL AND THE HOWARD HOUSE IN EAST NEW YORK.   TRAINS RAN EVERY HALF-HOUR   -   THERE WERE TWELVE CARS AND THREE RAPID TRANSIT LOCOMOTIVES.


RAPID   TRANSIT   LOCOMOTIVES

"BROOKLYN"   -   BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE WORKS JULY 1877   0-4-0 TANK
TRADED OR SOLD TO NEW YORK AND MANHATTAN BEACH RAILWAY AND RENAMED "MANHATTAN"


"FLATBUSH"   -   BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE WORKS JULY 1877   0-4-0 TANK
TRADED OR SOLD TO NEW YORK AND MANHATTAN BEACH RAILWAY AND RENAMED "ORIENTAL"




"BEDFORD"   -   BALDWIN LOCOMOTIVE WORKS JULY 1877   0-4-0 TANK
BECAME NUMBER 102,   THEN MORRIS PARK SHOP DRILL ENGINE "POP",   THEN NUMBER 300.




THIS PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS EITHER THE MANHATTAN OR THE ORIENTAL
IN MORRIS PARK SHOP WITH ENGINE 300 AND A P.P.&C.I. LOCOMOTIVE.


IN MARCH 1878 BALDWIN BUILT THE "ATLANTIC" A 2-4-2 TANK WHICH BECAME NUMBER 24
AND WAS LATER SOLD TO THE BROOKLYN AND ROCKAWAY BEACH RAILROAD.

IN JUNE 1878 BALDWIN BUILT THE "MANHATTAN" A 2-4-2 TANK WHICH BECAME NUMBER 104

THE 104 WAS PHOTOGRAPHED AT WOODHAVEN JUNCTION IN THE 1890'S.


THESE ARE THE STATIONS SHOWN IN EMPLOYE TIME TABLE NUMBER 11 OF NOVEMBER 4, 1878


IN APRIL 1878 RUSH HOUR RAPID TRANSITS RAN EVERY TWENTY MINUTES.   LATER IN 1878 RUSH HOUR RAPID TRANSITS RAN EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES AND ONE RAPID TRANSIT RAN TO WOODHAVEN.   A RAPID TRANSIT SHUTTLE RAN BETWEEN HOWARD HOUSE AND VAN WICKLENS.

FROM EMPLOYE TIME TABLE NUMBER 11 OF NOVEMBER 4, 1878:



VAN WICKLENS WAS SEVENTEEN BLOCKS EAST OF HOWARD HOUSE AT LINWOOD STREET
AND DOUBLE TRACK ENDED AT SCHENCK AVENUE,   ELEVEN BLOCKS PAST HOWARD HOUSE.
THIS HAD BEEN THE BROOKLYN CENTRAL & JAMAICA'S END OF DOUBLE TRACK IN 1873.


THERE WERE TELEGRAPH OFFICES WITH "SIGNAL BOXES"
AT EAST NEW YORK AND END OF DOUBLE TRACK


ON JULY 26, 1879 DOUBLE TRACK WAS EXTENDED TO VAN WICKLENS.

IN MAY 1879 SIX 0-4-4T FORNEYS WERE PURCHASED FROM BALDWIN - NUMBERS
105 THROUGH 110.   HERE A PROUD YOUNG ENGINEER OR FIREMAN HAS HIS
CHILDREN POSED ON NUMBER 107 AT THE EAST NEW YORK ENGINEHOUSE.

ENGINE 107 AGAIN AT THE EAST NEW YORK ENGINEHOUSE.


IN AUGUST (26th - 29th) 1880   NEW YORK,   WOODHAVEN & ROCKAWAY RAIL ROAD TRAINS BEGAN RUNNING TO FLATBUSH AVENUE TERMINAL.   (AND BROOKLYN, FLATBUSH & CONEY ISLAND AND L.I.R.R. BRIGHTON BEACH TRAINS.)   VAN WICKLENS RAPID TRANSITS RAN EVERY TEN MINUTES AND SOME RUNS HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO WOODHAVEN AND JAMAICA.   ONE RAPID TRANSIT RAN TO THE STONE ABUTMENT OF THE N.Y.W.& R.R.R. BRIDGE ACROSS THE L.I.R.R.

ON SEPTEMBER 5, 1880 DOUBLE TRACK WAS EXTENDED TO WOODHAVEN JUNCTION AND A CROSSOVER
WAS INSTALLED AT VAN WICKLENS             -             SERVICE TO WOODHAVEN INCREASED TO HOURLY.

From NOVEMBER 1880 Employe Time Table:


BY 1884 VAN WICKLENS TRAINS RAN EVERY EIGHT MINUTES.

BY 1887 VAN WICKLENS TRAINS RAN EVERY SEVEN MINUTES.

A NUMBER OF 4-4-0'S WERE CONVERTED TO TANK ENGINES TO RUN ON ATLANTIC AVENUE.
NUMBER FOUR WAS PHOTOGRAPHED NEXT TO THE EAST NEW YORK ENGINEHOUSE.   IN THE DISTANCE IS THE CENTRAL HOTEL,   ONE OF FOUR OR MORE HOTELS NEAR THE RAILROAD.


IN JANUARY 1868 SCHENECTADY HAD BUILT TWO 2-4-0T'S FOR THE LONG
ISLAND,   NUMBER   42   "WOODBURY" AND NUMBER   43   "NORTHPORT".
THE 43 WAS PHOTOGRAPHED ON A WORK TRAIN AT HOWARD HOUSE STATION.


IN THE 1880'S THE ENGINE TERMINAL AND ENGINEHOUSE WERE MOVED TO WOODHAVEN JUNCTION AND A LOCO -
MOTIVE AND CAR SHOP WAS OPENED.   NUMBERS 38 AND 154 WERE PHOTOGRAPHED AT WOODHAVEN JUNCTION.


IN 1892 THE LONG ISLAND BOUGHT TEN BALDWIN BUILT
VAUCLAIN COMPOUND FORNEYS,   NUMBERS 150 THROUGH 159.


AT A NUMBER OF LOCATIONS INCLUDING VAN WICKLENS,   NORWOOD AVENUE
AND HOWARD HOUSE,   THROUGH TRAINS WOULD PASS RAPID TRANSITS.

LOOKING EAST FROM THE B. R. T. ELEVATED RAILROAD CIRCA 1896.   THE TRAIN FURTHEST LEFT,   PROBABLY A RAPID TRANSIT,   IS STANDING AT HOWARD HOUSE STATION AT A STOP SIGNAL CONTROLLED FROM THE OVERHEAD TOWER AT MANHATTAN CROSSING,   THE CROSSING AT GRADE OF THE ATLANTIC DIVISION AND THE NEW YORK   &   MANHATTAN BEACH RAILWAY.   A THROUGH TRAIN IS LINED UP FROM THE SOUTH SIDING TO THE WESTBOUND MAIN TRACK.   THE HIGHWAY GRADE CROSSING THERE IS WILLIAMS AVENUE   -   THE ONE EAST THEREOF IS ALABAMA AVENUE.   THE TRACK FURTHEST SOUTH   (RIGHT) IS THE CANARSIE LINE,   THE BROOKLYN AND ROCKAWAY BEACH RAIL ROAD.



MORRIS PARK YARD AND SHOPS OPENED IN 1889 AND REPLACED
WOODHAVEN AS THE ATLANTIC DIVISION ENGINE TERMINAL.


    IN 1890 TWO ADDITIONAL TRACKS WERE INSTALLED BETWEEN NEW YORK AVENUE AND ROCKAWAY JUNCTION.
A TOWER,   SIGNAL STATION NUMBER 41,   WAS ERECTED TO CONTROL THE SWITCHES AND SIGNALS.


ON JUNE 24,  1890 RAPID TRANSIT SERVICE WAS EXTENDED TO ROCKAWAY JUNCTION
WITH STATIONS AT NEW YORK AVENUE AND CANAL STREET.


THE SUMMER 1897 EMPLOYE TIME TABLE SHOWS SOME RAPID TRANSITS RUNNING BEYOND
ROCKAWAY JUNCTION TO VALLEY STREAM AND STOPPING AT THE NEW SAINT ALBANS STATION.
SOME   -   e.g. NUMBER 606   -   MAY HAVE BEGUN AND ENDED AT FAR ROCKAWAY






NUMBER 1347 RAN FROM FAR ROCKAWAY TO VALLEY STREAM
AND EITHER CONNECTED WITH OR CONTINUED WEST AS NUMBER 606.


    BY 1895 RAPID TRANSIT TRAINS WERE KNOWN AS "SUBURBANS".
  IN THE 1898 RENUMBERING FORNEY NUMBER 163 BECAME THE 220.   NUMBERS 160 THROUGH 16 9 HAD BEEN BUILT FOR THE LAKE STREET ELEVATED IN CHICAGO AND WERE PURCHASED IN 1899 FOR THE NEW BROOKLYN BRIDGE SERVICE.   THIS IS ROCKAWAY JUNCTION STATION.