TheNEW YORK DIVISION BULLETIN - AUGUST, 2010 Bulletin New York Division, Electric Railroaders’ Association Vol. 53, No. 8 August, 2010 The Bulletin TWO RIVER TUNNELS OPENED 90 YEARS AGO Published by the New With the opening of the Montague Street clearance trains operated on the Franklin York Division, Electric Tunnel and the 60th Street Tunnel on August Avenue Shuttle on May 7 and 9, 1924. The Railroaders’ Association, Incorporated, PO Box 1, 1920, BRT service was increased. Under next day Franklin-Chambers expresses 3001, New York, New the old schedule, Brighton riders were al- started running from May to September on York 10008-3001. lowed a one-seat five-cent ride only as far as warm, sunny Saturday afternoons and Sun- Park Row. Starting 2 AM August 1, 1920 days. Trains in this service made express through service was operated on the Brigh- stops on the Brighton Line to Coney Island, For general inquiries, contact us at nydiv@ ton Line from Coney Island through lower after which they operated on the Sea Beach th th erausa.org or by phone and midtown Manhattan to Queensborough middle. Trains stopped at 59 Street, 36 at (212) 986-4482 (voice Plaza. Street, and Pacific Street, bypassed DeKalb mail available). The The following service was operated before Avenue and Myrtle Avenue, crossed the Division’s website is www.erausa.org/ and after August 1, 1920: Manhattan Bridge, and terminated at Cham- nydiv.html. bers Street. LINE UNTIL AUGUST STARTING AU- MANHATTAN BRIDGE SERVICE 1, 1920 GUST 1, 1920 Editorial Staff: The tracks are located on both sides of the Editor-in-Chief: Fourth Avenue 86th Street to 86th Street to bridge, which tilts slightly with each passing Bernard Linder Local Chambers Street Queensborough train. Eventually, the steel cracks and the News Editor: Plaza Randy Glucksman rivets become loose. For several years, there Contributing Editor: Broadway Whitehall Street was more service on the north side of the Jeffrey Erlitz Local to Lexington bridge and it developed a permanent set. Avenue Production Manager: The bridge was in good condition until a Brighton Local Coney Island to Coney Island to David Ross cracked girder was discovered in 1953. Re- Park Row via Queensborough Franklin Avenue Plaza (non-rush) or pairs were made frequently while trains were th Shuttle and Ful- 57 Street (rush) rerouted via tunnel. Rehabilitation was com- ton Street; rush via tunnel pleted in 2004 and the bridge is apparently in hour short-turns good condition. Fulton Ferry to ©2010 New York Kings Highway The following lines were operated on the Division, Electric bridge: Railroaders’ Brighton Ex- — Kings Highway to Association, press Times Square via DATE LINES OPERATED Incorporated bridge (rush hours) North Side South Side Franklin Ave- — Franklin Avenue to nue Shuttle Prospect Park June 22, No service Fourth Avenue In This Issue: (cold weather); 1915 Local A History of the Franklin Avenue to Sea Beach Express Coney Island June 23, No service Fourth Avenue (probably spring R Train 1916 Local and summer) (Continued) Sea Beach Express ...Page 2 Wooden cars continued operating on the West End Express Franklin Avenue Shuttle until they were re- placed by steel cars on July 5, 1927. Steel (Continued on page 4) 1 NEWNEW YORKYORK DIVISIONDIVISION BULLETINBULLETIN -OCTOBER, AUGUST, 20102000 A HISTORY OF THE R TRAIN by George Chiasson (Continued from July, 2010 issue) ORIGIN OF THE R TRAIN, PART I 1902 1000-series “arch roof” convertible cars appeared (CONTINUED): FIFTH AVENUE EL ROLLING on the Fifth Avenue Line, followed by 1200-series en- STOCK (1888-1940) closed “gate cars” in 1903 and 1400-series “gate cars” As service started in November, 1888, the Brooklyn in 1907. This was BRT’s final new rolling stock acquisi- Elevated Railroad assigned a portion of its steam-drawn tion for its elevated lines, as the company then concen- coach fleet (numbered 1-108) to the Hudson (later Fifth) trated its resources on the development, introduction, Avenue Line, drawn by diminutive 0-4-4T Forney type and expansion of steel subway cars in the advent and locomotives. Judging by the photos of this era that sur- later execution of the Dual Contracts. vive, it appears that the steam engines ran boiler- Train consists on Fifth Avenue did not exhibit much forward heading toward the Brooklyn Bridge and ten- change in the immediate aftermath of the Fourth Ave- der-forward on the outbound journey. Extensive switch- nue Subway’s opening in 1916, but by the time service back installations were also in place at Sands Street, commenced up the Broadway Line in Manhattan in both before and after its 1895 rebuilding, to accommo- 1920, the Sea Beach and West End trains were gone date relay moves. In 1891 the Brooklyn Elevated added and Fifth Avenue El ridership was off measurably. Train cars 310-29 from the Pullman works, and then as ser- lengths were evidently reduced as a result, with many vice was extended to 65th Street-Bay Ridge in 1893, of the 1000-series convertible cars being transferred to Seaside & Brooklyn Bridge coaches 330-89 were added the Eastern Division, where wooden cars remained a to the fleet and together all remained into the initial BRT staple of operations. In April of 1923, trailers 1-21 and era. By July 3, 1899 most of these cars had been elec- motors 1400-39 were transferred to the new Queens trically equipped (some as motors, the remainder as shuttle service and all remaining 1200- and 1400-series trailers), and on August 17 all Fifth Avenue El opera- motor cars, and some of the 1-271-series trailers, were tions were electrified. taken away from the Fifth Avenue El and shifted to Over the next decade, more electric cars were added Eastern Division routes. By 1927 a few of the 1200s to BRT’s overall fleet and some naturally wound up in were back, having been released from the Eastern Divi- service on the Fifth Avenue El. First to come were sion routes as all-steel replacements arrived. And so Brooklyn Union Railroad cars 436-40 and 450-99 (as things stayed until the June, 1940 discontinuance of the motors) in 1891. In 1902, BRT consolidated the inher- Fifth Avenue El, with all but rush hour service after Oc- tober, 1934 consisting of a lone shuttle car between 65th ited fleet serving its Brooklyn El system, and renum- th bered the electric motors under a loose, common pat- Street-Bay Ridge and 36 Street, which, according to its tern between 412 and 449. The 271 surviving non- photos, was often a 1000-series convertible. electrified trailers continued to carry their original num- ORIGIN OF THE R TRAIN, PART II: THE DUAL bers at first, being joined by open cars 3200-32 every CONTRACTS AND THE FOURTH AVENUE summer between 1899 and 1905. These were originally SUBWAY (1906-1940) built for the Brooklyn, Bath & West End and the New Under the “Tri-Borough Plan” of 1906, the City of New York & Sea Beach excursion lines and were never elec- York’s Board of Rapid Transit Railroad Commissioners trified. From 1901 to 1905 the balance of BRT’s initial embarked on the installation of a totally new subway fleet was converted from steam-hauled coaches to elec- line down the length of Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn, al- trified trailers numbered 1-271, while the motor cars most entirely parallel to the Fifth Avenue El and capable were renumbered from the 400– and 500-series to the of much greater capacity and speed. As initially con- 600-940 group. All were finally assigned on the basis of ceived, the Fourth Avenue Line was assumed to be part Eastern Division (East New York) or Southern Division of the budding Interborough subway system (IRT), as a (36th Street) by 1907, with Fifth Avenue and 6-55 (as logical expansion of its Contract II route into Brooklyn trailers) in 1900. In 1902, BRT consolidated the inher- (the present “Eastern Parkway Line” from Bowling ited fleet serving its Brooklyn El system, renumbered it Green to Atlantic Avenue). In fact, there remains to this under a common pattern, and assigned it on the basis day some unused provision for this purpose in the area of Eastern Division (East New York) or Southern Divi- of the Nevins Street station. As time went on and the sion (36th Street). Fifth Avenue, Culver, and West End Rapid Transit Commissioners were succeeded by the equipment was based out of the latter. “Standard” trail- Public Service Commission in 1907, this “assumption” ers (1-271 series) being allocated along with 633-682- was eradicated, with the centerline and vertical clear- and 700-758-series motor cars. As service was ex- ances modified to not only accommodate IRT’s existing panded further BRT added more rolling stock, and in (Continued on page 3) 2 NEW YORK DIVISION BULLETIN - AUGUST, 2010 A History of the R Train complete Fourth Avenue Subway became a key ele- ment of its first Brooklyn subway route, along with the (Continued from page 2) Sea Beach alignment (the lightest-ridden of BRT’s four subway equipment but also the larger-scale suburban surface lines to Coney Island), the Manhattan Bridge rolling stock used by operators such as the Pennsyl- (on which trolleys of the “Three Cent Line” were already vania Railroad, whom the Commission was inviting to running between Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street in compete with local companies for the operating rights to Brooklyn and Canal Street in Manhattan) and the newly- its new routes. By the time the first construction con- opened subway line beneath Centre Street in Lower tracts were actually let for the Fourth Avenue Subway in Manhattan.