BMT Myrtle Avenue Line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Myrtle Avenue Line, also called the Myrtle Avenue El., is a fully elevated line of the New York City Subway, as part of the BMT division. The extant line is the final remnant of one of the original Brooklyn elevated railroads. The remnant line operates as a spur branch from the Jamaica Line to Bushwick, Ridgewood and Middle Village, and terminates at its original Eastern terminal across the street from Lutheran Cemetery. Until 1969, the line continued west into downtown Brooklyn, even earlier continuing on to the Brooklyn Bridge to a terminal at Park Row in Manhattan.
Contents |
[edit] Extent and service
The Myrtle Avenue Line is currently served by only M service. Until 1969, MJ service ran over the full line to downtown Brooklyn; the J in the designation came from the line's end at Bridge–Jay Streets.
The line begins at Middle Village–Metropolitan Avenue in Queens. It heads southwest along private right-of-way, eventually coming to rest on an elevated structure above Palmetto Street and Myrtle Avenue. Just before reaching Broadway (on which the BMT Jamaica Line operates), the line curves to the left and merges into the Jamaica Line tracks just east of Myrtle Avenue station. The upper level of the station (called "Broadway"), which opened in 1889 and closed on October 4, 1969, still exists, but is no longer used. During evenings, late nights and all day on weekends, the M service terminates here. During this period the M uses the new R-143 trains, but are operated as OPTO (one person train operation) with only 4 cars.
[edit] Background
The first section of the line, over Myrtle Avenue from Johnson and Adams Streets via Adams Street and Myrtle Avenue to a junction with what was then known as the Main line at Grand Avenue, was opened at 11:00 on April 10, 1888 by the Union Elevated Railroad. Trains continued along Grand Avenue and Lexington Avenue to Broadway, where the line joined the Broadway Elevated, and then along Broadway to East New York. On September 1, 1888, the line was extended westward along Adams Street and Sands Street, to a terminal at Washington Street for the Brooklyn Bridge. On April 27, 1889, the line was extended east along Myrtle Avenue to Broadway, probably at the station above the Broadway Elevated.
The west end of the line was extended north along Adams Street to an elevated loop, over Sands Street and High Street west to Liberty Street, in 1896. The connection to the Brooklyn Bridge tracks opened at 16:00 on June 18, 1898, along private right-of-way halfway between Concord Street and Cathedral Place. The first trains to use it came from the Fifth Avenue Elevated (using the Myrtle Avenue El west of Hudson Avenue).
The line was later extended east to Wyckoff Avenue (at the Brooklyn/Queens border). In 1906 the el was connected via a ramp to the Lutheran Cemetery Line, a former steam dummy line to Metropolitan Avenue that had opened on September 3, 1881. That section was elevated as part of the Dual Contracts on February 22, 1915.
On July 29, 1914, the connection to the Broadway (Brooklyn) Line was opened, allowing Myrtle Avenue Line trains to operate via the Williamsburg Bridge. This service became 10 in 1924, and the original Myrtle Avenue Line service to Park Row became 11, later referred to as (M and MJ).
On March 5, 1944, the line west of Jay Street was abandoned coincident with the end of elevated service over the Brooklyn Bridge. The rest of the line from Broadway to Jay Street was abandoned on October 4, 1969, with the last train running just after midnight that morning.
[edit] Chaining information
- The entire line is chained BMT M. This has no relation to the fact that the M train service operates on the line, though both letters may have been chosen because 'Myrtle' begins with 'M'.
- The tracks on the line are M1 towards Metropolitan Avenue and M2 towards Manhattan.
- Chaining zero is BMT Eastern, located at the intersection of the line of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Chambers Street on the BMT Nassau Street Line by way of the now-dismantled original BMT Brooklyn Bridge Elevated Line and the original Myrtle Avenue Elevated through downtown Brooklyn.
- As originally surveyed, this line was measured in a Railroad East direction from Park Row. Once the Board of Transportation took over the system, the direction was reversed so that Railroad north on this line became towards Manhattan, and corresponds roughly to a westerly to southwesterly compass direction.
[edit] Station listing
Every station is served by M trains and only M trains, 24 hours a day.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Lost the Second Game, July 21, 1889, page 2
- ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, To Greenwood on Thursday, August 14, 1889, page 1
- ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The Fifth Avenue Elevated to Greenwood, August 15, 1889, page 6
- ^ a b c d e f Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Will Open on Saturday, April 25, 1889, page 1
- ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Opening the Washington Avenue Station, December 4, 1888, page 6
- ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, A Start Made, April 10, 1888, page 6
- ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, To the Bridge, August 30, 1888, page 4
- The New Road Opened, New York Times April 11, 1888 page 8
- City and Suburban News, New York Times April 28, 1889 page 6
- New of the Railroads, New York Times January 9, 1896 page 15
- Park Row to Sheepshead Bay, New York Times June 19, 1898 page 5
- 1,200 on Last Trip on Myrtle Ave. El; Cars Are Stripped, New York Times October 4, 1969 page 23
|
|
|
|---|---|
| IRT | Manhattan: 42nd St Shuttle • Broadway-7th Av • Lenox Av • Lexington Av Bronx: Dyre Av • Jerome Av • Pelham • White Plains Rd Brooklyn/Queens: Eastern Pkwy/New Lots • Flushing • Nostrand Av Former: Original subway • 2nd Av • 3rd Av • 6th Av • 9th Av |
| BMT | Manhattan trunks and branches: 63rd St • Astoria • Broadway • Manhattan Bridge • Nassau St Eastern Division: Archer Av • Canarsie • Jamaica • Myrtle Av Southern Division: 4th Av • Brighton • Culver • Franklin Av • Sea Beach • West End Former: 3rd Av • 5th Av • Brooklyn Bridge • Fulton St • Lexington Av Former surface: Culver • West End |
| IND | Manhattan/Bronx trunks: 6th Av • 8th Av • Concourse Brooklyn/Queens: 63rd St • Archer Av • Crosstown • Culver • Fulton St • Rockaway • Queens Blvd Former: World's Fair Planned: IND Worth Street Line |
| Connections | Chrystie St • 60th St |
| Future | 2nd Av |
