Vanderbilt Avenue Line

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Vanderbilt Avenue Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, running mainly along Prospect Park West and Vanderbilt Avenue between Windsor Terrace and Downtown Brooklyn. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the B69 Prospect Park West & 8 Av/Vanderbilt Av bus route, operated by the New York City Transit Authority.

[edit] B69 bus

The B69 bus route begins at a loop on 19th Street, 10th Avenue, 20th Street, and Prospect Park West in Windsor Terrace. It heads northeast on Prospect Park West, with northbound buses cutting over to 8th Avenue at 15th Street, and leaves Grand Army Plaza on Vanderbilt Avenue. Buses turn west at Flushing Avenue, north on Navy Street (northbound) and Gold Street (southbound), and west on Sands Street to a terminus at the High Street (IND Eighth Avenue Line) subway station. Along the way, passengers can transfer to the subway at 15th Street-Prospect Park (IND Culver Line), Grand Army Plaza (IRT Eastern Parkway Line), Clinton-Washington Avenues (IND Fulton Street Line), and Clinton-Washington Avenues (IND Crosstown Line).

[edit] History

The line along Vanderbilt Avenue from Myrtle Avenue south to Prospect Park was built in 1869 by the Brooklyn, Hunter's Point and Prospect Park Railroad as a branch of the Crosstown Line, connecting Williamsburg to the park.^[1] The branch was not profitable, and was bought (south of Park Avenue) by the Park Avenue Railroad, which turned it into a line to Fulton Ferry, opened May 3, 1871. The tracks of the Brooklyn City and Newtown Railroad (DeKalb Avenue Line) were used from the ferry to Concord Street, heading eastbound on Water and Bridge Streets and westbound on Front and Gold Streets. There the new line turned east along Concord Street to Navy Street, south on Navy Street for a block, and east on Park Avenue; the Navy Street and Park Avenue trackage was owned by the Crosstown Line.^{[citation needed]} Soon the line was extended south on Prospect Park West to Greenwood Cemetery; the portion between 9th Street and 15th Street was Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad trackage.^[2] Andrew R. Culver, after whom the BMT Culver Line to Coney Island is named, was president of the company by 1872.^[3]

The Park Avenue Railroad merged with the Greenwood and Coney Island Railroad on October 9, 1874 to form the Prospect Park and Coney Island Railroad.^{[citation needed]} In June 1883, soon after the Brooklyn Bridge opened, the PP&CI rerouted the line to take advantage of it. Tracks were built in Concord Street from Bridge Street west to Washington Street, and the PP&CI used the newer alignment of the DeKalb Avenue Line on Washington Street past the bridge to Front and Water Streets. The older alignment via Gold and Bridge Streets, which had been used solely by the PP&CI for a while, was abandoned.^[4][5][6][7]

Following an agreement made on December 10, 1885,^[8] the Atlantic Avenue Railroad leased the Vanderbilt Avenue Line on January 1, 1886. This lease included the entire horse railroad property of the PP&CI, which kept its steam railroad from the Ninth Avenue Depot at Greenwood Cemetery south to Coney Island. It also included franchises to build and operate the old route via Gold and Bridge Streets, as well as the proposed 15th Street Line from Hamilton Ferry to the depot, Hicks Street Line from South Ferry to the depot, and Park Avenue Line from downtown east to Bushwick. Additionally, the Atlantic Avenue Railroad obtained a lease on the Ninth Avenue Depot.^[9] Culver had long desired to rid himself of the horse line, preferring to operate only the steam extension.^[10]

The Nassau Electric Railroad began operating the line under lease (of the Atlantic Avenue Railroad) on April 5, 1896,^[11] and the Brooklyn Heights Railroad leased the Nassau Electric in 1899.^{[citation needed]} Vanderbilt Avenue cars were through-routed with the Gravesend Avenue Line for many years.^{[citation needed]} Buses were substituted for streetcars on August 20, 1950.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

1. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Cross Town Railroad, April 9, 1869, page 2
2. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The Park Avenue Line of Cars, May 3, 1871, page 4
3. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Park Avenue Railroad Depot, August 9, 1872, page 2
4. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Tearing Up the Cobblestones, June 4, 1883, page 4
5. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Events in Brooklyn, June 10, 1883, page 5
6. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Unused Tracks, October 2, 1883, page 2
7. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The Board of Aldermen, June 10, 1884, page 2
8. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Quick Travel, January 7, 1886, page 1
9. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, A Big Lease, December 21, 1885, page 4
10. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mr. Culver Satisfied, December 28, 1885, page 4
11. ^ Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Run by the Nassau Now, April 5, 1896, page 9