Fulton Street Line (elevated)

History

The Kings County Elevated Railway opened the line, from dual western terminals at Fulton Ferry and Brooklyn Bridge (Sands Street) east to Nostrand Avenue, on April 24, 1888. Construction on this line started in the fall of 1885, when ground was broken at the corner of Fulton Street and Red Hook Lane. It was extended east to Albany Avenue on May 30, 1888; Albany Avenue was an eastbound-only station, and the westbound station just beyond at Sumner Avenue had yet to be completed, so it temporarily served both directions. The line was further extended to Ralph Avenue on September 20, 1888.

The Fulton Elevated Railroad was incorporated on July 6, 1888, to build a disconnected line from Greenpoint south through Williamsburg to Kent and Myrtle Avenues and to extend the Kings County Elevated east beyond Rockaway Avenue to the city line. The former was not built, but construction soon began on the latter. The first piece, over Fulton Street and Williams Place, opened on July 4, 1889, connecting with the Long Island Rail Road's Manhattan Crossing station at the new terminal at Atlantic Avenue.

It was extended further, over Snediker Avenue and Pitkin Avenue, to Van Siclen Avenue on November 18, 1889. Due to a shortage of wood for a storage yard, a temporary shuttle was operated between Pennsylvania Avenue and Van Siclen Avenue until mid-December. Construction above Pitkin Avenue progressed to Linwood Street on February 22, 1892, and Montauk Avenue on March 21, 1892. The line was completed to Grant Avenue at City Line on July 16, 1894, with the opening of a structure above Pitkin Avenue, Euclid Avenue, and Liberty Avenue.

The Kings County Elevated leased the Brooklyn and Brighton Beach Railroad on February 5, 1896. A two-block elevated connection between Franklin Avenue station and the Brighton Beach Line's Bedford station, including a new station at Dean Street, opened on August 15, 1896, and the Kings County Elevated began operating trains between the Brooklyn Bridge (Sands Street) and Brighton Beach. Through service across the Brooklyn Bridge was inaugurated on November 1, 1898 for off-peak hours.

The final extension, from Grant Avenue east to Lefferts Avenue, was built under the Dual Contracts and opened on September 25, 1915. In 1917, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce started fighting for the removal of the Fulton Street El. The Dual Contracts also triple-tracked the line as part of the Dual Contracts, starting in 1913. The new third track went into operation on December 27, 1915, stretching between Manhattan Junction and Nostrand Avenue. Some trains ran express in the peak direction.

This also led to the reconstruction, replacement, and elimination of some stations. The Public Service Commission received a petition on December 9, 1916, from a large number of civic and business organizations to restrict the third tracking to a point in the vicinity of Cumberland Avenue.

In 1929, the Independent Subway System (IND) began planning their own Fulton Street subway immediately below the Elevated. The underground line was opened from Jay Street to Rockaway Avenue on April 9, 1936, including a stub terminal at Court Street. Stations west of Rockaway Avenue were being made obsolete as many were being replaced by the subway stations. Trains last ran on the line west of Rockaway Avenue on May 31, 1940, and these stations were closed the following day. The total cost of demolition of the Fulton Street Elevated was $2 million.

On June 1, 1940, a free transfer was provided to the Fulton Street subway at Rockaway Avenue, and a new "Fulton–Lexington Avenue" service via the Lexington Avenue Elevated west of East New York was introduced. The remainder of the line west of Hudson Street (now 80th Street) was closed on April 26, 1956, and Fulton Street subway trains began using the line east of Hudson Street on April 29. The remaining segment of the Fulton Street Elevated east of 80th Street is now used by the .

Service patterns

Main article: BMT 13

The primary service pattern was a simple one-end-to-the-other operation, until May 31, 1940, when the 13 was cut back to Rockaway Avenue, and the BMT 12 took over operations from downtown Brooklyn to Lefferts Boulevard.

Station listing

Most Fulton Street trains left the line at Sands Street and ended at Park Row rather than Fulton Ferry.

References

References

1. (April 21, 1888). "Trains to Run On The Kings County Elevated Next Tuesday.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
2. (April 24, 1888). "Heavy Travel During the Morning Hours on the Kings County Road". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
3. (May 31, 1940). "Fulton St. 'L' Was Last Word In Progress at '88 Opening". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
4. (May 29, 1888). "For Decoration Day Travel. The Kings County Road's New Stations Will Open To-morrow.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
5. (September 9, 1888). "Sunday Morning Section". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
6. (July 7, 1888). "Fulton Elevated Incorporated". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
7. (July 9, 1888). "Fulton Elevated Railroad". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
8. (June 28, 1889). "The Fulton Street Elevated. Time of Night Train to be Reduced. New Stations and Rolling Stock.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
9. (November 12, 1889). "Will Be Opened Monday: The Kings County Elevated Road's Extension". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
10. (November 16, 1889). "Adding a Mile To The Line of the Kings County Elevated Road". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
11. (November 18, 1889). "Hats Tossed Up. The Kings County Road's Opening Provokes Enthusiasm.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
12. (December 10, 1889). "Kings County Road's Shuttle Train". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
13. (February 22, 1892). "Another L Station Opened. The Kings County Line Extended to Linwood Street.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
14. (March 21, 1892). "Another L Station Opened. The Kings County Road Now Runs to Montauk Avenue.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
15. (July 13, 1894). "Extending the Fulton Street Elevated. One Mile More Will Be Opened On Monday Morning.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
16. (February 5, 1896). "Brighton Beach Road Leased. Kings County Elevated Trains Will Run To Coney Island. Rapid Transit For Flatbush.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
17. (August 14, 1896). "New Route to Coney Island". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
18. (August 14, 1896). "First Trains to Brighton Over The Extension of the Kings County Elevated". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
19. (1898-11-01). "KINGS CO. L BEGINS ITS BRIDGE SERVICE". Brooklyn Eagle.
20. (September 26, 1915). "New Elevated Line Opened For Queens; Parades and Speeches Near the Lefferts Avenue Station of Liberty Avenue Route.". The New York Times.
21. (May 31, 1940). "Boro Chamber Backed 'L' Removal of Years". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
22. (October 29, 1913). "Fulton Street Consents to Go to P.S. Board". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
23. (December 27, 1915). ""L" Expresses Installed. Fulton St. 3d Track in Use. Service Improved.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
24. (May 31, 1940). "Petition Hit Third Track". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
25. (September 22, 1929). "Our Great Subway Network Spreads Wider; New Plans of Board of Transportation Involve the Building of More Than One Hundred Miles of Additional Rapid Transit Routes for New York". [[The New York Times]].
26. (April 6, 1936). "Two Subway Links Start Wednesday". [[The New York Times]].
27. (April 9, 1936). "New Subway Link Opened By Mayor; He Tells 15,000 in Brooklyn It Will Be Extended to Queens When Red Tape Is Cut.". The New York Times.
28. (June 1, 1940). "Last Train Is Run On Fulton St 'El'; Mayor, Cashmore, Officials and Civic Leaders Make Trip to Brooklyn Terminus Razing To Start Soon 'Funeral' Services for Line, Built in 1888, Are Held in Kings During Afternoon". The New York Times.
29. (May 31, 1940). "Brooklyn Takes Another Great Step Forward". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
30. (May 27, 1940). "B.M.T. 'El' Lines to Shift Service; City to Close 2 Sections This Week; New Schedules Affect Fulton St., Lexington Ave. and Culver Roads--Free Transfers to the Independent System at Some Stations". The New York Times.
31. [http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/transportation/broadway_junction_pt1.pdf Broadway Junction Transportation Study (Part 1) (NYC.gov)] {{webarchive. link. (March 4, 2016)
32. (April 30, 1956). "First Leg of Rockaways Transit Opened at Cost of $10,154,702".
33. {{Cite Routes Not Taken
34. "1912 BRT Rapid Transit Prior to its Extension Under the Dual Subway Contracts".
36. "www.nycsubway.org". nycsubway.org.
37. "www.nycsubway.org". nycsubway.org.
38. (September 30, 1888). "Will Open At Ralph Avenue To-morrow.". Brooklyn Daily Eagle.
39. (November 27, 1888). "The Saratoga Avenue station of the Kings County Road". [[Brooklyn Daily Eagle]].
40. (November 17, 1888). "Brooklyn.". New-York Tribune.