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Copyright © 2001-2006 Arthur John Huneke
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
BY RAIL TO THE SEA
TO THE ROCKAWAYS
Made a new page August 16, 2004 and revised October 15, 2004 and February 10, 2006.
THE FIRST TRAIN SERVICE TO THE ROCKAWAYS WAS PROVIDED BY
THE BROOKLYN & ROCKAWAY BEACH RAILROAD COMPANY
THE CANARSIE LINE
WHICH WAS INCORPORATED DECEMBER 24, 1863 AND COMMENCED OPERATION
IN THE AUTUMN OF 1866. TRAINS RAN FROM EAST NEW YORK TO CANARSIE
FROM WHERE A STEAMBOAT CARRIED PASSENGERS TO ROCKAWAY BEACH.
THE ORIGINAL EAST NEW YORK TERMINAL WAS AT BROADWAY WHERE PASSENGERS
WERE BROUGHT BY HORSE CAR LINES ON BROADWAY AND FULTON AVENUE.
BY 1877 THE EAST NEW YORK TERMINAL WAS CHANGED TO
THE HOWARD HOUSE
WHERE THERE WERE CONNECTIONS WITH THE
LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD AND THE HORSE CAR LINES.
LOOKING EAST FROM THE B. R. T. ELEVATED RAILROAD CIRCA 1896. THE TRAIN FURTHEST LEFT 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. 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.
SUMMER 1896 HOWARD HOUSE TIMETABLE
ROCKAWAY BEACH TRAINS AT LEFT ARE VIA LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD. SOME REQUIRED A CHANGE AT WOODHAVEN JUNCTION. AT RIGHT ARE TRAINS FOR CANARSIE WITH STEAMBOAT CONNECTIONS FOR ROCKAWAY BEACH.
SOUTH SIDE RAILROAD OF LONG ISLAND
ON JULY 29, 1869 THE SOUTH SIDE RAILROAD OF LONG ISLAND OPENED A BRANCH FROM VALLEY STREAM TO FAR ROCKAWAY. ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1869 THE TRACK WAS EXTENDED ANOTHER MILE TO ROCKAWAY BEACH ("BEACH").
PUBLIC TIME TABLE OF MAY 30, 1870 SHOWS THE ROCKAWAY BRANCH
IN 1872 THE BRANCH WAS EXTENDED FURTHER WEST TO THE RAILROAD'S
"SOUTH SIDE PAVILLION"
BY 1873 THE LINE HAD REACHED THE SEASIDE HOUSE -
BY MAY 1875 THE NEPTUNE HOUSE AT BEACH 116th STREET.
SEASIDE HOUSE CIRCA 1908
NEW YORK & HEMPSTEAD R.R. TO THE ROCKAWAYS
THIS MAY 14, 1877 TIME TABLE FROM THE HEMPSTEAD INQUIRER SHOWS DAILY
SERVICE BETWEEN HEMPSTEAD AND NEPTUNE HOUSE, ROCKAWAY BEACH.
THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD TO THE ROCKAWAYS
ACROSS JAMAICA BAY
FROM 1898 UNTIL 1917 TRAINS OF THE BROOKLYN RAPID TRANSIT RAN FROM BROADWAY FERRRY - AND LATER MANHATTAN VIA THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE - TO ROCKAWAY PARK. THEY LEFT THE JAMAICA AVENUE ELEVATED AND RAN SOUTH TO A CONNECTION WITH THE LONG ISLAND AT CHESTNUT STREET JUNCTION AND THEN ALONG THE ATLANTIC BRANCH TO WOODHAVEN JUNCTION WHERE THEY WERE SWITCHED TO THE ROCKAWAY BEACH DIVISION. UNTIL 1905 THEY WERE STEAM POWERED. THIS B.R.T. TRAIN WAS PHOTOGRAPHED AT SEASIDE.
TYPICAL SUMMER TRAIN TO ROCKAWAY PARK - TWELVE MP54's. W.J.Rugen photo
THIS OCTOBER 31, 1948 FAN TRIP HAS A BRAND NEW DOUBLE DECKER, NUMBER 1294, AN MP54 AND A GONDOLA WITH RAILINGS AND SEATS AND HAS MADE A PHOTO STOP AT THE RAUNT.
WISH I HAD BEEN A PASSENGER! W.J.Rugen photo
THE AUTOMATIC SIGNALS ON THE TRESTLE WERE ALL ON THE SOUTH SIDE, EASTWARD AND WESTWARD SIGNALS SHARING THE SAME MASTS. IN THE DISTANCE ARE A WESTWARD SEMAPHORE AND EASTWARD POSITION LIGHT SIGNAL ON ONE MAST. W.J.Rugen photo
TO THE ROCKAWAYS
Made a new page August 16, 2004 and revised October 15, 2004 and February 10, 2006.
THE FIRST TRAIN SERVICE TO THE ROCKAWAYS WAS PROVIDED BY
THE BROOKLYN & ROCKAWAY BEACH RAILROAD COMPANY
THE CANARSIE LINE
WHICH WAS INCORPORATED DECEMBER 24, 1863 AND COMMENCED OPERATION
IN THE AUTUMN OF 1866. TRAINS RAN FROM EAST NEW YORK TO CANARSIE
FROM WHERE A STEAMBOAT CARRIED PASSENGERS TO ROCKAWAY BEACH.
THE ORIGINAL EAST NEW YORK TERMINAL WAS AT BROADWAY WHERE PASSENGERS
WERE BROUGHT BY HORSE CAR LINES ON BROADWAY AND FULTON AVENUE.
BY 1877 THE EAST NEW YORK TERMINAL WAS CHANGED TO
THE HOWARD HOUSE
WHERE THERE WERE CONNECTIONS WITH THE
LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD AND THE HORSE CAR LINES.
LOOKING EAST FROM THE B. R. T. ELEVATED RAILROAD CIRCA 1896. THE TRAIN FURTHEST LEFT 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. 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.
SUMMER 1896 HOWARD HOUSE TIMETABLE
ROCKAWAY BEACH TRAINS AT LEFT ARE VIA LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD. SOME REQUIRED A CHANGE AT WOODHAVEN JUNCTION. AT RIGHT ARE TRAINS FOR CANARSIE WITH STEAMBOAT CONNECTIONS FOR ROCKAWAY BEACH.
SOUTH SIDE RAILROAD OF LONG ISLAND
ON JULY 29, 1869 THE SOUTH SIDE RAILROAD OF LONG ISLAND OPENED A BRANCH FROM VALLEY STREAM TO FAR ROCKAWAY. ON SEPTEMBER 2, 1869 THE TRACK WAS EXTENDED ANOTHER MILE TO ROCKAWAY BEACH ("BEACH").
PUBLIC TIME TABLE OF MAY 30, 1870 SHOWS THE ROCKAWAY BRANCH
IN 1872 THE BRANCH WAS EXTENDED FURTHER WEST TO THE RAILROAD'S
"SOUTH SIDE PAVILLION"
BY 1873 THE LINE HAD REACHED THE SEASIDE HOUSE -
BY MAY 1875 THE NEPTUNE HOUSE AT BEACH 116th STREET.
SEASIDE HOUSE CIRCA 1908
FOR STATIONS BETWEEN VALLEY STREAM AND FAR ROCKAWAY SEE
FAR ROCKAWAY BRANCH
FAR ROCKAWAY BRANCH
NEW YORK & HEMPSTEAD R.R. TO THE ROCKAWAYS
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IN APRIL 1868 RESIDENTS OF HEMPSTEAD INCORPORATED THE HEMPSTEAD & ROCKAWAY RAILROAD TO RUN FROM THEIR VILLAGE TO A CONNECTION WITH THE SOUTH SIDE RAIL ROAD AT VALLEY STREAM. SURVEYORS WERE PUT TO WORK AND A CONTRACTOR HIRED. FINANCIAL AND LEGAL PROBLEMS DELAYED CONSTRUCTION UNTIL JANUARY 1870. THE BACKERS THEN INCORPORATED THEMSELVES AS THE NEW YORK & HEMPSTEAD PLAINS RAILROAD WITH PLANS TO BUILD TO THE EAST RIVER AT BAY RIDGE. ON SEPTEMBER 28, 1870 THE LINE TO VALLEY STREAM OPENED AS THE HEMPSTEAD BRANCH OF THE SOUTH SIDE RAIL ROAD WITH STATIONS AT BRIDGEPORT, NORWOOD AND WOODFIELD. MORE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS RESULTED IN THE MERGER OF THE TWO COMPANIES AND REORGANIZATION AS THE NEW YORK & HEMPSTEAD RAILROAD. |
THIS MAY 14, 1877 TIME TABLE FROM THE HEMPSTEAD INQUIRER SHOWS DAILY
SERVICE BETWEEN HEMPSTEAD AND NEPTUNE HOUSE, ROCKAWAY BEACH.
THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD TO THE ROCKAWAYS
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ON DECEMBER 30, 1870 THE NEW YORK & ROCKAWAY RAILROAD COMPANY WAS CHARTERED TO BUILD FROM ROCKAWAY JUNCTION (LATER HILLSIDE) TO FAR ROCKAWAY. THIS LINE CROSSED THE SOUTH SIDE RAIL ROAD AT SPRINGFIELD JUNCTION AND RAN DIRECTLY TO OCEAN POINT (CEDARHURST) WHERE IT CURVED AND RAN ADJACENT TO THE SOUTH SIDE AS FAR AS FAR ROCKAWAY. IT THEN CROSSED THE S.S.R.R. AND RAN TO ITS TERMINAL AT LOCKWOOD'S GROVE. THE ROUTE BETWEEN SPRINGFIELD JUNCTION AND CEDARHURST WAS LATER KNOWN AS THE "CEDARHURST CUT OFF". THE LINE BETWEEN FAR ROCKAWAY AND LOCKWOOD'S GROVE WAS LATER KNOWN AS "THE GROVE TRACK". ABOUT JULY 1, 1871 THE LINE WAS LEASED TO THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD. |
1880 - READ THE SMALL PRINT.
ACROSS JAMAICA BAY
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THE NEW YORK, WOODHAVEN & ROCKAWAY RAILROAD COMPANY BUILT A TRESTLE ACROSS JAMAICA BAY AND BEGAN OPERATING IN 1880. THEIR TRAINS RAN OVER THE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD BETWEEN WOODHAVEN JUNCTION AND FLATBUSH AVENUE TERMINAL AND BETWEEN GLENDALE JUNCTION AND LONG ISLAND CITY WITH THROUGH TRAINS TO BUSHWICK AS WELL. |
FROM 1898 UNTIL 1917 TRAINS OF THE BROOKLYN RAPID TRANSIT RAN FROM BROADWAY FERRRY - AND LATER MANHATTAN VIA THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE - TO ROCKAWAY PARK. THEY LEFT THE JAMAICA AVENUE ELEVATED AND RAN SOUTH TO A CONNECTION WITH THE LONG ISLAND AT CHESTNUT STREET JUNCTION AND THEN ALONG THE ATLANTIC BRANCH TO WOODHAVEN JUNCTION WHERE THEY WERE SWITCHED TO THE ROCKAWAY BEACH DIVISION. UNTIL 1905 THEY WERE STEAM POWERED. THIS B.R.T. TRAIN WAS PHOTOGRAPHED AT SEASIDE.
TYPICAL SUMMER TRAIN TO ROCKAWAY PARK - TWELVE MP54's. W.J.Rugen photo
THIS OCTOBER 31, 1948 FAN TRIP HAS A BRAND NEW DOUBLE DECKER, NUMBER 1294, AN MP54 AND A GONDOLA WITH RAILINGS AND SEATS AND HAS MADE A PHOTO STOP AT THE RAUNT.
WISH I HAD BEEN A PASSENGER! W.J.Rugen photo
THE AUTOMATIC SIGNALS ON THE TRESTLE WERE ALL ON THE SOUTH SIDE, EASTWARD AND WESTWARD SIGNALS SHARING THE SAME MASTS. IN THE DISTANCE ARE A WESTWARD SEMAPHORE AND EASTWARD POSITION LIGHT SIGNAL ON ONE MAST. W.J.Rugen photo