Manhattan Beach Branch

The Manhattan Beach Branch, Manhattan Beach Line, or Manhattan Beach Division was a line of the Long Island Rail Road, running from Fresh Pond, Queens, south to Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It opened in 1877 and 1878 as the main line of the New York and Manhattan Beach Railway. The tracks from Flatbush south to Manhattan Beach were removed from 1938 to 1941,[1] while most of the rest is now the freight-only Bay Ridge Branch.

Manhattan Beach Branch
1878 map, including the short-lived Prospect Park Division
Overview
StatusAbandoned
OwnerLong Island Rail Road
LocaleBrooklyn, New York, USA
TerminiMyrtle Avenue
Manhattan Beach
Stations8
Service
SystemLong Island Rail Road
Operator(s)Long Island Rail Road
History
Opened1877
Closed1930s
Technical
Number of tracks2
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Route map
Bay Ridge Branch
​ Brighton Line (BFCIRR)
 Manhattan Beach Junction
 South Greenfield
(Avenue M)
 King's Highway
 Neck Road
 Race Track
 Sheepshead Bay
​ Brighton Line (BFCIRR)
 Manhattan Beach

At Manhattan Beach, the line extended east to Oriental Beach, and a branch to the Sheepshead Bay Race Track was provided north of Sheepshead Bay. Other lines in the Manhattan Beach Division included the West Brighton Beach Division (Culver Line),[2] Bay Ridge Branch, and Evergreen Branch.

History

Planning for a line to Bay Ridge began in 1870 by the New York and Hempstead Plains Railroad (which built the Southern Hempstead Branch from Valley Stream to Hempstead). By 1873, the line was to run from Bay Ridge to East New York, where it would join the LIRR's Atlantic Avenue Division to Jamaica. The panic of 1873 struck after much work had been done in grading the new line.[3]

Incorporation

The New York, Bay Ridge and Jamaica Railroad was incorporated on November 20, 1875,[4] to complete the work and operate the line to Jamaica, using the Brooklyn and Rockaway Beach Railroad (Canarsie Line) from New Lots to East New York and the LIRR Atlantic Avenue Division to Jamaica.[5] The first piece, from the Bay Ridge Ferry (to South Ferry, Manhattan) to the crossing of the Brooklyn, Bath and Coney Island Railroad (West End Line) at New Utrecht, opened on August 23, 1876. Trains were operated over the BB&CI to Coney Island via trackage rights from this junction.[6] Banker Austin Corbin incorporated the New York and Manhattan Beach Railway on October 24, 1876,[4] to build a branch of this line to Manhattan Beach and extend it beyond East New York to Greenpoint and Hunter's Point. Corbin gained control of the New York, Bay Ridge and Jamaica Railroad on November 15, 1876.[7][8] The NY&MB bought the eastern half of Coney Island from the town of Gravesend and renamed it Manhattan Beach.[9]

The NYBR&J built the line from Bay Ridge east to New Lots, while the NY&MB built from Manhattan Beach north to the NYBR&J at Manhattan Beach Junction and from New Lots north to East New York on the west side of the Canarsie Line.[4] The new 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge system opened to terminals at Bay Ridge and East New York on July 18, 1877, concurrently with the Manhattan Beach Hotel and the New York and Sea Beach Railroad.[10] (The NY&MB leased the NYBR&J.[11])

The Glendale and East River Railroad was incorporated on March 26, 1874,[12] to build a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge line from Greenpoint east to Glendale, Queens,[13] and was also acquired by Corbin in November 1876.[14] The line north from East New York to Jefferson Street was built by the NY&MB under the charter of the Brooklyn and Rockaway Beach Railroad (Canarsie Line),[4][15] which gave its right to construct an extension to Hunter's Point to the NY&MB.[16] The rest from Jefferson Street to Greenpoint was built by the G&ER and leased by the NY&MB.[12] This extension beyond East New York to Greenpoint opened at the beginning of the season on May 16, 1878.[17][18]

The Kings County Central Railroad was incorporated in 1877 by Electus B. Litchfield and Austin Corbin to build a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge line from downtown Brooklyn via the east side of Prospect Park to a connection with the NYBR&J east of Manhattan Beach, and to be leased by the NYBR&J.[19] The line, operated by the NY&MB as its Prospect Park Division (along with the Bay Ridge and Greenpoint Divisions),[20] was opened June 29, 1878, to Prospect Park,[21][22] but was a failure and closed for good at the end of the 1878 season.[23]

The Eastern Railroad of Long Island was organized on November 28, 1878,[24] to build a 3 ft (914 mm) line from East New York on the NY&MB east via Woodhaven, Clarenceville, Jamaica, Springfield, Woodsburgh, Valley Stream, East Rockaway, Christian Hook, Freeport, Merrick, and South Oyster Bay to Babylon in competition with the LIRR's Southern Railroad Division. Corbin, who owned a summer house near Babylon,[25] put up the money to build the road, which was also planned to cross the South Bay near Amityville to Fire Island.[26]

Post-incorporation

Corbin acquired a controlling interest in the Long Island Rail Road on November 29, 1880[27] and became president on January 1, 1881. In December 1881, the LIRR leased the NY&MB and NYBR&J as the Manhattan Beach Division,[28] with plans to change it to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge and build connections to the Atlantic Avenue Division and Montauk Division.[29] The lines from East New York to Manhattan Beach and Bay Ridge were converted to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge after the 1882 season, and the Long Island City and Manhattan Beach Railroad (incorporated February 24, 1883) built a connection from the new Cooper Avenue Junction north to another new junction, Fresh Pond Junction, on the Montauk.[30] Trains began running from Flatbush Avenue to Manhattan Beach via the Atlantic Avenue Division on May 30, 1883,[31] and from Long Island City via the Montauk Division on June 2, 1883.[32]

For the 1884 season (opened May 29), the double-track narrow gauge line between East New York and Greenpoint was replaced with a single standard gauge track.[33] 1885 was the last year that trains ran to Greenpoint, and the line between Greenpoint and the Bushwick Branch crossing was abandoned in October;[12] they started using Bushwick instead in the 1886 season.[34] Passenger trains stopped serving the line, later the Evergreen Branch, to Bushwick in 1894.

Former Neck Road LIRR station along the east side of the BMT Brighton Line in Homecrest, Brooklyn.

The New York, Bay Ridge and Jamaica Railroad, New York and Manhattan Beach Railroad, and Long Island City and Manhattan Beach Railroad merged on August 27, 1885 to form the New York, Brooklyn and Manhattan Beach Railway.[4] This company was merged into the LIRR on June 19, 1925,[35] and the Glendale and East River Railroad was absorbed in 1928.

Closure and post-closure

The line south of Manhattan Beach Junction was upgraded to a grade-separated embankment shared with the Brighton Beach Line during 1907-1909. A New York State prohibition on racetrack wagering and the decline of the more upscale resorts on Coney Island, combined with more direct and lower-priced competition from nearby rapid transit and streetcar lines, led to a rapid decline in the Manhattan Beach's economic viability. Passenger service ended completely in 1924,[36] and freight ended in 1935. On May 17, 1937, the LIRR applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission for permission to abandon the line.[37]

In 2011, the long abandoned right-of-way of the New York, Brooklyn and Manhattan Beach Railway was subject to legal action by some homeowners living adjacent to its route in Sheepshead Bay, who wanted to acquire undisputed title to it.[38]

List of stations
Miles from LIC Name Opened Closed Notes
5.06[39] Myrtle Avenue 1893 May 14, 1924
5.50[39] Cypress Avenue
originally Dummy Crossing, then Ridgewood		 June 2, 1883 May 14, 1924
Cooper Avenue June 2, 1883 1894
Central Avenue June 2, 1883 1884
6.53[39] Bushwick Avenue 1884 1915
Fulton Street 1914 May 14, 1924
7.00[39] East New York
earlier Manhattan Crossing		 July 18, 1877 May 14, 1924
New Lots Road July 18, 1877 1897
9.22[39] Rugby
earlier Ford's Corners		 1888 May 14, 1924
10.18[39] Kouwenhoven July 18, 1877 May 14, 1924
11.45[39] Vanderveer Park
earlier Flatlands		 1878 May 14, 1924
Kings County Central Junction June 29, 1878[22] late 1878
12.04[39] Ocean Avenue July 18, 1877 May 14, 1924
12.87[39] South Greenfield July 18, 1877 May 14, 1924 Connection to Brooklyn, Flatbush and Coney Island Railway
13.51[39] King's Highway 1883 May 14, 1924
14.46[39] Neck Road 1893 May 14, 1924
14.77[39] Race Track Named for Sheepshead Bay Race Track[40]
15.10[39] Sheepshead Bay July 18, 1877 May 14, 1924 Connection to Brooklyn, Flatbush and Coney Island Railway
16.10[39] Manhattan Beach July 18, 1877 May 14, 1924

Station list
Miles Name Opened Closed Notes
0[41] Greenpoint May 16, 1878 September 28, 1885
0.56[41] Fifth Street 1878 1879
0.99[41] Humboldt Street May 16, 1878 September 28, 1885
1.75[41] Grand Street May 16, 1878 September 28, 1885
South Side Railroad Crossing May 16, 1878
June 1886		 May 25, 1881
1890		 Crossing with Bushwick Branch near Varick Avenue
Ridgewood
earlier DeKalb Avenue		 July 14, 1878 1894
3.26[41] Myrtle Avenue May 16, 1878 May 1882
3.95[41] Cooper Avenue June 2, 1883 1894 Crossing with Bay Ridge Branch; Also called Cooper Avenue Junction

References
  1. Ziel, Ron (1987). Steel rails to the sunrise. Mattituck, N.Y: Amereon House. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8488-0368-1. OCLC 18506373.
  2. "Culver Line". arrts-arrchives.com.
  3. Seyfried, Vincent F. (1961). The Long Island Rail Road: A Comprehensive History, Part One: South Side R.R. of L.I.
  4. Interstate Commerce Commission. "Valuation Report: New York, Brooklyn and Manhattan Beach". Archived from the original on June 26, 2002.
  5. "Rapid Transit". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. January 28, 1876. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "By Rail". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. August 19, 1876. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Bay Ridge Railroad". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. November 17, 1876. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "The Bay Ridge Railroad". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. November 18, 1876. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "The Seaside". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. July 12, 1877. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Opened". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. July 19, 1877. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "The Coney Island Railroad Interest". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. December 5, 1878. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Interstate Commerce Commission. "Valuation Report: Glendale and East River". Archived from the original on April 26, 2003.
  13. "PRR Chronology, 1874" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2007. March 2005 edition
  14. "PRR Chronology, 1876" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2006. April 2006 edition
  15. "PRR Chronology, 1877" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2006. June 2006 edition
  16. "P. R. R. Interests Win and Keep L. I. City Rights". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. May 29, 1902. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Manhattan Beach". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. May 16, 1878. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Opened". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. May 17, 1878. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Quick Transit". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. July 20, 1877. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Manhattan Beach Railway". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. August 26, 1878. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Coney Island". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. June 28, 1878. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. "Opened". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. June 30, 1878. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Manhattan Beach". lirrhistory.com.
  24. "PRR Chronology, 1878" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2006. June 2006 edition
  25. "Railroads". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. October 19, 1878. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. "More Steam". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. April 12, 1879. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. "A New Era". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. November 30, 1880. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. "Manhattan Beach". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. May 24, 1883. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. "Leased". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. December 9, 1881. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. "Preparing for Summer Travel". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. May 27, 1883. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. "Long Island Railroad". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. May 29, 1883. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  32. "The New Route to Manhattan Beach". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. June 5, 1883. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. "A New Track and New Cars". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. May 24, 1884. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. "Manhattan Beach". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. June 12, 1886. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. "PRR Chronology, 1925" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 14, 2006. June 2004 edition
  36. "When Brooklyn had its own railroad lines". Brooklyn Eagle. September 9, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  37. "Long Island R. R. Files Plea". The New York Times. May 18, 1937. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 17, 2017.
  38. Roberts, Sam (June 17, 2011). "Forgotten Railroad's Land Makes a Great Back Porch". New York Times. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  39. "Employee timetable". Arrt's Arrchives. June 16, 1908.
  40. "Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay Race Track". Arrt's Arrchives.
  41. "1879 REPORT TO NEW YORK STATE RAILROAD COMMISSION". Arrt's Arrchives.
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