- Bushwick Avenue Line
The Bushwick Avenue Line or Bushwick Line was a
public transit line inBrooklyn ,New York City ,United States , running mostly alongBushwick Avenue andMyrtle Avenue between Williamsburg andRidgewood, Queens .History
The
Bushwick Railroad opened the line from theGrand Street Ferry east to their stables on Bushwick Avenue in late May or early June 1868. The line began at the company's office at the intersection of Grand Street and Kent Avenue, and proceeded south on Kent Avenue (Brooklyn City Rail Road 'sGreenpoint Line ), east on Broadway (Broadway Railroad 's Broadway Line trackage), north on Bedford Avenue , east on South Fourth Street and Meserole Street, and southeast on Bushwick Avenue. [cite BDE|title=New City Railroad|md=June 3|y=1868|page=3] The line was soon extended southeast on Bushwick Avenue and east onMyrtle Avenue toMyrtle Avenue Park (near Cypress Avenue) inRidgewood, Queens .Fact|date=February 2007 A branch to theGreenpoint Ferry , through which cars were operated between this ferry and Ridgewood, was opened onSeptember 18 ,1875 . This branch split at Graham Avenue, turning north along theBrooklyn City Rail Road 'sGraham Avenue Line . At the end of that line, it turned west on several blocks of new trackage on Driggs Avenue before reaching theBrooklyn Crosstown Railroad 's Crosstown Line in Manhattan Avenue. There it turned north through Manhattan Avenue to Greenpoint Avenue, turning west there onto new trackage to reach the ferry. An extension was planned south to theProspect Park and Coney Island Railroad depot via Graham Avenue, Tompkins Avenue, Brooklyn Avenue, Prospect Place, and Vanderbilt Avenue. [cite BDE|title=A New Railroad|md=September 20|y=1875|page=4] [cite BDE|title=Street Cars|md=September 22|y=1875|page=2] This was built somewhat differently as theTompkins Avenue Line the next year. [cite BDE|title=Enterprise|md=July 10|y=1876|page=4]The
Brooklyn City Rail Road extended its Myrtle Avenue Line east from its former terminus at Broadway to Bushwick Avenue and thence over the Bushwick Railroad's line to Myrtle Avenue Park in August 1879. [cite BDE|title=Myrtle Avenue Extension|md=August 18|y=1879|page=4] The BCRR leased the Bushwick Railroad onJuly 27 ,1888 . [cite BDE|title=The Lease Ratified|md=July 27|y=1888|page=4] OnOctober 18 ,1888 , the court ruled that the BCRR had no right to operate over theBrooklyn Crosstown Railroad trackage on Manhattan Avenue, gained through an 1875 agreement between the Bushwick and Crosstown Railroads. [cite BDE|title=Crosstown Against Brooklyn City|md=October 2|y=1888|page=6] [cite BDE|title=The Crosstown Road Wins|md=October 18|y=1888|page=6] The Crosstown owned theGreenpoint and Calvary Cemetery Railroad , which included theCalvary Cemetery Line from Greenpoint Ferry to Calvary Cemetery. [cite BDE|title=General Slocum's New Purchase|md=April 22|y=1887|page=6] The BCRR leased the Crosstown in mid-1889, [cite BDE|title=Five Car Lines|md=October 31|y=1889|page=8] but did not restore the Bushwick Avenue branch to the ferry.Fact|date=February 2007Eventually, the
Graham Avenue Line was extended over the trackage on Driggs Avenue, and the Greenpoint Avenue trackage to theGreenpoint Ferry became part of several lines, including theLorimer Street Line , Union Avenue Line , andCalvary Cemetery Line .Fact|date=February 2007At some point, westbound traffic to the
Williamsburg Bridge was rerouted to use theWilson Avenue Line (Johnson Avenue and Broadway) to the crossing of Johnson and Bushwick Avenues, and eastbound Wilson Avenue cars were moved to the Bushwick Avenue Line.Fact|date=February 2007 Streetcars were discontinued onSeptember 1 ,1947 .Fact|date=February 2007References
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