Nassau Railroad Company was a streetcar company that ran in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

and Kings Counties in the State of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

during the 1850s and 1860s.

History

The NRR was chartered by the New York State Legislature under The General Railroad Law of 1850 (GRL-50) on March 3, 1865 just 37 days prior to the end of the Civil War. It was a rich railroad for those days - as street railroads went - for it had a capitalization of $600,000, and an unlimited corporate life. The railroad immediately petitioned for a franchise from the

City of Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, beh ...

, but it was denied on the grounds that the

Greenpoint and Williamsburgh Railroad The Greenpoint & Williamsburgh Railroad was a streetcar line that operated in and around the City of Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The G&WRR was chartered on April 23, 1864, under Chapter 323 of the Laws of 1864, by Mr ...

already had one for part of the route system the railroad was trying to get. The railroad next lobbied in Albany, and the Legislature issued the following franchise as a result, under Chapter 823, laws of 1866: CROSSTOWN: From Hunterspoint Ferry at the foot of West 2nd Street (54th Avenue) via the Williamsburgh, Ravenswood, and Astoria Turnpike, (Vernon Boulevard and Manhattan Avenue); Driggs Avenue (double track), Driggs Avenue/Bedford Avenue (single track each), Broadway, Rush Street, Kent Avenue, Washington Avenue, Park &

Flushing Avenue Flushing Avenue is a street running through northern Brooklyn and western Queens, beginning at Nassau Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, and ending at Grand Avenue in Maspeth. It divides the neighborhood of Williamsburg from Clinton Hill a ...

s (single track on each), Willoughby Street, Joralemon St, Court Street and Atlantic Avenue to South Ferry.North end of today's B-61 Crosstown bus route FRANKLIN AVENUE: From Crosstown via Washington Avenue, Montgomery Street, and Franklin to Flatbush Avenue.Southern portion of today's B-48 Franklin Avenue bus line The new railroad could never establish whether it actually intended to operate, or whether it was a stalking horse for the

. The two railroads promptly solved the route problem, but not before the City of Brooklyn tried to throw a monkey wrench into the whole deal. The Nassau RR could not obtain consents for the Washington Avenue portion between Myrtle and Atlantic Avenues, and - of course - the emphasis shifted from Flatbush Village as a source of revenue to

Grand Army Plaza Grand Army Plaza, originally known as Prospect Park Plaza, is a public plaza that comprises the northern corner and the main entrance of Prospect Park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It consists of concentric oval rings arranged as s ...

, which was to be the most public portion of Prospect Park, which was then under construction. The legislature solved the problem by amending the earlier franchise by issuing Chapter 286, Laws of 1868, which awarded the following route: VANDERBILT AVENUE: From Washington & Park Avenues via Washington Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, and

Vanderbilt Avenue Vanderbilt Avenue is the name of three thoroughfares in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island. They were named after Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794–1877), the builder of Grand Central Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. ...

. This established the Nassau Railroad as the first railroad on Vanderbilt Avenue, although other railroads would gain much more fame for the route than the Nassau Railroad.The middle portion of today's

B69 (New York City bus) The B69 is a bus route that constitutes a public transit line operating in Brooklyn, New York City, running along 7th Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue between Kensington and Dumbo. The B69 is operated by the MTA New York City Transit Authority. Its ...

Vanderbilt Avenue Bus Line

Resolution

The two railroads finally admitted that they had lobbied in Albany for permission to consolidate, and the legislature consented by passing Chapter 576, Laws of 1868, which authorized the consolidation. The consolidation was consummated on July 31, 1868, and the Brooklyn City, Hunterspoint and Prospect Park Railroad was born.

Notes

References

{{coord missing, New York City Streetcar lines in Brooklyn Streetcar lines in Queens, New York Predecessors of the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation Electric railways in New York (state)