The Culver Line, Gravesend Avenue Line, or McDonald Avenue Line was a surface

public transit Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

line in

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, be ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, running along McDonald Avenue and built by the Prospect Park and Coney Island Railroad. Most of its main line has been essentially replaced by the

IND Culver Line The IND Culver Line (formerly BMT Culver Line) is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, extending from Downtown Brooklyn south to Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, United States. The local tracks of the C ...

of the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October ...

. The company originally owned a

streetcar line A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

- the

Vanderbilt Avenue Line 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. It ...

- from Prospect Park north to

downtown Brooklyn Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City after Midtown Manhattan and Lower Manhattan), and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is known for its office and r ...

History

The original surface steam railroad opened in 1875 from Greenwood Depot on the eastern side of

Green-wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...

at current Prospect Park West (9th Avenue) and 20th Street in the then-

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 ...

where transfer could be made to horse-drawn

streetcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...

s to downtown Brooklyn. As the Culver Line was built on a nearly straight path from terminal to terminal, it was a popular choice for travelers to the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

shore at Coney Island. Service to Neck Road opened June 19, and Coney Island June 27. In 1880 service began on the line to Union Station at 5th Avenue and 36th Street.

1886 Information

On January 6, 1886, it was reported by the Prospect Park and Coney Island RailroadBrooklyn ''Eagle'' Newspaper; January 6, 1886 Page 1. that the fare on the Culver line was set at 25 Cents for Adults; 15 Cents for Children between five and 12 Years; and Free for Children under five. Its Timetable was set as follows: *Coney Island Bound: *On Weekdays and Saturdays,

Coney Island Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...

bound trains left Prospect Park West (9th Avenue) and 20th Street for Culver Terminal at 0630; 0705; 0900; 1000; 1100; 1200; 1300; 1400; 1500; 1600; 1700; 1800; 1900; and 2000. :On Sundays, and Race Days,The Culver Line served the Coney Island Jocky Club at Kings Highway during racing season. trains left Prospect Park West and 20th Street for Culver Terminal 0900; 1000; 1100; 1200; 1230; 1300; 1330; 1400; 1430; 1500; 1530; 1600; 1630; 1700; 1730; 1800; 1830; 1900; 1930; 2000. *Greenwood bound: *Weekdays and Saturdays: 0700;0805; 0930; 1030; 1130; 1230; 1330; 1430; 1530; 1630; 1730; 1830; 1930; and 2030. :On Sundays and Race Days: 0930; 1030; 1130; 1230; 1300; 1330; 1400; 1430; 1500; 1530; 1600; 1630; 1700; 1730; 1800; 1830; 1900; 1930; 2000; 2030.

LIRR Ownership

The Culver Line was owned by the

Long Island Rail Road The Long Island Rail Road , often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County on Long Island. With an average week ...

from 1895 to 1899 and for a time both before (by interline agreements) and throughout that period, used the Culver Line in whole or in part for a variety of services in combination with its

New York and Manhattan Beach Railway 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 ...

lines to provide services variously connecting downtown Brooklyn via the

Fifth Avenue Elevated The Fifth Avenue Line, also called the Fifth Avenue Elevated or Fifth Avenue–Bay Ridge Line, was an elevated rail line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It ran above Hudson Avenue, Flatbush Avenue, Fifth Avenue, 38th Street, and T ...

, the 39th Street Ferry and the 65th Street Ferry on the one hand, and the

Sheepshead Bay Race Track Sheepshead Bay Race Track was an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility built on the site of the Coney Island Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, New York. Early history The racetrack was built by a group of prominent businessmen from the New Y ...

, West Brighton and Manhattan Beach, the latter two on Coney Island, on the other hand. The Culver Line built a connection to the

South Brooklyn Railway The South Brooklyn Railway is a railroad in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is owned by the City of New York and operated by the New York City Transit Authority. Its original main line ran parallel to 38th Street from the Upper New Y ...

, which had built a line to gain access to

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

connections at 39th Street and the waterfront. When this branch, parallel to Brooklyn 37th Street, was electrified with

trolley wire The Sydney Tramway Museum (operated by the South Pacific Electric Railway) is Australia's oldest tramway museum and the largest in the southern hemisphere. It is located at Loftus in the southern suburbs of Sydney. History Construction of t ...

elevated trains from the Fifth Avenue Line were able to use the Culver Line to reach Coney Island directly from Park Row in

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

to Coney Island. Under the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, the Culver became the primary service on the Fifth Avenue El. In 1891, the

Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad The B68 is a bus route that constitutes a public transit line operating in Brooklyn, New York City. The B68 is operated by the MTA New York City Transit Authority. Its precursor was a streetcar line that began operation in June 1862, and ...

electrified its Coney Island Avenue Streetcar Line and breached its agreement to run its cars to the Culver's Greenwood Cemetery terminal in favor of connecting its own Smith Street Streetcar Line to its former

horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, w ...

line. In retaliation, the Culver Line, after electrifying its own line, interoperated with the Nassau Electric Railroad's Vanderbilt Avenue Streetcar Line to downtown Brooklyn and lower Manhattan via the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/ suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East Rive ...

. From this start, the Culver Line became a major trolley route in addition to its excursion and elevated railway traffic, accepting connections from a variety of other streetcar lines. After the ca. 1900 consolidation of most streetcar lines in Brooklyn under the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, many summer services were operated from other lines onto the Culver to

. These included: *

Court Street Line A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordanc ...

, Park Row in

to Coney Island * Fifteenth Street Line, Hamilton Ferry in Red Hook, Brooklyn to Coney Island * Myrtle-Culver Line,

Ridgewood, Queens Ridgewood is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It borders the neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale, as well as the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick and East Williamsburg. Historically, the neighborhood st ...

to Coney Island *

Nostrand-Culver Line The B44 is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, running mostly along Nostrand Avenue, as well as northbound on Rogers Avenue or New York Avenue and Bedford Avenue (as part of a one-way pair), between Sheepshead Bay and Williamsb ...

Essex Street Essex Street is a north-south street on the Lower East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. North of Houston Street, the street becomes Avenue A, which goes north to 14th Street. South of Canal Street it becomes Rutgers Street, the ...

Lower East Side, Manhattan The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

to Coney Island *

Reid Avenue Line The B46 bus route constitutes a public transit corridor in Brooklyn, New York City. The route runs primarily along Utica Avenue north from the Kings Plaza shopping center through Eastern Brooklyn, with continued service west along Broadway to ...

, Essex Street to Coney Island * Tompkins-Culver Line,

Greenpoint Ferry Greenpoint may refer to: * Greenpoint, Brooklyn, United States * Greenspoint, Houston, United States * Greenpoint Avenue * Greenpoint Avenue Bridge The Greenpoint Avenue Bridge is a Drawbridge (American English), drawbridge that carries Greenp ...

Greenpoint, Brooklyn Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, in the U.S. state of New York. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at Bushwick Inlet Park and McCarren Park; on the southeast by the Brookly ...

to Coney Island *

Union Street Line The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) operates a number of bus routes in Brooklyn, New York, United States; one minor route is privately operated under a city franchise. Many of them are the direct descendants of streetcar lines (se ...

, Park Row to Coney Island *

, Park Row to Coney Island Streetcar operations on the surface Culver Line continued to the very end of Brooklyn streetcar operations on October 30, 1956. The final services were the McDonald Avenue Streetcar Line (formerly known as Gravesend Avenue Line) and the 16th Avenue Branch of the Church Avenue Streetcar (formerly known as Gravesend–Church). The McDonald Avenue Line traced the entire route of the original Culver Line, except at its very southern end, where it rather ironically ended at the West 5th Street Depot of its former rival, the

References

External links

Prospect Park & Coney Island Railroad (Arrt's Arrchives)
{{BMT companies Streetcar lines in Brooklyn Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation