DeKalb Avenue Line
Encyclopedia
The DeKalb Avenue Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn
and Queens
, New York City
, United States
, running mostly along DeKalb Avenue
, as well as eastbound on Lafayette Avenue (as part of a one-way pair
), between downtown Brooklyn
and Ridgewood, Queens
. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the B38 DeKalb/Lafayette Avenues bus route, operated by the New York City Transit Authority
.
At its east end, after crossing into Queens, the line turns southeast on Seneca Avenue and ends just short of Myrtle Avenue. A branch runs northeast on Stanhope Street to Linden Hill Cemetery.
. It heads east on Fulton Street
, splitting onto DeKalb Avenue (westbound) and Lafayette Avenue (eastbound). After crossing Broadway
, eastbound buses return to DeKalb Avenue via Bushwick Avenue. The route crosses into Ridgewood, Queens
and turns southeast on Seneca Avenue; every other bus turns northeast on Stanhope Street to a loop around Linden Hill Cemetery, while the rest continue along Seneca Avenue to just shy of Myrtle Avenue. Along the way, transfer can be made to the subway at Court Street – Borough Hall , Jay Street – MetroTech
, DeKalb Avenue (BMT Fourth Avenue and Brighton Lines) , Classon Avenue
, Kosciuszko Street
, DeKalb Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)
, and Seneca Avenue
.
), which shared Water Street west of Main Street, and in which it was decided that the CI&B would own two tracks and give the BC&N trackage rights
over one, the Brooklyn City and Newtown Rail Road opened the line to the public on January 28, 1862. The route stretched from Fulton Ferry
east to stable
s at Throop Avenue and a depot at Marcus Garvey Boulevard (then Yates Avenue, later Sumner Avenue). Tracks were laid in Fulton Street
, Front Street, Gold Street, Willoughby Street, University Plaza (then Debevoise Street), and DeKalb Avenue. The eastbound track, in Water Street and Bridge Street rather than Front Street and Gold Street, was soon opened. By July, the line was extended northeast on DeKalb Avenue and southeast on Seneca Avenue to the Myrtle Avenue Park in Ridgewood, Queens
.
In order to enable the company to avoid the narrow Debevoise Street and a dangerous westbound curve at Debevoise Street and DeKalb Avenue, a law was passed in 1869 to allow a single track in DeKalb Avenue and Gold Street between Debevoise Street and Willoughby Street. The company laid a single track plus a "siding
", but used both for revenue service, rerouting all trains in both directions to the new route in August 1869. Eastbound trains were moved back to Willoughby Street and Debevoise Street once a single track was built to replace the two; by then, the Hunter's Point and Prospect Park Railroad (Crosstown Line
) was also using Willoughby Street.
Starting on May 3, 1871, the Park Avenue Railroad's Vanderbilt Avenue Line
shared the tracks between Fulton Ferry and Concord Street. In March 1872, a law was passed to allow the BC&N to build in DeKalb Avenue west from Debevoise Street to Fulton Street
, and use the Brooklyn City Rail Road's trackage in Fulton Street to Fulton Ferry. After some opposition from the City Railroad, the route was changed in April to turn off on Washington Street after passing City Hall. Despite objections from Washington Street residents, the new route, using Washington Street north to Front and Water Streets, was opened on September 4, 1872. The old route continued to be used by short-turn trains to Yates Avenue. The BC&N stopped using the old route later that decade, but the Vanderbilt Avenue Line
continued to use it until 1883, when it built a track in Concord Street west of Bridge Street in order to serve the new Brooklyn Bridge
.
The line was leased to the Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad in 1897. The De Kalb Avenue and North Beach Railroad (also leased to the Coney Island and Brooklyn) built the branch on Stanhope Street. Buses were substituted for streetcars on January 30, 1949.
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, running mostly along DeKalb Avenue
DeKalb Avenue
DeKalb Avenue is a street in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, with the majority of its length in Brooklyn. It runs from Woodward Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens to Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn...
, as well as eastbound on Lafayette Avenue (as part of a one-way pair
One-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or just couplet is a pair of parallel, usually one-way streets that carry opposite directions of a signed route or major traffic flow, or sometimes opposite directions of a bus or streetcar route....
), between downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City , and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn...
and Ridgewood, Queens
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 neighborhood of Bushwick. Historically, the neighborhood straddled the Queens-Brooklyn boundary. The neighborhood is part of Queens...
. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the B38 DeKalb/Lafayette Avenues bus route, operated by the New York City Transit Authority
New York City Transit Authority
The New York City Transit Authority is a public authority in the U.S. state of New York that operates public transportation in New York City...
.
At its east end, after crossing into Queens, the line turns southeast on Seneca Avenue and ends just short of Myrtle Avenue. A branch runs northeast on Stanhope Street to Linden Hill Cemetery.
B38 bus
The B38 bus route begins at a loop around Borough Hall in Downtown BrooklynDowntown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City , and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn...
. It heads east on Fulton Street
Fulton Street (Brooklyn)
Fulton Street, named after engineer Robert Fulton, exists mainly in two parts in what are today two boroughs of New York City which Fulton linked by his steam ferries, and each segment has its own distinct identity. This entry deals with Fulton Street in Brooklyn, which now begins at the...
, splitting onto DeKalb Avenue (westbound) and Lafayette Avenue (eastbound). After crossing Broadway
Broadway (Brooklyn)
Broadway is an avenue in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that extends from the East River in the neighborhood of Williamsburg in a southeasterly direction to East New York for a length of 4.32 miles . It was named for Broadway in Manhattan. The East New York terminus is a complicated...
, eastbound buses return to DeKalb Avenue via Bushwick Avenue. The route crosses into Ridgewood, Queens
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 neighborhood of Bushwick. Historically, the neighborhood straddled the Queens-Brooklyn boundary. The neighborhood is part of Queens...
and turns southeast on Seneca Avenue; every other bus turns northeast on Stanhope Street to a loop around Linden Hill Cemetery, while the rest continue along Seneca Avenue to just shy of Myrtle Avenue. Along the way, transfer can be made to the subway at Court Street – Borough Hall , Jay Street – MetroTech
Jay Street – MetroTech (New York City Subway)
Jay Street – MetroTech is an underground station complex on the IND Fulton Street, IND Culver, and BMT Fourth Avenue Lines of the New York City Subway...
, DeKalb Avenue (BMT Fourth Avenue and Brighton Lines) , Classon Avenue
Classon Avenue (IND Crosstown Line)
Classon Avenue is a station on the IND Crosstown Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Classon and Lafayette Avenues in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, it is served at all times by the G train....
, Kosciuszko Street
Kosciuszko Street (BMT Jamaica Line)
Kosciuszko Street is a skip-stop station on the BMT Jamaica Line of the New York City Subway. It is served at all times by the J train. The Z train bypasses this station when it operates...
, DeKalb Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)
DeKalb Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)
DeKalb Avenue is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Wyckoff and DeKalb Avenues in Bushwick, Brooklyn, it is served by the L train at all times....
, and Seneca Avenue
Seneca Avenue (BMT Myrtle Avenue Line)
Seneca Avenue is a station on the BMT Myrtle Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Palmetto Street and Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood, Queens, it is served by the M train at all times....
.
History
After a legal battle with the Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad (Smith Street LineSmith Street Line (surface)
The Smith Street Line was a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, running mostly along Ninth Street and Smith Street between Park Slope and Downtown Brooklyn. Originally a streetcar line, and later the B75, it is now split between the B57 and B61 bus routes...
), which shared Water Street west of Main Street, and in which it was decided that the CI&B would own two tracks and give the BC&N trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
over one, the Brooklyn City and Newtown Rail Road opened the line to the public on January 28, 1862. The route stretched from Fulton Ferry
Fulton Ferry, Brooklyn
Fulton Ferry is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is named for a prominent ferry line crossing the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn, and is also the name of the ferry slip on the Brooklyn side...
east to stable
Stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals...
s at Throop Avenue and a depot at Marcus Garvey Boulevard (then Yates Avenue, later Sumner Avenue). Tracks were laid in Fulton Street
Fulton Street (Brooklyn)
Fulton Street, named after engineer Robert Fulton, exists mainly in two parts in what are today two boroughs of New York City which Fulton linked by his steam ferries, and each segment has its own distinct identity. This entry deals with Fulton Street in Brooklyn, which now begins at the...
, Front Street, Gold Street, Willoughby Street, University Plaza (then Debevoise Street), and DeKalb Avenue. The eastbound track, in Water Street and Bridge Street rather than Front Street and Gold Street, was soon opened. By July, the line was extended northeast on DeKalb Avenue and southeast on Seneca Avenue to the Myrtle Avenue Park in Ridgewood, Queens
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 neighborhood of Bushwick. Historically, the neighborhood straddled the Queens-Brooklyn boundary. The neighborhood is part of Queens...
.
In order to enable the company to avoid the narrow Debevoise Street and a dangerous westbound curve at Debevoise Street and DeKalb Avenue, a law was passed in 1869 to allow a single track in DeKalb Avenue and Gold Street between Debevoise Street and Willoughby Street. The company laid a single track plus a "siding
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
", but used both for revenue service, rerouting all trains in both directions to the new route in August 1869. Eastbound trains were moved back to Willoughby Street and Debevoise Street once a single track was built to replace the two; by then, the Hunter's Point and Prospect Park Railroad (Crosstown Line
Crosstown Line (Brooklyn surface)
The Crosstown Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, running along Van Brunt Street and Manhattan Avenue between Red Hook and Long Island City, Queens. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the B61 and the B62 bus routes...
) was also using Willoughby Street.
Starting on May 3, 1871, the Park Avenue Railroad's Vanderbilt Avenue Line
Vanderbilt Avenue Line
The Vanderbilt Avenue Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, running along 7th Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue between Kensington and Dumbo...
shared the tracks between Fulton Ferry and Concord Street. In March 1872, a law was passed to allow the BC&N to build in DeKalb Avenue west from Debevoise Street to Fulton Street
Fulton Street (Brooklyn)
Fulton Street, named after engineer Robert Fulton, exists mainly in two parts in what are today two boroughs of New York City which Fulton linked by his steam ferries, and each segment has its own distinct identity. This entry deals with Fulton Street in Brooklyn, which now begins at the...
, and use the Brooklyn City Rail Road's trackage in Fulton Street to Fulton Ferry. After some opposition from the City Railroad, the route was changed in April to turn off on Washington Street after passing City Hall. Despite objections from Washington Street residents, the new route, using Washington Street north to Front and Water Streets, was opened on September 4, 1872. The old route continued to be used by short-turn trains to Yates Avenue. The BC&N stopped using the old route later that decade, but the Vanderbilt Avenue Line
Vanderbilt Avenue Line
The Vanderbilt Avenue Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, running along 7th Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue between Kensington and Dumbo...
continued to use it until 1883, when it built a track in Concord Street west of Bridge Street in order to serve the new Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
.
The line was leased to the Coney Island and Brooklyn Railroad in 1897. The De Kalb Avenue and North Beach Railroad (also leased to the Coney Island and Brooklyn) built the branch on Stanhope Street. Buses were substituted for streetcars on January 30, 1949.