Putnam Avenue Line
Encyclopedia
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...
, 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 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...
, Putnam Avenue, and Halsey Street 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 B26 Halsey/Fulton Streets 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...
.
B26 bus
The B26 bus route begins at the Jay Street–Borough Hall subway station 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, turning off onto Putnam Avenue, and uses Nostrand Avenue (eastbound) and Bedford Avenue (westbound) to reach Halsey Street. Just shy of the 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....
line, the route turns northwest on Wyckoff Avenue, ending with a loop at the Myrtle–Wyckoff Avenues subway station counterclockwise via Putnam Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, and Wyckoff Avenue. Along the way, passengers can transfer to the subway at DeKalb Avenue, Clinton–Washington Avenues, and Halsey Street
Halsey Street (BMT Jamaica Line)
Halsey 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...
.
History
The Brooklyn City Rail Road opened a branch of their Fulton Street LineFulton Street Line (Brooklyn surface)
The Fulton Street Line or East New York Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States along Fulton Street between Fulton Ferry and East New York...
along Putnam Avenue, Nostrand Avenue
Nostrand Avenue
Nostrand Avenue is a major street in Brooklyn, New York, that runs north from Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay to Flushing Avenue in Williamsburg, where it continues as Lee Avenue. From Flushing Avenue to Farragut Road, Nostrand Avenue is a two-lane street...
, and Halsey Street to 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...
by 1874. By 1897, cars could also use a short spur along Howard Avenue from Halsey Street north to Broadway. The line was extended northeast past Broadway on Halsey Street to the Queens County line and northwest on Wyckoff Avenue to Ridgewood
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...
after 1897.
Putnam Avenue horse cars were replaced with electric trolleys on July 17, 1893.
Buses were substituted for streetcars on September 21, 1941, but the line was converted back to streetcars between November 29, 1942 and February 5, 1950.