Broadway Line (Brooklyn surface)

On August 20, 1858, the Broadway Railroad Company of Brooklyn was chartered.{{Cite book |last=Commissioners |first=New York (State) Board of Railroad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fUpNAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22broadway+railroad+company%22&pg=PA1201 |title=Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners of the State of New York |date=1886 |language=en}} It began running a horse trolley line over Broadway, from South 7th Street at the Grand Street Ferry in Williamsburg to the East New York Depot to connect with the Long Island Rail Road,{{cite news|title=For East New York, Evergreens and Cypress Hills Cemeteries, Brooklyn Water Works, Race Courses, &c., &c. Broadway Railroad Company of Brooklyn|date=June 17, 1859|access-date=February 25, 2024|work=The Brooklyn Times Union|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-union/142059646/}}{{Cite book |last=Surveyor |first=New York (State) State Engineer and |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=weI9AQAAMAAJ&dq=%22broadway+railroad+company%22+%22brooklyn%22&pg=PA41 |title=Annual Report of the State Engineer and Surveyor of Railroad Statistics of the State of New York |date=1860 |publisher=State Engineer and Surveyor's Office |language=en}}{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eP9HAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22broadway+railroad+company%22+%22brooklyn%22&pg=PA374 |title=Manual |date=1864 |publisher=Brooklyn (New York, N. Y. ) Common Council |language=en}} on March 22, 1859. The line's second track was not yet completed, but was expected to be put into service just after a week later, allowing service to run every six to eight minutes. The railroad's depot was at East New York.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle/142059088/|access-date=February 25, 2024|work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|title=Brooklyn Railroads and Real Estate|date=March 29, 1859|page=2}} Its omnibus cars could carry 16 passengers, and the line was 4.5 miles long.{{Cite book |last=Poor |first=Henry Varnum |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M0YKAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22broadway+railroad+company%22+%22brooklyn%22&pg=PA239 |title=History of the Railroads and Canals of the United States ... |date=1860 |publisher=J.H. Schultz & Company |language=en}} A short single-track branch to Bushwick, outbound on Hooper Street, South Fifth Street, and Montrose Avenue to Bushwick Avenue, and inbound on Johnson Avenue, was built in late 1860. It was planned to be extended further with a double-track line running from Morrell and Johnson Streets to Cypress Hills Cemetery via Johnson Street, Cypress Hills Road, and Cypress Avenue.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle/142059241/|access-date=February 25, 2024|work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle|title=Railroad Extension|date=November 30, 1860|page=2}}

An extension from East New York to Cypress Hills was jointly owned with the Brooklyn City and Newtown Railroad and was operated by steam power.{{Cite book |last=Stiles |first=Henry Reed |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eMupOr8oJQkC&dq=%22broadway+railroad+company%22+%22brooklyn%22&pg=RA1-PA424-IA14 |title=The Civil, Political, Professional and Ecclesiastical History, and Commercial and Industrial Record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y. from 1683 to 1884 |date=1884 |publisher=Munsell |language=en}} A branch of the railroad, the Reid Avenue Line, running from Broadway Ferry to Fulton Street and Reid Avenue opened on October 27, 1873.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IduHf5I6KLsC&dq=%22east+new+york+line%22+%221894%22&pg=PA99 |title=Brooklyn Streetcars |date=2008 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-0-7385-5761-8 |language=en}}

The Brooklyn, Queens County and Suburban Railroad was organized on November 24, 1893, and, on January 15, 1894,{{Cite news |date=1894-01-17 |title=STREET-CAR LINES UNITED.; The Brooklyn City Railroad Company Makes a Big Acquisition. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1894/01/17/archives/streetcar-lines-united-the-brooklyn-city-railroad-company-makes-a.html |access-date=2024-02-25 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} absorbed the Broadway Railroad Company. Electric streetcars began operating on the route on August 1, 1894.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0HOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA245 |title=Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac ...: A Book of Information, General of the World, and Special of New York City and Long Island ... |publisher=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |year=1895 |page=245 |access-date=January 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033532/https://books.google.com/books?id=Z0HOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA245#v=onepage&q&f=false |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |url-status=live}}{{Cite book |last=Commissioners |first=New York (State) Board of Railroad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JEVNAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22broadway+railroad%22+%221894%22&pg=PA95 |title=Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners of the State of New York |date=1894 |language=en}} On July 1, 1898, the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) acquired the route.{{cite news |date=August 26, 1898 |title=Rapid Transit Statement: Issued to the Public Through a Wall Street News Bureau−Estimates of Future Earnings |url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/50507092/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124033535/https://bklyn.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-rapid-transit-s/50507092/ |archive-date=January 24, 2024 |access-date=January 18, 2016 |work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |page=7 |via=Newspapers.com}}

On December 1, 1923, service over the Williamsburg Bridge ended, with all service ending at Broadway Ferry. Service was extended to Jamaica Avenue via Fulton Street and Crescent Street on October 15, 1928.{{Cite journal |last1=Watson |first1=Edward B. |last2=Linder |first2=Bernard |date=October 1969 |title=Brooklyn Trolley Companies |url=https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/1960s/1969/1969-10-bulletin.pdf |journal=Electric Railroaders' Association |volume=12 |issue=5 |pages=3}}

In April 1946, service was cut back from Broadway Ferry to Williamsburg Bridge Plaza.

On January 15, 1950, the streetcar line was discontinued and replaced by an extension of the B22 Atlantic Avenue bus by {{Convert|1.25|mile|km}} from Van Sinderen Avenue at the Broadway Junction station to Broadway and Gates Avenue, where transfers would be available to the Ralph and Rockaway Avenues Line streetcar that ran along Broadway to Williamsburg Bridge Plaza.{{cite web|website=Flickr.com|publisher=New York City Board of Transportation|title=Public Notice Broadway Trolley Line Atlantic Ave. Bus Line|access-date=February 15, 2024|date=1950|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/unionturnpike/53472919889/in/album-72157709433583407/}}{{Cite news |date=January 15, 1950 |title=2 New Bus Garages to Open in Brooklyn |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/01/15/archives/2-new-bus-garages-to-open-in-brooklyn.html |access-date=February 22, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Broadway-Jamaica elevated trains provided substitute service along Crescent Street and Fulton Street. After the discontinuation of service, a group of local residents organized a mass meeting protesting the move, and a committee appeared at meetings of the Transit Commission and the Board of Estimate to request replacement bus service. Brooklyn's commissioner on the Board of Transportation agreed with the request, and pushed for the inauguration of bus service. This new bus route, the B27, started on March 12, 1950, running along Fulton Street between Alabama Avenue and Elderts Lane.{{Cite news |date=March 14, 1950 |title=E.N.Y.-Cypress Residents Hil Bus Fight Victory |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle/142057742/ |access-date=February 25, 2024 |work=The Brooklyn Daily Eagle}} This route was discontinued on February 1, 1955 due to low ridership.{{Cite journal |last=Linder |first=Bernard |date=August 1965 |title=BMT Trolley Routes 1940-1956 |url=https://erausa.org/pdf/bulletin/1960s/1965/1965-08-bulletin.pdf |journal=New York Division Bulletin |publisher=Electric Railroaders' Association |volume=8 |issue=3 |pages=4}}

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{{B&QT streetcar lines}}

Category:Streetcar lines in Brooklyn