Updates from BCSC

As of early 2004, a variation of BCSC's proposal for Brooklyn Bridge Park appeared on the architect's plan. Vintage trolleys were to convey visitors from one end of the park to the other, stopping at the various attractions along the way. An exhibit of historic trolleys was to be included in a planned museum. Additionally, Pier 2, to eventually be demolished, was to contain interim use attractions while awaiting construction of the park, with BCSC as a participant. In the spring of that year, Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation changed administrations and direction, eliminating all of the above. Several groups in the community are working to return the park to its original form (see below). BCSC has submitted an additional proposal suggesting the use of a narrow gauge line to save space.

The situation downtown Brooklyn, as of the start of 2006 is rather unsettled, with several major projects on the table and controversy surrounding most. When the issue of transportation is approached, BCSC will be ready. In Coney Island, BCSC's proposal is currently under consideration by the Coney Island Economic Development Corporation. In all areas where proposals have been submitted, they have met with an enthusiastic reception by community and business as well as most local elected officials.

BCSC is currently seeking a site to establish a restoration project while advancing our primary mission of returning trolleys to the streets of Brooklyn. BCSC's plan is to involve local vocational, technical and engineering schools as well as rail fans. BCSC will also establish a training program for those not currently enrolled in school.

BCSC has been in discussions with professional consulting and contracting firms. Additionally, BCSC has had discussions with companies that specialize in restoration of vintage trolleys and the building of authentic replicas in case in-house restoration projects do not fulfill demands. If and when given the go ahead, BCSC will be totally prepared.


Note:
To see the many heritage trolley and modern light rail systems currently operating and those planned, check our Links page!



Media:
Brooklyn Cable Access TV (BCAT) did a terrific spot, produced by Heather Tenzer, featuring BCSC Director Arthur Melnick, first aired on October 27, 2005 with several subsequent showings.

An article by Patrick Gallahue appeared in the November 28 edition of the New York Post.

On January 15, 2006, a wonderful piece by Jennifer Bleyer was featured in the New York Times.

Acknowledgments:

A project for and by the entire Brooklyn Community, BCSC can only succeed with the help and support of Brooklyn's people and institutions.

• Thanks to the Independence Community Foundation whose grant made this site possible. The Foundation serves our community by helping worthwhile projects throughout the area.

• Thank you Marilyn Gelber and Toya Williford.

• Thanks also to the Dime Savings Bank for their kind donation.
  

• Special thanks to Professor David Reiss of Brooklyn Law School and his elite teams of students for their invaluable legal help.
  

• We are indebted to Angel Roman of the Small Business Development Center for his hard work on our behalf.

• When in Coney Island, drop in and say hello to our good friend Jim Prince at Major Meats, 1516 Mermaid Avenue. He not only carries the finest prime meats in Brooklyn but is a friend to all who cross his threshold.

• Kenn Lowy must be singled out for his valiant efforts to return the plan for Brooklyn Bridge Park to what it was originally: a world class park with activities and cultural institutions; an attraction for visitors from around the globe and a source of pride for all Brooklynites. As founder and president of Friends of Brooklyn Bridge Park, he has worked tirelessly toward that end. Kenn is also on the Board of Directors of BCSC.

• Another crusader for the return of a sensible plan for Brooklyn Bridge Park is our good friend Judi Francis. Her efforts to create the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund have been above and beyond...

• We thank Sandy Balboza, president of the Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association, for staunchly standing behind the concept of returning trolleys to Brooklyn.

• We salute those who work so diligently to preserve our history and culture, protect our environment and safeguard the integrity of our neighborhoods.

• We're sorry that time and space does not allow us to mention more of our many good friends who have offered so much help and support.

Important note:

If we have inadvertently used pictures that belong to you without your permission, we are very sorry. Please inform us if you wish us to remove them and we will do so immediately!


Good Reads:

• Actually, for those into the subject, these are all must reads!
  Stan Fischler is best known nationwide as the foremost hockey maven in the country and a prolific author on that subject. He also writes some of the finest books on NYC transit and is a good friend of BCSC.
  Confessions of a Trolley Dodger from Brooklyn (1995) H&M Productions (a personal favorite!)
  The Subway: A Trip Through Time on New York's Rapid Transit (1997) H&M Productions
  The Subway and the City: Celebrating a Century (2004) Frank Merriwell, Inc. (a monumental work!)

• James Clifford Geller is a transportation consultant and author of several books on the subject...also a good friend of BCSC.

100 PCC Cars Ran in Brooklyn (2004) Explorer Press (by far the most comprehensive book on the subject)

• Charles Denson heads up the Coney Island History Project and is the author of a phenomenal book on the subject; another friend of BCSC.

Coney Island: Lost and Found (2002) Ten Speed Press (the definitive source on Coney Island)

BCSC is clean, fuel efficient transportation!
BCSC is our history and culture!
BCSC is job training!
BCSC is jobs!

Help Us

Spread the word:
If you live in our fair city, contact your elected officials and tell them that BCSC needs their support in returning our trolleys. Tell them also of BCSC's cultural, educational and training programs.

Tell your family, friends and neighbors of the benefits BCSC will bring to their neighborhoods and urge them to do the same.

Volunteer:
If you have any specialized skills that you can lend to our project, contact us. We currently need people with office, financial and computer skills.

When we are able to bring in our trolleys, we will need people with hands on experience in metal, woodworking, electrical and other relevant fields.

Donate:
You too can help bring historic trolleys back to Brooklyn by making a donation to BCSC through PayPal. All donations are fully tax deductible and you too will be a Brooklyn Trolley Dodger!

To donate via paypal, use donations@brooklynstreetcar.org. If you rather send a donation via check, please contact us via this email address and we will contact you.


Trolleys make sense!
BCSC makes sense!

Be a Brooklyn Trolley Dodger
Support BCSC
© 2005 Brooklyn City Streetcar Company, Inc.

Links

Trolley, Light Rail, etc.:
North American Light Rail Systems The most complete list you can find.
North American Vintage Trolley Systems by John Smatlak All the heritage lines in existence and those planned.
Light Rail Now Advocates...interesting site.
The Third Rail Transit stories & info.
Market Street Railway, San Francisco Great town but how did we let them take the lead?
Trolley Museum of New York Kingston, NY, a neighbor; just a day trip from Brooklyn.
Shore Line Trolley Museum East Haven, CT, another neighbor; also a day trip.
Connecticut Trolley Museum East Windsor, CT, a bit further but still close enough.
Museum Links If the museums above aren't enough, here are a few more.
Photos From Don Harold A real treat.

Neighbors and info: Brooklyn & beyond:
Brooklyn Online All about Brooklyn.
Brooklyn Genealogy Talk about information...
Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association Our good friend Sandy Balboza.
Atlantic Ave. More listings on one of Brooklyn's showcases.
Brooklyn Wooden Boatbuilding Museum Success to the return of another Brooklyn icon.
Forgotten New York Phenomenal site...a must visit again and again. NYC with a real New Yorker.
Old NYC Take a tour; take several.
The Joe Korner Plenty here to keep you busy.
Coney Island You haven't lived until you've been...and this is the site to start you off.
Astroland, Coney Island Home of the Cyclone, still the world's greatest coaster, and plenty of other stuff.
Wonder Wheel, Coney Island The world's greatest Ferris Wheel and loads of other things.
Dan Marino Photo Fine art photography with a heavy Brooklyn foundational focus.
Hello Brooklyn Lots of info.

Heroes & friends; odds & ends:
Independence Community Foundation They help us and so many others.
Brooklyn Law School Our favorite lawyers.
Nonprofit Connection Help for those who help.
Tech Soup Tech help & software for nonprofits.
Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance What would our waterfront be like without them?
TreeBranch Network Protecting our environment and improving our urban quality of life.
Brooklyn Greenway Working to keep us green.
Auto Free New York Great organization...as do we, they'd rather ride the trolley.
Transportation Alternatives What's the alternative to fume spewing cars and buses? Another great group.
Straphangers Ever diligently looking out for transit riders.
Explorer Press Great trolley books.
Waterfront Museum It's rapidly become a must see.
Cultural Research Divers Great project...great people.
Kenn Lowy's Blog Our good friend and member of our Board always has something interesting and informative.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund Judi Francis & Co. crusading for justice.

Government:
New York City From here, you can link to the mayor or any other city agency to tell them you want BCSC to bring back our trolleys.
Brooklyn Borough President You can tell the same to Mr. Brooklyn himself, our old friend, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.


If you have a site relating to Brooklyn/NYC, trolleys, local environmental or transportation issues, history, culture or anything else that might be related, please contact us at links@brooklynstreetcar.org

If we somehow forgot to include a friend, please let us know and we will rectify that immediately!
We would be grateful for a listing on your site.

Contact Us

Comments or information: bcsc@brooklynstreetcar.org

Volunteer: volunteer@brooklynstreetcar.org

Donate: donations@brooklynstreetcar.org

Link your web site: links@brooklynstreetcar.org


BCSC
Striving to serve the entire Brooklyn community.

Be a Brooklyn Trolley Dodger
Support BCSC

The Streetcar: A Brief History

Public transportation in New York began in 1827 with the omnibus. A lot like the stage coaches we’re familiar with from western movies, they ran up and down Broadway years before most of what we consider the Old West was even part of the nation. Limited in capacity and not very comfortable, they bounced along the rough cobblestone streets, jarring the bones of all who could pay the fare. (In the big city of that time, only primary thoroughfares were paved; side streets were still unimproved, bogging everything down in the mud when it rained.) Although cabs had existed for awhile, they were reserved for those of means, while most couldn’t even afford the omnibus.


The first streetcars
As the population of the city mushroomed, the needs to move the masses became ever greater. The first major development in this area was the first light rail system: the horsecar. Yes, the horsecar; a simple, small, boxy car pulled by horses over metal rails imbedded into the street. Riding over rails cut friction, enabling the horsecar to carry a heavier load with a lot less effort than the coach, therefore increasing capacity and speed, which was still, at best, no faster than a brisk walk.

The first system of this type in the United States began operations in New York City in 1832, two years before Brooklyn, across the river, was incorporated as a city itself. Soon, horsecars, or streetcars, as they became known, crisscrossed the city, while in Brooklyn, that rapidly expanding city began its own network in 1854.

Although a revolution in urban transit, horsecars did have their drawbacks. In addition to their lack of speed, they created their own form of pollution, putting many men to work cleaning the streets. Still, for riders, they provided ease in transit and shelter from the elements. The spread of streetcar lines allowed the city to grow along their corridors and connect its various sections, bringing together neighborhoods, commercial districts and resources, as well as connecting with other means of transit, such as railroads and ferries.


New technology: greater speed
As the Industrial Revolution took hold, new technologies became available. Shortly after the Civil War, the cable car was introduced in many American cities, replacing many of the horsecar lines. These operated by attaching the car to a constantly running cable underground. To stop, the operator would detach from the cable and apply the brake. Cable cars were larger and faster than horsecars and provided an intermediate step in the development of the streetcar.

Cable cars too however, had major drawbacks. Expensive to operate and maintain, the cable propelled them at a constant speed and therefore, could be quite deadly rounding sharp curves. In fact, the turn on Manhattan’s Broadway around Union Square Park was known as Dead Man’s Curve. Thus, as a major form of transit in most cities, they were short lived, soon to be replaced by a new, far more efficient technology.


The trolley arrives
By the late 1880’s, the electric generator had advanced to the point where its use as a power source for streetcars became possible. In 1888 Richmond, Virginia became the first city to electrify a streetcar line followed, in 1890, by the City of Brooklyn with the Coney Island Avenue Line. Subsequently, the horsecar and cable lines were replaced by this innovative, highly effective energy source; the last cable car ending its run on Brooklyn’s Montague Street in 1909 and the last horsecar line on Bleeker Street in Manhattan in 1917. (In 1898, of course, Brooklyn had joined with New York and the other boroughs to create the City of Greater New York.)

The new electric streetcar spread rapidly throughout American cities, ruling the urban landscape during most of the first half of the twentieth century. These trolleys, as they became known after the original electric pick-up device, called a trawler, created new neighborhoods and attractions wherever their tracks stretched. Beginning in the 1920’s however, the trolley companies, all privately owned, began to face a number of problems.


Problems for the trolley companies
This was a time when automobiles were rapidly taking over the streets of American cities and local governments were becoming more hostile toward the trolley operators. Track repairs were often hindered by demands on the companies to also repair adjoining streets while municipalities made additional demands on their revenues. In New York, the nickel fare was mandated despite inflationary trends, making once profitable ventures into losing propositions. (Of course, shortly after the city took over transit operations, the fare was doubled!)

Perhaps the greatest factor in the demise of urban and suburban light rail was the action taken by National City Lines to purposefully undermine city transit operations in favor of the automobile and diesel bus. Jointly owned by General Motors, Standard Oil and Firestone Tires, operating under the cover of small bus companies, they systematically bought up privately owned streetcar companies, replacing them with buses. In addition, they lobbied local governments to eliminate their trolley lines. Ultimately found guilty in federal court of criminal conspiracy to destroy American streetcar systems, the damage had been done. It was now the 1950’s and most of the trolleys were gone.


Too late to save the day
Ironically, in the 1930’s Presidents’ Conference Committee was formed to solve the problems of urban transit in regard to light rail. The result was the PCC car, still used in many localities today. This car accelerates and brakes with automobile traffic and provides an extremely smooth, comfortable ride. It holds about twice as many passengers as the average city bus and uses clean, non-polluting electricity while costing less than 20% of what it costs to run a fume spewing diesel bus. But alas, people then were unaware of the hazards of those noxious fumes and energy and labor was relatively cheap.

Unfortunately, the progress in streetcar development was too late. National City Lines had done its dirty deed and here, in New York, Robert Moses was busy promoting the growth of the suburbs and the gospel of the automobile. On October 31, 1956, the last trolley lines in Brooklyn, home of the fabled “Trolley Dodger”, ended their run.

1930's
BMT Surface Transit
Solid lines are trolleys!


BCSC...Trolleys
A new beginning in the 21st century.

Be a Brooklyn Trolley Dodger
Support BCSC
© 2005 Brooklyn City Streetcar Company, Inc.

Frequently Asked Questions

Aren’t trolleys just relics from the past?
In these days of expensive fuel, polluted air and overwhelming traffic congestion, trolleys, or light rail, are considered the most practical means of urban transit, as witnessed by the rapidly growing network in cities, large, medium and small, throughout the nation.


Isn’t BCSC just a bunch of rail fans trying to see your hobby on our streets?
This appears to be a common misconception. BCSC has been called a bunch of “foamers” and “trolley jollies”, commonly used terms to denigrate those in the rail fan community. BCSC has many good friends within the rail fan community who are very helpful to us and we all appreciate the esthetic and cultural value of these wonderful old machines. However, the primary focus of BCSC Board members and active staff is to serve the needs of the community with sensible transportation, an educational and job training program and cultural enrichment rather than on the trolleys themselves. Backgrounds and fields of expertise include business, finance, education, housing and computer technology as well as transportation. All are involved in community activities and have a firm sense of civic responsibility.


Won’t trolleys cause more congestion on our streets?
BCSC’s proposed routes use streets and rights of way that are least intrusive to other vehicles. Trolleys will actually relieve congestion by encouraging people to ride rather than drive. Part of BCSC’s proposals includes a park and ride system, keeping private automobiles out of our most congested areas.


Won’t trolleys cause more of a racket over existing traffic?
Contrary to popular belief, trolleys actually run more quietly than buses.


Aren’t modern light rail cars more practical than old fashioned trolleys?
Actually, reconditioned vintage trolleys are less expensive to run and have the benefit of attracting additional visitors who come just to ride and then avail themselves of local businesses.


What about a modern monorail?
Monorails are much more expensive to build and operate and, running above street level, make access difficult.


What about comfort and safety features?
All historic cars operated by BCSC will be retrofitted with modern features to bring them up to date for the 21st century, such as air conditioning and handicapped access.


Will BCSC operate only original historic cars?
Although BCSC deems it preferable to run original vintage cars, there is the possibility of using replicas in addition. These cars are available to the exact specifications of the original historic models and include those that are no longer available for street use in their original form. They are, of course, all fitted with up to date mechanicals as well as the aforementioned comfort and safety features.


Where are trolleys running today?
Trolleys are common in municipalities around the world. In this country, several cities, although having cut back, never eliminated their trolleys altogether. These cities are now expanding their systems once again and several others are building new systems. Among those are Philadelphia, San Francisco, Boston and Newark. For a more complete list, see our Links page.


Why BCSC rather than the MTA or a big private company?
As a community based nonprofit, BCSC will be more responsive to the community it serves. Also, as a nonprofit, BCSC has funding opportunities not available to for profit companies. With cooperation from the city allowing BCSC to build and operate the lines, there will be little cost to the taxpayers of the city. Additionally, BCSC offers educational, job training and cultural programs that a large, non-community based company would not necessarily involve themselves with.


Does BCSC plan to use volunteer labor to construct its proposed lines?
All actual work will be done by the finest professionals. BCSC is in contact with major contracting and consulting firms with proven experience. By allowing BCSC, as a nonprofit, to do the subcontracting, it will save the city’s taxpayers the expense.


BCSC
Bringing our history through our neighborhoods.


Be a Brooklyn Trolley Dodger
Support BCSC
© 2005 Brooklyn City Streetcar Company, Inc.

About Us

Brooklyn City Streetcar Company is a nonprofit corporation registered in the State of New York. Brooklyn City Streetcar Company is registered as a 501 (c) (3) with the IRS.


Board of Directors
Arthur Melnick
Kenn Lowy
Alfreida Davis
Daniel Marino
Christian DiClementi
Reverend Mobley HOPE Center


Principal Staff Members
Arthur Melnick-President; Director of Administration
Daniel Marino-Vice President; Director of Operations
Christian DiClementi-Vice President; Project Development


BCSC
Responsibility to the public

Be a Brooklyn Trolley Dodger
Support BCSC
© 2005 Brooklyn City Streetcar Company, Inc.