Bushwick Lead 1994 Track Profile Map


BUSHWICK BRANCH

 


Garbage hoppers Photo/Archive: OldNYC.com

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Bushwick Branch map -2019 Google

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LIRR Montauk Division ETT (employee time table)  Bushwick - Jamaica no. 15 2nd Edition 5/30/1880 Archive: Art Huneke

Special Time Table of  trains between Bushwick and Jamaica in effect while Montauk Branch, between Long Island City and Fresh Pond (Bushwick)  Junction was closed  for  double tracking and realignment. All through LI City trains used the main  line.

"The train clanked forward at a top speed of 10 miles an hour, but even so it rocked on the antique, uneven tracks like a ship at sea. The grass and weeds sprouting between the ties might captivate a botanist, but John Cossman, the engineer, complained that when they get high enough, they make the wheels on his twin 130-ton engines spin as if they were rolling 'through soup.'

This 10-mile section of the Long Island Rail Road's freight line, from Fresh Pond, Queens, to Bushwick, Brooklyn, is a piece of the aging freight tracks that still thread through large sections of New York City and Long Island, mostly forgotten but hardly unimportant..."

From "TAKING STEPS TO REVIVE REGION'S RAIL FREIGHT" by Matthew L. Wald Copyright Saturday Nov 27, 1993 The New York Times Company.

Bushwick Branch Beers: Old Dutch, Schaefer, Piels, Liebman Rheingold, Trommer's White Label
 


Bushwick (western portion) Evergreen map rotated c.1920's Archive: Art Huneke


Bushwick Branch - Evergreen Branch - Fresh Pond Junction
Hagstrom 1934 Archive: Dave Keller

 


LI City to Bushwick Junction ticket c.1890's

 

Tickets Archive: Brad Phillips


LI City to Bushwick Junction ticket 1894

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CR4-1924 - Montauk Division: Bushwick Branch p.44-45

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CR4-1924 - Montauk Division: Evergreen Branch p.46-47

Composite Emery Bushwick Branch c.1928+ west to east

Click to enlarge maps and photos 

Emery Maps 1920s-1930s
Archive: Dave Keller


Bushwick Place to Morgan Ave

Morgan Ave to
Stewart Ave

Stewart Ave to Woodward Ave

Woodward Ave to Garrison Ave (4th St)

4th to 60th St (Collins Ave)
Belcher Hyde Maps 1929
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Bushwick Place to Morgan Ave
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Morgan Ave to Stewart Ave

 

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Stewart Ave to Seneca Ave
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Seneca Ave to Garrison Ave 
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Garrison Ave (4th St) to Flushing Ave

Composite Bushwick Branch 11-1958 east to west

Emery Maps 11-1958
Archive: Dave Keller


Flushing Ave to Metropolitan Ave

Metropolitan Ave to west of Scott Ave footbridge

West of Scott Ave to English Kills Drawbridge

English Kills Drawbridge to Bushwick Ave

Bushwick branch typical single track narrow ROW
Photo:  OldNYC.com



Flushing Ave and 55th St
view NE Photo: OldNYC.com

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 Maspeth Closer view NE 07/2007 
See map:
Location 1
 Photo: Joe Gregory

 
Progress Rail PR20Bs #300-301 local RS-20
Maspeth  Photo/Archive: Marc Glucksman

Up and over. New York & Atlantic Railway matched Progress Rail PR20Bs 300 and 301 lead local job RS-20 down the Long Island Railroad Bushwick Branch on the morning of Sunday, December 31, 2017. At this location in Maspeth, NY, it is both crossing and traveling over Flushing Avenue, approaching 56th Street. The train has just passed through the Globe Storage Building on its way to work Manhattan Beer and Waste Management. Sub-freezing temperatures have preserved the snowfall from several days prior.

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NW from the shot across Flushing, it is shot from 55th Street looking down the ROW, 54th is in the distance, unfortunately that was as deepest as we went into the Bush, I don't have any photos beyond that point.
See map:
Location 2
Photo: Joe Gregory 07/07

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Bushwick Map
Info: Steve Lynch 07/2007


Scott Ave Footbridge
view west
Photo: OldNYC.com


Scott Ave Footbridge
 view east
Photo: forgotten-ny.com

 

 


Varick Yard - 4/15/1925 (Ziel-Boland)


1962 Varick Ave Yard  Bushwick Branch and former South Side crossing in distance, view north.
Photo: Art Huneke


Varick Avenue crossing
Photo: forgotten-ny.com

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Yard office Varick Ave 11/19/1967 view east.

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Yard office Varick Ave 3/11/1972 view east. 

This yardmaster's office was built in 1949. The three tracks beyond, I believe, were referred to as the "icing yard" but the 1966 maps show them starting west of Varick Avenue. I think the 1966 drawings might be in error. This yard always had cars in it. Photo: Richard  F. Makse

 

 


English Kills Creek Bridge, view west, was a Bobtail swing bridge.
Photo: OldNYC.com

The West portion where the inner counterweight is was removed, perhaps sinking, and replaced with I beams, so it is about 30 feet shorter. All the wood trestle was replaced with I beams, and the stone blocks were encapsulated with concrete. It has not opened since about 1955 when the basin was filled in. This is a fairly rare Bobtail swing bridge. Not many were ever built.

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LIRR #103 C63 C70 -C50 English Kills Bridge 
view NW  9/10/89 Photo: Tom Beckett 
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Bobtail Swing bridge English Kills view NW
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English Kills Bridge view S Photo: Mitch Waxman

View of English Kills Creek view west
Photo: OldNYC.com
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Smashboard signal at English Kills swing bridge on Bushwick branch  06/12/49.  George E. Votava photo, Dave Keller archive

(If bridge was open, low signal was horizontal across tracks.  Train failing to stop would “smash” into the board arm and alert the engineer.)

Installed 03/1929 replacing Stop Signals and Derails. Removed c.1962 
Info: R. Emery

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Fan trip April, 1957  RDC is westbound.  The English Kills is directly behind the photographer as is evidenced by the derail protectors between the main rails. (these are at ALL bridges and overpasses to keep derailed cars from going over the side). Dave Keller

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Flushing Ave and 56th St
Photo: OldNYC.com
See map above: Location 3

View west into Bushwick Terminal - Morgan Ave
Photo: OldNYC.com


Edward B. Hittleman  Brewery
Photo: OldNYC.com

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1885 Hittleman Brewery Building, Bushwick Pl. - View N 10/1984
Photo/Archive: Art Huneke

BOTTLING     EDWARD B. HITTLEMAN    BREWERY DEPARTMENT

 


Former passenger terminal of located at corner of Bushwick Place and Montrose Avenue
Photo: OldNYC.com
LIRR Map Bushwick Branch 1966
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Composite Map: Steve Lynch 11/11/2009
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LIRR  #101 Train YFD-301 56th St.  08-26-77
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LIRR #107 westbound east of Metropolitan Ave 05-25-77
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LIRR #107 westbound Varick Ave 05-25-77

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LIRR #107 westbound east of Varick Ave 05-25-77

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Fresh Pond Junction 1966

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LIRR #106 Train YFD-301 Morgan Ave  09-09-77
LIRR Map Bushwick Branch 1978
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Composite Map: Steve Lynch 11/12/2009
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South Side Rail Road Bushwick Freight House - Built 1870 
10/1984 Photo/Archive Art Huneke

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Bushwick Freight House 6/27/2003

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Bushwick Freight Office 2003 Photo: Michael Pompili


Bushwick Terminal Freight Office 2/29/2016
Photo/Archive: Kevin Wong

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New signal installation Metropolitan Ave
11/10/09 Photo: R. McEnery

Bushwick Freight Terminal

The Long Island Rail Road Bushwick freight terminal stood at the corner of Johnson Avenue and Bushwick Place in Brooklyn. It was abandoned by the LIRR decades ago and was leased out for other uses, including a meat packing facility and, most recently, to a manufacturer of styrofoam coolers as a warehouse for styrofoam pellets. The roof had collapsed following a fire set by the resident homeless in May, 2003. The building had been completely disused for about twenty years, but was still full of bags of styrofoam pellets at the time of demolition. The former LIRR freight office on Bushwick Place, pictured in the photo above left was demolished in 2003.  The newer freight building now is owned by Kings Building Materials and was recently used as a hardware/home supply retail outlet. The remains of the passenger depot lasted until around 2005.

Special thanks and links for more photos and information:
Tom
Scannello's  www.OldNYC.com