MANHATTAN BEACH BRANCH
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![](Manhattan%20Beach%20Railway%201879.jpg)
Manhattan Beach
- 1879
The narrow gauge
line was built in 1877 on the south side of the Manhattan Beach hotel, on
the beach and operated between the Manhattan Beach and Brighton Beach
hotels, a distance of under 1/2 mile in length. The track was on the
south side of the depot, visible in the attached image at the lower left,
to the left of the stairs.
After being beaten
up by the storm of Nov. 25, 1888, it was relocated to the north side of
the hotel and connected with the NY & Manhattan Beach Railroad (also
narrow gauge) but this fantastic architectural beauty of a depot building
was not duplicated. Info: Dave Keller
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![](Marine-Railway-Station_Coney-Island_c.1880_Keller_small.jpg)
Marine Railway station at the Manhattan Beach Hotel c. 1880
Archive: Dave Keller |
![Manhattan-Beach-Brooklyn_1878.jpg (99260 bytes)](Manhattan-Beach-Brooklyn_1878_small.jpg)
Manhattan
Beach Railway - Manhattan Beach, timetable front 1878
![](Manhattan%20Beach%20Coney%20Gravesend%20NYC%201890's.jpg)
LIRR Ticket - LI City to Manhattan Beach Excursion Season Extra
1890's
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![Manhattan-Beach-Railway-Timetable_5-25-1878.jpg (167163 bytes)](Manhattan-Beach-Railway-Timetable_5-25-1878_small.jpg)
Manhattan
Beach Railway - Time Table
5/25/1878
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![](Ticket-1894_LICity-Manhattan-Beach-34th-St-Ferry_BradPhillips_small.jpg)
Ticket 1894 LI City-Manhattan Beach with 34th St. Ferry Archie: Brad
Phillips |
![](LIRR%20Ticket%20-%20%20Manhattan%20Beach%20to%20LI%20City_1895.jpg)
LIRR Trip Pass - Manhattan Beach to LI City 1895
![5-15-1910 PTT MANHATTAN BEACH LIC TO MB. BROOKLYN .jpg (161766 bytes)](5-15-1910_PTT_MANHATTAN_BEACH_LIC_TO_MB._BROOKLYN__small.jpg)
Manhattan
Beach Division Public Timetable - LI City to Manhattan Beach 5/15/1910
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![5-15-1910 PTT MANHATTAN BEACH LIC TO MB. BROOKLYN cover.jpg (121623 bytes)](5-15-1910_PTT_MANHATTAN_BEACH_LIC_TO_MB._BROOKLYN_cover_small.jpg)
Manhattan Beach Division PTT, front - LI City to Manhattan Beach 5/15/1910
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![](Ticket-1895_Hewletts-%20Manhattan-Beach_BradPhillips_small.jpg)
Ticket 1895 Hewletts to Manhattan Beach Archive: Brad Phillips
![](Ticket_Kouwenhoven-to-Manhattan-Beach_c.1906_small.jpg)
LIRR Ticket - Kouwenhoven to Manhattan Beach c.1906
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Built by New York & Manhattan Beach R. R. Co. as a narrow gauge, single track line in 1877, from Ocean Avenue to the Oriental
Hotel.
Double tracked: 1878, as a narrow gauge line.
1st passenger train from Greenpoint to the Oriental Hotel: 1878. 1st passenger train from Bay Ridge to the Oriental Hotel: 1878
Standard gauged and double tracked: 1883
N.Y. & M.B.R.R. became New York, Brooklyn and Manhattan Beach R.R. in 1885, and leased to the LIRR.
Last passenger train from Bay Ridge to Manhattan Beach: 5/13/1924
Last passenger train from Greenpoint to Manhattan Beach: 1882
1st passenger train from Long Island City to Manhattan Beach: 1883
Last passenger train from Long Island City to Manhattan Beach shown in timetable effective October, 1923 and lasting until May, 1924.
No signals on entire line east of “MJ” after grade crossing elimination. Trains were operated only one at a time, “MJ” to Manhattan Beach via either No 1 or No 2 tracks.
Grade crossing eliminations and relocation of main tracks started in1908 and lasted all during 1909, finishing in March, 1910.
“Bay Ridge Improvement” began on 5/19/05 at Parkville Yard:
1st work: Depressing of Main Line: 7th Ave. to Avenue G: 4 ˝ miles. Elevating of Main Line: Avenue G to New Lots Road: 2 ˝ miles.
2nd work: Depressing of Main Line: Liberty Avenue to New Lots Road: 1 mile.
3rd work: Tunnel of Main Line north portal to south portal: 1 mile.
4th work: Elevating Main Line North portal to “FN” cabin: 1 ˝ miles.
5th work: Widening of cut, 7th Avenue to floats: 1 ˝ miles.
Work completed: 3/1/1918 at Bay Ridge Yard.
Elimination of BRT EL trains crossing LIRR at grade:
Gravesend Avenue eliminated: 9/19/1906
New Utrecht Avenue eliminated: 7/16/1907
Bath and Brighton Beach R.R. (at “MJ”) eliminated: 1/17/1908
Marine Railway operated storage battery cars #1-5, built by Beach Car Co., over the LIRR from Sheepshead Bay Station to Oriental Blvd: 8/7/1913 to 4/1/1921
LIRR was abandoned east of Oriental Blvd. c. 1908.
From Bob
Emery’s Notes
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![NY and Manhattan Beach Railway 1879 map.jpg (294133 bytes)](NY_and_Manhattan_Beach_Railway_1879_map_small.jpg)
New York & Manhattan Beach Railway map 1879
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![USGS-map-1901_Manhattan-Beach.jpg (772091 bytes)](USGS-map-1901_Manhattan-Beach_small.jpg)
1901 USGS
Brooklyn map Manhattan Beach Railway
![](NYandMB_%200-4-4t_Charles-L_1876_Keller_small.jpg)
Narrow-gauge 0-4-4t with 36" drivers, #1876 built in 1876 by Mason Machine
Works in Taunton, Mass. for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia.
The locomotive was acquired by the NY & Manhattan Beach Ry in January,
1877 and was named "Charles L. Flint."
The locomotive
remained on the LIRR and was numbered #103. It was widened to standard
gauge in 1883. The locomotive was renumbered #55 and was withdrawn
from service with the electrification of 1905. Research/Archive: Dave Keller |
![Manhattan Beach Railway Timetable- Gilmore's Concert- 9-18-1879.jpg (289061 bytes)](Manhattan_Beach_Railway_Timetable-_Gilmores_Concert-_9-18-1879_small.jpg)
Manhattan
Beach Railway Timetable 1879 Gilmore's Grand Concerts 9/18/1879
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![Manhattan Beach Railway Timetable 1879.jpg (374089 bytes)](Manhattan_Beach_Railway_Timetable_1879_small.jpg)
Manhattan
Beach Railway Timetable 1879
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![Manhattan-Beach- Railway_pre-Penn Station-1905-legend-LIRR.jpg (207041 bytes)](Manhattan-Beach-_Railway_pre-Penn_Station-1905-legend-LIRR_small.jpg)
Manhattan Beach Railway - Pre-Penn Station -1905 map legend
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![Manhattan-Beach- Railway_pre-Penn Station-1905-LIRR.jpg (227137 bytes)](Manhattan-Beach-_Railway_pre-Penn_Station-1905-LIRR_small.jpg)
Manhattan Beach Railway - Pre-Penn Station -1905 Map
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The legend indicates yard sizes
in city lots. Sunnyside Yard is indicated as consisting of 8,712
city lots/400 acres, yet it would be another 5 years before it was put
into regular operation (1910). The land to be used for the yard was
"showing proposed improvements" as designated in 1905. Research:
Dave Keller
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TOWER #79˝ SHEEPSHEAD BAY
JCT. - EMMONS AVE. (LATER NEPTUNE AVE.) TROLLEY CROSSING - NORTH OF
MANHATTAN BEACH STATION ON W. SIDE OF MANHATTAN BEACH BRANCH TRACKS AND
NORTH SIDE OF EMMONS (NEPTUNE) AVE. (16 LEVER MACHINE IN SVC: 10/1898 OR
12/1898. REBUILT WITH 20 LEVER MECHANICAL MACHINE IN SVC: 6/11/1906.
RENAMED “SQ” IN 1907.) Research: Dave Keller |
![](Emery-Manhattan-Branch_Emmons-Ave-Tower-79.5_12-1898_small.jpg)
Emery map - Manhattan Beach Branch - Emmons Ave -Tower #79.˝
12/1898 Archive: Dave Keller |
![](Sheepshead-Bay-Junction_6-11-1906_Huneke_small.jpg)
TOWER #79 ˝
Sheepshead Bay Junction map 6/11/1906 Archive: Art Huneke |
“SQ” TOWER SHEEPSHEAD BAY
JCT. - EMMONS AVE. (LATER NEPTUNE AVE.) TROLLEY CROSSING NORTH OF
MANHATTAN BEACH STATION ON W. SIDE OF MANHATTAN BEACH BRANCH TRACKS AND N.
SIDE OF EMMONS (NEPTUNE) AVE. FORMERLY TOWER #79 ˝. (16 LEVER MECHANICAL
MACHINE REPLACED BY 20 LEVER MECHANICAL MACHINE IN SVC: 06/11/1906.
RENAMED IN 1907. OUT OF SVC. SOMETIME AFTER APRIL 6, 1908 WHEN EMMONS
[NEPTUNE] AVE. WAS BRIDGED, ELIMINATING THE GRADE CROSSING. Research: Dave
Keller |
![](Manhattan-Beach-Station_viewN_%209-8-1909_WilliamJRugen%20collection-Queens-Library_small.jpg)
Manhattan Beach view
just north (railroad east) of the station and looking north towards the
bridge over Neptune Avenue
in the right distance. On the left is the also
now grade-separated BRT Brighton Line. 9/08/1909.
William Rugen
collection-Queens Library Archive: Jeff Erlitz |
![](SQ-Tower_Emmons%20Ave.-Manhattan-Beach_ViewNW_04-06-1908_Keller_small.jpg)
"SQ" Tower Emmons Ave.-Manhattan Beach Branch - View NW 4/06/1908
Archive: Dave Keller |
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