Brooklyn railroad and subway collection
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Abstract
The Brooklyn Commuter Railroad and Subway collection measures 0.4 linear feet and spans the years 1853 to 1958. It is assembled of documents produced by many of the companies and organizations responsible for the development of Brooklyn and New York City's transportation infrastructure from the late-19th century to the mid-20th century.
Historical note
Commuter railroad service in Brooklyn dates to 1834 and the founding of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) during that year. Originally conceived as a means to connect Brooklyn to Boston, Massachusetts more directly, the LIRR played a significant role in the development and economic growth of Long Island's suburban communities, particularly after the railroad was directly linked to Manhattan in the 1880s. As of 2010, the LIRR is the largest and busiest commuter railroad in the United States, with tracks spanning from Penn Station in Manhattan to the far eastern reaches of Long Island, and a daily ridership of over 200,000 commuters.
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) began construction of the first subway line in New York City in 1900. In 1909, construction began on Brooklyn's first subway line, the 4th Avenue subway. To encourage the rapid growth of subway construction, in 1913 the City of New York divided the disbursement of contracts between two companies: the IRT and the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), which was later renamed the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT). Under the "dual contract" system, the IRT was awarded rights to expand the existing Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Bronx lines, while the BMT was awarded contracts for the construction of new lines in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. In the 1920s, the city-owned Independent Subway System (IND) was established to further expand the capacity of the city's subway system, as well as to compete with the privately-owned IRT and BMT. The IND's first completed line, the Eighth Avenue subway, opened in 1932.
In 1940, the IRT and BMT were acquired by the city and all three lines were consolidated with the IND into the New York City Board of Transportation. In 1953, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) was established as a public benefit corporation to operate the subway system, and in 1968 the NYCTA was placed under the control of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which continues to oversee and operate New York City's subway system as of 2010.
Sources:
- "History of Public Transportation in New York City," New York Transit Museum, accessed December 9, 2010, http://www.transitmuseumeducation.org/trc/background
Scope and Contents
The Brooklyn Commuter Railroad and Subway collection measures 0.4 linear feet and spans the years 1853 to 1958. It is assembled of documents produced by many of the companies and organizations responsible for the development of Brooklyn and New York City's transportation infrastructure from the late-19th century to the mid-20th century. The bulk of the collection consists of bound volumes of BMT Monthly, a newsletter for employees of the BMT. These volumes span the dates 1917 to 1933. Also included in the collection are annual reports of the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corproation (BMT), the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), the Board of Commissioners of Electrical Subways of the City of New York, and the Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT); employee handbooks published by the Board of Transportation of the City of New York; the by-laws and charter of the Brooklyn, East New York and Rockaway Railroad Company; the by-laws of the Grand St., Prospect Park and Flatbush Railroad Company; and the by-laws and charter of the Brooklyn Central and Jamaica Railroad Company. The collection also includes two Brooklyn elevated railroad company bonds.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Brooklyn Commuter Railroad and Subway collection, ARC.152, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The source and date of acquisition for this collection are unknown.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Minimally processed to the collection level.
Material found in repository added to collection by Lena Evers-Hillstrom in October 2018.
