86th Street Line (Brooklyn)

The 86th Street Line or Streetcar Line #31 was a streetcar line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, mostly running along Bath Avenue and other Streets between Coney Island and Sunset Park. Built by the Brooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation as a Streetcar line this route has now been entirely replaced by the B64 bus.

86th Street Line
Overview
Type	Streetcar
System	B&QT
Status	Demolished
Locale	Bensonhurst
Termini	65th Street terminal Coney Island Stilwell Avenue
Stations	35
Line number	34
Operation
Opened	1894
Closed	August 12, 1948
Technical
Electrification	Yes

History

1906 atlas of Gravesend showing the 86th Street Line's main storage depot

The streetcar line was built by the Nassau Electric Railroad in 1894 to make more profits for the company.[1] The company was later leased by the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation.[2] In 1929 the company made a subsidiary company, the Brooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation, to run multiple Streetcar lines one of which was the 86th Streetcar Line. The line ran entirely on surface level except for the northern terminal where it went onto an island platform. The 86th Streetcar Line had connections to multiple lines including the Bay Ridge Line, West End Line and the Fifth Avenue Line.[3]In 1930, new tracks were made that split from the West End Line at 24th Avenue and went onto a right of way path used by trolleys to get to the Unionville Depot and onto Crospey Avenue.[4] The 86th Street line would then later merge back with the West End Line at the intersection of Crospey and Stillwell avenue. The line closed on August 12, 1948 and was demolished some time later.[5]

Pre-1930 Stations list

Neighborhood	Station	Type	Tracks	Services	Opened	Transfers and notes
Bay Ridge
	65th Street Terminal Station	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	Ramp down from elevated station[6]
	67th Street	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	Bay Ridge Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Transfer to Bay Ridge Avenue line
	4th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	5th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	72nd Street	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	Bay Ridge Parkway	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	77th Street	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	80th Street	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	83rd Street	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	Fifth Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	Fort Hamilton Parkway	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
Dyker Heights
	7th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	12th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	14th Avenue-86th Street	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	Benson Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	14th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
Bath Beach
	15th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	16th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	17th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	Tracks Merge at Bay 19th Street with the West End Line[7]
	Bay 18th Street	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface [8]
	20th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface[8]
	21st Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface[8]
	Bay Parkway	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface[8]
	23rd Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface[8]
	24th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface[8]
	25th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface[8]
	Track Splits to Unionville Depot
	Bay 41st Street	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface[8]
	Bay 44th Street	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface[8]
Gravesend
	28th Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface[8]
	Harway Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	Avenue Z	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
Coney Island
	Neptune Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Demolished 1948
	Stillwell Avenue	local	all	86th Street Line	1894	Connections to the West End Line surface, Sea Gate, Norton's Point and Sea Beach Line (As of 1948)

References

1. Herries, W. (1895). Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 245. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
2. "Of the Nassau-Transit Railroad Consolidation Deal". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, NY. November 6, 1898. p. 30.
3. "Brooklyn, 3rd Ave El 65th Station, Trolley andTunnel". subchat.com. Mellow One. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
4. http://www.thejoekorner.com/scripted-map-display.shtm?http://www.thejoekorner.com/lines/brooklyn-trolleys/bmt-trolleys-31.jpg^86th%20Street
5. http://www.thejoekorner.com/lines/brooklyn-trolleys/bklyntrolleys-frame.htm
6. https://www.freewebs.com/mellowone/
7. https://www.oldnyc.org/#703129f-a
8. "21 Jul 1916, 2 - Times Union at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-03-30.