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Holy Cross Shuttle

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The Holy Cross Cemetery Line or Holy Cross Shuttle was a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, running as a short branch of the Nostrand Avenue Line along Tilden Avenue east to Holy Cross Cemetery at Canarsie Lane. Originally a streetcar line, it was replaced by a bus route, which is no longer operated.[1] The route operated out of Flatbush Depot.[2]

History

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The original line ran along Empire Boulevard and Clove Road (now mostly gone) from Nostrand Avenue southeast to the cemetery. It was the third railroad in Clove Road, after the Brooklyn and Canarsie Railroad (1866-1868) and Kings County Central Railroad (1878 only). Service began in September 1883, running from Canarsie Road (now Cortelyou Road) to Holy Cross Cemetery via Canarsie Lane, Clarkson Avenue, Clove Road, and Malbone Street (now Empire Boulevard).[3] The New Williamsburgh and Flatbush Railroad opened the line prior to August 1, 1889, when it was leased to the Brooklyn City Rail Road.[4][5][6] On October 4, 1892, the Town board of Flatbush denied the Brooklyn City Railroad's request to straighten the rail line and extend the route through some of the streets in the town, and the company subsequently withdrew its application.[7]

The line was moved onto Tilden Avenue, as a branch of the new electric Nostrand Avenue Line, on July 15, 1895, and the old line was abandoned.[8][9][10][11] The line was reduced to a shuttle by 1903.[3] In December 1919, Birney cars began running along the route, making it the first route of the Brooklyn City Railroad Company to get them.[12] On February 3, 1933, the Brooklyn and Queens Transit Corporation announced that it had sought permission to replace the trolley route with a bus route.[13]

Buses were substituted for streetcars on April 1, 1951.[14] The Holy Cross Shuttle had been the shortest trolley route in Brooklyn.[15] The route was incorporated into the B44 bus route,[16] and westbound buses ran along Beverly Road between Brooklyn Avenue and Nostrand Avenue.[17] Bus service was discontinued on September 30, 1959.[1][18] The four-block long bus route barely earned any revenue.[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ a b "City of New York Office of the Mayor Official Communication re:Discontinuance of Holy Cross Shuttle, part of Bus Route B/44 - Nostrand Avenue, Brooklyn" (PDF). LaGuardia Wagner Archive. New York City Office of the Mayor. August 21, 1959. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  2. ^ Industrial Refrigeration. Nickerson & Collins Company. 1940.
  3. ^ a b Association, Branford Electric Railway (2008-09-29). Brooklyn Streetcars. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-2045-8.
  4. ^ "Leasing Lines". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 13, 1889. p. 4.
  5. ^ "Lines Leased". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 29, 1889. p. 4.
  6. ^ "Five Car Lines". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 31, 1889. p. 8.
  7. ^ "There Was a Lull in the Board". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 27, 1892. p. 12. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  8. ^ "Nostrand Avenue Railroad". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. October 9, 1894. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Suburban News". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 26, 1895. p. 4.
  10. ^ "To Flatbush for Two Fares". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 15, 1895. p. 4.
  11. ^ "The Clove Road in Bad Shape". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 26, 1896. p. 3.
  12. ^ "Safety Cars to Run This Week: Holy Cross Cemetery Line Will Be First to Get Trolleys. Motormen Being Trained. 108 Cars Will Be Put in Operation in Borough". The Brooklyn Times Union. December 16, 1919. p. 10. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  13. ^ "Would Extend Line: Bus Corp. Seeks to Add to Manhattan Bridge Route". The Brooklyn Times Union. February 3, 1933. p. 9. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  14. ^ "Trolleys Clang Their Farewells". New York Daily News. April 2, 1951. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  15. ^ "Last Trolley Runs Tomorrow in Nostrand Ave". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 31, 1951. p. 3. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  16. ^ Transit Record. New York City Transit Authority. 1951.
  17. ^ Linder, Bernard (August 1965). "BMT Trolley Routes 1940-1956: Part I - Flatbush, East New York, 9th Ave. & Fresh Pond Depots" (PDF). New York Division ERA Bulletin. Electric Railroaders' Association: 3. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  18. ^ Minutes and Proceedings of the New York City Transit Authority. New York City Transit Authority. 1959. pp. 381, 445.
  19. ^ "Abandon Shuttle to Cemetery". New York Daily News. September 25, 1959. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  20. ^ Annual Report. New York City Transit Authority. 1960. p. 29.
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