Re: Tracing the New York & Manhattan Beach

Ted miles Wrote:
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> i remembered another bit of family oral
> history about Manhattan Beach. when my
> grandparents were courting in the late 1890s,
> they used to go down there on the LIRR to hear
> band concerts with John Philip Sousa. They lived
> on Jay Street; so I imagine it took a streetcar
> ride to get to the LIRR Station at Atlantic
> Avenue.

Thank you, Ted. That's a wonderful story. Yes, I imagine they would have taken either a streetcar (horse car?) or elevated train (still steam-hauled at that time) to the LIRR Flatbush Avenue terminal at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic Aves, which is still there now in 2016 but rechristened Atlantic Terminal. There was direct service then from Flatbush Avenue to Manhattan Beach using the level junction ("Manhattan Crossing") of the LIRR Atlantic Avenue line and Manhattan Beach branch (the former NY&MB ) in East New York, which I think was removed around 1905.

Here is a photo of the junction at Manhattan Crossing shortly before its demise, from Art Huneke's collection. This is looking west down Atlantic Avenue, with the former NY&MB running from right to left along VanSinderen Avenue, and "NO" tower up on stilts, straddling the tracks. Yes, the junction was in the middle of the intersection of two city streets, which is why it was removed and reconfigured!


Photo from http://arrts-arrchives.com/aaidiv3.html

I don't suppose your grandparents took any pictures, did they? (They were probably too busy courting to think about trains...)

-Philip Marshall



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2016 10:42PM by philip.marshall.