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Watching the Brooklyn Dodgers documentary on HBO made us dig for some more footage on YouTube. The team had many nicknames, one being the Trolley Dodgers, and their fans were often dependent on the trolley system to get to the games. The above film shows a Brooklyn trolley at 5th Avenue and Flatbush, 5th Avenue and Bergen Street and finally 5th Avenue and 9th Street, with some great shots of the people and area at the time. One commenter on the video points out that at the 2:30 mark the Avon Theater is shown (which in that day would show double features and cartoons for "25 cent a pop").
Though the YouTube description says the video is from the 1930s, commenters were quick to point out that the film was shot around 1948. "The element that dates it is the twin trolley wire on Bergen Street at 5th Avenue. 1948 was the year trolleys were replaced on Bergen with electric buses which required a hot wire and a ground wire. Streetcars used the track as the ground return. Trolley buses lasted on Bergen until about 1960. Fifth Avenue had an elevated train line until 1941 which precludes the 1930's date as does the clothing on the people." More on Trolleys in Brooklyn here and here.
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Etymology a bit backward. Brooklynites were known as Trolley Dodgers (for obvious reasons; the team's name was derived from that. The Trolley Dodgers was not one of the team's nicknames, the most famous of which was Dem Bums.
Cool footage...!
Whatever happened to the guy who was restoring trolley’s in Red Hook? There was even talk of having a trolley line from Red Hook to Smith st in Cobble Hill
I love the stumblebum drunk in that video.
Thanks for digging that up. And for mentioning that documentary. I just happened upon it while channel surfing and was riveted. Now I really understand the sentimentalism around that team!
the red hook trolley dude ran out of money and also managed to piss off greg mcconnell who was basically letting him keep his unrestored trolleys (rent free) on his property, resulting in i believe, mutual lawsuits.
you can still see the trolleys behind the new fairway market at the end of van brunt street.
it's too bad the trolley dude wasn't such a crank, as a trolley line from red hook to fulton ferry landing (or anywhere!) would have been incredible. kind of like the market street streetcars in san francisco.
Here in Toronto we are expanding the light rail network significantly. It would be great to see it in Brooklyn :)
Really great to see a story worthy of commenting on here for once . To bad they aren't running anymore . Trolleys bring a "Townly" feel to New York's outer borough's . Posted by; "Still Not Amused"
It has been my experience that these trolley enthusiasts are a bit nuts, have no sense of reality and are more like Neville Shunt than any sort of person who would bring about actual public transit.
Having a modern light rail line, such as the one found over the Hudson in New Jersey run by New Jersey Transit between Hudson and Bergen Counties would work nicely in Brooklyn.
Have it run from say Queensboro Plaza, via Downtown Brooklyn, to Red Hook and in other areas that aren't served well by the subway and have the line serve subway, bus and ferry stops. Make it clean, reliable and modern instead of some foamer's pipe dream of running old streetcars that aren't going to really serve the needs of the community, but instead would just be a magnet for visiting foamers.
Totally agree with [8]. A light-rail like NJ's would be perfect! It would have to have a connection or two to subway lines but this would be perfect for the Brooklyn/Queens waterfront. Maybe the 7 train at Hunters Point, the F train at York Street, the G at Greenpoint Ave and also Smith/9th. Don't know any other stations that close to the waterfront... Okay, who wants to ask Mike?
Been hearing something very interesting.
Not only is BHRA back in the tunnel tour business (I guess the City relinquished), but now I've heard several of BHRA's previous associates are now named in multiple lawsuits, with the main lawsuit regarding the owner of the Norwegian trolley #3.
Apparently there are written contracts regarding the use of #3 and they were violated when it was removed from Trolley Museum. Not being privy to this, does anyone have any further info?
Furthermore, if I'm told correctly, a competitive streetcar trolley group had no legal right to the PCC's in the Brookyn Navy Yard. If they were sold to collect unpaid rent (per some previous post) one would think the PCC's would have been seized by NYC sheriff or marshals, and attempted to have been auctioned off to recoup that unpaid debt.. Apparently this is not the case and someone offered from BNY offered them for sale then attempted to give away with no takers; ultimately resulting in their being hauled away.
With all that I've been reading amongst all the different forums and posts, there is no definitive lucid logical explanation of why BHRA suffered it's setbacks and would allow the trolleys to be scrapped, only lots of hypothesis.
But, whatever happened did to Mr. Diamond, apparently it did not dilute his objective of returning streetcars to Brooklyn and I hear a further round of talks with the City government of getting streetcars restored to Brooklyn is currently underway and receiving favorable interest.
Whether you like BHRA/Diamond or dislike BHRA/Diamond, I hope they are successful in returning streetcars/light rail to Brooklyn.