Nassau Railroad
Encyclopedia
Nassau Railroad Company was a streetcar company that ran in Queens and Kings Counties in the State of New York
during the 1850's and 1860's. It should not be confused with the Nassau Electric Railroad
.
already had one for part of the route system the railroad was trying to get. The railroad next lobbied in Albany, and the Legislature issued the following franchise as a result, under Chapter 823, laws of 1866:
Crosstown: From Hunterspoint Ferry at the foot of West 2nd Street (54th Street) via the Williamsburgh, Ravenswood, and Astoria Turnpike, (Vernon Boulevard and Manhattan Avenue); Driggs Avenue (double track), Driggs Avenue/Bedford Avenue (single track each), Broadway, Rush Street, Kent Avenue, Washington Avenue, Park & Flushing Avenue
s (single track on each), Willoughby Street, Joralemon St, Court Street and Atlantic Avenue to South Ferry
.
FRANKLIN AVENUE: From Crosstown via Washington Avenue, Montgomery Street, and Franklin to Flatbush Avenue.
The new railroad could never establish whether it actually intended to operate, or whether it was a stalking horse for the Greenpoint and Williamsburgh Railroad
, which see. The two railroads promptly solved the route problem, but not before the City of Brooklyn tried to throw a monkey wrench into the whole deal. The Nassau RR could not obtain consents for the Washington Avenue portion between Myrtle
and Atlantic Avenue
s, and - of course - the emphasis shifted from Flatbush Village
as a source of revenue to Grand Army Plaza, which was to be the most public portion of Prospect Park
, which was then under construction.
The legislature solved the problem by amending the earlier franchise by issuing Chapter 286, Laws of 1868, which awarded the following route:
VANDERBILT AVENUE: From Washington & Park Avenues via Washington Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, and Vanderbilt Avenue
to Grand Army Plaza. This established the Nassau Railroad as the first railroad on Vanderbilt Avenue, although other railroads would gain much more fame for the route than the Nassau Railroad.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
during the 1850's and 1860's. It should not be confused with the Nassau Electric Railroad
Nassau Electric Railroad
The Nassau Electric Railroad was an electric street railway company in the U.S. state of New York. The company operated throughout the borough of Brooklyn, as well as over the Brooklyn Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge into Manhattan....
.
History
The NRR was chartered by the New York State Legislature under The General Railroad Law of 1850 (GRL-50) on 1865-03-03, just 37 days prior to the end of the Civil War. It was a rich railroad for those days - as street railroads went - for it had a capitalization of $600,000, and an unlimited corporate life. The railroad immediately petitioned for a franchise from the City of Brooklyn, but it was denied on the grounds that the Greenpoint and Williamsburgh RailroadGreenpoint and Williamsburgh Railroad
The Greenpoint & Williamsburgh Railroad was a streetcar line that operated in the U.S. state of New York.-Incorporation and first line:The G&WRR was chartered on 1864-04-23, under Chapter 323 of the Laws of 1864, by Mr. Archibald K. Meserole & Associates, as a general railroad. Capitalization was...
already had one for part of the route system the railroad was trying to get. The railroad next lobbied in Albany, and the Legislature issued the following franchise as a result, under Chapter 823, laws of 1866:
Crosstown: From Hunterspoint Ferry at the foot of West 2nd Street (54th Street) via the Williamsburgh, Ravenswood, and Astoria Turnpike, (Vernon Boulevard and Manhattan Avenue); Driggs Avenue (double track), Driggs Avenue/Bedford Avenue (single track each), Broadway, Rush Street, Kent Avenue, Washington Avenue, Park & Flushing Avenue
Flushing Avenue
Flushing Avenue is an approximately five mile street running through northern Brooklyn and west central Queens beginning at the termination of Nassau Street, on the northern fringe of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, and ending where it merges with Grand Avenue, in Maspeth. It divides the neighborhood of...
s (single track on each), Willoughby Street, Joralemon St, Court Street and Atlantic Avenue to South Ferry
South Ferry, Brooklyn
South Ferry was a ferry landing on the Brooklyn side of the East River, at the foot of Atlantic Avenue at the border of the neighborhoods of Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights. The ferry known as South Ferry traveled to South Ferry, Manhattan...
.
FRANKLIN AVENUE: From Crosstown via Washington Avenue, Montgomery Street, and Franklin to Flatbush Avenue.
The new railroad could never establish whether it actually intended to operate, or whether it was a stalking horse for the Greenpoint and Williamsburgh Railroad
Greenpoint and Williamsburgh Railroad
The Greenpoint & Williamsburgh Railroad was a streetcar line that operated in the U.S. state of New York.-Incorporation and first line:The G&WRR was chartered on 1864-04-23, under Chapter 323 of the Laws of 1864, by Mr. Archibald K. Meserole & Associates, as a general railroad. Capitalization was...
, which see. The two railroads promptly solved the route problem, but not before the City of Brooklyn tried to throw a monkey wrench into the whole deal. The Nassau RR could not obtain consents for the Washington Avenue portion between Myrtle
Myrtle Avenue (New York City)
Myrtle Avenue in New York City is a street that runs from Flatbush Avenue Extension in Downtown Brooklyn to Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, Queens.-In Queens:...
and Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic Avenue (New York City)
Atlantic Avenue is an important street in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. It stretches from the Brooklyn waterfront on the East River all the way to Jamaica, Queens...
s, and - of course - the emphasis shifted from Flatbush Village
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
as a source of revenue to Grand Army Plaza, which was to be the most public portion of Prospect Park
Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Prospect Park is a 585-acre public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden...
, which was then under construction.
The legislature solved the problem by amending the earlier franchise by issuing Chapter 286, Laws of 1868, which awarded the following route:
VANDERBILT AVENUE: From Washington & Park Avenues via Washington Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, and Vanderbilt Avenue
Vanderbilt Avenue (Brooklyn)
Vanderbilt Avenue is a short street in Brooklyn, New York. Its south terminus is located at Grand Army Plaza. The avenue carries traffic north and south between Grand Army Plaza and The Brooklyn Navy Yard, its northern terminus....
to Grand Army Plaza. This established the Nassau Railroad as the first railroad on Vanderbilt Avenue, although other railroads would gain much more fame for the route than the Nassau Railroad.