Red Hook: Flying Dutchman
Much of Red Hook’s current fate was set in motion by Robert Moses’ inexorable highway crusade. Orphaned from “mainland Brooklyn” by the BQE, Red Hook has suffered in part from its lack of direct train service. In the last ten years a movement has been afoot to return trolleys to the neighborhood streets as many…
Much of Red Hook’s current fate was set in motion by Robert Moses’ inexorable highway crusade. Orphaned from “mainland Brooklyn” by the BQE, Red Hook has suffered in part from its lack of direct train service. In the last ten years a movement has been afoot to return trolleys to the neighborhood streets as many of the original tracks still exist. But city support fell through and all that’s left of the effort at current is this flying dutchman slowly moldering behind the Van Brunt Stores. Still it makes for a wistful reminder of days past and futures possible and with the coming of the cruise lines the city and local residents are once again exploring new transportation options for the area.
Trollys are a TOTAL waste – all you need are DEDICATED bus lanes. Nothing a trolly can do that a bus can’t; just that busses are slowed by the fact that regular traffic blocks them up.
hmmm, this seems to be the same anonymous person who has pooh-poohed anything that has to do with the revitilization of redhook. smells fishy.
Yes, it’s a shame that an unrealistic plan, with meager financial backing, and no political clout could not accomplish an impractical project well beyond his capacity.
Courtesy of the Barge Museum site:
Beard Street Pier was once home to the Trolley Museum. Red Hook resident Bob Diamond started the small museum in the 1990s with the intention of linking the neighborhood to Carroll Gardens once again. He received $210,000 through the federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Equity Act (ISTEA), in 1996, and started constructing the project but he experienced financial troubles and the project’s future is uncertain.
I guess it’s politically correct to unquestionably bash Robert Moses. However, it should be noted that there never was any “city” support for the trolley project — just one person’s impractical idea that never had any financial backing.
I have a very early memory of trolleys running on Mcdonald Av in front of my grandmother’s house. (tracks are still intact) I later learned they were the last trolleys to still roll in the city at the time (late ’50’s). Yikes, it’s scary how old I am.
Some trolley-related links:
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/TROLLEYS/redhook/redhook.html
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/TROLLEYS/1989%20trolley%20run/trolley.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooklyn_Trolley_Museum
http://www.nycsubway.org/cars/btm.html
Lost of the troleys was one of the worst thing that happend to brooklyn. F…ing R Moses i hope he is in hell made out of higways and he has to walk (he never learned drive, ironicly)
How much cool stuff! Good show.
Those trolleys deserve to be restored and/or go to some museum. It’s also remarkable that all those catenary wires are still intact.
Any idea when they were last in service?