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Culver Shuttle
(demolished 1975)
Cause of death: IND, Need for major renovation,
financial problems
North refers to trains to 9th Avenue and
south refers to trains
to Ditmas
For photos see
www.nycsubway.org
This line was a
surviving portion of the BMT Culver line. The IND was
extended from Church Avenue via ramp to meet the BMT
line at Ditmas Avenue. The Line south of Ditmas became
IND and the Culver ended at Ditmas on the South and
Lower 9th Avenue on the North. Originally the
BMT ran from 9th Avenue on the D train and
then via this line to Ditmas avenue where it then ran
via today’s F train. Immediately after closing, free
transfers to the B35 bus were issued at both ends and
were discontinued with the advent of MetroCard.. This
free bus transfer was one of three free bus transfers
which are now history: Myrtle Broadway to bus replacing
the Old M, the BX55 bus
at 149th Street/3rd Avenue
replacing the 8 train
and this transfer. Today, only the
L train has a free
train to bus and bus to train transfer and that is due
to the bus boarding within the paid area or else that
too would history.
There are two track maps. One by Michael Calcagno as
done for
www.nycsubway.org shows the North and center
track as being abandoned and the other by Peter
Dougherty in
www.nyctrackbook.com which shows the three tracks.
The answer is simple: the line’s last days were run with
only the southernmost track in service, possibly due to
track problems with the northern two tracks and/or North
platform. Both show two tracks leaving Lower 9th
Avenue with the Northern track dividing into a new
northern track and a center track which ended past the
13th avenue Station and then only the
southern track entering Ditmas Avenue While we have no
hard evidence, the center track was probably used for
storage for disabled trains .
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9 AVENUE
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9th
Avenue
has two levels. The upper level has three tracks and two
island platforms. The lower level has three tracks and
two island platforms. The North track did not connect to
this line, but rather the South Brooklyn Railway which
handles freight service for NYCT. Michael’s track map
shows that in the last days, the center track was the
only track used by this line which became the southern
track.
Originally, as indicated by Peter’s track map the
stations had two side platforms which based on newspaper
articles were wood and later concrete. In the line’s
final days only the southern platforms were used.
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FT HAMILTON PARKWAY
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Ft Hamilton Parkway
had two mezzanines leading to Ft Hamilton Parkway and
14th Avenue. Canopies were probably wood with Transite
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13 AVENUE
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13th Avenue had
two mezzanines leading to 13th Avenue and
12th Avenue. Canopies were probably wood with Transite.
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DITMAS AVENUE
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Ditmas
Avenue at the time this line ran, had one wall
platform serving northbound trains on the IND line to
Church Avenue, a center bypass track and an island
platform with the IND on the east track and the Culver
shuttle on the west track with merged with the east
track of this island platform leaving three tracks
heading south. When the shuttle was abandoned and
finally torn down, a windscreen was placed on the
southbound island platform converting it into a "wall
platform" which today still show the orange edge of
platform line below the windscreen. The station now has
concrete platforms and a crossunder. All that remains of
this line is a trackway coming from the Northwest
merging with the Coney Island Bound
F track.
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