Prospect Park (BMT Franklin)
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Prospect Park Station · Opened 4/4/1905The Franklin Shuttle line uses primarily the northbound local track at Prospect Park for daily service. The southbound local track is usually used for storage but is occasionally for service reroutes during construction. The tunnel just north of this station is the location of the infamous "Malbone Street" wreck of November 1, 1918, New York's worst railroad accident.
On November 1, 1918, due to a wildcat strike of BRT
motormen, service was being operated by tower operators and other
supervisory personnel. One such substitute operator was Edward
Luciano, who was operating an evening rush hour Brighton Line train
from Park Row to Coney Island. He was an inexperienced operator, and
unfamiliar with the Brighton Line as well. At the junction of the
Fulton Street El and the Brighton line at Franklin Avenue, he did not
notice that the signal was set for straight ahead, and sped across the
junction on Fulton Street. Realizing the error, he then backed up to
the junction, and took his proper turn. Trying to make up time, he
sped down the incline at such speed that he missed his stop at the
Consumer's Park station. Due to the construction of the new subway
connection at Prospect Park, the tracks, before entering the Prospect
Park station now ducked into a subway tunnel, and then took a sharp
reverse curve into the station. The curve had a speed limit of 6
MPH. Witnesses claim the train was going at least 30 MPH as it entered
the tunnel. The front of lead car 726, an open platform El car, held
the curve but the rear truck derailed. Second car, motorless trailer
80 and third car, motorless trailer 100, also derailed and smashed
into each other, the rear of the lead car and the tunnel walls.
Fourth car 725 and fifth car 1064, both motor cars, remained on the
tracks. Car 80 had one of its sides and its roof torn away, and car
100 was completely destroyed to its floor, as the wooden cars banged
against the tunnel walls and were reduced to splinters. In all, 97
people were killed (5 survivors of the crash died later for a total of
102), and hundreds were injured. Ebbets Field was turned into an
emergency aid station. Motorman Luciano was able to walk away from
the crash and was later found and arrested. Other BRT officials were
also arrested and charged with manslaugher. In 1919, Luciano was
acquitted and in 1920, the remaining BRT officials were also acquitted
of the charge. The New York Times
reports on the wreck the next morning.
 | | The site of the wreck, as seen in 1997. Photo by
Constantino Tobio, Jr. |
Oddly enough, a second accident at the same scene was
recorded on December 1st, 1974. A train of R-32s travelling at slow
speed derailed and hit the tunnel wall at the same place of the
Malbone Street wreck. There were no deaths or injuries.
(image 97353) (339k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Layup South of Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 2920
Photo by: Zach Summer
Date: 12/29/2008
Notes: Prospect Park switch configuration (local merges with express), shuttle layup on right.
Viewed (this week/total): 2 / 654
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(image 97354) (316k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Layup South of Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 2920
Photo by: Zach Summer
Date: 12/29/2008
Notes: With R68A on Q at left.
Viewed (this week/total): 3 / 759
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(image 97355) (374k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Layup South of Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 2920
Photo by: Zach Summer
Date: 12/29/2008
Viewed (this week/total): 5 / 1108
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(image 24493) (211k, 1044x720)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Layup South of Prospect Park
Car: R30 8476
Collection of: David Pirmann
Date: 12/1984
Viewed (this week/total): 2 / 3812
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(image 34517) (120k, 1008x672)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Layup South of Prospect Park
Car: R11 (Budd, 1949)
Photo by: Joe Korman
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 2321
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(image 103532) (305k, 788x1044)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Photo by: Lorraine Maruska
Date: 7/31/2009
Notes: "Southbound" shuttle track, view facing south from north end of platform.
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 230
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(image 72598) (176k, 1044x791)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 2917
Photo by: Aliandro Brathwaite
Date: 8/27/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 2311
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(image 70249) (207k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 2920
Photo by: Philip D'Allesandro
Date: 7/28/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 3 / 1695
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(image 69695) (175k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 2924
Photo by: Michael Hodurski
Date: 6/26/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 1573
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(image 68314) (133k, 898x601)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: S
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988)
Photo by: Phillip Lee
Date: 6/7/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 2 / 1546
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(image 65847) (264k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 2916
Photo by: Lorraine Maruska
Date: 5/6/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 2 / 2050
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(image 62087) (278k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 2922
Photo by: Lorraine Maruska
Date: 3/7/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 4 / 3125
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(image 62091) (304k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Photo by: Lorraine Maruska
Date: 3/7/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 1878
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(image 62086) (252k, 788x1044)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988)
Photo by: Lorraine Maruska
Date: 3/6/2007
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 2092
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(image 64089) (128k, 660x500)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 29xx
Photo by: Zach Summer
Date: 8/24/2006
Viewed (this week/total): 6 / 2271
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(image 49974) (214k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 2917
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 6/6/2006
Viewed (this week/total): 2 / 3052
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(image 49973) (216k, 1044x788)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988) 2921
Photo by: John Barnes
Date: 6/6/2006
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 2697
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(image 41310) (100k, 640x480)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Work Service
Photo by: Daniel Borde
Date: 8/20/2005
Notes: Unusual work train at Prospect Park.
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 2381
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(image 41309) (97k, 640x480)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Work Service
Car: Locomotive R47 (SBK) N2
Photo by: Daniel Borde
Date: 8/20/2005
Viewed (this week/total): 1 / 2456
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(image 66401) (93k, 800x597)
Country: United States
City: New York
System: New York City Transit
Line: BMT Franklin
Location: Prospect Park
Route: Franklin Shuttle
Car: R68 (Westinghouse-Amrail, 1986-1988)
Photo by: Phillip Lee
Date: 8/7/2005
Viewed (this week/total): 0 / 1521
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