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STATEN ISLAND HEAVY RAIL
Reflections on an Older Time |
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During my childhood, once I received the
authorization for independent wandering of the city, every so often so I'd venture out to
Staten Island. (There was a ferry from Brooklyn as well as from the
Battery in Manhattan in those pre-bridge days). It required separate
and additional fares, but it was adventure I always enjoyed.
Much of the borough was still very rural.
Taking the old "SIRT" -- Staten Island Rapid Transit -- from St. George
to Tottenville in cars such as the one shown on the right in this photo
was always an exciting and very different experience.
The line was
a division of the B&O then, as it had been since back in the steam era
later-1800s. Electrification came in the mid-1920s. The railroad heritage added to the
special and different nature of the ride. Much of the route was
at ground level, and there were
numerous grade crossings. I have vague memories of conductors walking through
the cars to take care of fares, commuter-railroad style. Near the last stop
in
Tottenville a little ferry -- long, long gone -- provided service across
the Arthur Kill to Perth
Amboy, New Jersey.
This image is from the 1980s, and those old vehicles were long out
of passenger service. |
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