BRONX TROLLEY LINES , 1930's-1940's movie footage

[@brimac58]

My grandfather may very well have been driving one of those Trolleys. Thank you for your priceless vids!

[@georgestreicher252]

As a child in the Bronx in the '50s, I held my nose when those smelly buses passed by. I looked quizzically at the old trolley tracks that were everywhere amongst the paving blocks. My parents told me nostalgically, of the days when the trolley lines ran. Having been to San Francisco and Boston that still kept some trolleys, I often wondered why anyone would get rid of these wonderful conveyances. Perhaps they will make a comeback when people come to their senses. Thanks for the these historic videos.

[@1575murray]

Those buses were not well maintained by Surface Transit Co. which went out of business in 1962 after a strike stopped service and bus service was taken over by MABSTOA. Even then it took several years before enough new GM Fishbowl buses were purchased to retire the old first generation GM buses that replaced the trolley cars. I remember that in the late 1950s some streets in the Bronx still had trolley tracks on them although the overhead wiring had been removed.

[@BOOGLEMANN-m2j]

@@1575murray : YOUR FORGETING THE COBBLE STONE STREETS !!!!!! TRY RIDING YOUR BYCLE ACROSS A STREET WITH TRACKS ??

[@eisenjeisen6262]

I was born 1933 in the Bronx during the Great Depression and with a "Dime" you went a long ways on those sub-ways trains, from the Bronx to Coney-Islands Joy-lands rides. and hot-dogs and fast electric cars!,banging into one another.....

[@Risteard156]

The good old days may be gone but not forgotten Bonx,n.y.💯🇺🇸👍

[@firefly1933]

I almost cannot tell you how moved I am by these images of a lost Bronx, long before I was born in the borough. Many thanks for this treasure.

[@nora0307]

I absolutely loved this and I was born in the 80's.

[@whitealliance9540]

@@nora0307 it aint lost, people destroyed it. They burned it all down over and over again and took the money. Then the city put poor people and cops there and the city itself made money. Its a system.

[@roadtrip2943]

As a bronx born and raised 70 year old this warms my heart to a long gone world. The abandoned rails were seen as a youth but never seen as they were used.

[@joannemaguuire9664]

Same here. My mom told me about the trollys. The tracks were visible. I remember seeing them as a kid. Remember the green and cream color buses and the transfers. I remember Fordham Road the way it was. Westchester Square the way it was and Boston Post Road like it was yesterday. The candy stores were you could get penny candy and the 5 and ten cent stores.

[@vinceparlante3723]

Good morning road trip. I was also born in the Bronx lived on Radcliff ave. Back in 1957 - 1962. Though wasn't unfortunately raised in the city but did go back and spent a few summers in the city. I still to this day also have my memories of the city. My late Great Grandfather as well as late Grandfather? Both owned up til the late 70s a business in the Parkchester area called Parkchester Distributors . It was a Beer and soda business there in the Bronx. Maybe you remember? That business from in the Bronx. Anyway thought I would share that with you. Take care.

[@roadtrip2943]

@@vinceparlante3723 we used to get beverages delivered in cases made up of hoffman, cott and heavy glass seltzer bottles

[@RynardMoore]

I was born in Manhattan -- Harlem hospital, but I am BX raised. And I too have fond BX memories like Freedom Land.

[@edwinjimenez3802]

Back then mostly people of European Heritage good decent hard working folks buildings and neighborhoods were well kept it was completely different world

[@nathanieldaiken1064]

We need them back! I was born too late, only saw the abandoned rails...would love a trolley line in New York City!

[@blissfult6397]

Me too. That will be nice.

[@CR1Creative]

Light rail no we don't need light rail instead we need the second , third , ninth ave Elvated back when the mta rebuilds the second, third, ninth ave elevated they could use R62AS in 8 car sets Thank God the old governor LaGuardia and the old president Robert Moses is no longer on this earth the TA Workers should've fought against those two selfish people that tair down the second, third , sixth & ninth What the mta needs to do is rebuilt the third ave el from the ground up also we need the second ave elevated & ninth ave elevated as well because the second ave subway is taking forever to build the second & ninth ave elevated could definitely help out the second ave subway & the (4) the third ave elevated could definitely help out (2) (4) (5) (6) Bx 15 Bx 41 the mta removed the Bx55 buses for practically no reason they should've left the Bx55 buses alone the mta should've make the Bx55/A were it would combine with the Bx41 & the Bx21 the Bx55/A the south Bronx definitely second, third , & ninth avenue elevated Bx55 & Bx55/A I'm telling you Put light rail to connect from queens to Brooklyn south Bronx doesn't need light rail rather it definitely needs the third & ninth ave Elvated to help out the (2) (4) (5) & (6) Bx 15 & bx21 & bx41

[@Thelivingwordthesword]

In my old neighborhood there were still visible tracks in the streets on 138st near Cypress Jackson avenue

[@gigioecu]

Thank you for sharing this great treasure of my dear Bronx. My family are South American immigrants from Ecuador. Our experience of the Bronx originated back in the mid 1970’s - present. My grandmother spent 50 years as a Bronx-site. We recognized our apartment building at the underground trolley thruway below Grand Concourse and Kingsbridge Ave.

[@eddtoro]

I’m impressed with the knowledge of the narrator. There was a small construction job done in front of my building at 162nd street and Ogden Avenue. About 7 minute walk to the train. I found a old track spike that is no doubt from the old streetcar tracks. I am wondering who I should send it to. Transit museum perhaps?

[@patricksheridan7677]

2:24 to 2:30 is Webster Avenue heading north at East 168th Street. Large corner building still stands on the Northwest corner. Thanks for posting this great history.

[@Whipslinger1]

The tenements were so well kept back then and the streets were so garbage free. That was a helluva departure from the So. Bronx of the 70's - 90's. What a difference a couple of decades made. Glad to see the Bronx rebounding though.

[@drpoundsign]

You KNOW...I don't see how a tenement can EVER hold up too long? The floors are wooden; any leak goes to the next floor The electrical hardware and plumbing get Old. Steam heat SUCKS.

[@CJBlanda]

I remember the Westchester Ave.Trolly from the Square to James Monroe High School. 1950

[@1575murray]

The overhead wires were taken down rather quickly after the trolley routes were converted to bus lines but many of the tracks survived for years afterwards well into the late 1950s and early 1960s.

[@vinceparlante3723]

Great video of the city's great history in part there where I was born . The Bronx still lives within my heart and sole even though I have been away? A while. Grazie.

[@jamesstephens9702]

My family moved to the Bronx in early 1970's. We lived one block north of Cross Bronx Expressway on Park Avenue. The Third Avenue El neighborhood station was at 174th street . The El train was discontinued in 1973 and replaced with Bx55 that ran on Washington Avenue from Fordham road to 149th street Melrose Avenue . Bus transfer were issued to ride #2 or # 5 subway train at 149th street station.

[@stevenconte4714]

I live on 169 and Boston Rd. This is beyond beautiful to me. Thank you for doing this , the history right here is more rich and deep than most will sadly ever know.

[@didntknoicouldchangethis]

Thank you for sharing. My 2nd great grandfather lost his leg in between 2 bronx trolley cars, back around the turn of the 19th-20th century. They lived in Morrisania, and on Van Ness St.

[@RellyOhBoy]

Is so interesting to see what's changed since way back then and what remains exactly the same

[@CaramelReign1990]

I never thought I'd see old images of the Wakefield section of the Bronx (where I grew up in the 90s/2000s). Something I've been longing to see! Thanks so much for this upload.

[@leefrankel4191]

I remember riding on the trolley in the Bronx, when I was a little girl. I love these old films.

[@mrhymer95]

Commuting in the Bronx back then was just as busy as it is today, amazing!

[@luisangeldrosnegron3445]

A new subscriber. Thank you for this treasure video of my beloved Bronx.

[@SportbikeUnitedRiderz]

Truly amazing footage. Wow I used to live near Poe Park in the Bronx back in 1980, I recognized the location immediately.

[@rmac5584]

I was 3 years old and just moved there

[@donjeep1937]

They used to hold outdoor concerts in the park just opposite Poe,s home. I wonder if it is still there, or has it been torn down because of some RACIST BS,

[@NYRM1974]

We need to return the trolleys in NYC.

[@vinceparlante3723]

I'm a native born from the Bronx. Though I haven't lived there in several year's? I personally would love to see a lot of things to go back to some of what I call jewels of the city. When I see video or pictures of some of areas of the Bronx? It saddens me to see how time but mostly her people living there in some not all have let that rich historical city deteriorate as it has in some ways. The Bronx has such great history . I plan to go back and visit a few times Fordham University and a few other areas of the city. Have a good day .

[@leecornwell5632]

@@vinceparlante3723 No they don't need no Light rail in the south Bronx anymore. What south Bronx definitely needs is this 3rd Avenue Elevated line back is because first of vall the south Bronx is definitely over Crowding if they put a light rail over there it will definitely mess up the buses and cars it will crash the light rail on the ground. Fucus on the 3rd Avenue Elevated line back to south Bronx. It's better to bring the 3rd Avenue Elevated line back because it is much faster than the buses and light rail. They could make the light rail between Brooklyn and Queens. Bring this 3rd Avenue Elevated line back stop talking about bringing the light rail back to the Bronx on Fordham Road because it's not every gonna happen. You know dam well fordam Road is mad crowded. They mys well better bring the 8 3rd Avenue Elevated line back because south Bronx is definitely suffering without the 3rd Ave Elevated line. No matter where you live in new York city you are definitely gonna here a lots of noises rather they are fixing something in the streets and building something or loud music 🎵 or trains running or sqeeging around the curve. People have to get to work or home back and forth to take some cars off the road and taking pressure heavy load of the bus operators. Bring this 3rd Avenue Elevated line back. Stop thinking about bringing the light rail back and leave the light rail alone. Focus bringing back the 3rd Avenue Elevated line back. Robert mosses is no longer on this earth anymore. We must move on bringing this 3rd Avenue Elevated line back.

[@luckylove5021]

Sometimes when the street is broken I can still see the trolly tracks on Morris.

[@MrC77]

Modern people would destroy them.

[@shauncampbell969]

I was born in 1962. in Manhatten. On some streets in Manhatten and in the Bronx, I have seen the rails, where the street tar has been wearing away. However, I have never seen one trolly in service. All the best Shaun on NYC

[@whitealliance9540]

5:07 i will say 161st is very grand on top of a hill. Its very pretty down there now they fixed all those huge parks and walkways.

[@juniorbronx7153]

Wow amazing footage of the Bronx can't believe I'm watching this video 📹 lived in the Bronx all my life!

[@parrot0051]

Amazing how cars cut right in front of the trolleys at 3:45 I don't think that would work today, but an awesome video thanks.

[@college388]

Briefly at 2:58/2:59 there's a movie marquee for "The Lost Weekend" which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1945.

[@EVO_IX]

Wow. Just imagine some alive today seeing this. Some one right now went through all the changes from the 30’s through 2019 I remember seeing the rails on Kingsbridge ave going into the tunnel back than

Wow. Thanks. It wasn't all that long ago that you could see some rails at least partially not yet covered by pavement here and there. I haven't that anywhere in while.

[@vitosanto3874]

I remember many of these scenes I'm 81 years old and my late Uncle was a trolley driver and we would get on the trolley and my Uncle wouldn't acknowledge us he would just nod his head to the back ,and we would ride free. I liked it in the summer when the side were all open.

[@slow330xi3]

Vito Santo fascinating

[@MissAprilCakes]

@@slow330xi3 indeed 😊

[@donjeep1937]

Born and raised in The Bronx 84 years ago. Much of it spent in Throggs Neck which was the end of Tremont Ave. It ended at EASTERN BLVD whose name was changed to Bruckner Blvd. We called it "the car line" back then. As a kid I used to jump on the backs of trolleys going to Westchester Square. I am sure GM payed off a lot of NYC politicians to kill off the trolleys, just like they did in cities across the country. In LA they were found guilty of bribing politicians to kill off their light rail system, but their fine was only one dollar, Not so many years ago both LA and San Diego paid billions to restore their electric light rail systems. You want a good trolley ride, now you have to go to Europe, where we sent so many old trolleys after WW2.

[@gfriedman99]

Exquisite. Hoping to see film of northwest bronx lines along broadway or perhaps riverdale avenue. But this was great.

[@hank1519]

Amazing footage and narration! Thanks!

[@edwinjimenez3802]

My parents first moved to the Bronx 1940s it was beautiful place back then clean crime free population mostly Jewish from Russia Italians and Irish back then a 5 Room apartment was only 50 dollars a month 10 dollars for electric and gas utilities in every neighborhood there was respect the Bronx was a great place to live back then Excellent quality people

[@failyourwaytothetop]

That's beautiful. I wish I could time travel to those times. Please tell us more about that time period. You're right. The Bronx 1970 forward is just a long line of horse manure.

[@ChiTownView]

It will make a great addition to my playlist of vintage New York scenes.

[@freddy2064]

I remember the rails still visible on the roads on 3rd ave. As a kid my 1st impression was.... did the trains run here too long ago? I was close never knew till alot older they were trolleys. Nice historical record.

[@Ralphie_Boy]

*Born in 1957, raise in Da Bronx from the northeast to the western Bronx I remember trolleybus tracks still embedded on most major thoroughfares, miss my old Bronx!* 💖

[@anthonyrojas9200]

When i was young all i got to see was old tracks stuck on cobble stone street in Brook Ave the Bronx. That's all i can remember. Born and raised in the BRONX 1972.

[@DAMONEWRIGHT]

great history lesson of our great city

[@MarkHenstridge]

Gee that tram at 1:42 is almost identical the Bay "H" Type Trams in city of Adelaide to Glenelg , a seaside suburb South Australia. The "H" type Trams introduced revenue service in the 1920's and last ones phased out of revenue service in 2008. Adelaide had a vast Tram network until around the late 50's, all lines ripped up and buses took over however one line survived, the Bay tram. Recent years have seen an extension of the existing line, and further extensions in the near future.

[@edwinjimenez3802]

The Bronx was a decent place to live back then mostly people from Europe

[@viranko7530]

I grew up in the Bronx and I never knew about trolley cars in the Bronx

[@LOUCABRASI]

All those cables running above. Cant imagine that nowadays

[@RellyOhBoy]

The trolley island platforms are still there at the 167st underpass under the Grand Concourse. The steps on the "island" lead up to the mezzanine of the Concourse IND C & D line.

[@suechapin2701]

As a child living in Pelham in the 1940's I remember riding the Bronx trolley cars and really enjoyed this memorable KZbin. Sue Pastore Chapin

[@mikegbb]

Thanks, very cool! It amazes me that after decades of being out of the Bronx I just have to see a flash of something recognizable and I knew where it's being filmed. It hadn't changed much from the 30s to the 70s I guess.

[@blowme83x]

Very exciting to watch! Thank you for sharing

[@luiszuluaga6575]

The Bronx was, is and will continue to be its own world. So many different people have earned their stripes living there.

[@oddwad6290]

A real treasure . Narrator demonstrates near encyclopedic knowledge of another famous transit system .

[@abcdef-kx2qt]

i remember west farms 1950 -1960 era. there was a rexall drug store open late and sundays. post office zone 59 bikfords restaurant . rko chester movie theater . ps6. telephone building. smelly bx river .

[@winstonsayer]

Am I wrong, or did I see "The Lost Weekend" advertised at a cinema? It was released in November 1945, no? But I see by the different car models that the clips are chronologically diverse. Interesting footage--love it!

[@sobroed]

Great video, however...where can I see this on a more HD clearer video? Its so out of focus. There are so many NYC video clips going back to the 1920s & 30s on KZbin that have been restored to its original clarity. Any chance for these to receive the same digital restoration as all the others shown on KZbin?

[@erickajstevens5737]

Thank you for sharing this. I enjoyed seeing The Bronx looked like back in the day. Some of locations look the same today and some different. Always nice to go back in time.

[@nora0307]

Thanks so much for this!

[@Alma-999]

Holy Smoke!! Thank you for that wonderful trip back into time in my old neighborhoods. What a Great Ride lol :o)

[@arnoldstollar5375]

Great film.

[@fgs2732]

I remember the 3rd avenue train that got dismantled in 1974.

[@miguelperez-qk3no]

No Graffiti, garbage, etc. One has to wonder what group of people was introduced to make such a mess afterwards.

[@vitosanto3874]

Those rails that were imbedded in the streets were absolutely treacherous when driving especially when it was raining .It was very easy to loose control of the vehicle,there were many accidents especially when driving under the elevated train structure.

[@VMA225]

Bring Back The Old Trolley Cars !!!

[@RenaissancePeopleNYC]

Very well done! We knew an Acara Family in Brooklyn in the 50's and 60's.

[@abcdef-kx2qt]

THE ~~T ~~ CAR IS NOW THE X 40 BUS !

[@jaa2772]

With your great knowledge of Bronx locations, you should do a side-by-side video of the older footage with what it looks today using Google street view

[@whitealliance9540]

Not worth it. The area was basically abandoned when i lived in the south bronx 5 years ago. Now richy rich developers put hotels over there and moved us all out. I had a loft size studio over there but the landlord wised up once i fixed the piece of shiiit up and had it cute in there.

[@trainrover]

the narrator's skill at keeping some dopey out-of-towner like meself up to snuff with the haphazard ride of compiled old clips there does amaze me 🍺

[@fragilethunder6649]

At 2:06 you can see a person jump a free ride on the rear of the car.

[@mrbrainbob5320]

Now a days people here in bronx enter the back of the bus so they wont have to pay, somethings never really change I guess.

[@gmrivera8608]

If the police ever see this video he will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

[@abcdef-kx2qt]

08:56 THIS STILL A BUS BARN TODAY.

[@abcdef-kx2qt]

07:27 THAT V CAR BECAME BUS LINE # 28 BX. !!!

[@voxmarsh6458]

The Bronx was a wonderful place. Unfortunately with the growth of the automobile, it like almost everywhere else has turned into a much more complex and stressful way to live.

[@maryannyost978]

Would hold on tightly to my dad's hand so he wouldn't lose me getting onto the trolley!

[@pjdpelham]

fascinating history of the Bronx; a number of buildings still exist today. I've heard stories from my Dad, who lived on DeCatur Ave and mosholu Pkway, but better storeis from Edward P. Murphy who lived in Van Nest, not far from the major trolley Hub, West Farms Square.

[@richardmurrain5229]

I've ridden on the Boston Road Trolley with my father. I was about four years old, I remember the conductor reaching down and picking me up to help my father enter the trolley. Life was a lot nicer then!

[@DannyEastVillage]

amazing to see how nice West Farm was in those years. So many perfectly nice neighborhoods that were ruined later, for whatever reason. Wish I understood what happened. I guess the children of many of the people seen in these shots didn't want to live in the Bronx and moved to the suburbs after the war.

[@johnmcgrath6192]

We moved from two places in the Bronx because the landlords let the buildings deteriorate. In at least one case it was because higher rents could be had from welfare. I believe a welfare official bought up a lot of the buildings in our last neighborhood and ended that racially well integrated ,almost totally crime free neighborhood. That neighborhood is pretty good now, with excellent buildings and reasonably priced apartments.

[@AnnaMargolin]

Any time a transportation mode/choice is removed from a city or part of a city, the city's inhabitants lose.

[@michaelomondi-gq5yh]

Does anyone know where to find footage of the construction of the bridges and trolly lines in this video? Its amazing feat of engineering for the time

[@miketalbot6974]

Great info n vid My pop use to tell me I never saw a trolly in NYC just old tracks I’m 60 now Thx

[@jmad1952]

Well done. Thank you.

[@choiyuen-kc2yd]

jmad1952

[@whitealliance9540]

The huge highway destroyed a lot of the old bronx and it never bounced back. Even almost 100 years later and that whole area down there is a disaster. Large out of date factories on one side and eerily quiet run down houses on the other with a huge out of place highway splitting it all up. Its creepy how weird that area is. No one walks over there. Theres a homeless shelter and a coffee shop over there. Someone should do a good video on how the highway destroyed the south-south bronx.

[@alexthemtaandr211weatherfa2]

Omg what’s a furnace cat 🐈 doing right In front of the trolly?

[@larryrwendelljr4465]

Thank you for presenting this fine film on The Bronx Trolley System. I'm curious, do you have any on the Trolleys that ran along Fulton Avenue? My Father, as I was told by my sister, he operated a Trolley along Fulton Avenue, back in the 1940s, that was his full time job at the time, and his other was working, at first at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, placing electrical wiring in Destroyers, prior to WW 2, and after the first year, over in Bayonne, NJ, on Destroyer-Escorts, he eventually went to A&P.

[@MrOldschool64]

A part of histroy.lets keep this clip going. never was around for the trollery cars but seen my fair share of the tracks before the city covered or removed them.

[@abcdef-kx2qt]

THERE WAS COBBLE STONE IN THE STREETS AT THAT TIME !!!

[@jesusismyjoy7102]

Where are the trollies 🚋 now ? Would be nice if there was a museum to see the old trollies !

[@gfriedman99]

Black Power trolley museum is in scranton pennsylvania. Right next to the yankees AAA stadium. The team is named the RailRiders. They have a running trolley that takes you from the museum right to the stadium before the ballgame. Its pretty cool.

[@Pittsburghestatesale]

Fascinating footage

[@dealwithit3603]

I grew up on 241rst and white plsins road (1984- 2000), its a trip to see it from the 1940's

[@Xhezzmonstep]

I need orientation at 8:58... is that Mckinley Square and Boston Road ?Thanx for any info///

[@jeffjoseph]

+Xhezzmonstep He said Mckinley Sq.. I grew up a few blocks from Dyre Ave 1939 to 1954.

[@bowwinkle6651]

Wow If I Could Turn Back Time

[@jermainepeters5702]

wow 167 the kent movie theater was there

[@johnrobinsoniii4028]

This was of course way before my time: For one thing,I was born and grew up in Brooklyn; and I remember the electrical buses. And even when I visited the Bronx when I was very young,I only saw regular buses. I never saw nor have ridden on a Bronx trolley.

[@jesusismyjoy7102]

Wow 😮 I grew up on 167 th st and used to ride the Bx 35 when it used to go under the underpass such a nostalgic feeling !

[@rmac5584]

Mom use to live there

[@raanangeberer1903]

Here's a question I've never found the answer to--I don't think there were any trolleys on Pelham, Parkway. The ancestor trolley of the 12 bus ended around Belmont Ave. So how did people get from one end of the parkway to another. Were there buses on Pelham Parkway in the 1930s and '40s?

[@eddtoro]

Although I’m puzzled. I’m not near the subway train and from the videos on streetcars, there don’t appear to be any nail spikes. So how did a track nail spike wind up buried underground up where I live when Ogden is up on a hill and the subway about 7 minutes away walking?

[@liamsandal6360]

They paved over the tracks.

[@mabelhilgers8479]

I rode on the trolley to the beach with my sister and our friends . Fun times

[@miguelquintana2824]

Nice history

[@dreamdextreme]

LOVE THE WEST FARM SQUARE FOOTAGE

[@abcdef-kx2qt]

west farms the RKO CHESTER - BICKFORD EATS - STAR LITE CLUB ??

[@georgestreicher252]

"Bustituted", what a great word, should be in Webster's. As a child in the 50's on Tremont Avenue, I had to hold my nose while those smelly buses passed by. How much better it would be if we went back to trolleys in the cities.

[@Comdesron17]

You noticed at 3:41 a car from the right cuts in front of the trolley car, even then you had assholes driving - lmao

[@iral.jacobson7959]

If they bring back the trolleys will the face still be 5 cents?

[@nycgellie]

New Yorkers been jay walkers since the 1930s LOL 😂. But this was really interesting.

[@charlesdickie7866]

Well done.