Round Trip Front of Train Rides on The Franklin Avenue Shuttle (NYC Subway)

For best viewing experience set to max quality
Here we have round trip rides on The Franklin Avenue shuttle and 2 R46 (Q) trains entering and leaving Prospect Park
The shuttle runs two 2-car train sets of R68s based out of Coney Island Yard. This Shuttle operates under OPTO meaning the train operator is also being the conductor. The train operator will go to the opposite end to make another run from the franklin avenue terminal. The Northbound and Southbound trains usually pass each other at Botanic Garden, the only station on the line to use both tracks. This effectively leaves a passing loop for the Northbound train to leave Botanic Garden when the Southbound train arrives. Also there's always one extra pair of R68s parked at the prospect park station on the opposite side as to serve as an extra incase any of the sets have problems
NOTE: At the end of the video I forgot to disconnect my earbuds which is why the audio came out weird
0:00 First Ride: S to Prospect Park
1:17 Park Place Station
2:40 Botanic Garden (2) (3) (4) (5)
5:32 Prospect Park (B) (Q)
5:57 Two R46 (Q) Trains Arriving and Departing
7:23 Second Ride: S to Franklin Ave
8:55 Botanic Garden (2) (3) (4) (5)
10:29 Park Place Station
12:28 Franklin Avenue Station (C)
13:22 (S) Departing Franklin Ave

[@opencirclefleet]

*Timestamps* *PROSPECT PARK-BOUND* *Brooklyn* *BMT Franklin Avenue Line (former-Brooklyn and Brighton Beach Railroad)* 00:00 Franklin Avenue (NYC Subway: C; NYCT Bus: B25, B48, B49) 00:21 Former Track Connection to BMT Fulton Street Line 00:34 Dean Street (DEMOLISHED) 01:20 Park Place (NYCT Bus: B45, B48, B49, B65) 02:45 Botanic Garden (NYC Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5; NYCT Bus: B45, B48) 05:08 Right Track goes through Malbone Street Curve (Site of the Malbone Street Wreck and two other crashes) 05:36 Prospect Park (NYC Subway: B, Q; NYCT Bus: B16, B41, B43, B48) 05:54 Franklin Avenue Line tracks become Brighton Line Local Tracks *FRANKLIN AVENUE-BOUND* *Brooklyn* *BMT Franklin Avenue Line (former-Brooklyn and Brighton Beach Railroad)* 07:22 Prospect Park (NYC Subway: B, Q; NYCT Bus: B16, B41, B43, B48) 07:45 Left Track comes from Malbone Street Curve (Site of the Malbone Street Wreck and two other crashes) 08:59 Botanic Garden (NYC Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5; NYCT Bus: B45, B48) 10:30 Park Place (NYCT Bus: B45, B48, B49, B65) 12:01 Dean Street (DEMOLISHED) 12:22 Former Track Connection to BMT Fulton Street Line 12:32 Franklin Avenue (NYC Subway: C; NYCT Bus: B25, B48, B49)

[@jg-7780]

How has it taken until 2022 to get such high quality front window POVs of the Subway? Keep making these, they're awesome!

[@Perseverance1987x]

It's a nice replacement to the RFWs trains no longer have.

[@audioguynycguy3772]

What also makes it great is that its just straight train sounds and track noise!

[@mentallyilldarkjeroid5378]

What a boring train drive it must be. So short and the train does not really experience any variety of turns in the track.

[@tiagobisono5220]

@@mentallyilldarkjeroid5378 that’s because it is a shuttle train. It doesn’t do much besides what it was intended to do

[@MrBTRDAYZ]

Thank you for this video. I first used to ride the Franklin Shuttle when I was 14 back in 1980, to get to my first Summer job. As a teen, I was a model train hobbyist. Today, I live in the suburbs of NJ, but Brooklyn will always be my home. At 57, I became interested in my old childhood hobby and wanted to build a train set. I didn’t want it to take up too much room, however, and decided to build a shelf layout in my garage in N scale. 23 feet long by 9” deep. Not accurately modeled, but largely inspired by the Franklin Ave Shuttle run. The run is 1.4 miles long end to end. To simulate the entire run in model trains, you’d need a wall with: 47’ in N scale 33’ in Z scale 17’ in T scale The run is one of the most scenic for the Brooklyn inner-city. You ride outdoors and see sunlight, rather than below ground. You ride past classic brownstone homes. New apartment developments. Somewhat wooded areas with greenery. Simplicity. Quietness. Simple. And by trying to model something like that in my garage, I kind of feel like I have a piece of my Brooklyn hometown and childhood here with me in NJ! ❤

[@loucorradi1457]

I worked for the MTA- NYCT for 33 years- 32 as a motorman. I operated this Shuttle many times. Thank you for bringing back some wonderful memories.

[@morganlimes]

No problem! And also that sounds amazing. Thank you for all your hard work that you did! I'm probably going to go apply for the MTA myself soon too and see how it goes hehe

[@jimpern]

When I see the right-hand tunnel at 5:08 I can't help but think about that awful day in 1918 when the Malbone Street wreck occurred there.....

[@dustin6804]

11:25 on the left is the former platform of the Dean Street station! The Dean Street station had the unusual distinction of being opened and closed twice in its history. 1995, the New York City Transit Authority closed the station permanently as part of service cuts. The TA cited low patronage (the lowest on the subway system), its decrepit condition, and its proximity to Franklin Avenue station. At the time of its closing, Dean Street and Franklin Avenue were the two closest stations on the system, located just three blocks from each other at their closest points.

[@edreid7872]

I was waiting for the Dean Street stop...you were able to see it from the Franklin Avenue stop, they were that close....

[@edreid7872]

@Season Season At 00:35.. I remember you could see it from the Franklin Avenue station..about 75 feet away. Which never made much sense to me...

[@robotx9285]

Dean Street was removed during the 1999 renovations. When the line reopen, Dean Street was completely removed.

[@irishmike3514]

Thanks for the ride!! I was probably 5 or 6 when I took this train in the early 60's.

[@jaymorgenthal9479]

Before the opening of the new BMT line between DeKalb and Prospect park in 1920 the Franklyn ave line was 2 tracks all the way to Fulton st where it connected to the Fulton st el. when the new bmt subway took over the Brighton line the connection at fulton st was severed and Franklyn ave became the last stop with just the southbound track. the northbound track had a wooden platform placed over after the rails were removed.

[@petrichorbreeze]

Great video! Shows how many redundancies there are when it comes to timer signals and slowdowns that could help speed up the line if they ever decide to automate it.

[@rossmunro1381]

Great video and the positioning of your camera.....and great sounds of a subway train in action.It sounds like a Bombardier train with the closing door sounds.....from a retired Toronto transit operator.who loves transit systems

[@bennythepenny5831]

WOW, thank you so much!!! 🥰🥰🥰

[@morganlimes]

No problem 😃

[@benoitcaen]

very good point of view and good choice for this underrate line

[@edreid7872]

We lived down the block from Shuttle when we were kids during the 70s..on boring summer days, we'd ride it back and forth to take advantage of the AC...Good times...

[@mitch4527]

The curve that was the site of the Malbone Street Wreck in 1918 is there for the viewing. Over 100 people were killed in that awful accident.

[@darrenberkey7017]

Thank you for offering this in 4K! 😊

[@stegowolf]

I love seeing that the Shuttle is still very well used! A couple years ago it was wild in that they were using the Other platform at Prospect Park durimg construction, that woulda been fun to see at this perspective! Thanks again for sharing this footage!

[@morganlimes]

Yup! By the time a shuttle train pulled into the Franklin avenue station it would become packed with people everytime. BTW if the shuttle uses the opposite track ever again I'll do another video on that. Thanks for watching

[@roncohen7497]

new updated HD quality of the front view of the complexity of Mass Transit. So far this is the best footage of all. Hope you document and I am sure your intentions are to do so. Keep up the work!

[@YankeePat94]

Nice video. My brother just moved next to the Park Place station

[@mariofilippi3539]

Enjoyed this video vey much. Thanks.

[@mr198221]

Love it! Me and my brothers would ride this all day at times. I remember the ticket machines that spit out tickets

[@mototracer8202]

Good Video buddy ! , I'll like see IRT Lexington Local and Express (4-5-6) 😉

[@morganlimes]

Thanks man :) and ill see what I can do with those lines

[@jeffinjersey9094]

Beautiful video, well done, thx

[@Queensburyheights]

An excellent video. I live in London in the UK and have been to New York only once and that was over thirty years ago. My wife and I stayed with one of my wife's relatives in the Bronx and our local subway station was Burnside Avenue on Line 4. Regarding the Franklin Avenue Shuttle, I believe it is unique in being the only line on the New York Subway system that has trains operated by only a motorman without a conductor. I understand that years ago the line was proposed for closure as being uneconomic to operate but a deal was struck with the Union who accepted the withdrawal of conductors on the line to reduce costs so that the line could remain open. I believe that the Times Square - Grand Central 42nd Street Shuttle is also unique but for a different reason. It is the only line that has trains operated without a conductor but with two motormen, one at each end of each train. Because the line is so short, to save time at each end of the route, the motormen stay in their respective cabs. Going in one direction the motorman at the front has the role of motorman and the motorman at the rear has the role of conductor. Going in the opposite direction the roles are reversed. At least that is the information that I have and I stand to be corrected on both counts. I am a retired London bus driver and a transport enthusiast.

[@morganlimes]

Damn! For a person that's only visited NYC once you already know more than the average Joe actually living in NYC! I don't even need to correct anything you said lol That's awesome 👍

[@Queensburyheights]

@@morganlimes Ha ha, thanks. But as I say, I am a transport enthusiast so am a little better informed than the average Joe regarding transport over here in London as well. My wife, now sadly deceased, and myself were both transport employees in London for many years but we were on the bus side, never the rail side. A few years after our trip to New York we visited Boston where we also stayed with some of my wife's relatives. Thanks again and best wishes.

[@waynefarrellvoiceovers]

Excellent!

[@the_elmeister]

Franklin Av (S) to Franklin Av-Fulton St stop timestamps: 7:22 - Prospect Park {Transfer is available to (B) (Q) [Brighton Line 🟠🟡] trains} [Southern Terminal ▫️] 8:51 - Botanic Garden {Transfer is available to (2) (3) (4) (5) [Eastern Pkwy Line 🔴🟢] trains} 10:28 - Park Pl 12:28 - Franklin Av-Fulton St {Transfer is available to (C) [Fulton St Line 🔵] train} [Northern Terminal ▫️]

[@thomasrobinson8336]

Great video

[@zoomanx9661]

The Shuttle has come a loooooooooooong way.

[@cats0182]

5:09-entrance to the Malbone Street Tunnel. Site of a wreck in 1914 that killed hundreds. Led to the bankruptcy of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT), and formation of the Brooklyn Manhattan Transit Company (BMT), Lots of information on the disaster in the internet.

[@firemedic-86]

I was wondering what that was. Is it still in use at all?

[@kenqwe04]

I just discovered your channel yesterday looking at the awesome Astoria - Coney Island video. Given your attaching the camera has to be super quick how do you keep it secured given the strong wind currents as the train moves? You do run the risk that hopefully never happens where they need to open the front door along the way and discover the cam. You're doing what the TA should be doing like CTA given the loss of the rail fan windows. Thank you.

[@ichigo-milk-channel]

Nice video！

[@SGS233]

As always, excellent video quality. Too bad the sound got messed up (keeps cutting out every 5 seconds).

[@morganlimes]

Thanks 👍 But are you experiencing this through out the entire video, or just the last part of the video where I recorded it leaving Franklin/Fulton Steet? If it was just that part I actually forgot to disconnect my earbuds so thats why the audio came out bad

[@sheldonhchambliss1385]

Nice video

[@danieltransit7677]

Can you please ride the R179 Rockaway shuttle train.

[@RussianSevereWeatherVideos]

That announcer sounds so awesome, thanks for uploading this video! Also interesting how only a very small portion of the line has concrete sleepers. I wonder why that is? 12:18

[@morganlimes]

Yup he did an amazing job! The announcements were loud and clear when I was on board. If only it was a little bit more audible in the video. This shuttle used to be a 2 track shuttle back in the day so maybe that has something to do with those I'm not too sure.

[@RussianSevereWeatherVideos]

@@morganlimes Awesome, thanks for sharing this with us! A very good perspective. I wonder if you'll get permission to set up your camera at some metro lines going over those marvelous steel bridges. PS What kind of camera were you using again? Seems it blurs up the moving details with a longer shutter speed in dark areas.

[@morganlimes]

@@RussianSevereWeatherVideos Yea no problem! I'm using a gopro for these videos which isn't really the best for dark areas but I'm looking into other better options that would make the quality better in those dark tunnels (BTW I don't have permission for any of this lol)

[@RussianSevereWeatherVideos]

@@morganlimes So do you just glue it onto a train or something? I think you should look into collaborating with the transit authority. They may be interested in such videos and help facilitate your proper access.

[@E-man5375]

Botanical gardens station is no where near the garden it’s self prospect park is closer

[@kinkisharyocoasters]

Is Park Place the only station in the system without a starting signal? Clearly it doesn't need one since if a train is north of the double-track zone, it has the whole segment to itself.

[@flattrain5834]

Great job once again! Keep this up and you’ll have thousands of subscribers! How do you get the camera on without being noticed?

[@morganlimes]

Thanks man! I do get noticed, but by people and since its New York they don't care at all lol. It only matters if its an employee that sees you and what I did here was just place and remove the camera quickly while the operator was walking to the opposite end of the train getting ready for the next trip.

[@flattrain5834]

Ah. Do you have an Instagram I can message you on? Mine is Flat_traib

[@morganlimes]

@@flattrain5834 Sorry I don't have any other socials, I stopped using them at the beginning of this year

[@flattrain5834]

Ah. What camera do you have? Sorry for asking so many questions lol I might try this on the LA subway.

[@morganlimes]

@@flattrain5834 Im using the gopro 8 and yea go for it if you can!

[@mr.jamster8414]

Why does it look like I've been here before so well? I've never been to NYC (to be fair, I found a parking lot with similar aesthetics and was fucking around in it)

[@tedvalis6071]

What it looked like at Fulton St back in February 1989.. How can I post a photo from that time?

[@qolspony]

I rode the FS back in 1983. It wás in very poor shape..You can tell at one time, it was part of a master plan. Anyway, if you wanted to get back into the subway, they gave you a transfer that looked like a bus transfer. They did not build a passageway to the subway as this subway was a replacement for an elevated line that went to/from Park Row or Lefferts Avenue; today's Lefferts Blvd. Some trains did go to Canarsie during some rush hour runs. But this was WAY before my time. Oh! The line had two tracks most of it service life. It is not until the renovations that it was reduced to one track. Another interesting fact, there was no connection to the IRT. Only the A/C and D/M and QB.

[@mr.jamster8414]

Oh! The line had two tracks most of it service life. It is not until the renovations that it was reduced to one track. ...what the?

[@qolspony]

@@mr.jamster8414 That's what I said. But I I fail to mention is the current configuration gives it a one station platform terminal. This was a big compromise..But reviving a line that originally was going to be tore down was a major accomplishment! So for the two station terminal that was lost, riders gained a transfer to the IRT and an enclosed transfer with the A/C Franklyn Avenue station.

[@Geotpf]

@@qolspony Due to the design of this line, making it only one track in parts doesn't really hurt service in any way.

[@qolspony]

@@Geotpf True. Compare to the fact you can now transfer to the IRT 2 3 4 5

[@j3lny425]

Was this the connection at Franklin, where in the day you got off the IND took a paper ticket,walked across the street and boarded the shuttle?

[@morganlimes]

sorry for the late response BUT yes this is that exact same shuttle (Just without Dean Street Station lol)

[@dkeithtag]

So just hie did you get the canera angle? Seems that its illegal and also possibly unsafe.

[@SamSitar]

when was the franklin shuttle ever part of a larger line?

[@cats0182]

Back in the days of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Line and the Fulton Street EL.

[@edwardmiessner6502]

It would be nice if the MTA could restore double tracking and extend the line and connect it to the Greenpoint Line (G Train). Has this line ever extended further north before?

[@boogyrankss]

i believe it used to connect to the fulton street elevated tracks

[@j3lny425]

The cost and hassle of construction,not to mention the opposition to an El. makes your a dream a non-starter.

[@cats0182]

@@boogyrankss Connected to the Fulton Street EL at Franklin Avenue Station on the El; originally, there was no Franklin Avenue Station on what is now the Shuttle line.. Had a sharp curve down to the current tracks. Connected to the BRT at Prospect Park and trains ran to Coney Island.

[@bansh84]

thats a lot of garbage along the tracks... :D

[@MasterExploder61]

Wow. I had to see it to believe it. This is just sad and disgusting looking. There are third world countries that have better looking metro systems than this.

[@MrBTRDAYZ]

What a crummy comment. You are obviously not a NYer. The Shuttle run is one of the more quaint rides in all of the MTA.

[@the_elmeister]

Franklin Av (S) to Prospect Park stop timestamps: 0:00 - Franklin Av-Fulton St {Transfer is available to (C) [Fulton St Line 🔵] train} [Northern Terminal ▫️] 1:18 - Park Pl 2:39 - Botanic Garden {Transfer is available to (2) (3) (4) (5) [Eastern Pkwy Line 🔴🟢] trains} 5:32 - Prospect Park {Transfer is available to (B) (Q) [Brighton Line 🟠🟡] trains} [Southern Terminal ▫️]