Comments on: Spotted: A 13 train on the 1 line

By: James M

James M — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:49:05 +0000

I also have seen a red circle 13 train sign and a green circle 12 train sign on the FRONT car of two different trains that were sitting in a yard a few years ago. Even stranger, in 2001 I remember one of the new #4 train cars being carried on the back of what looked like a flatbed truck. Even then, I thought I wasn’t really seeing that. Has anyone else ever seen such a thing?

By: Mystery Subway: 13 Train Spotted On The 7 Line! « WHATYOUWRITE.COM

Mystery Subway: 13 Train Spotted On The 7 Line! « WHATYOUWRITE.COM — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 14:47:26 +0000

[...] around in the switching yards. The 13, which used to be on the BMT Fulton Street Line, and was a precursor to the L (14th St./Canarsie Line) for some time, has not been in use since 1956. But here’s [...]

By: Kevin Xie

Kevin Xie — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:51:49 +0000

The #13 is just an error.Same with the old J and Z cars.You could hardly tell if it’s a J or Z train.

By: When it was a train: The Grand St. shuttle :: Second Ave. Sagas | A New York City Subway Blog

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:01:31 +0000

[...] the end of May, a loyal Second Ave. Sagas reader sent me a picture of the 13 train. The photo was one of an erroneously rolled roll sign on the 1 train. The 13, we discovered, was [...]

By: Transit plans Bronx express 4 service :: Second Ave. Sagas | A New York City Subway Blog

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:01:18 +0000

[...] is succesful, the MTA will consider making it a permanent service. While I doubt this is what the 13 bullet rollsign was all about, it’s worth noting that the MTA has four unused green bullets in its arsenal [...]

By: Robert Distefano

Robert Distefano — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 03:49:35 +0000

The use of the number 13 shows that MTA planners are not superstitious. There is even a 13th floor at 370 Jay Street.

By: Benjamin Kabak

Benjamin Kabak — Sat, 30 May 2009 05:14:30 +0000

That was a bit inaccurate of me. The car models are the same as the 3 and some of the old 4s. The stock comes from a different yard. The 1 trains park up near 242nd and the 7′s out in Flushing.

By: Kris Datta

Kris Datta — Sat, 30 May 2009 00:06:15 +0000

Nice find, but what do you mean by the 1 “shares rolling stock with the 3 and 4″? The 1 runs the same cars as the 7, but it doesn’t share yards with other train lines.

By: Kid Twist

Kid Twist — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:21:11 +0000

Actually, BMT No. 13 was the Fulton Street El. The 14th Street-Canarsie Line was 16.

And yes, from what I’ve heard, the extra numbers on the current rollsigns are there in case they add variant services or decide to eliminate some of the confusing splits, like 5 trains that run to two different places in the Bronx or the 7 express and 7 local. Maybe 13 is for something like a Seventh Avenue-Dyre Avenue routing.

By: Jerrold

Jerrold — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:12:43 +0000

Later on the “whole story” came back to me.

Until the “Chrystie St.” changeover in 1967, the BMT trains were primarily referred to by NAMES, not letters or numbers.
On maps and on station signs, the trains were Sea Beach, West End, Brighton, etc. People would use those names when referring to any BMT train in their conversations.

So it was in 1967 that the 14th St.-Canarsie line officially became the LL. Many years later it became the L when all of the double-letter names were abolished.