In the 1950s, morning 4th Avenue Specials (with six-car 67-footer trains) ran local from 95th to 59th, then express (skipping 36th, the same as Sea Beach expresses, until it was decided to have them both stop there around 1955--that date is subject to correction) to Pacific. After Pacific, the next stop was Chambers Street, using the H tracks on the Manhattan Bridge. I think they usually returned to Brooklyn as Culver expresses.
Brighton Specials in the morning skipped DeKalb and Myrtle after Atlantic Avenue. That ended as soon as the bypass connection was ripped out as part of the DeKalb reconstruction. In the evening, Brighton Specials ran from Chambers downtown through the Tunnel, stopping at Court, Lawrence, and DeKalb, and then express down the Brighton to Coney Island.
Fourth Avenue Specials in the evening started at Broad Street, stopping at Fulton, Chambers, then over the Bridge, skipping Myrtle and DeKalb, and express to 59th, local to 95th.
Regular Nassau Loop service in rush hours was Culver express (Bridge, skipping DeKalb and Myrtle, Nassau, Tunnel, including Court and Lawrence, then skipping DeKalb and running express to 36th) and West End local (Tunnel, Nassau, Bridge, stopping at Myrtle and DeKalb).
When I started high school on the East Side, my usual route was the
Fourth Avenue Special to Chambers and Lexington Avenue Express to 86th,
taking about 45 minutes if the connection at Chambers/Brooklyn Bridge was o.k. I'd get on at Bay Ridge Avenue, then we'd stop at 59th, Pacific, Chambers (walk to IRT), 14th, Grand Central, and 86th--seven stops. Can't do that any more.
Ed Alfonsin
Potsdam NY