Here’s one way to stay warm this winter: Descend 30 feet below Atlantic Avenue during an upcoming tour of a once forgotten tunnel.
The tour is being led by urban explorer Bob Diamond, the founder and president of the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association (BHRA). Diamond is the rediscoverer of the old Long Island Railroad tunnel, on Atlantic between Hicks and Court streets.
The last tour on Jan. 4 attracted roughly 170 people, Diamond said.
“The cold weather doesn’t seem to stop anybody,” he said.
It doesn’t hurt that the tunnel remains a comfortable 65 degrees, all year.
The tunnel, built in 1844 as a route between New York Harbor and Boston, was sealed up and abandoned in 1861. It is the subject of a feature length documentary. A DVD teaser has been released, and filming could begin soon.
Diamond believes an old steam locomotive is buried within one of the tunnel walls, potentially near Columbia Street, and hopes that he, and the film crew, will unearth it together.
The tour will have its share of ‘drama,’ as a historical vignette by the performance company LiveFeed is planned.
Diamond will lead his next public tour of the tunnel on Sunday, January 25 at 1:15 p.m. Call 718 941 3160 for reservations and information. Flashlights and comfortable shoes are recommended. For more information about the BHRA, go to www.brooklynrail.net.
