Elevated Station On B.T. Express Album Cover

I once saw a B.T. Express album cover that shows the group on an elevated train station. The platform railings were old and very ornate. It appears to be a New York City el, but I'm not sure if it is an existing el (in Brooklyn, The Bronx or Queens), or one that has since been torn down. I know the album was released sometime during the early/mid 1970's. If you have owned, or at least seen that album, can you tell me what el and/or station that was on the cover? Does it still exist today? If so, does it still look the same? Thanks.

SubwayTim wrote:I once saw a B.T. Express album cover that shows the group on an elevated train station. The platform railings were old and very ornate. It appears to be a New York City el, but I'm not sure if it is an existing el (in Brooklyn, The Bronx or Queens), or one that has since been torn down. I know the album was released sometime during the early/mid 1970's. If you have owned, or at least seen that album, can you tell me what el and/or station that was on the cover? Does it still exist today? If so, does it still look the same? Thanks.

You'll find the album cover here:

http://music.yahoo.com/release/149809 (I Yahoo'd B.T. Express)

Looking at the fence at the rear of the platformI have to say it doesn't look like any NYC elevated station that I had seen in the past 30+ years.

One site said they hail from Brooklyn - the only el stations/sections that were torn down in Brooklyn since the 1970's was the Myrtle Avenue El, the Jamaica El north of 121 st and eastern portion the Atlantic Avenue station on the Canarsie line. None of them had platform rails like the one in the album cover.

Extremely late reply from a new member here but I stumbled over your question and have the answer- the station on that B.T. Express Album Cover is indeed in NYC but is not a part of the NYC subway system- it's the Long Island Railroad Nostrand Ave station, along Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn- built in 1905, and recently renovated 2018-2020. This stretch of the LIRR looks like a typical NYC elevated, but the frequency of trains on the LIRR is way less than the subway, which is probably why they shot the album cover here!

GH: Good reply - I am surprised that I never noticed this topic here in the past - being a member of Railroad.Net
since February 2005. I have a copy of this 1974 BT Express album myself - good 70s Funk music.

The big 1974-75 hit song "Do It Til Your Satistfied":

The railroad-themed "Express" (another hit single):


The back cover of the album shows an arriving Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn bound LIRR M1 MU train - note
the photo has been touched up placing "BT EXP" over "M LONG ISLAND" on the upper right of the lead car.
In the background are two PRR-type position light signals "A18" (Atlantic Branch - Mile 1.8) confirming the
LIRR Atlantic Branch location.

The LIRR's Nostrand Avenue Station was extensively renovated TWICE since the middle 1970s pictures for
this album was taken - first back around 1979-1980 with platforms, canopies and stairway work and now
again revamped further since 2018.

The LIRR Nostrand Avenue Station "fit the bill" for the BT Express band photographs - probably taken on a
(Summer) weekend when FBA service was less frequent.

MACTRAXX

The Atlantic Avenue viaduct (with Nostrand station) was built 1903 and had features more to a classic
el (as in Chicago), such as no outside catwalks and ornate ironwork.