It was incorporated in 1877. (Note that there was an earlier, unrelated company called the Brooklyn, Flatbush and Coney Island Railroad Company, that was incorporated on June 25, 1869. Some references confuse the two.) It was possibly organized as a consolidation of The Flatbush & Coney Island Park and Concourse Railroad (organized 1876), and The Coney Island and East River Railroad (also organized 1876), but records are uncertain. Service actually began on July 2, 1878, running from Prospect Park (at Flatbush and Ocean Avenues) to the Brighton Beach Hotel, a hotel owned by the railway.
On August 19, 1878, the north end was extended to Atlantic Avenue and Franklin Ave. (then Franklin St.). The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and the new BF&CIRR made an agreement whereby a connection would be made at that point and trains, both freight and passenger, of each of the two railroads would be able to travel along the other’s right of way. In particular, the BF&CIRR would be able to use the LIRR’s Flatbush Ave. terminal, while the LIRR would be able to use the BF&CIRR for travel between Long Island City (as well as points east on Long Island) to Coney Island. On December 14, 1883, the Long Island Rail Road evicted the Brooklyn, Flatbush and Coney Island from its Brooklyn depot after six seasons of service. This resulted from the 1880 purchase of the LIRR by Austin Corbin, who also owned the New York, Brooklyn and Manhattan Beach Railroad, which competed with the BF&CIRR, as well as the LIRR's building a new line to Long Beach, and consequently wanting its patrons to go there rather than to Coney Island. The agreement had one more year to run, and so the BF&CIRR continued to use the LIRR's terminal in 1884.
Fulton St. elevatedIn 1887, the BF&CI was reorganized as the Brooklyn & Brighton Beach Railroad. Having lost its rights over the LIRR, the railroad began negotiations with the Kings County Elevated Railway to provide it with access to {{Wikipedia reference|Downtown Brooklyn]]. In 1896, through service began over the KCERy's Fulton Street elevated. Around the same time, the B&BBRR electrified (using trolley wire) from Fulton and Franklin Sts. to Newkirk Av., and the rest of the line was electrified in 1900. Upon electrification of the Fulton St. elevated, a ramp was built at Fulton and Franklin Sts., and on July 9, 1900 through service began to Park Row using the Fulton St. elevated and the Brooklyn Bridge.
The year 1900 saw the KCERy take over control of the B&BBRR, and in turn the KCERy was taken over by the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT).
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