Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal - Photographs of Property, Structures, Operations & Freight Handling

BROOKLYN EASTERN DISTRICT TERMINAL

Property, Structures, Operations & Freight Handling

Please be sure to also view the W. R. Harrison Survey Photos of 1918-1919

Please Note:
Pictures with "key numbers" correspond with numbered locations on map below.

Some of the images seen on this page, may be duplicately listed on the roster pages / locomotive photo albums as well.
As the images on this page show a significant proportion of surrounding property and landmarks (and not merely a "roster photo"),
those images are posted here as well to better show the BEDT property.

"Port Series" Map - Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY; 1934
(north is right)

Track Map: Pidgeon Street, Long Island City, Queens, NY; ca. 1940
(north is up)

INDEX
(by street)

Kent Avenue	North 4th Street	North 5th Street	North 6th Street
North 7th Street	North 8th Street	North 9th Street	Pidgeon Street

Kent Avenue & North 6th Street - 1953
Looking south - North 5th Street freighthouse on right
The traveling gantry to the right of southbound Kent Avenue crossing gate (behind building facade)
is PRR North 4th Street Freight Station gantry. Wide opening between the gantry
and Austin Nichols building is the Pennsylvania RR North 4th Yard.
Tracks in street are for streetcars, not BEDT, but notice there is no overhead trolley wire,
so service along Kent Avenue must have already ceased by date of this photo.

Kent Avenue & North 9th Street - October 1982
looking west at Bulk Flour Terminal, appears to be a fan trip
unknown photographer
authors collection
added 13 June 2010

Kent Avenue & North 9th Street - ca. 1997
looking west at Bulk Flour Terminal
J. Wanczyk photo

Kent Avenue & North 9th Street - ca. 1997
looking west - southwest at Bulk Flour Terminal
J. Wanczyk photo

Kent Avenue & North 9th Street - ca. 1997
looking west at Bulk Flour Terminal
J. Wanczyk photo

Administration & Offices, 86 Kent Avenue - ca. 1997
Looking north - note old painted sign near roof. See closeup below.
J. Wanczyk photo

Administration & Offices, 86 Kent Avenue - ca. 1997
Looking north - note old painted sign near roof.
J. Wanczyk photo

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North 5th Street Float Bridge - ca. 1958
Looking south, with Pennsylvania North 4th Street Railroad Piershed in background.
Crew in the process of unpinning the carfloat.
S. Meyers photo
D. Keller archives
authors collection
added 04 Sept 2009

North 5th Street Float Bridge - ca. 1958
Looking south, with Pennsylvania North 4th Street Railroad Piershed in background.
Carfloat unpinned and tug beginning to pull away.
S. Meyers photo
D. Keller archives
authors collection
added 04 Sept 2009

North 5th Street - April 1963
looking east - North 5th Street freight house on left. The red and black tankcars seen just above the concrete wall are in the
5B Yard (between Kent and Whyte Avenues). The white tank car to the right of the black tankcar is in the 5C Yard
(between Wythe Avenue & Berry Street), adjacent to the Scranton & Lehigh Coal Silos (on corner of North 5th and Berry Street)
Photographer is standing between North 5th Street float bridge lead (left) and 5A1 (right).
North 5th Street is on other side of this track. Switch at bottom left corner of photo is for north and south float bridge tracks.
A. Bink photo
authors collection
added 01 Aug 2009

North 5th Street "B Yard" - April 16, 1963
looking northeast - note Ray Fleet Trucking on right edge of photo
unknown photographer
authors collection

5A Yard - July 1963
looking east - loco is on 5A10, with 5A9 and 5A8 to right
R. Ziel photo
authors collection

4A7 - January 21, 1968
Loco and gondola on 4A7 coming out of Independant Scrap (ex-PRR North 4th Street Freight Station),
crossing the Intersection of North 5th Street and Kent Avenue. 5A1 can be seen to right of loco front step.
Crossing shanty on right edge of image.

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North 6th Street Floatbridge (left) & North 6th Street Pier (right) (6P1 through 6P5) - 1952
looking west - Map Key 231 / 230
Melvin Krampf photo - June 1952 issue"Railroad Magazine"
Popular Publications

undeterminable location - believed to be North 6th Yard (6A yard) - 1952
coal transfer directly from hoppers to dealer's truck
Melvin Krampf photo - June 1952 issue"Railroad Magazine"
Popular Publications

6A Yard Gantry - ca. 1956 - 1957
looking west - tank car is on 6A7 - PRR boxcar is on 6A8, before the addition of tracks in the driveway.
unknown photographer
authors collection

6A Yard Gantry loading scrap metal - ca. 1958?-
Gondolas are on 6A7
S. Meyers photo
D. Keller archives
authors collection
added 04 Sept 2009

6A Yard & Gantry - April 1976
looking east - click on the image above for a large non-annotated version for close up examination!
This image is of special interest as it appears BEDT installed additional trackage upon the northernmost (left)
driveway to increase car storage capacity of the 6A Yard. All maps and track plans show a paved driveway where the
Central Vermont (CV) and the yellow tankcar are seen. North 7th Street is on the left edge of photo and truck being loaded
on the sidewalk most likely bagged flour for Semolina Trucking. Note broken bag of flour on ground.
The older truck on right edge of photo is Aceste Trucking, another flour distributor and is backed up to track 6A5
with the Penn Central (PC) boxcars. The Soo Line covered hopper is probably holding mustard seed for Old Dutch Mustard Co.
J. Held photo
added 13 July 2009

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North 8th Street Gantry - between North 8th & North 9th Streets - ca. 1927
looking west - note horse & truck - is this the horse described in the 1927 ICC Valuation Report?
compare to same view below - note no enginehouse,
but you can barely make out the front of a locomotive directly over the cart wheels!
(unknown photographer)

North 8th Street Gantry between North 8th & North 9th Streets - 1952
looking west - Map Key 228- note: electro magnet in left foreground, tugboats and enginehouse in background
Taken from almost the same vantage point as the photo above
Melvin Krampf photo - June 1952 issue"Railroad Magazine"
Popular Publications

BEDT North 8th Street Yard - 1952
Map Key 228 - looking south
Scrap loading facility foreground, Austin Nichols building in mid-background, Williamsburg Bridge extreme background
Pennsylvania RR North 4 St Yard and float bridge visible extreme right
Melvin Krampf photo - June 1952 issue"Railroad Magazine"
Popular Publications

North 8th St Yard - 1952
looking west-southwest - Map Key 228 between North 8th & North 9th Streets just south of engine house.
This is the scrap metal loading area, (note gondolas and cranes) This areas would become Bulk Flour Terminal in 1964.
Note locomotive extreme right at waters edge & coal conveyors directly under loco.
This photo believed to be taken from roof of BEDT office building.
Melvin Krampf photo - June 1952 issue"Railroad Magazine"
Popular Publications

North 8 Street Pier (tracks 8P1 & 8P2) - 1952
looking west - Map Key 227 - platform or station type carfloat on left
Melvin Krampf photo - June 1952 issue"Railroad Magazine"
Popular Publications

between North 8 and North 9th Streets - 1952
Scrap metal loading area - east end of 8A Yard.
Melvin Krampf photo - June 1952 issue"Railroad Magazine"
Popular Publications

ca. 1958
S. Meyers photo
D. Keller archives
authors collection
added 28 January 2010

Bulkhead at foot of North 8th Street - ca. 1958
Looking north.
S. Meyers photo
D. Keller archives
authors collection
added 04 Sept 2009

Enginehouse at foot of North 8th Street - ca. 1958
Looking north.
S. Meyers photo
D. Keller archives
authors collection
added 30 January 2010

June 24, 1961
looking west-northwest - west end of 8A Yard, with enginehouse
T. Gleichmann photo
authors archives
added 13 Apr 2009

March 1963
looking west - engine servicing tracks & boilerhouse and sandroom to right of loco 16. Enginehouse in background.
A. Bink photo
authors collection
added 14 Oct 2008

North 8th through North 6th Street Bulkhead - June 5, 1963
loco is behind enginehouse
unknown photographer
D. Keller archives
authors collection

June 1965
looking west - note X14 idler car on garden track and diesel loco on southern 8A Yard lead.
Small brick structure in front of enginehouse is boiler room.
Gray sheet metal structure is sand room. Note enginehouse now has beige concrete block extension to accommodate diesel locos.
J. Held photo
J. Held archives
added 05 May 2009

North 8th Street bulkhead - June 1975
Looking southeast at back of enginehouse from end of North 8th Street Pier. Red caboose houses master mechanics office.
Covered hopper to right of caboose is on southern 8A Yard lead.
J. Held photo
J. Held archives
added 05 May 2009

North 8th Street Enginehouse & Yard - March 1972
looking west-northwest. Note X11 crane car on garden track,
and track immediately to left of diesels is no longer connected to rest of yard trackage.
F. Szachacz photo

Kent Avenue North 8th Street enginehouse in background - November 1976
looking west from Kent Avenue with traveling overhead gantry crane on left and Bulk Flour Terminal on right.
(this is the support leg for the gantry seen in the photo at top)
T. Darnell photo

North 8th Street Enginehouse & Yard - May 1977
That's the Petro Flame (w/ Transfer #24 still on bow).
unknown photographer
authors collection
added 12 Nov 2009

July 1981
looking west - northwest.
S. Goldstein photo
authors collection

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North 9th Street - ca. 1914
looking east from coal trestle ramp on pier (to become North 8th Street Pier Yard). See image for notations.
courtesy of T. Flagg
added 01 August 2009

North 9th Street Floatbridge - 1952
Looking east - Map Key 226 between North 10th and North 9th Streets
note the ramp at bottom of photo - taken from a platform carfloat!
Melvin Krampf photo - June 1952 issue"Railroad Magazine"
Popular Publications

BEDT freighthouse between North 10th and North 9th Streets - 1952
looking east-northeast - Map Key 225
North 9th Street Floatbridge (226) left side - edge of North 8th Street Pier (227) on right.
"Obelisk" between float bridge and pier is actually a floatman's shanty off the end of a carfloat,
and appears to now be used as a bridgeman's shanty.
Melvin Krampf photo - June 1952 issue"Railroad Magazine"
Popular Publications

North 9th Street "diamond" - ca. 1958
Looking west northwest.
Track and switchpoints on left edge are 8A7 & 8A8 (northern 8A lead). Note the derail!
photographer is standing in middle of 8A9, with 8A10 branching off to right.
The North 8th Street Pier Yard bulkhead can be seen under the Canadian Pacific boxcar.
S. Meyers photo
D. Keller archives
authors collection
added 04 Sept 2009

North 9th Street "diamond" - April 1975
Looking east.
Switchpoints at extreme bottom of image is turnout for the float bridge leads.
The turnout and track in bottom left corner image leads to the 9P (Pier) trackin center of image
Track to right edge of photo is lead to bulkhead, the diamond, North 8th Street and south.
The Canadian Pacific boxcar in on track 9A1 and most likely contained rolls of newsprints as that cinderblock building
was the newsprint was stored.
unknown photographer
authors collection
added 08 February 2011

North 9th Street Float Bridge - October 1982
Looking southeast, from North 9th Street Pier.
Appears to be a fan day, as several people carrying cameras, and note the young child in red to left of group.
However Joe Roborecky doesn't recall a fan day at this late date, and this may have taken place on a weekend.
B & O scow #350 and 345 to right, with BEDT #32 centerpipe carfloat behind.
Note white deckpipe & platform on right edge of photo.
unknown photographer
authors collection
added 03 March 2010

North 9th Street Pier Trackage - October 1982
Looking northwest
Appears to be a fan day, as several people carrying cameras.
unknown photographer
authors collection
added 09 September 2010

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Pidgeon Street Yard - October 11, 1943
(click on image above for enlargement)
W. J. Madden photo
authors collection
added 22 February 2011

compare the above image with the 1942 edition of the Port Facilities Map:

Without a doubt, the finest photos of the Pidgeon Street Yard of the BEDT:
Obviously taken from one of the upper story windows of the Jack Frost Sugar Refinery, looking east.
Several interesting facets of this photo include:

semi-temporary shelter for unloading (first yard stub);
the string of flat cars with unknown loads, and the men working on those flat cars;
the location and track arrangement for the fuel bunker car (on bulkhead of Newtown Creek);
unloading derrick at far end of yard (next to last yard stub)
note the bulkhead lead track with low side gondola; this track originally ran along the bulkhead to industries along the Creek
(seen in 1942 Port Facilities Map). It now appears to be disconnected (buried under rubble) and out of service;
the track with boxcar ran also ran under the elevated and diagonally crossed the intersection of
54th Avenue and Vernon Avenue to access another industry at this location;
and of course, #13 at the bottom of the photo.
Also, in the upper left corner of the image is the recently opened (in November 15, 1940) Queens Midtown Tunnel Toll Plaza.
Where's the bumper to bumper traffic we have come to being so accustomed to???

Click here for an annotated version of of the image.

.Taken some time later, but on the same day shows some changes in car placement and activity:

Pidgeon Street Yard - October 11, 1943
W. J. Madden photo
authors collection
added 22 February 2011

Pidgeon Street Float Bridge - ca. 1958
S. Meyers photo
D. Keller archives
authors collection
added 19 Sept 2009

February 1974 - Pidgeon Street
R. F. Makse photo
authors collection
added 14 October 2012

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