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INDUSTRIAL & OFFLINE
TERMINAL RAILROADS
OF BROOKLYN, QUEENS, STATEN
ISLAND, BRONX &
MANHATTAN:
WALLABOUT
TERMINAL
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
DELAWARE, LACKAWANNA & WESTERN RAILROAD
DL&W
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| electric operation expanded | 17 Feb 2011 | Trackage |
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Visitors please take note ! The collection of images on this website, which continues to grow; is due to the unprecedented and selfless contributions of the current owners of photo archives. These people made their generous contributions to this website in good will, and allowed me to post their images online for the entire railroading community to view and appreciate, in admiration if these Fallen Flag Railroads. In return, I strongly request that you please respect the ownership copyrights on those said images. Other than that, please enjoy the history, thanks for taking the time to visit, and don't forget to sign the guestbook on the main page! ~ Phil |
| Trackage | Float Bridge | |
| Locomotive Overview & Photos |
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Locomotive Roster builders data, disposition info |
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The Wallabout Terminal of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western (DL&W) Railroad, was located at the intersections of Kent Avenue, Washington Avenue and Clymer Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This location also corresponded to the marine intersection of the Wallabout Basin and the Wallabout Canal as well.
Initial research of this facility by this author failed to provide a start of operations date for this facility. Thanks to Joe Roborecky, submitted the following information from a Google Book Search, where he located the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac of 1901, in which it states:
"At Cross st., fronting on Wallabout channel, to Wallabout Canal, is the Brooklyn terminal of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western R.R. Co., constructed and put into operation during the last year. It is equipped with a car transfer bridge, has a two story brick building, at which 75 to 100 car loads of freight may be handled daily, and yard track delivery capacities for 90 additional cars."
Also found on the web, is this New York Times article:
New York Times - June 19, 1900
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Do not confuse this facility with the other "Wallabout Terminals", operated by other railroads in the immediate vicinity:
"Wallabout Market Terminal" of the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal, which was the only other carfloat terminal and was located at the very head of the Wallabout Canal and adjacent to the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
We know the facility closed in 1941 when the United Stated Government expanded the New York Naval Shipyard a/k/a Brooklyn Navy Yard and seized the properties surrounding the Wallabout Basin.
On 09 February 2010, and after corresponding with Jon Franz regarding various Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad operations in the New York Area, I received a package of documents from him.
Within this package, was a three page letter dated November 11, 1941 and issued by the Delaware Lackawanna & Western Railroad, Office of Superintendent, Hoboken, NJ. At the time of this letter, the Superintendent was Perry Shoemaker.
His letter is quite interesting, and while it pertains to the
official date of cessation of operations at Wallabout, it also specifically
lists:
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All in all, this document is a most revealing look at the closure of Wallabout Terminal and the transfer of services from that facility to 25th Street.
Unfortunately, very little information on this terminal has been located to date. Anyone with information, data or photographs of equipment or property, is most welcome to contact the author at bedt14@aol.com .
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The following article was discovered within the Official Proceedings of September 1900 for the monthly meeting of the Western Railway Club. In this discussion, it specifies the design and components of the trackage, as well as the freighthouse and how the locomotive is used at the Wallabout Terminal:
Official Proceedings of the Western Railway Club -
September 1900
added 22 October 2010
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According to the track plan and specifications below and located in the book "Yards and Terminals and their Operation", John A. Droege, 1906. The diagram appears to be larger version of the same diagram as the one above.
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Yards and Terminals and their Operation - 1906
John A. Droege
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The freight house dimensions were 40 feet by 400 feet. Tracks are on 11 foot centers, roadways 35 feet between centers of tracks, 40 degree track curves and #2.8, #3 and #4 frogs are in use on the track turnouts.
According to the "Report of the Committee on Terminals and Transportation of the New York State Food Investigating Commission" published April 18, 1913; it lists the capacity of the freight house at the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Wallabout Terminal at 16,311 square feet and the terminal with 1.36 miles of trackage.
In the 1924 Fairchild Aerial Survey photo seen below, we can clearly make out the freighthouse, float bridge and the railyard.
Fairchild Aerial Survey Photo - 1924
NYPL Digital
Archives
added 09 Dec 2008
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Electric Operation
An interesting aspect of the Wallabout Terminal was it would be completely powered by overhead catenary in later years of operation. While Bush Terminal and New York Dock would utilize overhead catenary for street running operations, their yard operations was steam and subsequently diesel powered.
As far as it is can be ascertained, the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western installed an overhead catenary around 1925 or 1926 at the Wallabout Terminal. This location would remain a strict electric operation throughout its remaining history until 1941, at such time when the Navy Department appropriated the property to expand the Navy Yard.
Since #4001 was constructed in 1926, it can be hypothesized that the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western responded to the enactment of the Kaufman Law of 1925, by electrifying their Wallabout Terminal operation, and thereby complying with the recently enacted anti-smoke legislation. With the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Electric Generating Station immediately north of the Wallabout Terminal, it can also be surmised they could buy their power with minimal expense and transmission infrastructure.
This overhead electric operation would be unique to offline terminal operation, including the fact that the overhead wire was carried right to the end of the float bridge. No other offline terminal in the New York area operated as a strictly electric operation (keeping in mind South Brooklyn Railway did not operate a float bridge and therefore would not be considered an offline terminal).
All being told, this was undoubtedly a unique operation!
August 25, 1933
(The Delaware Lackawanna & Western Wallabout Terminal is the yard with
the white poles.
The three boxcars are on a station carfloat moored to the Clinton Avenue
bulkhead and
attached to the Brooklyn Navy Yard float bridge to the left.)
unknown photographer
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp Archives
added 04 May
2009
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The float bridge at the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad's Wallabout Terminal is now known to have been a wooden Howe Truss.
While this choice of float bridge design by itself is not surprising, what is unusual is the fact that the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western installed overhead trolley wire supports which were mounted on top of the trusses and spaced along the float bridge at intervals to (what else?) support the trolley wire to the end of the float bridge:
June 4, 1936
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This type of arrangement is believed to be the only such arrangement used in New York Harbor. But this arrangement also reveals a small (yet easily overcome) obstacle in locomotive / carfloat operations at DLW Wallabout Terminal:
As the trolley wire could not progress past the end of the float bridge, electric locomotive #4001 could not venture out past the carfloat and onto the carfloat to move freight cars. Therefore at least one reacher or idler car was necessary to couple up to remove or place freight cars onto the carfloat.
It is also bears wondering if the choice of float bridge (wood Howe Truss) would have offered additional safety factor (by being non-conductive as opposed to a steel float bridge which would be) and allowing the trolley wire to be mounted in close proximity to water.
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Prior to 1926, it is unknown what type and which locomotives operated at this facility. It is surmised this facility would have employed the use of a small steam locomotive, but this cannot be substantiated at this time.
Research reflects that after 1926, one locomotive had been used at this Delaware, Lackawanna & Western facility. This locomotive was an electric powered (via overhead pantograph) steeplecab locomotive.
This locomotive was numbered 4001 and was built in June 1926 by General Electric. This locomotive was unusual in appearance as the pantograph on top of the cab appeared quite large and oversized, when compared to the locomotive itself. Most steeplecab locomotives of this size and manufacture were equipped with much less visible trolley poles (e.g. Bush Terminal and South Brooklyn Railway).
This locomotive would go on to serve this Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Wallabout Terminal until the US Government "seized" the properties surrounding the Wallabout Terminal in 1940, for the purpose of expanding the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
This locomotive was then sold to the Shawinigan Falls Terminal Railway in Quebec, Canada; ca. 1941. Its current status or disposition is unknown at this time. Again, anyone with information on this locomotive is invited to contact the author at bedt14@aol.com
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Wallabout Terminal (DL&W)
Roster
| number / name |
builder | c/n | model | build date |
gauge |
wheel arrangement |
wheel dia |
cylinders |
acquired |
disposition |
notes | ref |
| 4001 | GE | 10046 | steeplecab | 6/1926 | std. | B-B | new | to Shawinigan Falls Terminal Rwy Quebec, Canada ca. 1941 unknown after 1950 |
[a] | [24] [37] |
Locomotive Footnotes
| [a] | weight: gear ratio: |
102,840 lbs. 67:16 |
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Marine Equipment
Being a Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad operation, the Wallabout Terminal would have been serviced by Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad tugboats, carfloats and lighters.
Keeping in mind the significant amount of marine equipment that the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad owned and operated, and not knowing if there was equipment specifically assigned to this facility (it is highly unlikely they did), a Tugboat Roster on this website would not be beneficial or justified; and therefore will not be forthcoming..
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