Miscellaneous Freight Railroad Images in New York City

INDUSTRIAL & OFFLINE TERMINAL RAILROADS
OF THE BROOKLYN, QUEENS, STATEN ISLAND, BRONX & MANHATTAN:

MISCELLANEOUS FREIGHT RAILROAD IMAGES
IN NEW YORK CITY
(historical & present day)

(photo album only)

updated: FRIDAY, 22 MAY 2009 - 12:15

New York Container Terminal Arthur Kill Lift Bridge added	05/22/09	Modern Era

This page, for the most part, is an album of images pertaining to freight operations in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx, and Manhattan.

Where possible, I have tried to provide locomotive data.

The first section, is a compilation of historical images I have encountered while researching the topics and locations on my website.

The second section are images that I took of modern era operations that now occupy the sites of the former railroads and operations that I research.

Historical Era

Debrosses Street

New York Central Railroad Street Operations - Manhattan

New York Central Lines - Hudson Street & Vestry Street - ca. 1900
(looking northeast at 188, 190, 192 Hudson Street.
train is heading (pushing) towards New York Central & Hudson River Freight Depot one block right (south).
Vestry Street streetcar left edge of photo)
NYPL Digital Archives

New York Central Railroad #6

builder:
c/n:
built:
wheel arrangement:
cylinders:
driver diameter:
retired:

Schenectady
2954
1/1890
0-4-0 Dummy
15" x 22"
46"
1913

New York Central West 30th Street Yard - 11th Avenue & West 30th Street - ca. 1906
(looking northeast)
NYPL Digital Archives

New York Central Railroad #1906

builder:
c/n:
built:
wheel arrangement:
cylinders:
driver diameter:
weight:

0-6-0 Dummy
18" x 24"
55"
63 Ton

New York Central 11th Avenue & West 26th Street - ca. 1911
(man on horse is a NYCRR Watchman / RR Policeman a/k/a "Eleventh Avenue Cowboy"escorting the locomotive as required by NY City law)
Bain News Service
George Grantham Bain collection
Shorpy photo archives

New York Central Railroad #11

builder:
c/n:
built:
wheel arrangement:
cylinders:
driver diameter:
renumbered:
retired:

Schenectady
2480
2/1888
0-4-0 Dummy
15" x 22"
46"
#4
1909

New York Central Meat Packing District - 11th Avenue & West 12th Street - ca. 1911
(man on horse is a NYCRR Watchman / RR Policeman a/k/a "Eleventh Avenue Cowboy"escorting the locomotive as required by NY City law)
Bain News Service
George Grantham Bain collection
Shorpy photo archives

New York Central Railroad #11

builder:
c/n:
built:
wheel arrangement:
cylinders:
driver diameter:
renumbered:
retired:

Schenectady
2480
2/1888
0-4-0 Dummy
15" x 22"
46"
#4
1909

New York Central 11th Avenue & ? Street - ca. 1911
(man on horse is a NYCRR Watchman / RR Policeman a/k/a "Eleventh Avenue Cowboy"escorting the locomotive as required by NY City law)
Bain News Service
George Grantham Bain collection
Shorpy photo archives

New York Central Railroad #11

builder:
c/n:
built:
wheel arrangement:
cylinders:
driver diameter:
renumbered:
retired:

Schenectady
2480
2/1888
0-4-0 Dummy
15" x 22"
46"
#4
1909

New York Central Railroad West 35th Street Yard - 12th Avenue & West 35th Street - March 17, 1929
(looking north)
P. L. Sperr photo
NYPL Digital Archives

New York Central West 35th Street Yard - 11th Avenue & West 34th Street - May 12, 1930
P. L. Sperr photo
NYPL Digital Archives

New York Central West 30th Street Yard - 11th Avenue & West 31th Street - June 2, 1931
(looking northeast)
P. L. Sperr photo
NYPL Digital Archives

New York Central Railroad #1536

c/n:
built:
# units built:
renumbered:
body:
motor:
weight:
retired:
scrapped:
notes:

ALCo c/n 68369 - GE c/n 11121
8/1930
35 (#1526 - #1560)
#536
T3-2
1 - 300 hp
126 tons
7/1953
10/1955
"Tri Power"

New York Central West 30th Street Yard - 11th Avenue & West 30th Street - February 7, 1932
(looking northwest)
P. L. Sperr photo
NYPL Digital Archives

New York Central Railroad West 35th Street Yard - 12th Avenue & West 35th Street - May 30, 1934
(looking east)
P. L. Sperr photo
NYPL Digital Archives

New York Central - 11th Avenue & West 49th Street -1936
unknown photographer
A. LaBianca collection
via S. Berliner

New York Central Railroad #1542

c/n:
built:
# units built:
renumbered:
body:
motor:
weight:
retired:
rebuilt:
retired:
notes:

ALCo c/n 68735 - GE c/n 11127
11/1930
35 (#1526 - #1560)
#542
T3-2
1 - 300 hp
129 tons (possibly an error - all others in this series weighed 126 tons)
11/1949
11/1950 to slug #473
5/1962
"Tri Power"

New York Central Railroad West 39th Street Yard - 12th Avenue & West 39th Street - March 4, 1937
(looking east)
P. L. Sperr photo
(this location by the way, is still a railroad yard, albeit the Long Island Rail Road Penn Station storage yard)
NYPL Digital Archives

Modern Era

Please note:
The photographs in the following section were taken by myself (the author)
and not for reproduction or use without my express consent.
Please contact me at bedt14@aol.com for consent.

*** * * SUPPORT RAILROAD BASED INDUSTRIES! They are ECONOMICAL - ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY - EXPEDITIOUS * * ***

New York Container Terminal	CSX / NYCT Arlington Yard	CSX Arthur Kill Lift Bridge
New York New Jersey Rail		Port Jersey

New York Container Terminal
Howland Hook, Staten Island, NY

Please note:
General photography / videography is prohibited at the New York Container Terminal facility.

I submitted a written request and was granted permission by officials of Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and New York Container Terminal
to photograph the locomotive operations. If you do not have permission, you will be stopped and detained - security is tight!

Special thanks are due to:

Frank Rose
Gary L. Smith
Arie Van Tol

Supervisor of Rail Operations, NYCT,
Maintenance Unit Supervisor, NY Marine Terminals, PANYNJ
Manager of Marine Terminals, PANYNJ

You may view the New York Container Terminal website here: New York Container Terminal

February 26, 2009 - New York Container Terminal, Howland Hook, Staten Island, NY
Morristown & Erie Railroad (leased power) #20 - SW1500
NYCT locomotive #2109 (GP38-2) was temporarily out of service with a cracked gear pan.
NYCT leased this locomotive from Morristown & Erie while NYCT #2109 was awaiting receipt of the new gear pan.

February 26, 2009 - New York Container Terminal, Howland Hook, Staten Island, NY
Morristown & Erie Railroad (leased power) #20 - SW1500
just east of Western Avenue crossing
Arlington Yard in background

February 26, 2009 - New York Container Terminal, Howland Hook, Staten Island, NY
Morristown & Erie Railroad (leased power) #20 - SW1500
Western Avenue crossing

February 26, 2009 - New York Container Terminal, Howland Hook, Staten Island, NY
Morristown & Erie Railroad (leased power) #20 - SW1500
Western Avenue crossing
(taken from Arlington Yard)

Returning to the New York Container Terminal in May 2009 for my exploration of the Procter & Gamble property,
I caught #2109 back in service:

May 1, 2009 - New York Container Terminal, Howland Hook, Staten Island, NY
New York Container Terminal #2109 - GP38-2
Western Avenue crossing

CSX / NYCT Arlington Yard
Staten Island, NY

February 26, 2009 - CSX municipal waste container train pulling into the AK Bridge approach from the Travis Branch Loop (west).
CSX #5277 and #5327 (ES44DC)

February 26, 2009 - After clearing the turnout from the Travis Branch into the AK Bridge Approach (left track),
the train pulls clear of the crossover
in the Arlington Yard throat tracks.
The train then reverses direction and backs the municipal waste containers down (east) into Arlington Yard.
That's James the of the CSX train crew hitching a ride into the yard.

February 26, 2009 - The CSX locomotives on the Arlington Yard throat track crossover backing (east) into the yard.

February 26, 2009 - Trackman of the New York Container Terminal throwing the turnout,
after the CSX crew dropped of the municipal waste cars, and pulled back forward (west).
Now it will back down (east) on the intermodal container stack train to couple up.

While the CSX crew is moving forward to pick up the container stack train already assembled in Arlington Yard,
the NYCT crew is already bringing up more containers from the NYCT into the Arlington Yard.

NYCT locomotive (leased M&E #20) moving back down the incline to the NYCT facility.

February 26, 2009 - CSX crew backing down (east) on the intermodal container stack train.

February 26, 2009 - CSX locomotives coupled up to intermodal container stack train and preparing to pull train forward (west)
clear of turnout, and back down on municipal waste containers with the intermodal container stacks.
Once the intermodal container cars are coupled up to the municipal waster container cars, the CSX crew
will wait for the AK (Arthur Kill) Bridge to drop, and will then proceed west to Cranston Junction, NJ.
The CSX crew on this trick was particularly friendly and informative! Thats JJ in the cab (engineer) and
James (conductor / brakeman) on the ground.

CSX - PANYNJ Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge
Elizabeth, NJ / Staten Island, NY

One of, if not my favorite railway bridge, is the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge " AK Bridge" connecting Cranston Junction, in Elizabeth, New Jersey; with Arlington Yard and the North Branch, Staten Island, NY.

This bridge is the longest vertical lift bridge in the world, and was built by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.

==========================================================

The Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Railroad Bridge was constructed in 1958 through 1959, and officially opened August 25, 1959 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
This vertical lift bridge replaced an older swing span that was damaged in a ship collision.
This single track bridge connects Cranston Junction in Elizabeth, New Jersey and Arlington Yard in Staten Island, New York
This bridge is the largest vertical lift bridge in the world.
The two towers are 215 feet in height.
The movable span is 558 feet in length.
In the raised position the span is 135 feet above Mean High Water
In the lowered position the span is 31 feet above Mean High Water.
In 1991, it was taken out of service when the last freight train to use the North Branch (former Staten Island Rapid Transit) crossed it.
In 1994, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) purchased the bridge and the North Shore branch of rail service from CSX.
In 2004, NYCEDC and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) announced plans to rehabilitate the bridge and reactivate freight rail service on Staten Island. Repairs to the bridge included repainting the steel and rehabilitating the lift mechanism.
The bridge has been painted in "royal blue" in homage to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. The rehabilitation project was completed in June 2006.
On October 4, 2006, a "train" crossed the bridge for the first time in 16 years. It consisted of just a single locomotive which took on switching duties at the New York Container Terminal.
The bridge now sees regular service for both arriving and departing container stack trains for the New York Container Terminal, and trains of municipal waste departing Arlington Yard.
The bridge is kept in the up position to minimize marine navigation obstacle.
It is lowered on a predetermined schedule, and after the US Coast Guard has announced its scheduled lowering several times during the day of lowering
(2 hour warning, 1 hour warning, 30 minute warning, 15 minute and 5 minute warnings are issued)
It is usually lowered twice a day: one in the morning for inbound traffic, one in afternoon for outbound traffic.
It used to appear that the bridge was lowered twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays), but increased rail traffic seems to warrant almost daily operation.

May 1, 2009

May 1, 2009 - CSX # 5393 (ES44DC) & #504 (CW44AH)
(according to Gary Smith of the NYCT, that bridge approach grade is approximately 2½ %!)

May 1, 2009

New York New Jersey Rail
Brooklyn, NY & Greenville, NJ

New York New Jersey Rail operates the former New York Cross Harbor Railroad, which was the successor to the New York Dock Railway, which in turn absorbed the Bush Terminal Railroad.

The New York New Jersey has operations at either end of the carfloat route: Bush Terminal Brooklyn, NY and Greenville, NJ.

The New York New Jersey Rail website may be viewed here: New York New Jersey Rail

Paul Strubeck's website has a detailed history of this operation, as well as locomotive roster history: New York Cross Harbor Railroad

July 2006 - Brooklyn, NY

July 2006 - Greenville, NJ

February 26, 2009 - Greenville, NJ

Port Jersey

The Port Jersey Railroad is a small shortline, but don't let that fool you. They move a substantial about of freight in Jersey City from various modes of shipping.

Their website may be viewed here: Port Jersey Railroad

February 26, 2009 - Jersey City, NJ

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American Dock & Trust	G & R Packing	South Brooklyn
Astoria Light, Heat & Power	Harlem Station (Erie / EL)	South Brooklyn Terminal / Brooklyn Marginal
Atlas Terminal	Harlem Transfer (DL&W)	25th St / South Brooklyn Terminal (DLW)
Bronx Terminal (CRRNJ)	Jay Street Terminal / Connecting	Wallabout Terminal (DLW)
Bronx Terminal (LV)	New York Dock	Wallabout Station (Erie)
Brooklyn Ash Removal	North 1st Street Freight Sta (NYNHH)	Wallabout Union (PRR, NYC, LV, B&O)
Brooklyn Dock & Terminal	North 4th St Freight Sta (PRR)	West 23rd St Stores & Freight Yard (B&O)
Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal	Pouch Terminal	West 23rd St Freight Sta (NYLE&W / Erie)
Brooklyn Wharf & Warehouse	Procter & Gamble	West 26th St Freight Sta (B&O)
Bush Terminal	Queens Subway Apartment & Loft Building	West 27th St Freight Yard (LV)
Degnon Contracting / Degnon Terminal	Seatrain Shipbuilding	West 28th St Freight Sta (Erie / EL)
Goodwin - Gallagher Sand & Gravel		West 37th St Freight Sta (PRR)
Railroad Operated Pier Stations of Manhattan
Miscellaneous Freight Railroad Images of New York City
Glossary of Definitions Indicative to Rail / Marine Terminal Operations in the New York Harbor Area
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