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INDUSTRIAL & TERMINAL RAILROADS & RAIL-MARINE OPERATIONS
OF BROOKLYN, QUEENS, STATEN ISLAND, BRONX & MANHATTAN:

High Line West Side Line Improvement Meatpacking District National Biscuit Nabisco cold storage Hells Kitchen Chelsea Village Tribeca upper horse escort manhattan cowboy Eleventh 11 Avenue Tenth 10
Washington Street St. John's Park Freight Terminal street running trackage steam dummy Baldwin American Locomotive ALCO Schenectady 0-4-0 0-6-0 B-B tripower tri-power Lima Shay geared 30th Street Branch 

NEW YORK CENTRAL & HUDSON RIVER RAILROAD / NEW YORK CENTRAL RAILROAD West Side, Manhattan - Freight Operations 30th Street Branch Street:  1846 - 1941 High Line (& Tunnel):  1933 (1937) - 1968  High Line & Tunnel:  1968 - 1976 (Penn Central) High Line & Tunnel:  1976 - 1980 (Conrail) . .

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New York Central & Hudson River / New York Central Railroad

Street & High Line Operations
West Side - Manhattan, NY

A Brief History (ok, maybe not so brief...)

   So much has been written on the history of the New York Central Railroad, that I was not going to expound any effort to even publish it here. But, on second thought, as this page is solely dedicated to one small aspect of the huge operational history of the 'Central, and so much misinformation abounded in modern blogs and Facebook groups; a basic synopsis should be outlined.

   Freight operations on the West Side in Manhattan began with the Hudson River Railroad, which was owned by Erastus Corning. The Hudson River Railroad was granted a charter from the city of New York to operate freight and passenger trains south to Chambers Street.

The company's freight traffic grew to such an extent that the company was forced to find a site inland from the waterfront for a downtown terminal. On this site, at Beach and Varick Streets, was built the St. Johns Park Terminal, after which, in 1868, the tracks south to Chambers Street were removed. In 1871, the same year the first Grand Central Station was completed at Fourth Avenue and Forty-Second Street, the Spuyten Duyvil & Port Morris Railroad, connecting what had then become the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad with the New York & Harlem Railroad, was opened, and the Central transferred its passenger trains to the new route. Since that time the West Side line has been used almost exclusively for freight, express and milk business."    So, there was both joint freight / passenger handling at the Chambers Street Station as well as freight handling along the piers. Therefore, the St. Johns Park Freight Terminal was not the first freight station on the West side, but the dual purpose Chambers Street Station was.  024 Atlases of New York City - Manhattan - 1857 Plate 8 William Perris Civil Engineer and Surveyor Third Edition  Publisher: Perris & Browne Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division New York Public Library Digital Collection annotated version © 2024~ freightrrofnyc.info added 20 May 2024 . .   Hudson River Railroad Station Passenger Station - 1863 Looking south-southwest. I firmly believe this image is misattributed as West Broadway & "Liberty Street"; the reason being West Broadway and Liberty Street do not intersect. Furthermore, the buildings and geography shown in the image perfectly align with the Perris Street Atlas above at the intersection of Chambers Street and West Broadway. The triangle where the horsedrawn drayage carts are lined up is present day Bogardus Plaza. Nevertheless, the presence of numerous open two wheel horsedrawn carts queued after the hacks and carriages exemplifies freight transport at this station. H. N. Tiemann photo New York Historical Society Digital Archives image id: NYHS PR129 b-07 327-01 annotated version © 2024~ freightrrofnyc.info . .    It is imperative to bear in mind at this point in time; the present day passenger line down Fourth Avenue was owned by the New York & Harlem River Railroad, (and was owned by the great Cornelius Vanderbilt), and of which the New York & Harlem was a competitor to the Hudson River Railroad. It is the Hudson River Railroad route shown above and here.    Cornelius Vanderbilt was born in Staten Island, NY; on May 27, 1794, to Cornelius van der Bilt and Phebe Hand. (van der Bilt being the original spelling which was anglicized to Vanderbilt.)    He began working on his father's ferry in New York Harbor as a boy, quitting school at the age of 11. At the age of 16, Vanderbilt decided to start his own ferry service.       Vanderbilt was nothing less than a mover and a shaker. He made a name for himself in commercial shipping and earned the nickname "the Commodore". After coming to dominate the shipping business, he further built his wealth in railroads, and through his guidance, shaped the railroad industry of the Northeast.    It has been said Vanderbilt lacked finesse or couth, and was prone to be vulgar (what was considered vulgar in the 1800's, might be tame for the 21st Century): "Contemporaries, too, often hated or feared Vanderbilt or at least considered him an unmannered brute. While Vanderbilt could be a rascal, combative and cunning, he was much more a builder than a wrecker... being honorable, shrewd, and hard-working." H. Roger Grant, historian Cornelius Vanderbilt May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877       Backing up in history just a tad, Cornelius Vanderbilt obtained control of the Hudson River Railroad in 1867.    And for clarity; let us re-iterate:    The terminal at Chambers Street was overwhelmed, and it was decided in 1867 that a new dedicated freight terminal be constructed away (but not too far away) from the Chambers Street Station. This freight terminal would be constructed at Beach & Varick Streets - and of which would come to be the widely recognized St. John's Park Freight Terminal .    Once the St. Johns Park Freight Terminal was completed, the original trackage to Chambers Street was removed in 1868 and the line dedicated to freight use only. Passenger service by this date was routed down Fourth Avenue to the original Madison Square Garden Station located at East 26th Street.     On November 1, 1869, Vanderbilt merged the two railroads (those being Hudson River Railroad and the New York Central & Harlem River Railroad), along with Spuyten Duyvil & Port Morris Railroad in the Bronx) to form the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, and with him, the first Grand Central Terminal would not be built until 1871 at 42nd Street.    All this consolidation meant the railroads operated in a single network under one owner. And now with that history outlined, we can now focus our attention entirely to the freight operations of the West Side.      While all that was taking place in New York City; the Transcontinental Railroad was completed through to the West Coast in 1869. Now freight and passengers, both to and from the West Coast, including freight importation from East and Southeast Asian countries, was now able to be transported across the Pacific, across the US and to the East Coast.     Because of this direct freight route into and out of Manhattan; and whereas other railroads had to transfer their freight to "lighter barges" (barges with their own crane), covered barges for perishables or carfloats for railroad cars; the Hudson River Railroad and later the New York Central; dominated railroad freight handling on Manhattan Island, and as the New York Central could haul its freight directly into and out of Manhattan via the West Side without transloading.    This direct route via Spuyten Duyvil swingbridge gave the New York Central access to the "Water Level Route" north along the Hudson River north to Albany, NY; where it could go east to Boston, Massachusetts or cross the Hudson River and go west to Chicago, Illinois; or even farther to the West Coast; north to Canada; or back south to New Jersey and other points south along the Eastern Seaboard.      Unlike the other Class 1 railroads that did come to have offline freight terminals in Manhattan: such as the Pennsylvania; Lehigh Valley; Erie; Central Railroad of New Jersey; and the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroads; the New York Central Railroad had direct rail connection to and from Manhattan to the mainland United States rail network.    Ironically, this physical connection still exists to this day, albeit slightly rerouted to get the trains off the streets (which we will get to in a later chapter), and is now under Amtrak usage for passenger service.    In 1881, the New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railroad had been planned as one link in a chain of a new transcontinental railroad from New York to San Francisco. This chain was to be comprised of the West Shore; the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad or "Nickel Plate Road"; the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, the Northern Pacific Railroad; and the Oregon Navigation Company. William H. Vanderbilt May 8, 1821 – December 8, 1885     However, William Henry Vanderbilt (son of Cornelius Vanderbilt and known as "Billy", and of whom now owned the New York Central Railroad); purchased the Nickel Plate Road in 1882, in effect breaking the chain and that plan.    From childhood though mid life; William was looked down upon by his father, with Cornelius frequently berated and criticized him, calling his eldest son a "blockhead" and a "blatherskite". Billy longed to demonstrate to his father that he was not, but William never dared stand up to the Commodore, who had a very imposing presence. A case in point and even in adulthood: William once stated to his father, "If you tell me not to smoke, I'll obey you." Cornelius grunted, and William threw away the cigar, and gave up smoking forever. Cornelius was that powerful of a patriarch. A major turning point in their relationship occurred on the family trip to Europe on the steamship "Vanderbilt" in 1860, after which the two became very close and Billy was given a greater role in business matters.    His father carefully oversaw his education in the business world, starting him at age 19 as a clerk in a New York banking house. After joining as an executive of the Staten Island Railway and increasing the revenue, William was elected to the office of president in 1862. In 1869, he was made vice-president of the New York and Harlem River Railroad, further becoming its president in 1877. He took over for his father as president of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern (LS&MS) Railway, the Canada Southern Railway, and the Michigan Central Railroad (MCRR) at the time of the Commodore's death in 1877.    As crude as his father Cornelius was considered amongst his peers, it was William that drew the ire of the everyman. In 1883, reporter John D. Sherman questioned him about why he ran the limited express train, "Do your limited express trains pay, or do you run them for the accommodation of the public?"    Vanderbilt responded with, "Accommodation of the public? The public be damned! We run them because we have to. They do not pay. We have tried again and again to get the different roads to give them up; but they will run them and, of course, as long as they run them we must do the same."        This interview was then published in the Chicago Daily News, but Vanderbilt's words and the context were modified, with particularly heavy emphasis on "The public be damned." Several different accounts of the incident were then disseminated; the accounts vary in terms of who conducted the interview, under what circumstance and what was actually said.    Vanderbilt received a great deal of negative publicity from the "The public be damned" portion, and so much so that he even went as far to clarify his response with a subsequent interview by the Chicago Times. In that interview he was quoted saying: "Railroads are not run for the public benefit, but to pay. Incidentally, we may benefit humanity, but the aim is to earn a dividend." As you can imagine, these words did not sit well with the public or the media.       Paying no heed to how the public viewed him, Vanderbilt's railroad holdings included no less than the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q); the Chicago and Canada Southern Railway; the Detroit and Bay City Railroad; the Hudson River Railroad (not to be confused with the New York Central and Hudson River RR), the Hudson River Bridge, the Joliet and Northern Indiana Railroad, the Michigan Midland and Canada Railroad, the New York Central Sleeping Car Company, the New York and Harlem Rail Road, the Spuyten Duyvil and Port Morris Railroad, and the Staten Island Railroad.    During this same time frame, the New York Central began constructing the South Pennsylvania Railroad across southern Pennsylvania, of which was deep in the Pennsylvania Railroad's territory. At the same time, the New York Central Railroad then proceeded to drive the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railroad into bankruptcy via a brutal rate-war, of which the West Shore could not withstand financially.    The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), which was and remained the New York Central's greatest rival right up until 1968; recognized that the West Shore Railroad would make a great addition to its network, and also allowing it to penetrate deep into New York Central territory. So it began to make overtures to acquire it.    And now a second, but more destructive rate-war between the Pennsylvania and the New York Central commenced; to wit each railroad kept lowering its freight haulage prices to the point they were actually losing money in an effort to undercut the other.    This loss of revenue was an anathema to J. Pierpont Morgan; of whom sat on the board of directors of both the New York Central and the Pennsylvania. Morgan was well respected throughout the business world, and of whom was the top railroad financier in the United States, much less among many other industries. This rate war, which drove down stock and bond prices; was essentially killing Morgan's profits. So, he decided to personally intervene.    In July 1884, Morgan and Vanderbilt agreed to try to negotiate a peace treaty between the Pennsylvania and New York Central Railroads. Morgan invited George B. Roberts and Frank Thompson (president and vice-president of the Pennsylvania Railroad) to meet with the New York Central’s president, Chauncey Depew, on board Morgan’s yacht, Corsair. Morgan picked the executives up at a Jersey City pier, near the Pennsylvania Railroad’s terminal, on a hot July morning. They proceeded north up the Hudson River 50 miles to Garrison, NY; and then turned back south to Sandy Hook, New Jersey; located at the entrance to New York Harbor.    Depew beseeched the Pennsylvania men to end what he called the “ruinous” competition of building parallel lines and endless rate wars. These tactics added nothing to the bottom line of either railroad. A luncheon was served as the Corsair sailed up and down the river. Morgan argued that this sort of competition was not only bad for business; it was adversely affecting the flow of European (especially British) financial capital into American railroads as they continued their expansion across the continent. No agreement, Morgan implied, equated to no further European investment.    While Thompson came around to Morgan’s way of reasoning, Roberts remained adamant against it. Only when Corsair tied back up to the Jersey City pier at 7:00 pm; did Roberts, finally relent and shook hands with Morgan on the dock, stating, “I will agree to your plan and do my part.” While it took almost two more decades for the final agreement to be signed; the West Shore Railroad, would now be owned by the New York Central as a subsidiary, and the construction of the South Pennsylvania Railroad ceased (sections of which were repurposed much later (1940) for use in constructing the Pennsylvania Turnpike.) John Pierpont Morgan April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913    The stock prices of the two railroads rose immediately and naturally, the principals were pleased.     The New York Central, having purchased the New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railway on November 24, 1885; reorganized its new acquisition as the West Shore Railroad on December 5, and leased it for 475 years from January 1, 1886. (So, in effect the West Shore Railroad West 36th Street Yard was originally the competition; wound up becoming a subsidiary and by proxy an expansion to the West 33rd Street Yards.)    In 1914, all of Cornelius Vanderbilt's eleven other railroad operating interests: particularly the New York, West Shore & Buffalo with its carfloat terminals in Weehawken, New Jersey; were merged into the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad to form the New York Central Lines.    With the basic but very convoluted history of the railroads in New York City now outlined, let us get down to the specifics of the West Side of Manhattan Freight Operations. . . Population Boom    As the city population grew, freight traffic grew to keep up with it. And the city population expanded northward; there arose a conflict.    Trains were now impeding the people and the people were getting run over by trains. This can be somewhat equated to building an airport on the outskirts of the city; and the city grew, it encroached upon the airport, and now its presence has become a nuisance to those closest to it. In most cases, that does not have a fatal outcome - unless of course the plane crashes into some houses, then there is an uproar; and that has happened on several occasions - but no amount of public uproar ever forced an airport to relocate!    When the railroad was first laid out in the mid 1850's, pretty much everything north of 42nd Street was undeveloped farmland or forest. It was unfathomable at the time that the city would grow north of the demarcation line. This misconception would come back to haunt the City fathers time and time again - when City Hall was constructed at Chambers Street, it employed cheap brownstone for its north face, as it was expected most residents would not venture north of Chambers Street and not see it often.     As the Manhattan grew in both industry and population; that imaginary demarcation of "the city line" - was subsequently moved from Chambers Street to Canal Street, then to 14th Street, then 34th Street, then 42nd Street (which was why Vanderbilt built Grand Central Terminal there) and well after that, people just gave up on trying to define the city line entirely!    As you can see by the table at right, (via Demographia) the population of Manhattan alone, doubled in the thirty years between 1850 (when the railroad on the West Side was first laid out) and 1880; when the problem of people getting hit by the trains began making public appearance in the newspapers.    So, as the city population grew, even the slow moving (no more than 6 miles per hour per the city regulation) freight trains running down the center of the thoroughfare were found to be involved in a rather growing frequency of serious accidents and fatalities involving pedestrians.  year population (Manhattan) 1840 313,000 1850 516,000 1860 814,000 1870 942,000 1880 1,165,000 1890 1,441,000 1900 1,850,000 1910 2,332,000 1920 2,284,000 1930 1,867,000 1940 1,890,000 So called "Death Avenue"    One of my pet peeves, is that I particularly despise the moniker "Death Avenue" - which Eleventh Avenue (and Tenth Avenue) became to be called as a result. Perhaps this "Death Avenue" moniker is a bit of hyperbole and sensationalist.     The 1800's and early 1900's - and with them the coming of the Industrial Age - were an inherently dangerous period of time in itself. People were maimed and killed by lots of things in daily life; coal mines, steel mills, lumber mills, steam boilers, bridge building, tunnel boring, mechanized farm equipment, etc.     In short, injuries and fatalities came from all sorts of machinery and industrial accidents, and not just this particular train or its routing. A big deal has been made about 540 people were known to have been fatally injured by train movements through 1905 by the operations of street running freight trains in Manhattan.     Trolleys caused deaths too. The trolleys, so essential to the movement of people to and from work and school, were no different either. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle ran a full page feature page on December 30, 1894 blasting the deaths of so many from trolleys; but no one individual or any city office enacted or tried to enact legislation that forbade the use of trolleys or made them move to another street or part of the city. See, the trolleys were a public service..     Pedestrians were also run over by horsedrawn wagons daily or trampled by horses. Riders were thrown.     And when they were developed, automobiles caused death: So many injuries and deaths were occurring as a result of autos, that the NY Daily News began a clock-like "Hands of death." The latest one in 1923 showed 889 people killed by "the automobile".  In 1931, deaths as a result from automobiles reached 1,448. But, only a few people actually advocated banning the automobile from streets.    But it was the "big, bad freight railroad" that bore the brunt of the blame and was an easy target. And while people need the trolleys to go to and from work and school, and what have you; they were an essential public service. Most transit companies were "locally" owned. The freight trains weren't. They were perceived to be owned by a faceless corporation. The railroads always have and always will bear unjust ire and blame by the public, even to this day: A tractor trailer driver gets stuck on a crossing that is well marked with signs as a "high center crossing" and a train hits it? Why didn't the train stop? (Why wasn't the truck driver better trained or more attentive?) Trespassers got run over while walking on tracks? Why didn't the train blow it horn? Why doesn't the railroad build fences? (It did and it does.) A train derails? It must because of shoddy maintenance or faulty equipment. (But no matter how well something is maintained or how new, things break.) A movie crew (with props) films a movie scene on a railroad bridge (with no trespassing signs!) without permission from the railroad and train comes along and kills a member of the crew? (Sue the railroad for wrongful death!)    So, in short; accidents, are the inevitable consequences of living in a modern first world industrial urban society. This bothers you? Go back to living in a cave, hunting for your food daily with a stone or a spear. Hell, archeologists have even found primitive man injured by hunting implements! Point being, injury and death goes hand in hand with living.     And in the case of the New York Central back in the 1800's; when that railroad was owned by a very outspoken ultra-millionaire, like it was by William H. Vanderbilt; well, they made for an easy target by the media. (Not much has changed, has it?) The railroads were, and remain to be perceived as a big faceless uncaring corporations.    That is not to say solutions and remedies were not attempted. One of the solutions to this problem, was to have a man on horseback escort the trains during transit on public thoroughfares.  Which brings us to: The West Side Cowboys a/k/a "Dummy Boys" - "Tenth Avenue Cowboy" - "Eleventh Avenue Cowboy"    The City of New York enacted a regulation that stipulated that trains being drawn by dummy engines; were to be led by a man on horseback; carrying a red flag by day and red lantern by night:    This horse rider was to lead the locomotive movement and warn pedestrians to yield to the oncoming train. An escort if you will. These horse riders became known as a "West Side Cowboy", or a "Dummy Boy" (after the steam dummy). They were also known as the Tenth Avenue (or Eleventh Avenue) Cowboy.    You will note in a lot of images; these riders appear quite young. They were - back in those days when a lad was old enough to ride a horse, he was old enough to work. It was not until 1938 that the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed, prohibiting most children under age 16 from working (with exception to agriculture and domestic labor). So a lot of young, no older than their early teens; were seen at work and this position was no exception.  three above images Bain News Service  / George Grantham Bain collection Library of Congress added 05 April 2024 .    The following film, converted to digital format, shows several of the West Side Cowboys at work escorting the trains. The following digital video from the blog "LivinTheHighLine" article titled "The West Side Cowboy and the High Line", (www.livinthehighline.com/the-original-urban-cowboy/). . The Situation Comes to a Head.    The New York Central & Hudson River RR had been operating the trackage in the streets under a perpetual franchise, renewed every 25 years. In 1905 it was proposed, and in 1906, the New York State Legislature passed a bill introduced by Senator Martin Saxe which gave the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company a year in which to negotiate a settlement with the old Board of Rapid Transit Commissioners; and in default of which; the City was to begin condemnation proceedings. But nothing came of it.    Later, the City brought proceedings against the railroad, with the result that in 1910 the Court of Appeals rendered a decision holding that the City of New York had no right to interfere with the company, but that, as it had succeeded in showing that the presence of the New York Central operations on Eleventh Avenue were a danger to the citizens and a detriment to the neighborhood. Therefore, the State could, under its general police power, take steps to force the railroad company to find a new site for its tracks at its own expense.    This included the railroad placing its tracks in a six track tunnel and which the railroad would retain its franchise on two of the six tracks, with the city renting the other four tracks to the railroad. Not to mention, the engineering issues in constructing a six track wide tunnel under active city streets! A two track subway tunnel, maybe... But six tracks? But surprisingly, the railroad was in favor of this very costly project of approximately $50,000,000 dollars - which equates to $1,775,000,000 (that's 1.775 billion) in 2024 dollars and allowing for inflation.    Despite this, the State Assembly in 1906 now passed a law that prohibited the use of streets, avenues, or any public place by a railroad operating a steam locomotive at grade level. This did nothing to solve the problem. In 1908, Calvin Tompkins (the Commissioner of Docks for the City of New York) proposed the following: an elevated freight line from West 72nd street to St. John's Park, and a "union" freight terminal with transfer bridges at 30th Street; union meaning to be operated by all the railroads seeking presence, and paid for by rental charges. This proposal too, went nowhere.    Thereupon the Legislature of 1911, by chapter 777, directed the NYC&HR RR Company to file before October 1 of that year; plans to show how it would remove its tracks, and authorized the Board of Estimate and Apportionment to enter into negotiations with the railroad to effect this. The situation then, in short was this: the City is trying to get the railroad off of its public streets; and the railroad company is trying to improve its freight terminal facilities. The question was, how can these two ends be attained and the interests of each conserved in fairness to those of the other?    So, the new plan was thus: tracks to be placed in a roofed cut, designed to carry a motor parkway above, from Spuyten Duyvil to West 72nd Street, and then an elevated steel girder structure from 72nd to St. John's Park. But it was also stipulated that the trains be drawn only by electric locomotive after 1915, which the entire project was to be completed by 1917.     The railroad and the city were getting close, but no cigar. Back to the table they went in 1916. Now it was proposed (from north to south): a tunnel under Spuyten Duyvil Creek (Harlem River) to a six track roofed cut to West 60th Street, then a four track elevated from West 60th Street to a point just south of St. John's Park, and an extension to Cortlandt Street carried on a viaduct above West Street and the bulkhead line. The railroad also took the moment to suggest enlarging their existing freight yards, and while they were at it; a provision for passenger service to the West Side to help alleviate the load from Grand Central Terminal. Total estimated cost? $65,000,000 dollars ($2,010,000,000 in 2024 dollars). Both parties agreed.    Not so fast! In June 1917, the State Legislature in Albany first nullified that agreement, and second; required all future plans be submitted for review by an "impartial committee" and approval by the Public Service Commission. And then the United States entered World War I. But, while both minor dithering between the City and the Railroad commenced, and some major dithering in Europe; the freight demands of Manhattan was growing at an exponential rate.    Thus began a decade of negotiations, plans, counter-plans, court hearings and compromises; before an actual shovelful of dirt was moved. The specific details are contained within the following three references (the first two of which are open source): Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York - 1917 (commencing on page 252) Report of the Commission to Investigate the Surface Railroad Situation in the City of New York - 1918 The Port of New York, Volume 1 and Volume 2, by Carl W. Condit - 1981    In 1923; the State reviewed the proposals and the New York Central Railroad now proposed the following: a new line of 11 miles in length consisting of the following: a new swing bridge at Spuyten Duyvil (eliminating the expensive tunneling) a roofed cut through Riverside Park, expansion of the existing freight yards, a viaduct from West 72nd Street to a completely new freight terminal located south of Spring Street and the razing of the old St. John Park's Terminal.    And by 1924, the State now was requiring electric operation of all trains within the City limits of New York by January 1, 1926 - the Kaufman Act. This is covered in detail in the chapter on the main page of this website: Kaufman Act    Multiple railroads operating freight terminals in the City of New York vehemently objected to the Kaufman Act, and the most outspoken of all was the New York Central; as most of their trackage was in the streets. The use of a ground level electric third rail was not feasible (unless you wanted to electrocute some residents on a daily basis - the cure was more deadly than the disease); overhead trolley wire had already been forbidden in the City; and electric battery locomotives were not sufficiently advanced to consider. Think about this: here we are in 2024, 100 years later, and battery locomotives still are not reliable enough to warrant widespread use or acceptance in a freight railroad capacity!    The railroads fought tooth and nail to overturn the Kaufman Act, and for good reason: electrification would be prohibitively expensive, and for one other reason we will get to in a moment.    This delay in enactment of the Kaufman Act bore some tasty fruit of an unexpected flavor. This was because in the five years of court battles and injunctions over the Kaufman Act and "electrification", a new breed of locomotive was nearing successful and widespread use: the Diesel-electric. A Diesel oil compression ignition engine would turn a generator, and would provide its own power. Up until this point the diesel-electric was not suited for long haul use because of durability of the engine and the required power. Direct drive internal combustion locomotives lacked finesse. Diesel electrics had only just become satisfactory for yard and switching service over the previous year; and in the form of Central Railroad of New Jersey #1000, a switch engine built by American Locomotive (body), General Electric (electrical systems) and prime mover built my Ingersoll Rand. The locomotive was in daily use at their Bronx Terminal. But the technology still had not quite reached maturity or reliability for "over the road" heavy freight use..    Fortunately, the chief engineer of the Public Service Commission: William C. Lancaster recognized this new form of motive power: "The Diesel electric locomotive... has none of the objectionable features of the steam locomotive; it is substantially noiseless and its movement are virtually the same as those of the electric locomotive of the same capacity.  It has one other feature... which has an advantage over the overhead system of contact or the third rail. in the case of the latter, there are frequent momentary discontinuances which draw arcs causing vivid flashes. These are a source of annoyance and would be objectionable to those living along Riverside Drive. The results where the contact shoe jumps from one conductor to another and such intervals would be frequent in the third rail system."    In 1924, a prototype General Electric - Ingersoll Rand model X3-1 locomotive, better known by its construction number: #8835; was fitted with an inline six cylinder (10" x 12" cylinders) diesel engine constructed by Ingersoll-Rand utilizing the Price-Rathbun design and solid injectors. This engine in turn powering an electrical generator designed by General Electric. This in turn supplied electricity to traction motors with voltage and current being regulated using controls designed a few year prior by Hermann Lemp of General Electric. The carbody was a left over, laying around at General Electric's Erie, PA facility. . #8835 would be "unveiled" on February 28, 1924 to the representatives of the railroads showing interest in a diesel locomotive: Baltimore & Ohio, Pennsylvania, Boston & Maine, New York Central, Reading & Lehigh Valley. While the men were impressed, they remained unconvinced of the design which had not seen day to day service.    So, beginning in June 1924, and for the next thirteen months, the unit went through rigorous (and to some extent, abusive) testing on ten different railroads and three industries (to which the locomotive had been leased on a trial basis). #8835 would come to spend 2½ months operating on the West Side of Manhattan along Tenth and Eleventh Avenues for the New York Central Railroad: Ingersoll-Rand / General Electric Demonstrator #8835 - sometime between June 9 and August 23, 1924  Tenth Avenue, Manhattan, NY from Diesel Spotters Guide, Jerry Pinkepank / Kalmbach Publishing hours of service dates of service remarks 833 6/9/1924 to 8/23/1924  Placed in yard switching service (New York City West Side Yards) on July 19th for a daily recording of performance data. In one test phase, this unit was operated for 24 hours per day (almost continuously), handling 3 shifts daily from 7/24 to 8/7. Inspection of the locomotive could only occur during crew changes. On 8/14 a "Tonnage Test" was conducted: #8835 pulled "93 loaded freight cars on level track" for 36 minutes. 1, 2 Note: The Ingersoll-Rand record does not indicate what these loads consisted of or total tonnage pulled.    At midpoint of its testing on the 'Central; this locomotive was placed into a "tug-of-war"  test with one of the a Shay type locomotives of New York Central working the West Side Line; in which 8835 won that battle due to smoother torque of the electric drive and greater coefficient of friction; and a little overzealousness on the part of the Shay's engineer, who got the Shay's wheel's slipping. Needless to say, the Central's men were very impressed.    So, following the success of that experimental, New York Central felt confident with the technology.   New York Central ordered the following design in 1926 from the General Electric Company, in cooperation with the the American Locomotive Company. The two had constructed an experimental diesel - electric, straight electric and electric battery locomotive.    The locomotive could: draw straight 660 volt DC electric from a third rail known as "electrified territory" use diesel engine power to turn an electric generator for movement in non-electrified territory, and  also have a battery power capability for operation in buildings, which would be kept charged by the Diesel electric or straight electric.    The locomotive was placed in service in 1928, and this unique locomotive would come to be called a "Tri-Power".    The pieces were finally in place. The City of New York and the New York Central Railroad had finally reached an agreement. They hammered out some now minor details and on July 5, 1929; Mayor Jimmy Walker, R. D. Starbuck, a vice president of the New York Central; and E. F. Stephenson, the railroads secretary signed the documents. The agreement called for construction to start immediately, a timetable as follows: electrification north of West 72nd Street and diesel electric motive power for operation south of that; to be installed by 1931.  train movements on city streets to be eliminated by June 30, 1934. the double trackage in the street was to be relocated to a viaduct between West 34th Street and St John's Park,  a walled subgrade cut north of West 34th Street,  the two major yards at West 30th Street and West 60th Street Yard and the three smaller yards at West 17th Street, West 41st Street and West 145th Street were to be expanded to 4,000 car capacity;  the existing surface St. John's Park Terminal to be razed and new elevated terminal constructed at Spring Street.     The New York Central Railroad literally was giving the City more than the City was asking for.    The cost of this ambitious project had now reached $175,000,000 in 1929 dollars ($3,200,000,000 in adjusted 2024 dollars), freight traffic on line was averaging about 1,700 cars daily. All work on this project took place under the supervision of the railroad's chief engineer, J. W. Pfau.    Contractors for the first phase were James Turner Co. and George A. Fuller Co.,  with the steel contractors being American Bridge Co.; McClintic Marshall Co. and the Fort Pitt Bridge Works. Structural design of Riverside Park was the work of Madigan - Hyland Company. General contractor for the construction of the new elevated St. John's Park Freight terminal was the James Stewart Co.    Second phase contractors were the Thomas Crimmins Contracting Co., George J. Atwell Foundation Corp, the P. T. Cox Contracting Co. and Corbetta Construction Co.    According to the agreement, the State of New York was to pay one quarter of the cost of this grade separation / realignment project, the New York Central Railroad was to pay three quarters: State of New York Transit Commission - 1925 (commencing on page 186)    But, the State balked, stating it did not have the funds to cover their full 25% portion. With surprising congeniality and good faith, the New York Central Railroad offered to cover the states' portion and defer reimbursement arrangements and repayment to a later date. Not surprisingly, I cannot locate any documentation alluding that the State finally paying its due share of apportionment.    The order was signed on December 19, 1924; and the New York Central RR began construction immediately.    So yes; when you consider why present day freight railroads have a "hard-on" against regulations and / or having to relinquish or relocate property and assets, perhaps some of you will bear in mind and recall this and decades long situation and history.

The High Line & The Tunnel


original: 1931, New York Central.
annotated version: © 2024 freightrrofnyc / Philip M. Goldstein
 NYC&HR Manhattan Freight Operations

New York Central Railroad - List of Station and Facilities, September 1925

Three types of transfer bridges in one location: New York Central Railroad West 60th Street Terminal, Manhattan, NY - 1978
Looking east.

T. Flagg photo
added 04 January 2012

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West 41th Street to West 30th Street

   The West 36th and West 33rd Yards were in fact two separate yards, and connected extensively by trackage, but were divided by West 34th Street. Therefore, despite being listed as two separate yards, it was in actuality one large yard. The West 36th Street Yard was originally owned by the New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railroad or "West Shore", which was a competitor to the New York Central early on.

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   The New York Central also had another pair of transfer bridges located between Piers 73 and 72; of which trackage was connected directly to the freight yards and terminal at West 33rd Street. These would be the first transfer bridges located in Manhattan to shut down by New York Central circa 1943 possibly even earlier; while the transfer bridges north at West 60th Street Yard would remain in service until 1968.

Looking east from Hudson River at West Side, Manhattan, NY
added 05 April 2024

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   But, as we have read; and despite having the rail-marine connections via the transfer bridges here at West 33rd Street; New York Central freight trains would literally travel down the centerline of several main thoroughfares, bringing freight to an fro the various terminals in Manhattan, as well as several customer sidings along the route. 

   A regulation stipulated that south of West 34th Street, conventional locomotives could not be used; so the cars were drawn by a dummy engine. A dummy engine was nothing more than a conventional steam locomotive with an outer car body that resembled a passenger car. North of 34th Street, a conventional locomotive could be used. Why 34th Street? 34th Street was the crosstown line of demarcation where it was thought that no to minimal development would take place. North of 34th Street then, was considered suburbia giving way to rural, with farmlands extending to the Harlem River. Oh, how they would soon learn that there were no limitations to be placed on urban sprawl!

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St. John's Park Terminal (first): 1868 - 1927

In the interim: Franklin Street Station (no trackage) - Pier 23: 1927-1934

   As some of the more observant of you who are following closely, you will take notice of a time span in which there was no Freight Station located in Lower Manhattan. This would took place 1927 through 1934.

   It is well recorded that the original St. John's Park Terminal was razed in 1927 to make space for the Holland Tunnel exit plaza. The proposed new "Spring Street" Terminal (that would also come to be called St. John Park Terminal as well) would not open for business until 1934.

   So what did the New York Central Railroad (and it customers!) use for a freight terminal in Lower Manhattan for those seven years?  If my understanding is correct, the New York Central redirected Less Than Carload (LCL) Freight to their Pier Station at (new) Pier 23, at the foot of Franklin Street.

   This conclusion comes from my encountering a New York Times article regarding New York Central notice to abandon service at that location filed for 1934, which coincidentally is the same year the "new" St. Johns Park Terminal opened.

   The Franklin Street / Pier 23 was 859' x 70' and the Franklin Street Pier Station was open for many years prior to 1927. 

   For this to happen, would require that LCL freight upon arriving at Weehawken, NJ; was transferred out of its boxcar into a lighter, or the boxcar simpled placed aboard a station carfloat, and placed at the existing Franklin Street Station on Pier 23 in Manhattan for pick up by LCL St. Johns Park customers.

   As far as I can tell, the other alternatives would be to either go to New York Centrals' other pier stations at Pier 17 at Park Place; or Pier 31 at DeBrosses Street; or the West 33th Street Freight Station. One can only imaging the inconvenience of having to go "all the way uptown" to retrieve this redirected freight for the duration.

   Granted, my conclusion herewith is strictly circumstantial.

   Carload freight customers would obviously be unaffected, and continue to received their freight by the trains running in the streets.

   

   

Following the widely publicized plans to segregate the rail line from the streets, a new elevated freight station was proposed, designed and constructed.    By the beginning of 1930, the New York Central Railroad was acquiring land for the so called elevated "Spring Street Freight Terminal", which would replace the surface level St. John's Park Terminal.    Plans for the new terminal were announced in July 1930. The dimensions of the structure measured 1,250 feet in length, with Clarkson Street on the north and Spring Street on the south. The width of the structure was to average 250 feet and fall between West Street on the west and Washington Street on the east.    This new terminal would replace eighty-eight existing residential tenements, which were already in the process of being razed. Although plans for the above-ground section of the terminal had not been finalized, it was expected to be either four or seven stories tall based on sub-surface conditions and surveying. The work entailed closing off King, Charlton, and Spring Streets and a bridge over Houston Street.    Preliminary drawings put forth by Edward A. Doughtery, the architect; originally called for a 12-story structure. Revisions were filed with the New York City Department of Buildings in March 1931, which now called for a 17 story tall building. By November 1930, the building site had largely been cleared.    The New York Central Railroad had intended to rent out space to commercial tenant on the upper floors. As planned at 17 stories, the structure would have offered 3.6 million square feet had it been built.    Plans called for multiple tracks on the second floor, capable of accommodating 190 railcars, as well as loading docks for trucks and freight customers below situated at ground level.       In February 1932, the New York Central Railroad requested a $7.5 million loan to finance the West Side Improvement project, including the cost of the new freight depot. Initially, $10 million would be spent to build a portion of the terminal to meet "current needs". That November, revised plans were filed for only a three-story building with a projected cost of $2.5 million.    According to a contemporary New York Times article, the reduction of size was due to cost, as the original structure would have $12.5 million. However, a subsequent New York Times article cites opposition from brokers as a reason for reducing the building's height.    The final plan of the building, as it would be constructed; would serve only the New York Central Railroad's own direct purposes as a dedicated rail terminal; but the structure as built had support pilings capable of handling a larger building should the situation change, and the upper stories be added at a future date.     As built, the floors constituted 205,000 square feet each, and were the largest in New York City at the time of their construction. Each story could accommodate a load of 300 pounds per square foot.    The "Spring Street Terminal" and the elevated rail viaduct the "High Line" to service the terminal; were dedicated on Thursday, June 28, 1934, with ceremonies at the terminal building.    With the opening of this new terminal, the New York Central Railroad filed plans to also abandon the nearby Franklin Street station on (new) Pier 23 (no trackage, lighterage only), which was being used to make local deliveries.    The new terminal quickly became known as St. John's Park Terminal because the old terminal had been so well known as such. The terminal itself was large enough to accommodate 227 train cars. The third floor was leased in 1937 to the Borden Company, which used that space as a warehouse for refrigeration equipment.

New York Central RR Employee's Time Table Electric Division & New York Terminal District #47A - 6/15/1938; p61    Speed Restrictions: between West 36th Street and St Johns Park on the viaduct was 10 mph. Between St. Clair Place (West 125th Street) and West 137th Street was 30 mph, and north of West 135th Street to Spuyten Duyvil swingbridge was 45 mph. Locomotive Restrictions: West 33rd Street Farm Yard - all locomotives with pony trucks, east end of tracks 6, 7, 8 authors collection
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New York Central RR Employee's Time Table Hudson Division & New York Terminal Division #7 - 4/24/1960; p89 canadasouthern.com collection	New York Central RR Employee's Time Table Hudson Division & New York Terminal Division #8 - 10/30/1960; p87 canadasouthern.com collection
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New York Central RR Employee's Time Table Hudson Division & New York Terminal Division #14 - 10/27/1963; p113 canadasouthern.com collection
	New York Central RR Employee's Time Table Hudson Division & New York Terminal Division #20 - 10/30/1966; p140 canadasouthern.com collection

Penn Central Employee's Time Table Hudson Division & New Jersey Division #3 - April 27, 1969; p274 #4 - October 26, 1969 p 274 (no changes for W30th St Branch) RS = RiverSide, DV = DuyVil authors collection

• "Pennsylvanian" and "Keystone Service";  to Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Altoona, Pittsburgh;
• "Carolinian" to North Carolina; Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham; 
• "Crescent" to Atlanta, GA; and New Orleans, LA; 
• "Palmetto" to Savannah, GA; 
  
• "Silver Meteor" to Miami, FL; 
• "Silver Star" to Tampa FL; 
• "Cardinal" to Indianapolis, IN and Chicago, IL. 

• "Lake Shore Limited" to Chicago, IL;
• "Adirondack" to Montreal Canada; 
• "Maple Leaf" to Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Toronto Canada: 
• "Ethan Allen Express" to Burlington and Rutland, VT: 
• "Vermonter" to Burlington, VT.

Locomotive Confusion

   In a recent discussion in a Facebook group taking place in March 2024, one of the conventional reciprocating piston steam dummy locomotives was misidentified as one of the enclosed gear driven Shays that the New York Central operated in Manhattan. I have found other groups on the web, where this error has proliferated as well. 

   This misidentification got me referencing my own page here, and I realized my locomotive data was very sparse and I had not touched this particular webpage in 14 years. And in those 14 years since I last worked on this page, quite a bit more images have surfaced and were known. So, it was time to dig out my builders records and get to the bottom of things and give this page some very needed attention.

   Photography was still in its infancy (much less portable photography), so images of the first locomotives are not common. By the 1890's and 1900's photography was a lot more prevalent, and so we have visual confirmation that the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad used 0-4-0T dummy locomotives for service on the West Side of Manhattan. 

   The 0-4-0T steam dummies were well suited for this work: small, compact and of short wheelbase to negotiate tight curves at street intersections, and only needed a small reserve of coal and water as it never ventured more than a few miles from its servicing facility at West 30th Street. As freight cars increased in carrying capacity; as well as better construction material - wood construction gave way to steel frames then steel bodies. This increase in weight led the railroad to upgrade to 0-6-0T steam dummies; which obviously had better tractive effort. 

   But you will notice in the roster below that some of the 0-6-0T dummies were of the same age as the 0-4-0T's, and also take note of which some of the 0-6-0T's had been rebuilt from conventional tendered 0-6-0's. This was typical for the era - and unlike the rather disposable economy of today. Railroads could and did in fact rebuild a locomotive several times (and other various types of heavy industries that operated large industrial machines). While being of great cost benefit to the railroads, especially for specialized operations; this has the disadvantage of muddling their history. Also, it is worth noting a few of these 0-6-0's began life as Grand Central Depot shunting locomotives for the passenger cars before the previous terminal was electrified in 1906, and then subsequently razed for the current terminal which opened in 1913.

   The enactment of the Kaufman Anti-Smoke Legislation in 1925 (to ultimately take effect in 1931); gave impetus to the New York Central Railroad (as well as all the other railroads operating in New York City) to find a method of propulsion for trains that did not emit smoke. In some cases electric was turned to, for rapid transit / passenger service. In others, diesel-electric was chosen for freight service. 

   Therefore, the American Locomotive / General Electric Tri-Power locomotives were developed for the New York Central. These locomotives could be powered off 660 volt DC third rail from Croton-Harmon to Spuyten Duyvil, under diesel-electric power south of Spuyten Duyvil, and battery power when operating inside of buildings and piers. And these later era of locomotives would continue to work Manhattan after the High Line constructed and completed in 1934.

Telling them apart..

   So to re-iterate; just because the locomotive was enclosed (or covered), does not mean it was one of the Shays. A covered Shay is for all intents and purposes, a steam dummy; but a conventional reciprocating piston locomotive that is covered, is not a Shay. 

   A Shay type denotes the mechanism used to drive the wheels.

• The Shay locomotives operated by New York Central had a unique sloped back bunker; the Schenectady and Baldwin built Steam Dummy's did not. 
• Shay locomotives had their boiler offset to left (firemans) side to accommodate the vertical pistons; therefore when viewing from the front, the boiler is to one side and there is more space
     between the engineers door and the boiler, than the other (firemans) side. The Steam Dummys all have centered boilers.
• Furthermore, the 0-4-0T Dummy's had no doors on the sides of the body, access to the cab was from the ends, and had an internal coal bunker.
• the 0-6-0T Dummy's has two doors on each side and not the ends; and a small rectangular external coal bunker;
• the Shay's had one set of doors on the smoke box end (front) and one door on each side of the cab, located between the locomotive and the bunker.

   Also, in examining the images below, you will clearly see:

• two sets of wheels (four wheels) under the 0-4-0T's and 
• three sets of wheels (six wheels) under the 0-6-0T's; and 
• two groups of two (eight wheels) under the Shay's, which corresponds to their having two 2 axle sets, as would be expected of Two Truck Shays.

   Yes, a lot of rail enthusiasts to this day; are still amazed and excited to learn that the New York Central Railroad owned and operated Shay type locomotives constructed by Lima Locomotive Works. Shay type locomotives are a type most commonly seen on mountain logging railroads in the Pacific Northwest and other timber and sugar plantation operations. They are well suited for low speed - high torque applications. But in their excitement, they are confusing the enclosed Shays built in 1923, with the other enclosed locomotives used at this location that were built before the Shays. So in short: 

An enclosed locomotive body does not equate to the locomotive being a "Shay" type locomotive.

   So, without further ado; here is a roster of locomotives known to have operated by the New York Central & Hudson River and later, by the New York Central Railroad on the streets and the High Line of Manhattan. 

   Please note: I have omitted from the table conventional uncovered (non steam dummy) locomotives from the roster, even though there are a couple seen working in the yards. I have omitted these as they were not specific for use in Manhattan. They brought the through train south from Albany and other points, perhaps switched the yard, and went back north. But I will include images as they seen operating on the streets of Manhattan. Which is makes the following Percy Loomis Sperr images so damn great: a heavy Pacific on the streets of Manhattan!

New York Central #3006 (or 3008?) ALCo Brooks; NYC Class K-11a; 4-6-2 "Pacific"
Looking north along West End Avenue & West 59th Street, Manhattan, NY - September 30, 1930
Notice the semaphore signals guarding street trackage over and behind tender.
NYPL Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1945 - 0-4-0? 0-6-0?
Looking north along Eleventh Avenue & West 54th Street, Manhattan, NY - September 30, 1930
(West End Avenue become Eleventh Avenue going south at West 59th Street)
NYPL Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 05 April 2024

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   Please note: I have omitted from the table conventional uncovered (non-steam dummy) locomotives from the roster, even though there are a couple seen working in the yards. I have omitted these as they were not specific for use in Manhattan. They brought the through train south from Albany and other points, perhaps switched the yard, and went back north. But I will include said images as they are seen operating on the streets of Manhattan. 

Another tidbit gleaned from the images: the diesel-electric locomotives assigned to work the High Line (as well the electrified territory north to Croton-Harmon); had to have their pilot corners cut for clearance to the third rail.     What this means is, only diesel-electric freight locomotives having this modification could operate in electrified territory south of Croton-Harmon, to include the High Line.     This third rail and the extra long sleepers (ties) the support the brackets to support the third rail are not evident in the all the photos of the construction of the High Line and shortly after its opening in 1933.     This leads me to postulate the third rail was installed at a later date. This would not be of any importance, save for the fact that the ALCo GE Tri-Power locomotives were Tri-Power from the start: third rail, battery and diesel-electric!      But why not have a third rail capability on the High Line from the start? The Tri-Power prototype was built in 1928. The production models were built commencing 1930. The New York Central ordered them, knew the locomotives had third rail capability, but did not install a third rail on the High Line from onset? Something just don't quite jive here.    The New York Times article at right states: "All of the forty-odd locomotives bought by the railroad for the operation are diesel-engined and will have special shoes for third rail operation north of Spuyten Duyvil."    But as stated, in some of the later images we see a third rail installed on the High Line.    But wait - recently acquired images of the Dedication Train, all taken on June 29, 1941; shows a third rail in some images and on some tracks, but not by others. The third rail may have used in locations where it would not have been "healthy" to run the diesel, such as inside the buildings and industries.    Information is needed as to when the High Line was electrified, and on what date the third rail was de-energized..

Diesel-Electric Locomotives

   The only image known of a diesel-electric freight locomotive operating on the High Line is of NYC #8350 [ALCo RS3] shown below. This particular locomotive, because of clearance to the third rail had to have its pilot modified by cutting the corners out of it. 

   This modification would have been required for any diesel-electric locomotives that were assigned to operate in third rail territory, south of Croton-Harmon.

   Obviously, this would not be the only diesel-electric locomotive to have operated on the High Line, so there must be others (images as well as locomotives) and contributions are welcome.

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Roster of New York Central Locomotives known to have operated in New York City

   Omitted from the roster are both conventional steam locomotives before the high line was built yet seen in the streets or in the yards, as well as conventional diesel - electric locomotives used after the ALCo / GE Tri-Powers arrived; because frankly these locomotives could and did operate system-wide - they need not be built specifically for Manhattan Freight Operations like the Steam Dummies, the Shays or the Tri-Powers were.

   According to the New York Central Railroad Report of Board of Director to the Stockholders, dated December 31, 1929; the New York Central rostered ten steam dummy locomotives on that date. But many more are known.

0-4-0T Dummy locomotives

   Please note that several locomotives in the above roster operated concurrently with locomotives in the below roster.

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0-6-0T Dummy Locomotives

Prototype Tri-Power: NYC #1525 added 05 April 2024
NYC Road #	ALCo c/n	GE c/n	order number	build date	NYC renumber	retired	notes
NYC #1525	67101	10326	(A-67101)	2/1928	525 (1936)	1945	GE Class:B-B-350/350-O-4GE286 prototype Tri-Power diesel-electric / third rail / battery wheel arrangement: B-B weight: 175 tons prime mover: Ingersoll Rand 300 rating: 300 hp NYC Class: DES-2 converted to diesel hump trailer #479 in 12/1945
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Production Tri-Power: Michigan Central #7530 - 7533                                        New York Central #1526 - 1562 added 05 April 2024 GE Class: B-B-255/255-4GE286B production Tri-Power: diesel-electric / third rail / battery wheel arrangement: B-B weight: 127½ tons prime mover: Ingersoll Rand 300 third rail voltage: 600 VDC horsepower rating: 417 (diesel) / 1300 (electric) NYC Locomotive Class: DES-3 ALCo body style: T3-2
NYC Road #	ALCo c/n	GE c/n	order number	build date	NYC renumber (1936?)	retired	notes
Michigan Central #7530	68355	11210	(A-68355)	5/1930			rebuilt to Hump Trailer #HT474
Michigan Central  #7531	68356	11211	(A-68356)	5/1930
Michigan Central #7532	68357	11212	(A-68357)	6/1930
Michigan Central #7533	68358	11213	(A-68358)	6/1930
NYC #1526	68359	11111	(A-68359)	7/1930	526		led the second Dedication Train
NYC #1527	68360	11112	(A-68360)	7/1930	527
NYC #1528	68361	11113	(A-68361)	7/1930	528
NYC #1529	68362	11114	(A-68362)	7/1930	529
NYC #1530	68363	11115	(A-68363)	7/1930	530
NYC #1531	68364	11116	(A-68364)	8/1930	531
NYC #1532	68365	11117	(A-68365)	8/1930	532
NYC #1533	68366	11118	(A-68366)	8/1930	533
NYC #1534	68367	11119	(A-68367)	8/1930	534
NYC #1535	68368	11120	(A-68368)	8/1930	535		rebuilt to Hump Trailer #HT476
NYC #1536	68369	11121	(A-68369)	8/1930	536	10/1955	scrapped 10/1955
NYC #1537	68370	11122	(A-68370)	8/1930	537
NYC #1538	68371	11123	(A-68371)	11/1930	538
NYC #1539	68372	11124	(A-68372)	11/1930	539
NYC #1540	68373	11125	(A-68373)	11/1930	540
NYC #1541	68374	11126	(A-68374)	11/1930	541
NYC #1542	68375	11127	(A-68375)	11/1930	542	11/1949	rebuilt to hump trailer #HT473 scrapped 5/1962
NYC #1543	68376	11128	(A-68376)	11/1930	543
NYC #1544	68377	11129	(A-68377)	11/1930	544
NYC #1545	68378	11130	(A-68378)	11/1930	545
NYC #1546	68379	11131	(A-68379)	11/1930	546
NYC #1547	68380	11132	(A-68380)	11/1930	547
NYC #1548	68381	11133	(A-68381)	12/1930	548
NYC #1549	68382	11134	(A-68382)	12/1930	549
NYC #1550	68383	11135	(A-68383)	12/1930	550
NYC #1551	68384	11136	(A-68384)	12/1930	551		rebuilt to Hump Trailer #HT475
NYC #1552	68385	11137	(A-68385)	12/1930	552
NYC #1553	68386	11138	(A-68386)	11/1930	553
NYC #1554	68387	11139	(A-68387)	11/1930	554		led the Dedication Train
NYC #1555	68388	11140	(A-68388)	11/1930	555
NYC #1556	68389	11141	(A-68389)	12/1930	556
NYC #1557	68390	11142	(A-68390)	12/1930	557
NYC #1558	68391	11143	(A-68391)	12/1930	558
NYC #1559	68392	11144	(A-68392)	12/1930	559
NYC #1560	68393	11145	(A-68393)	12/1930	560
NYC #1561	68393	11230	(A-68393)	7/1930	560		LaSalle Street Station, Chicago, IL? rebuilt to Hump Trailer #HT472
NYC #1562	68393	11231	(A-68393)	7/1930	560		LaSalle Street Station, Chicago, IL? rebuilt to Hump Trailer #HT471

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New York Central & Hudson River / New York Central Railroad  Steam Locomotives Street Operations (pre-High Line - prior to 1934) Manhattan, NY

New York Central #6 (first) 0-4-0T - Hudson Street & Vestry Street - ca. 1900 Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 2954 - built February 1890 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 13 February 2010

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New York Central #9 (first) 0-4-0T - ca. 1898 Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 1482 - built December 1881 Looking southeast at St. John's Park Terminal; Hudson Street  and Laight Street King 1898 postcard added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #9 (first) 0-4-0T - unknown date Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 1482 - built December 1881 image used in "Memories of New York Central Steam"; Arnold Hass, 1980 photo not attributed - unknown photographer added 23 April 2024

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New York Central # [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date unknown builders data Looking south-southeast along Hudson Street at Laight Street. This is now the Holland Tunnel Exit Plaza. unknown provenance, possibly NYPL Digital Archive Mike Davis, of Troy, Michigan offers the following for dating: "The boxcars are some steel ends mixed in, but most glaring of all, the 150 foot Bronze relief and Vanderbilt statue are missing in this photo. I would think this would place it towards the end of its working life (on or about 1928 to 1932)."  seeking 1st Generation hi resolution version of this image added 05 April 2024

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.    . Duplicate Shipping Receipts for freight delivery from Troy, NY to St. Johns Park Freight Terminal; Manhattan, NY- 1883 Form 24 authors collection added 22 April 2024

. .

New York Central #2 [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date D. Lowy & Co. Scrap Iron, 68 Tenth Avenue between West 14th and West 15th Streets. collection of Terry Link / canadasouthern.com Keith Sirman collection added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #2 [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date Lavelle collection  New York Central Early Power, Al Staufer added 22 April 2024

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New York Central #6 (second) [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date unknown location Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 3281 - built 1890 collection of Terry Link / canadasouthern.com Keith Sirman collection added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #8 [0-4-0T Dummy] - unknown date Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 2481 - built 2/1888 Smithsonian Institution collection New York Central Early Power, Al Staufer added 22 April 2024

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New York Central #9 (second) [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date Looking east at Manhattan Refrigerating on Tenth Avenue / West Street; up Horatio Street to right. cropped image to one below. Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 4030 - built February 1893 New York Public Library Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #9 (second) [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 4030 - built February 1893 Looking east at Manhattan Refrigerating on Tenth Avenue / West Street; 806 Washington Street; Horatio Street to right, Gansevoort St to left. New York Public Library Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #10 (second or third?) [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date either: Baldwin c/n 6970 built 10/1883 (rebuilt 1907) or  Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 3162 - built 1890 St. Johns Park Terminal, Hudson Street, Manhattan, NY Lavelle collection  New York Central Early Power, Al Staufer added 22 April 2024

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New York Central #11 (second) [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 3460 - built March 1891 St. Johns Park Terminal - Hudson Street, Manhattan, NY collection of Terry Link / canadasouthern.com Keith Sirman collection added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1902 - ex-#6 (second) - 1929 Looking north along Hudson Street at Laight Street; Manhattan, NY  (St John's Park Terminal behind photographer.) collection of Charles Warren added 05 April 2024

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unknown loco - New York Central Lines - West Street between King & Charlton Streets - March 6, 1929 Looking north-northeast. NYPL Digital Archives 13 February 2010

. .

New York Central #1906 [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date There is no history for a #1906 in the Schenectady builders records. It is believed #1906 was renumbered from #14 but this is unconfirmed. Looking northeast in West 30th Street Yard - Eleventh Avenue & West 30th Street; Manhattan, NY NYPL Digital Archives 13 February 2010

. .

New York Central #1906 [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date There is no history for a #1906 in the Schenectady builders records. It is believed #1906 was renumbered from #14 but this is unconfirmed. St. Johns Park Terminal; Manhattan, NY collection of Terry Link / canadasouthern.com Keith Sirman collection added 05 April 2024

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New York Central Railroad # unknown - Eleventh Avenue* & West 13th Street - ca. 1911 *Photo caption on negative in error: the trackage shown is Tenth Avenue / West Street, not Eleventh Avenue. Track routing was on Tenth Avenue south of West 30th Street Yard and this is where Tenth Avenue merged into West Street. Eleventh Avenue ends at West 23rd Street, and Uneeda Biscuit Building which is located between Tenth and Ninth Avenues and West 15th and West 16th Streets; and has unique arched windows on the top floor. Furthermore, Wheeler and Hammond was a meat and provisions packers, and was located in the Gansevoort Meat Market. 34 Tenth Avenue is on the corner of West 14th Street. Man on horse is a NYCRR Watchman / RR Policeman a/k/a "West Side Cowboy" escorting the locomotive as required by New York City law. Bain News Service George Grantham Bain collection Shorpy Historical Photo archives / Library of Congress added 05 April 2024

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New York Central Railroad #11 [0-6-0T Dummy] - Meat Packing District - Tenth* Avenue & West 14th Street - ca. 1911 Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 3460 - built March 1891 *Photo caption on negative in error: the trackage shown is Tenth Avenue / West Street, not Eleventh Avenue. Track routing was on Tenth Avenue south of West 30th Street Yard and this is where Tenth Avenue merged into West Street. Eleventh Avenue ends at West 23rd Street, and the sign on the building clearly states 13th Street Market. Furthermore, Swift was a meat and provisions packer, and was located in the Gansevoort Meat Market. 34 Tenth Avenue is on the corner of West 14th Street. Man on horse is a NYCRR Watchman / RR Policeman a/k/a "West Side Cowboy" escorting the locomotive as required by New York City law. Bain News Service George Grantham Bain collection Shorpy Historical Photo archives added 05 April 2024

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New York Central Railroad #11 [0-6-0T Dummy] - Tenth Avenue* & West 26th Street - ca. 1911 Schenectady Locomotive Works c/n 3460 - built March 1891 *Photo caption on negative in error: the trackage shown is Tenth Avenue, not Eleventh Avenue. Enlarging the original file on Shorpy clearly shows West 26th on the street sign. Track routing was on Tenth Avenue south of West 30th Street Yard, and a train can be seen three blocks in the background crossing the Avenue. Man on horse is a NYCRR Watchman / RR Policeman a/k/a "West Side Cowboy" escorting the locomotive as required by NY City law. Bain News Service George Grantham Bain collection Shorpy photo archives added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #unknown [0-6-0T Dummy] - unknown date collection of Terry Link / canadasouthern.com Keith Sirman collection added 05 April 2024

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New York Central Railroad West 35th Street Yard - Eleventh Avenue & West 34th Street, Manhattan, NY - May 12, 1930 P. L. Sperr photo NYPL Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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St. Johns Park Terminal (pre -1930) seeking hi resolution version of this image added 05 April 2024

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New York Central West 33rd Street Freight Station - Eleventh Avenue - ca. 1930 The impetus to getting freight trains off the avenues and streets of Manhattan. Looking north. unknown provenance, possibly New York Public Library Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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Lima Locomotive Works "Shay" Type & American Locomotive Co / General Electric "Tri-Power" Locomotives

New York Central #1896 [60 ton - 2 truck, NYC Class B-60]; Manhattan, NY - unknown date (post 1923) Lima Locomotive Works c/n 3235 - built 11/10/1923 collection of Terry Link - canadasouthern.com Keith Sirman collection added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1897 [60 ton - 2 truck, NYC Class B-60]; West 32 Street between Eleventh and Tenth Avenues, Manhattan, NY - ca. 1931 Lima Locomotive Works c/n 3236 - built 11/14/1923 Looking east-northeast. Donald W.Furler photo collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1897 [60 ton - 2 truck, NYC Class B-60] Lima Locomotive Works c/n 3236 - built 11/14/1923 Looking east-northeast. Lima Locomotives Works Catalog - Shay Type image courtesy of www.shaylocomotives.com added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1898 - [60 ton - 2 truck, NYC Class B-60]; Manhattan, NY - unknown date (post 1923) Lima Locomotive Works c/n 3237 - built 11/17/1923 collection of Terry Link - canadasouthern.com Keith Sirman collection added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1899 - [60 ton - 2 truck, NYC Class B-60]; Manhattan, NY - unknown date (post 1923) Lima Locomotive Works c/n 3238 - built 11/26/1923 collection of Terry Link - canadasouthern.com Keith Sirman collection added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1899 - [60 ton - 2 truck, NYC Class B-60]; Manhattan, NY - unknown date (post 1934) Lima Locomotive Works c/n 3238 - built 11/26/1923 Looking south at West 35th Street and Twelfth Avenue Location marker 19 in map below. added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #7189 (former #1900) - [60 ton - 2 truck, NYC Class B-60] Lima Locomotive Works c/n 3239 - built 11/26/1923 Running gear skirting removed. image courtesy of www.shaylocomotives.com George Kadelak collection added 05 April 2024

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New York Central Railroad West 33th Street Terminal - unidentified Tri-Power [DES-3] entering yard from Eleventh Avenue. Looking northwest at West 32th Street, Manhattan, NY - March 17, 1929 P. L. Sperr photo NYPL Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1536 [DES-3] - West 30th Street Yard - June 2, 1931 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68369 / GE c/n 11121, built August 1930 Looking northeast along Eleventh Avenue & West 31th Street; Manhattan, NY P. L. Sperr photo NYPL Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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New York Central West 30th Street Yard - February 7, 1932 Looking northwest along Eleventh Avenue at West 30th Street. P. L. Sperr photo NYPL Digital Archives

. . Street & High Line Operations - post 1934 Manhattan, NY

New York Central #1529 [DES-3] - West 33rd Street Yard ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68374 / GE c/n 11126, built November 1930. Looking west-northwest from Eleventh Avenue & West 33th Street - ca. 1931 Donald W. Furler photo collection of the Center for Railroad Photography & Art added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1529 [DES-3] -  December 18, 1932 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68374 / GE c/n 11126, built November 1930. Looking north along Tenth Avenue at West 20th Street. Escort "West Side Cowboy" is William Connolly Location marker 18 in map below. unknown provenance. added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1541 [DES-3] - Tenth Avenue & West 16th Street - ca. 1945 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68374 / GE c/n 11126, built November 1930 Looking north on spur track into Merchants Refrigerating Cold Storage. Note, no third rail. Location marker 8 in map below. unknown photographer added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1542 [DES-3] - Eleventh Avenue & West 49th Street -1936 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68375 / GE c/n 11127, built November 1930 unknown photographer A. LaBianca collection via S. Berliner added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #529 (former #1529) [DES-3] - 10:50 a.m, March 29, 1941 Last ride of the West Side Cowboy: George Hayde and Cyclone ride across West 18th Street ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68362 / GE c/n 11114, built July 1930 Looking south along Tenth Avenue at West 17th Street. Building is 101 Tenth Avenue with High Line trestle right center. Location marker 10 in map below unknown photographer (appears to be New York Central publicity photo - taken same date as photo below) added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #529 (former #1529) [DES-3] - March 29, 1941 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68362 / GE c/n 11114, built July 1930 Last ride of the West Side Cowboy: George Hayde and Cyclone escort the locomotive and train of 14 cars of oranges. Looking south along Tenth Avenue at intersection of West 26th Street. The white building is 259 Tenth Avenue - the R. C. Williams (wholesale groceries) warehouse. Location marker 11 in map below unknown photographer (appears to be New York Central publicity photo - taken same date as photo above) added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #1547 [DES-3] - unknown date (pre-1936) ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68380 / GE c/n 11132, built November 1930 unknown location digital image: Sam Berliner III archives collection of P. M. Goldstein added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #549(former #1549) [DES-3] - unknown date (post 1936) ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68382 / GE c/n 11134, built December 1930 looking northeast at intersection of Tenth Avenue and West 15th Street, Nabisco Buildings. Location marker 17 in map below. added 05 April 2024

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ALCo / GE Tri-Power [DES-3] #554 pulling south on High Line Dedication Excursion train through Bell Laboratories Building - June 29, 1934 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68387 / GE c/n 11139, built November 1930 Looking north along High Line paralleling Washington Street, intersection of Bank Street in foreground, Bethune Street on far side of Bell Building. West 12th Street and Jane street intersections in distance. Location marker 6 in High Line Map below. Note third rails to outside of southbound running track. National Geographic magazine? (seeking hi res version of this photo) added 05 April 2024

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High Line Dedication Excursion train through Bell Laboratories Building - June 29, 1934 Looking north along High Line paralleling Washington Street, intersection of Bank Street in foreground, Bethune Street on far side of Bell Building. West 12th Street and Jane street intersections in distance. Location marker 6 in High Line Map below. digital image: Sam Berliner III archives collection of P. M. Goldstein

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Real facts - not rail fiction: Not a "railfan special"    These photos appear to be misattributed as a railfan excursion allegedly taking place on Sunday, July 30, 1950. While the date is not suspect; (note the 1940's cars in the last photo and the "Century" style lettering on NYC #554) do take notice in these images there are no children or women. One would expect a railfan excursion to at least have some children present.    Furthermore, the men in the photos are wearing suits, white business shirts, or "work grays" (industrial uniforms / overalls). Very few men are without a tie. This would seem awfully formal for a railfan excursion!    In the second image: almost dead center, one male photographer even has a work ladder set up against an abutment to stand upon it and another photographer crossing the lower track. There is no way a railroad would allow a railfan or a member of the general public to do this. Then or now.    My conclusion is, this event is some form of official excursion, not open to the public or to railfans. Something on the order of a Press or Publicity Special, perhaps an Employee Appreciation special, or something for the local businesses & industrial concerns.    Another reason why I don't believe this to be a public excursion: no other images of this excursion seem to exist in any of the notable railfan photographers of the era: O. Winston Link, Dave Plowden, Jim Shaughnessy, Frank Zahn, George Votava, Harold Fagerberg, to name a few. From the amount of photographers seen in these images, certainly there would be more images in circulation and published.    There is of course a simple way to solve this: someone, anyone; please show me an advertisement or announcement in any magazine or publication that announces and offers tickets for a said railfan excursion taking place on Sunday, July 30, 1950 in the New York area; and I will be very happy to correct the information here.

ALCo / GE Tri-Power [DES-3] #554 (former #1554) pulling north the Official Excursion train through Nabisco Buildings - July 30, 1950 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68387 / GE c/n 11139, built November 1930 Looking south on High Line. No third rail on this segment. Location marker 16 in map below. digital image: Sam Berliner III archives collection of P. M. Goldstein

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ALCo / GE Tri-Power [DES-3] #554 (former #1554) pulling pulling north the Official Excursion train through Nabisco Buildings - July 30, 1950 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68387 / GE c/n 11139, built November 1930 Notice the photographer on the column with ladder and the other photograher walking across the lower track. Looking south on High Line. No third rail on this segment. Location marker 15 in map below. digital image: Sam Berliner III archives collection of P. M. Goldstein

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ALCo / GE Tri-Power [DES-3] #554 (former #1554) pulling north the Official Excursion train through Nabisco Buildings - July 30, 1950 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68387 / GE c/n 11139, built November 1930 Looking south down Tenth Avenue, Merchants Refrigerating spur in foreground. No third rail on this segment. Location marker 10 in map below. digital image: Sam Berliner III archives collection of P. M. Goldstein

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ALCo / GE Tri-Power [DES-3] #554 pulling north the Official Excursion train at St. John's Park Terminal - July 30, 1950 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68387 / GE c/n 11139, built November 1930 Looking south along Washington Street at intersection of Leroy Street. Location marker 14 in map below. digital image: Sam Berliner III archives collection of P. M. Goldstein

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ALCo / GE Tri-Power [DES-3] #554 pulling north the Official Excursion train at St. John's Park Terminal - July 30, 1950 ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68387 / GE c/n 11139, built November 1930 Looking west from Washington Street at intersection of Leroy Street (to right). Location marker 14 in map below. digital image: Sam Berliner III archives collection of P. M. Goldstein

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Not Manhattan - LaSalle Street Station, Chicago, Illinois! ALCo / GE Tri-Power [DES-3] #561 - unknown date The building is 619 South LaSalle Street. The only way I was able to figured it out, was the locomotive had a notation of "LaSalle Sta" in the builders records! digital image: Sam Berliner III archives collection of P. M. Goldstein

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Conventional Diesel - Electric

New York Central #8350 [DRS-6] - Eleventh Avenue & West 30th Street; Manhattan, NY - April 1957 ALCo RS3 c/n 80541, 1600 hp, built October 1953 Looking east on West 30th Street. Location marker 2 in High Line Map below. J. Shaughnessy photo added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #8350 [DRS-6] - Eleventh Avenue & West 30th Street; Manhattan, NY - April 1957 ALCo RS3 c/n 80541, 1600 hp, built October 1953 Note the third rails to the inside of the running tracks, and the notched pilot corners of the RS3 for clearance of the third rail. This modification would be required for all diesel-electric locomotives that were assigned to operate in third rail territory, south of Croton-Harmon. Looking east on West 30th Street. J. Shaughnessy photo added 05 April 2024

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New York Central #8350 [DRS-6] - Eleventh Avenue & West 30th Street; Manhattan, NY - April 1957 ALCo RS3 c/n 80541, 1600 hp, built October 1953 Looking east on West 30th Street. First turn is High Line heading south, second one in background leads to US Postal Facility (white building). J. Shaughnessy photo added 05 April 2024

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Penn Central #9666 - West 33 Street Yard; Manhattan, NY - ca. 1971 ALCo S4 (ex-NYC 8500/8600 series) Taken from the West 34th Street ramp with West 33rd Street ramp in background. Looking southwest. Stan Goldstein photo collection of Philip M. Goldstein added 05 April 2024

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Conrail #9540 EMD SW1500 (ex-Penn Central #9540 c/n 7355-31 - built 3/1972) - January 31, 1981 West 60th Street Yard, looking south from West 72nd Street, Manhattan, NY Allan Tannenbaum image Getty images archives added 05 April 2024

. . The following images are of the properties only - no locomotives.

West 72nd Street Roundhouse - ca. 1920's Looking east from over Hudson river. Transfer bridges to right. Associated Press photo added 12 May 2024

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West 60th - 72nd Street Terminal - September 23, 1937 Looking south from West 72nd Street. Transfer bridges to left of West Side "Miller"Highway.

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West 60th - 72nd Street Terminal - ca. 1940's Looking south from West 72nd Street. Transfer bridges to right of West Side "Miller" Highway, over.

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West 60th - 72nd Street Terminal - ca. 1940's Looking south from West 72nd Street.

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New York Central Railroad West 36th Street Yard - Twelfth Avenue & West 35th Street - May 30, 1934 Looking east at approach ramp and beginning of High Line. West 35th was dead-ended when the High Line ramp was constructed. This ramp would be demolished in 1980 and a new ramp built at West 34th Street to accommodated the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center. Looking east. Location marker 1 in High Line map below. P. L. Sperr photo NYPL Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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New York Central Railroad West 33th Street Yard - Twelfth Avenue & West 32th Street - March 4, 1937 Looking east at Eleventh Avenue Viaduct and Empire State Building, presumably from approach ramp of High Line. Looking east. Location marker 13 in map below. P. L. Sperr photo NYPL Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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New York Central High Line and West 30th Street, Manhattan, NY - 1934 Note, no electric third rails on High line. Looking west-northwest. Location marker 3 in High Line map below. added 05 April 2024

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New York Central High Line - date? Looking north: crossover and jog in alignment in foreground is West 19th Street; double crossover is West 21st Street, siding is West 23rd Street, crossover is West 25th, jog in background is West 26th Street, with curve left at West 29th Street to West 30th Street. Note, no electric third rails. Location marker 4 in High Line map below. added 05 April 2024

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New York Central High Line - ca. 1934 Taken from the roof of the National Biscuit Company Building and looking south. From bottom: track under construction is spur to Nabisco, foreground cross street is West 14st Street, tracks entering through building is Cold Storage and Swift Company (zig zag of West Side Highway to right), tracks through building is background is Manhattan Refrigerating. Note, no electric third rails on running tracks, but there appears to be one on the Nabisco spur. Location marker 12 in High Line map below. added 05 April 2024

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New York Central High Line - Tenth Avenue & West 14th Street - date? Note, no electric third rails. Looking north. Location marker 5 in High Line Map below. Kalmbach Library added 05 April 2024

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New York Central High Line - Washington Street & West 10th Street - 1936 looking west unknown provenance

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New York Central St. Johns Park Terminal; Manhattan, NY - 1933/1934 Note, no electric third rails. Looking south. added 05 April 2024

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New York Central St. Johns Park Terminal; Manhattan, NY - date? Southern terminus of the High Line - 550 Washington Street at West Houston Street. Note, no electric third rails. Looking south. Location marker 6 in High Line Map below. added 05 April 2024

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The following images are of G. W. Bromley Property Atlas Plates that I have stitched together to show the West 33rd Street Yards & Terminals. While property atlases are not 100% accurate for track placement, they are suitable for general layout.

. Special thanks are in order to CanadaSouthern.com / Terry Link / and Keith Sirman for use of their photo archives of locomotive images. .

Maps

New York Central & Hudson River RR - 1911 courtesy of canadasouthern.com

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New York Central RR - 1929 courtesy of Richard Palmer collection canadasouthern.com

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1955 New York Central West 60th - West 72nd Street Freight Yards, Terminals & Piers New York Public Library Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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1913 New York Public Library Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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1921 New York Public Library Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

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The 1932 Edition of Series Port Facilities Maps below have been digitized by the University of Missouri-St Louis. I have acquired a digitized set of the 1942 Edition from Universtiy of Texas - Austin. I have annotated these plates to identify the routing of New York Central West Side Line through Manhattan and the associated facilities served by that line.    I am desperately seeking the 1953 Edition and 1965 Edition ; at the very least - the segment of the High Line. We know they exist, but apparently have not been digitized. If you know where a set is located or have a set already digitized, please contact me at bedt14@aol.com 1932: Plate 32: West 59th Street to West 95th Street  Union Stock Yards, New York Central 60th Street Yard, Transfer Bridges, Roundhouse & Turntable, Piers and Piersheds added 05 April 2024 . . 1932: Plate 33 - West 26th Street to West 62th Street New York Central West 30th Street Yard, West 33rd Street Yard, West 36th Street Yard; including area offline rail-marine terminals of Lehigh Valley Railroad at West 27th Street, Erie Railroad at West 28th Street and Pennsylvania Railroad at West 37th Street Terminals; and railroad pier stations. added 05 April 2024 . . 1932: Plate 34: Spring Street to West 28th Street New York Central West 17th Street Yard; New West Washington Market, industrial and piershed sidings, West Street and Tenth Avenue running tracks. including area offline rail-marine terminals of Baltimore & Ohio Railroad West 26th Street and Lehigh Valley Railroad West 27th Street; and railroad pier stations. added 05 April 2024 . . 1932: Plate 35: Battery Park to Spring Street: New York Central St Johns Park Terminal, Hudson Street Canal Street and West Street running tracks. added 05 April 2024

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Map of New York Central's West Side Line - unknown year (ca. 1930) as the private right of way is proposed. Spuyten Duyvil to St. Johns Park Terminal dashed line shows street routing prior to 1933 solid line shows tunnel and High Line routing post 1937 added 05 April 2024

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Port of New York Authority - Freight Terminal Map - 1934 authors collection annotated by author © 2024 ~ freightrrofnyc.info

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1942: Plates 1, 2, 3, stitched: Charlton Street to West 42nd Street: New York Central High Line: St Johns Park Freight Terminal, West 30th, 33rd, 36th, 41st Street Yards. Key numbers correspond to lists contained in Port and Terminal Facilities at Port of New York; Part 1; commencing on page 60. Yes, I have a copy, please email if needed. added 29 April 2024

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1942: Plate 4, West 59th Street to West 77th Street: New York Central High Line: West 60th Street Yard & Terminal, Grain Elevators, Transfer Bridges, Union Stock Yards. Key numbers correspond to lists contained in Port and Terminal Facilities at Port of New York; Part 1; commencing on page 60. Yes, I have a copy, please email if needed. added 29 April 2024

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1942: Plate 6, West 131st Street to West 148th Street: New York Central High Line: Manhattanville Yard. Key numbers correspond to lists contained in Port and Terminal Facilities at Port of New York; Part 1; commencing on page 60. Yes, I have a copy, please email if needed. added 29 April 2024

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1955 Note: Miller Elevated "West Side Highway", New York Central High Line and 1937 West Side Freight tunnel / undergrade are present. Note how the New York Central RR Twelfth Avenue trackage to the piers as well as the Transfer Bridges and track leads has been eliminated as well. New York Public Library Digital Archives added 05 April 2024

1965: Plate 2, Spring Street to West 27th Street: New York Central High Line. Note the St. Johns Park Terminal is no longer shown with High Line trackage dead ending at Bank Street. Cold Storage Warehouses 28 (Manhattan Refrigerating) and 30 (Merchants Refrigerating) still receive active railway service this date. Key numbers correspond to lists contained in Port and Terminal Facilities at Port of New York; Part 1 Yes, I have a copy, please email if needed. added 11 January 2025

1965: Plate 3, West 27th Street to West 62nd Street: New York Central High Line Key numbers correspond to lists contained in Port and Terminal Facilities at Port of New York; Part 1 Yes, I have a copy, please email if needed. added 11 January 2025

1965: Plate 3, West 59th Street to West 95th Street: New York Central High Line Key numbers correspond to lists contained in Port and Terminal Facilities at Port of New York; Part 1 Yes, I have a copy, please email if needed. added 11 January 2025

original: New York Public Library Digital Archives
this annotated compilation © 2024 - Philip M. Goldstein / freightrrofnyc.info
added 05 April 2024

Memorabilia

Duplicate Shipping Receipts for freight delivery from Troy, NY to St. Johns Park Freight Terminal; Manhattan, NY- 1883 Form 24 authors collection

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Bibliography & References

Port of New York Terminal Facilities	Gratz Mordechai	1885
Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York		1917
Report of the Commission to Investigate the Surface Railroad Situation in the City of New York	New York, New Jersey Port and Harbor Development Commission	1918
Joint Report with Comprehensive Plan		1920
Water Terminal and Transfer Facilities for the First District of New York	US Government Printing Office	1920
Port and Terminal Facilities, Port of New York; Volumes 1, 2 and 3	War Department, Army Corp of Engineers	1932, 1942, 1953
New York Central Early Power	Alvin Staufer	1967
Memories of New York Central Steam	Arnold Haas	1980
The Port of New York, Volume 1 and 2	Carl W. Condit	1981
Historic American Engineering Report NY-557A	Thomas R. Flagg & Gerald Weinstein	2006

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