INDUSTRIAL
&
TERMINAL RAILROADS &
RAIL-MARINE OPERATIONS
OF BROOKLYN, QUEENS,
STATEN
ISLAND, BRONX &
MANHATTAN:
High
Line West Side Line West Side Improvement Project Meatpacking District National Biscuit
Nabisco Uneeda cold
storage Merchants Refrigerating Manhattan Refrigerating Hells Kitchen Chelsea Village Tribeca upper horse escort
manhattan cowboy Death Avenue Eleventh Avenue 11th Avenue Tenth Avenue 10th Avenue
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
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New York Central & Hudson
River / New York Central Railroad
Street & High Line Operations
West Side - Manhattan, NY
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"Revisionist history is the re-interpretation of established historical narratives, often challenging orthodox views by introducing new evidence or different perspectives to correct misconceptions or highlight overlooked aspects. While it can be a legitimate scholarly practice to provide a more nuanced understanding of the past, the term can also be used negatively to describe the deliberate distortion of historical facts for political or social agendas.".
Philip M. Goldstein
The Hudson River Railroad comes to Manhattan
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 following is quoted directly from the 1920 Joint Report with Recommendations:
As originally laid out, the trains were brought as far south to a station located on the corner of Chambers Street and College Place / West Broadway beginning on October 8,1851.
Backing up in history just a tad,
Cornelius Vanderbilt obtained control of the Hudson River
Railroad in 1867. This direct route via the Spuyten Duyvil swingbridge gave the New York Central access to the "Water Level Route" which ran north along the Hudson River to Rensselaer, NY; where it could go east to Boston, Massachusetts or cross the Hudson River into Albany and go west to Chicago, Illinois; and through connections 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 an unbroken direct rail connection to and from Manhattan to the mainland United States rail network. Ironically, this physical connection still exists to this very day, albeit slightly rerouted to get the trains off the streets (which we will address in a later chapter on this page), 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.
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.
The stock prices of the two railroads rose
immediately and naturally, the principals and the shareholders were pleased.
. Why was the Hudson River Railroad permitted to operate locomotives in the streets and not the New York & Harlem? While this is a question that needs a firm answer, I suspect that answer may be read between the lines of the Joint Report with Comprehensive Plan and Recommendations of 1920: New York, New Jersey Port and Harbor Development Commission: The line handled passenger as well as freight business, inasmuch as the Park Avenue line to what is now Grand Central Station belonged to an entirely different company, the New York & Harlem Railroad Company.
And
so it appears, while the Hudson River Railroad engaged in both freight and
passenger service, freight was its bread and butter (figuratively and
literally!) Otherwise, why would it give up its passenger depot at
Chambers and build an exclusive freight terminal?
It is imperative to keep in mind at this point in time; the New York & Harlem River Railroad, was still a competitor to the Hudson River RR. It would not be until Cornelius Vanderbilt purchased both, that he brought them under the same umbrella a few years after in 1869.
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One of my pet peeves, is that I particularly despise the moniker "Death Avenue" - of which Eleventh Avenue (and Tenth Avenue) became to be called as a result. This "Death Avenue" moniker is a bit of hyperbole and quite sensationalist. Unfortunately, it has become so ingrained throughout the historical accountings of the West Side Operations, that referral to simply "Eleventh Avenue" or "Tenth Avenue" does not carry the same effect. 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; pedestrians were also run over by horsedrawn wagons on a daily basis or trampled by horses. Riders were thrown. Industry was drastically dangerous: coal mines, steel mills, lumber mills, steam boilers, bridge building, tunnel boring and land work with explosives, mechanized farm equipment, etc. Everyday life then was more of a hazard. 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 the 540 people were known to have been fatally injured by train movements through 1905 by the operations of street running freight trains in Manhattan. But you see, trolley cars caused deaths on the streets as well. These trolleys, so essential to the movement of people to and from work and school; were no different in the hazard they presented. They ran people over too. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle ran a full page feature page on December 30, 1894 blasting the deaths of so many from trolleys. "Frightfully mangled". "Beheaded". "Legs cut off". But no one individual or any holder of city office ever enacted or tried to enact legislation, that forbade the use of trolleys or made them move to another street or part of the city. The trolleys were a public service, you see.
And when the automobile was developed, entered mass production and became available to the private owner; automobiles increasingly caused death on the streets as well. So many injuries and deaths were occurring as a result of automobiles, that the New York 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. Yet, only a few people and politicians actually advocated banning the automobile from streets. Speed limits, perhaps; but not an outright ban. If one does the math, more people died from the automobile in the first 30 years of the 1900's, than in all of the 80 years the freight trains operated on the West Side since 1851. But it was the "big, bad freight railroad" that bore the brunt of the blame, and was an easy target. And while people needed the trolleys to go to and from work and school, go about their daily lives and what have you; they were an essential public service. Most transit companies of the era were considered "locally" owned. The perception was (and remains) the freight trains weren't. At best, they might have been incorporated in the State of New York, but their corporate offices may have been out of state.And even though the New York Central Railroad's headquarters were located right in New York City by Grand Central Terminal; they, like the other railroads were perceived to be owned by a faceless corporation owned by the ultra-rich, living in mansions along Fifth Avenue; while most of the rest of the population were crammed into tenements. The railroads always have and always will bear unjust ire and blame by the public, even to this day: .
A significant portion of the public outrage comes from the transport of chemicals by rail. Sensationalist media fosters chemophobia.
. The computer or smart device you read this on, the products you purchase and consume, use various chemicals which are needed to make plastics; as well as acids, and heavy metals in its construction. Acids are used to etch metals for electrical contacts. Plastics are used in food sales and storage: meats are sold wrapped in plastic for hygienic and sanitary reasons. The list of hazardous chemicals transported by rail, and that by processing become inert and used in our daily lives, is endless. So in short; accidents, are the inevitable consequences of living in a modern, first world, technologically advanced urban society. An ongoing hullabaloo is made about "bomb trains" which refer to unit trains of ethanol. During the 1960's and 1970's the uproar was over pollutants made by burning gasoline. Ethanol, made from corn; was developed as an alternate and renewable fuel source either by itself or blended with gasoline to reduce those airborne pollutants. Ethanol is manufactured in the Midwest, where the corn is grown, and it needs to be transported to the oil refineries which are usually located on the West, Gulf and East Coasts where oil comes by ship. Yes, these trains sometimes derail and catch fire. So do trucks. But the alternative is the re-introduction of pollutants from the burning of gasoline. This bothers you? What are the options? Going back to living in a cave, hunting for your food daily with a stone or a spear? Hell, even archaeologists have even found primitive man injured by those hunting implements! Point being, injury and death goes hand in hand with living. The more advanced the civilization, the more hazards there are that come about as a result of those advancements. Returning to the 1800's; and in the case of the New York Central Railroad back in the 1800's; when that railroad was owned by a very outspoken ultra-millionaire, like it was by William H. Vanderbilt living in a mansion of Fifth Avenue; well, they made for an easy target by the media. The railroads were, and remain to this day; to be perceived as a big faceless uncaring corporations. Not much has changed, has it? Despite this, that is not to say solutions and remedies were not attempted back then. One of the solutions to the hazard of operating trains through the city streets, was to have a man on horseback escort the trains during transit on public thoroughfares. Which brings us to our next chapter. . . . 
Mind you, this is just one paragraph of a multiple page agreement regarding the rights of the Hudson River Railroad to use streets and avenues in Manhattan to convey freight AND passenger trains to Chambers Street Depot. The unabridged text may be read by clicking on the excerpt of legislation above. It contains some very interesting information to say the least regarding which route the railroad had to follow, distances between cars, and other details lost over time. 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. And when first established, this rider escorted both passenger trains to Chambers Street AND freight trains. 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 men, no older than their early teens; were seen at work and this position was no exception.
. 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/). This image below, coincidentally visually exemplifies how pedestrians got injured or killed on the streets on their own accord. In this image we clearly see an escort to the train with red flag warning the public about the oncoming train (moving at no more that 6 miles an hours per City ordinance); yet in that brief span of time between that escorts passing and the train following behind, a Department of Street Cleaning (predecessor to the Department of Sanitation) street sweeper and a pedestrian are crossing in front of the train. This was a decision - sometimes a fatal decision - made by the individual to take that risk. This is an exhibition of free will. And it was not the railroads fault.
. The Situation Comes to a Head. And a leg. And an arm - the West Side Improvement Project(s): Hell's Kitchen / Chelsea as well as Riverside Drive, Manhattan
. 1911
Thereupon the Legislature of 1911, by chapter 777, directed the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad 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.  . 1916
Note that in the following two images, the tracks are significantly lower in elevation than that of the buildings. It was not like the trains were at their front door like in Hell's Kitchen or Chelsea. Also, when the trees were in bloom, the sight line changed, blocking more of the railroad from sight. Apparently this was not enough.  Riverside Drive looking north from West 74th Street - 1910 Library of Congress added 19 October 2025 .  Riverside Drive looking north from West 145th Street - 1911 Library of Congress added 19 October 2025 . .
. 1917
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 (a State agency) The New York Central had been at the bargaining table with the City and State, because the City and the State of New York wanted the Central's railroad operations off the public streets as well as out of Riverside Park. By know, there were actually two battles being fought under the encompassing West Side Improvement Project:
Make no mistake, the New York Central wanted their operations off the streets of lower Manhattan as well; and as the City owned the streets, there was little recourse. As for the Riverside Park vicinity, the Central apparently owned it rights of way through portions of the park. When it came to who was going to pay for these "improvements", the railroad accepted the fact they would have to pay for most of it, but they rightfully were not going to pay for all of it. And the issue wasn't simply about money. There were also matter of property ownership and rights involved. The Central had property and rights that the City wanted, particularly through Riverside Park. The City had property and rights that the Central needed to relocate their tracks. The City; or more accurately, the community boards and resident organizations; were adamant about not giving up a square inch; "the parkland must be preserved." This left the railroad in a position frequently known as being between a rock and hard place. It could not relocate without some acquisition of land, and the City wanted the railroad to give up a lot of what it owned in the name of community improvements. The affluents that resided along Riverside Drive were adamant about not giving up and city parkland for the railroad, but yet they wanted the railroad to move. That is pretty much it in a nutshell. One of the more succinct outlines of the issue comes from the following document: West Side Improvement - 22nd Annual Report of the American Scenic & Historical Preservation Society - 1917 but I warn you, its 32 pages in length. That demonstrates how complicated the issue was. And in April, the United States entered World War I and changed the priorities for several years. 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 over 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):
As I pour over documents and the more I witness; the railroad (as greedy as railroads could be) was really at the negotiating table trying to make the West Side Improvement Project(s) work. With every change of City and / or State administration however, the politicians wanted more "givebacks" by the railroad and less "give in's" by the City. This is to say nothing of how the City of New York was going to finance their share of the improvements. As a result, many different plans were put forth over that period of time from 1909 through 1920. Some within reasonable expectations, some purely in outer space. . . 1920
In April 1920, Alfred H. Smith put the case quite succinctly in an address at the Merchants Association of New York City: "Manhattan Island lives on a hand to mouth existence. Because of the dearth of warehouses and storage facilities and of modern equipment for handling freight. The unnecessary costs and losses yearly are prodigious; [and] none but a rich and growing city could have borne the burden." In other words, because of the warehouses and storage facilities on the island, the City feeds and clothes itself from outside supplies. Remove the railroad, and you remove the warehouses and industries and income for thousands of people who work at these facilities. Remove that and the city withers. This statement followed another in which the endless delays of the City and State of New York was criticized and the United States Railroad Administration refusing to grant increases in freight rates, comparable to those in wages. It was in short, a statement made to the effect of "shit or get off the pot." One plan put forth, had the railroad completely sub-grade starting with a tunnel that went under the Harlem River and Spuyten Duyvil; all the way to at least, the West 30th Street Yards. The plan was for the City to build the tunnel, with freight stations alongside the route, and they would lease the railroad yearly rights to operate their trains there. Another plan was for an elevated railroad from Spuyten Duyvil to West 72nd Street, then enter a subway with service through the basements to those buildings desiring such service. Much like todays passenger carrying subways in New York City, only substituting people for freight. A more realistic plan was retain the existing bridge at Spuyten Duyvil, with the tracks sub-grade from there to West 60th Street; then an elevated line from West 60th Street to St. John's Park. Two of the more audacious plans were outlined in the New York, New Jersey Port and Harbor Development Commission Joint Report with Comprehensive Plan and Recommendations - 1920; on pages 231 and 239.
The estimated cost of the elevated plan, was $262,000,000 (adjusted for inflation for 2025: $4,244,085,600). The tunnel proposal was estimated to cost $250,000,000 (2025: $4,050,000,000 - and I haven;t quite figured out how the tunnel plan was cheaper than the elevated - tunneling is always more expensive. A similar plan to these, yet substituting cable driven narrow gauge carts is also shown on page 269. Well, one can dream, no? From what I gather from the synopsis of the following document, it really wasn't the railroads fault. Each City administration wanted "their vision" to be the one that was implemented. Then, with each City agency that became involved, no one really knew who had jurisdiction: "In 1911 (chapter 777 of laws of 1911) the West side Improvement was made the subject of special legislation, and the carrying out of the improvement was left generally for direct action between the City authorities and the railroad company. Under the Mitchel Administration plans for carrying out the West Side Improvement were developed in great detail, but at the last the proposed arrangement failed of approval. In 1917, the special legislation of 1911 was amended to confer certain jurisdiction of the (state) Public Service Commission for First District (chapter 719, laws of 1917). On another front, an agreement would be reached, whereas 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. And true to fashion, the State of New York 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, but it may have been paid in installments or reduced taxation. Then a plan arose that a double decker highway and railroad elevated be constructed. This plan would eliminated most of the grade crossings on Twelfth Avenue, but did little to ameliorate the issue between the pedestrians and horse drawn traffic at street level at Midtown. This plan amounted to only the Miller or West Side Elevated Highway being built for automobile traffic only. So, back to the bargaining table they went. The goals of all were to get the trains off the street, and who was going to cover the municipality's fair share of fiscal responsibility. .. . 1923
In 1923; the State of New York 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 now yet comes another monkey wrench gets thrown into the West Side Improvement plans. . . 1923: The Kaufman Electrification Act - Now all steam locomotives are banned in Manhattan. Or are they?
Put into the simplest terms; the Kaufman
Electrification Act of 1923,
ratified by the New York State Assembly; was the act that mandated that all railroads
located
in the City of New York City be electrified by January 1,
1926, and by proxy tried to eliminate steam locomotives.
A great deal of misinformation exists about the Kaufman Electrification
Act, or simply "the Kaufman Act". This misinformation circulates
both in general discussion of New York City history, as well as within
railroad historical
contexts. All too often, it's simply stated "steam locomotives were banned in Manhattan in 1908, blah blah blah". This is simply not true. Being that the Kaufman Act bears a great deal on the history of the New York Central's operations in Manhattan, I cannot suggest strenuously enough, that that history needs to be read. I will attempt to address the high points here however, but a few paragraph synopsis will not convey the details as much as I would like them to. Now, the New York Central was essential fighting a multi-front war:
The Kaufman Act as ratified by State of New York on June 2, 1923; was now demanding electric operation of all trains within the City limits of New York by January 1, 1926: yard, passenger, freight, main line, switching, everything. This Act appears to have been an end run around the West Side Improvement Project process, which was taking forever through city agencies. In short, so many city agencies were involved, it became confused as to who had jurisdiction. The Kaufman Act, a state act; started with only electrifying the New York Central trackage north of West 72nd Street running through Riverside Park. But within weeks, it morphed into dictating policy for every railroad in the City of New York, not just in Manhattan; and it attempted to force them to use a single type of power: electric. Governor Smith signed the Act "as is": the Kaufman Act as written and ratified, provided for no time extensions, and for all railroads to be fully compliant by January, 1, 1926, with electric locomotives. Any railroad not in compliance was to receive a $5,000 per day, per occurrence fine. It was heavy handed and ham fisted. Obviously, the railroads had something to say about this. 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 for two reasons: the foremost was due to stray electric current finding its way through gas mains and prematurely corroding them; the second was out of a concern about telephone and telegraph wires falling on the trolley wire and transferring the high voltage to a telephone / telegraph handset. Electric battery locomotives were not sufficiently advanced to consider for heavy freight use, and neither were compressed air, fireless steam or gas mechanical locomotives. 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 first amendment to the original Act, dated 1924 and filed by Kaufman; was nothing more than to expand the regulation: from the City of New York (Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) to now include neighboring parts of Westchester County: Yonkers, Mount Vernon and New Rochelle. Obviously, this amendment was not in the railroads' favor. On December 31, 1925, a temporary injunction sought by the railroads was issued, based on the unconstitutionality of the Kaufman Act. The railroads maintained that the excessive fines were tantamount to violations of unlawful seizure. In addition to this, they also stated the federal Interstate Commerce Commission had until this point be the ruling agency regarding locomotives and safety appliances. The injunction was granted with decision reserved (to be decided at later date). This temporary injunction was made permanent on March 26, 1926; the Federal Government had jurisdiction over locomotives and interstate commerce, not the State of New York. It did however dismiss the claim about unlawful seizure. The second amendment to the Kaufman Act, ratified in May 18, 1926; was in favor of the railroads, and it granted them a five year extension for compliance with the Act. Contrary to public misconception, this second amendment was not about adding diesel-electric locomotives to the list of approved power sources. The amendment was strictly to provide a five year extension to the 1926 effective date. The diesel-electric locomotive was becoming a viable alternative to steam and electric propulsion, and provided a means for the railroads to comply, and was recognized as such by the chief engineer of the Public Service Commission, William C. Lancaster. He recognized this new form of motive power. The Public Service Commission was the state agency responsible for enforcing the Kaufman Act. . Fortunately, the State was now knocked out of the box by the federally issued injunction. And despite the State granting a 5 year extension for compliance; the railroads maintained their steadfast opposition to the Act. Let us turn back the calender a little to 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 powered 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 yet 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, the most out of all the locations it would be tested at:
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, as well as the other railroads. Most of the railroads that were going to be effected by the Kaufman Act, placed orders for the A/GE/IR switcher. But the New York Central held off committing. As stated, the Central Railroad of New Jersey received their A/GE/IR Boxcab and placed it into service on November 2, 1925. THEN the second amendment to the Kaufman Act took place on December 31. With a successful injunction in their pockets, and holding off the demanded changes stipulated by the Kaufman legislation by 1926; the railroads continued the legal battle to invalidate the Kaufman Act. Perhaps the Governor of New York, Alfred Smith; either was astute enough on his own (or had some cronies whisper in his ear) that perhaps the Kaufman legislation as written, was flawed as the railroads had been stating. This is because Smith first vetoed a measure the previous year requesting an extension, because "the railroads had nearly a year to demonstrate they were attempting to comply with the provisions," however, but this time around, Governor Smith approved the amendment because, as he stated: "that the task imposed upon the railroads is a difficult one because it involves not only the question of electrification but also that of the grade crossing removal."The US Statutory Court found the Kaufman Act unconstitutional. The specific reason was the Federal Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) had jurisdiction over locomotive use on railroad operations, on the grounds they constituted interstate commerce, and that the ICC had already legislated various safety appliance regulations on and for the railroads. That meant the State of New York did not have authority to determine what type of locomotive could or could not operate. The City of New York belonged to the State of the New York, the State of New York belonged to the United States of America. And so, on September 9, 1926; the US Statutory Court, with the Honorable Learned Hand presiding, along with two other judges; stayed the injunctions against the Kaufman Act permanently. In light of this, the State of New York formally repealed the Kaufman Act in 1930. (there are other events proceeding this, but have no reflection on the New York Central, so if you are in fact interested in learning about them, please go to the Steam Locomotive Legislation and Regulations in and around the City of New York page itself. With the federal court staying the injunction against the Kaufman Act; the other railroads could now breath a sigh of relief; but the New York Central was not out of the woods. It was still locked in a battle called West Side Improvement Project - getting the trains off the streets. Now quite a few of you will ask, if the railroads were no longer bound by the Kaufman Act, why did they switch to diesel locomotives? Economy. Ease of operation. Ease of maintenance. Equal power to that of steam, perhaps even better. And the New York Central and New York City made a gentleman's agreement - the New York Central would remove steam locomotives in Manhattan by 1931. And so the electrified the West Line from Spuyten Duyvil to West 72nd Street by 1931. Electrification south of West 72nd Street however, would take until 1934 to get accomplished. With that explained, let us get return to the Riverside issue of the West Side Improvement Project. ..  Riverside Park - 1925 Looking north. Brown Brothers image courtesy of KermitProject.org added 19 October 2025 . Upon undertaking research for this particular chapter, I found myself inundated with hits and results of newspaper articles about the struggle to get a plan, any plan; approved. What is particularly interesting to read, in several of the articles was the moderation as willingness to negotiate of the part of the Central. And as you will read for yourself, it was the shenanigans and lack of unified jurisdiction between the City agencies that kept delaying things. Please keep in mind that most of the newspaper articles shown below were published the day after a proceeding or vote took place.
.  Excavation and grading of the new right of way in Riverside Park, approximately 75-100 feet east of existing tracks - July 11, 1931 Excavated material is brought across the tracks to shore line and dumped to increase shoreline area P. L. Sperr photo New York Public Library Digital Archives added 19 October 2025 .  Works Progress Administration Laborers working at Riverside Park - May 16, 1934 New York City Department of Park & Recreation added 19 October 2025 . Once this was agreed upon, the new right of way was excavated, graded and the new trackage laid. The original plan as designed, is described as comparable to a two level Roman aqueduct without the tall support columns: the trains would run through along the bottom level, and automobiles on the top level. Pedestrian tunnels built at regular intervals under the railroad tracks would grant residents access to the waterfront. Only one part of the design came to fruition: the railroad tunnel, and saw stone walls with arches on the west side of the railroad right of way, with Romanesque arches that intervals to allow the tunnel to ventilate. The east side wall would be solid stone or concrete. Steel I beams would be laid across on top, and when paved over, a roadway was planned to run along the top of the tunnel. The roadway portion of the plan was ultimately denied, and tunnel roof became the walkways of Riverside Park.  Google Maps added 19 October 2025 . Work between 72nd and 79th Streets was well underway in 1934 when Robert Moses was appointed City of New York Parks Commissioner; and he put an immediate halt to the project calling it a "visionary scheme." His view was that the highway on top of the tunnel would divide the residents from the park and waterfront, despite the many pedestrian tunnels that were planned to run under the tracks giving those residents access to the shoreline.  Stantec Consulting Services - Pre-Scope investigation of Reconstruction of Drainage Systems In Riverside Park, Archeological Assessment of 2022 His plan was move the highway to the very shoreline itself (which was one of the original sticking points to approving the Project back in 1929). This in effect defeated the very purpose of burying the railroad to give residents access to the shore to begin with! Moses would however retain the railroad tunnel and cover it with earth making additional parkland or pedestrian paths, tennis courts and recreation areas. The City approved this $11,000,000 plan with little to no opposition (anyone surprised?) And so construction resumed. Concrete walls were poured to either side of the tracks, covered with an I-beam and back filled with earth, thereby making a tunnel. 
. The shoreline was landfilled as planned and greatly expanding the park area; only to be consumed by the Henry Hudson Parkway. All of this construction was completed by 1941. .  West 71st Street to Spuyten Duyvil - September 8, 1937 McLaughlin Aerial Service New York City Department of Parks & Recreation collection added 19 October 2025 . The railroad tunnel still exists to this day. A connection was built at West 36th Street to Penn Station in 1986; however the trackage would remain unused by any railroad for several more years. As a result, the tunnel become a home to itinerant homeless persons; as well as graffiti artists who used the large walls as canvases and paint some rather nice murals. At this point the tunnel took on the name "Freedom Tunnel". On April 7, 1991; Amtrak shifted its long distance and regional service from Grand Central Terminal trains to Penn Station. This would include the following services: "Adirondack", "Berkshire Flyer", "Empire Service", "Ethan Allen Express", "Lake Shore Limited" and "Maple Leaf". The homeless persons living in the tunnel were forced out (some managed to keep this their home and remain until 1994), at which time the last "official" tenant left, but it is still used covertly by the homeless.  West Side Tunnel - 2015 Will Ellis photo added 19 October 2025 |
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9/12/1928 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110377 |
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9/12/1928 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110375 |
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 DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! 9/12/1928 - New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110374 added 05 May 2026 |
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| . . Any manual labor as shown in these images carries with it the potential for injury. But with at least a dozen newspapers that once covered New York City (New York Herald, New York Daily News, New York Times, New York Post, The New York World, to name but a few); the handling of rolls of newsprint for the papers was especially fraught with the potential of serious injury or even death. These rolls weighed from 1000 to 1225 pounds; and once they got rolling, you either got out of the way or you got rolled over. |
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 unloading newsprint from boxcar note the use of a piece of round wood in the core of the roll tied to the top of the dolly. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR290418 added 05 May 2026 |
 unloading newsprint from boxcar New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR290420 added 05 May 2026 |
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| . .  Loading rolls of newsprint onto truck. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR290419 added 05 May 2026 |
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 electric newsprint lifting table New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR290416 added 05 May 2026 |
 electric newsprint lifting table New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR290417 added 05 May 2026 |
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 A powered pallet jack loading freight into a boxcar on a carfloat moored to a pier shed - 6/1/1929 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR130239 added 05 May 2026 |
 Unloading boxcars on a station carfloat, directly to shore and a waiting truck - 1930 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR44162 added 05 May 2026 |
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 Loading a crate from a pier house into a covered barge - 9/12/1928 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110376 added 05 May 2026 |
 Unloading cartons from a boxcar into a freighthouse with a cart - 1/30/1940 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR260500 added 05 May 2026 |
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| Here is a particularly wet and smelly job: the transfer and weighing of live fish from tanks on board a specially outfitted baggage car (tanks and aeration system), to a "live fish transport tank truck" (sometimes called a "fish hatchery truck"). This live fish could be used as a supply for the fresh fish market, for transport to a hatchery for further breeding and or restocking, or directly to a man made lake or reservoir for stocking. The photos are a tad blurry, so I cannot identify the species of fish. | ||
unloading live fish from tanks in a baggage car to "live haul fish tank truck" - 1/7/1950 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR45040 added 05 May 2026 |
unloading live fish from tanks in a baggage car to "live haul fish tank truck" - 1/7/1950 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR45039 added 05 May 2026 |
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unloading live fish from tanks in a baggage car to "live haul fish tank truck" - 1/7/1950 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: PC532172 added 05 May 2026 |
unloading live fish from tanks in a baggage car to "live haul fish tank truck" - 1/7/1950 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: PC532173 added 05 May 2026 |
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| Freight transfer direct from boxcar to truck at team tracks in West 34th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: added 05 May 2026 |
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 Lifting a LCL container by traveling gantry crane - 11/1/1931 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR160269 added 05 May 2026 |
 Container gondola at West 33rd Street Yard; Manhattan - no date New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: PC532194 added 05 May 2026 |
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 LCL Containers on straight truck - no date |
 LCL Containers on tractor trailer truck - 2/5/1930 Note the forklift type mover for LCL Containers on platform. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR140052 added 05 May 2026 |
 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY - 1922 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110193 added 05 May 2026 |
 Showing hose connection - 1922 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY The opening at top right is for display purposes of the interior and tank, and not on production units. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110195 added 05 May 2026 |
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 Showing the MilkTainer to respected members of of the New York Dairy Association, dealers and the City of New York Health Department - 1922 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110191 added 05 May 2026 |
 Showing hatch on top - 1922 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110190 added 05 May 2026 |
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 Showing the MilkTainer to respected parties of the New York Dairy Association, Deputy Commissioner of Markets, Mrs. Welzmiller; and Health Department officials Note the insulated plug door laying on the main top hatch -1922 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110186 added 05 May 2026 |
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110204 Boonville, NY added 05 May 2026 |
 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR1120540 added 05 May 2026 |
 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR1120541 added 05 May 2026 |
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 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR1120542 added 05 May 2026 |
 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR1120543 added 05 May 2026 |
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 LCL Bulk Containers in LCL gondola carrier - 1/24/1929 West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR120539 added 05 May 2026 |
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 6/26/1930 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR150034 added 05 May 2026 |
Showing a close-up of a brick container being unloaded on a truck. - 10/23/1930 Side view showing a close-up of the container suspended over truck, unloading. West 30th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR150113 added 05 May 2026 |
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 Showing LCL cars handling cement by crane with the cars in mid-air-being emptied into the cement silo and the awaiting trucks at West 33rd St Yard - 2/19/1932 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR170110 added 05 May 2026 |
 Showing LCL cars handling cement by crane with the cars in mid-air-being emptied into the cement silo and the awaiting trucks at West 33rd St Yard - 2/19/1932 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR170109 added 05 May 2026 |
 cement carboys or "Bottles"
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: |
 Ingersoll Rand air compressor cart with hoses to cement carboys or "bottles".
The air supply or pressure hose is the smaller black hose. The material hose is the larger lighter colored hose. |
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 cement carboys or "Bottles" |
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 NYC RR publicity image showing a new LCL refrigerator car in West Side yards - 3/1/1934 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR180099 added 05 May 2026 |
 NYC RR publicity image showing a new LCL refrigerator car in West Side yards - 3/1/1934 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR180098 added 05 May 2026 |
 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110202 added 05 May 2026 |
 ca. 1930 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR110202 added 05 May 2026 |
 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR 350309 added 05 May 2026 |
 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR350308 added 05 May 2026 |
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 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR350307 added 05 May 2026 |
| location | milepost* | facilities | |||||||
| Inwood (Dyckman Street) | .98 | Freight Station | Passenger | ||||||
| Fort Washington | 2.58 | Depot | Passenger | ||||||
| West 152nd Street | 3.75 | Yard | Foundry Yard | Passenger | |||||
| West 148th - 143 Streets | 4.00 | Freight Station | Yard | Milk Platforms | |||||
| West 130th Street - "Manhattanville" | 4.82 | Meat Packer | Passenger | ||||||
| West 72nd - 60th Streets | 8.40 | Freight Station | Yard | Stock Yard | Milk Platforms | Grain Elevators | Transfer Bridges (4) | Poultry Platforms | |
| West 59st Street | 8.50 | Freight Station | |||||||
| West 41st Street | 9.45 | Stock Yard & Slaughterhouses | |||||||
| West 36th Street | 9.70 | Freight Station | Yard | ||||||
| West 33rd Street | 9.79 | Freight Station | Yard | Transfer Bridges (2) | |||||
| West 30th Street | 10.06 | Yard | Milk Platforms | Passenger | |||||
| West 17th Street | 10.62 | Fresh Produce Yard | |||||||
| St. Johns Park Terminal | 12.39 | Freight Station | |||||||
| * from Spuyten Duyvil | |||||||||
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| Google Street View- looking northeast | Google Aerial View |
"The Value of the Railroad Y. M. C. A."The first Railroad YMCA was established following a revival meeting among workers led by a reformed former railway employee in 1872 at the Cleveland Union Depot, in Ohio, as a partnership between the YMCA and various railroad companies to provide wholesome, affordable lodging and meals, as well as recreation for railroad workers. These "home away from home" facilities grew rapidly, offering baths, reading rooms, and above all, rest for railroad employees away from home.
Men should be cared for at terminals to improve their mental as well as social standing. We believe that good, clean rest rooms should be provided at terminals and encourage cleanliness with our men. We also believe that they should have access to reading rooms or libraries where they can keep themselves posted on the leading topics of the day, mechanical and otherwise. Your chairman is fortunate enough to be employed on a road that has a Railroad Y. M. C. A. at each terminal. At one of the associations there is a large library, and members of any of the other associations can draw books from this library, the books being handled back and forth by the railroad free of cost.
Railroad Age Gazette, 1906
"Where's Smith? Anyone seen Smith? He has the express freight to Buffalo pullin' out in 10 minutes.. Hey! Lawson! You seen Smith?"
"I don't know boss, I last saw him last night tying one on at McGillicuddy's, with an empty-headed bottle blonde in one hand and a half empty bottle of Old Fitz in the other."
"Damn him, that's the third time this month. Hendricks! You got the express freight to Buffalo! Get a hustle on, will you!?!
"Aw, boss; not Hendricks.. He runs the engine like granny in her Model T on her way to Sunday mass."
"Just get it outta town, will ya!?!"
By 1875 Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the favorite grandson of Commodore Vanderbilt, had risen from a clerk in the treasury department of the New York Central Railroad to a position of major importance. He was also active in St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church and sat on the board of directors of the Young Men's Christian Association of New York. That year he received a visit from General John H. Devereaux, the president of the C. C. C. & I. Railroad, who lived in Cleveland.
Three years earlier the first Young Men's Christian Association for railroad workers had been formed in Cleveland. Now Devereaux explained the organization to Vanderbilt, who quickly embraced the idea. The concept of a Y.M.C.A. expressly for railroad workers had advantages to both the men and to the system. The employees would have a comfortable place to relax while in New York City, one which offered a variety of pastimes. On the positive side for the railroads, the men were not tempted to get drunk or jailed and therefore unable to return to work, and morale would be greatly uplifted, as well.
Vanderbilt began with a basement space in Grand Central Depot. In 1900 Railroad Men magazine, would recall, "the first Railroad Branch at the Grand Central Station, New York, began with a single room, a canary bird, a few volumes of U. S. Reports, and a secretary."
The detractors who warned that "The men won't have it" were soon proved wrong. The Railroad Branch of the Y.M.C.A. was a success and in 1886 Vanderbilt acquired land at the northeast corner of Madison Avenue and 45th Street as the site for a permanent building. Ground was broken on September 20, 1886 and construction was completed exactly a year later, in September 1887. The building rose three stories at the corner, with a two-story extension that ran 45 feet along the avenue. Vanderbilt personally paid for the construction, which cost him $100,000--about $2.95 million today.
Daytonian in Manhattan
The stories behind the buildings, statues and other points of interest that make Manhattan fascinating.
Monday, September 12, 2022
The Lost Railroad Branch YMCA - Madison Avenue and 45th Street
With that, and the growing facility at West 72nd Street, a second Railroad YMCA was constructed for the railroad workers assigned or going through that particular location.
. Railroad YMCA at West 72nd Street, Manhattan, NY - 1948
New York Central Railroad System Historical Society archives
added 05 May 2026
"The Vanderbilt Branch of the YMCA of Greater New York was established in 1875 as the Railroad Branch of the YMCA of the City of New York. Also known as the Grand Central Branch, it was started with the support and encouragement of New York Central Railroad chairman Cornelius Vanderbilt II. First located in the basement of Grand Central Depot, the Railroad Branch existed to improve and elevate the rapidly growing number of men working on the nation's railways who passed through New York City. Although the Grand Central branch was initially intended to be used by the employees of the New York Central Railroad, it became a place where in-transit railroad men from around the country would go. At first, the branch offered Sunday services, a library and reading room, and occasional programs and entertainment. Cornelius Vanderbilt, who was the initial branch chairman, personally led Sunday Bible classes for the railroad workers and their families. The name of the branch changed to Vanderbilt YMCA in 1972 in recognition of the role played by the Vanderbilt family throughout the branch's history.
The first secretary, Orlin R. Stockwell, visited the sick and talked with men in engine houses and cabooses. The personal touch offered by Stockwell was one of the many reasons for the popularity of the YMCA among railroad men, and additional railroad Y locations were established in short order: the 30th Street Depot, 72nd Street Roundhouse, Weehawken, New Durham and Mott Haven. All of these locations were collectively known as the Railroad Branch.
In 1886, Mr. Vanderbilt engineered the purchase of land and the construction of a building at the corner of Madison Avenue and 45th Street. Growth in membership and use resulted in a project to double the building's capacity in 1893. By 1912, the railroads had other uses for the site, and plans began for a new building, this one on the east side of Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Street. The old site is the current location of the Roosevelt Hotel, which replaced the YMCA building on that block. The new building, dedicated in 1914, was quickly outgrown, and once again commercial interests, this time in the form of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, made their interest in the land known. The new building was demolished 15 years after it opened.
A third building, still in use, was constructed in 1931, opening on January 1, 1932. The building, on East 47th Street, was ten stories high and included a swimming pool, eight bowling alleys, a billiard room, a barber shop, tailor shop and laundry. It also boasted a pipe organ, a chapel, a roof garden and a 24-hour dining room to cater to the needs of traveling men. Guest rooms occupied eight stories.
Today, the Vanderbilt Y operates as a hotel, a fitness center with two pools and a very popular child care center. Its proximity to Grand Central Terminal is the only reminder of the branch's history as the Railroad YMCA."
(The YMCA at 150: A History of the YMCA of Greater New York, 1852-2002 by Pamela Bayless, and from the Vanderbilt YMCA records).
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This was the main railroad facility in Manhattan. This facility's main features was comprised of the following, beginning at the northwest corner of the property at where West 72nd Street would meet the water: a rather large roundhouse and engine servicing facilities for locomotives and the aforementioned Railroad YMCA and other building containing offices for railroad departments.
Working south along the bulkhead was Pier I (an open pier for direct lighterage); the three transfer bridges #4 (steel overhead suspended French contained apron type), #3 (steel truss bridge on pontoon), #2 (electrically operated, overhead suspended separate apron Bensel type), then enclosed pier houses G, F, E, D and B; the West 62nd Street transfer bridge #1B (electrically operated, overhead suspended, separate apron Bensel type); then Grain Elevator A between West 62nd and West 60th Streets.
Just south of the grain elevator was the West 59th Street Freight Station on Pier 99. Working counterclockwise (east) along West 60th Street were a warehouse and stock pens for cattle, a repair in place track for expedient repairs of rolling stock, poultry platforms. At West End Avenue and West 60th Street were the yard offices and comfort station and rooms for railroad car men. In the center of all this were the stock yards, surrounded by the various classification tracks for inbound and outbound freight, and storage sidings.
Over the ensuing decades, additional property was acquired (triangle at northeast corner of 1955 map below), and the yard facilities were reconfigured to accommodate the changes in freight haulage. From the 1800's to around 1930, the stock pens at the south end of the yard were done away with and warehouses constructed, along with auto unloading platforms and Live Poultry Market. The freight station at West 59th Street was closed and property usage ceded to the City of New York Department of Sanitation (which, ironically still occupies the site.)
By the 1940's, the bulk storage of grain was no longer necessary in the New York City area. The original Grain Elevator A, which had been built in 1876, and had a capacity of 1.5 million bushels of grain and was one of the largest single structures in New York City; burnt down in April 1889 in a huge conflagration, along with Elevator B which was located on the pier. After the fire, Elevator A was built back slightly larger somewhat combining the capacities of the two previous elevators. For those of you who are interested, a bushel of grain weighs 60 pounds. A new grain elevator built in 1941 and of 13.5 million bushel capacity was constructed at Albany, NY (130 miles north), which pretty much supplanted those in the New York City proper. The grain elevator site in Manhattan now was home to a small concrete loading plant built in its footprint.
The advent of mechanical refrigeration led to a decline of the local slaughterhouses, what with meat now being able to be processed closer to the stockyards of the Midwest. As such, the stock yard at West 60th Street was closed, with any remaining inbound livestock destined for West 41st Street. This space developed into the poultry area. Trackage and poultry platforms were constructed, arranged as such with a track on one side and a wide driveway on the other. Poultry cars would be spotted at these platforms, and poultry buyers would back up their trucks to the platforms to load.
Additional platforms were built to the east of the poultry area for automobile unloading, which by the 1940's was really becoming a major shipping commodity. A chicken in every pot and an automobile in every garage finally became reality!
Strangely, new milk platforms were built in the in acquired triangle bordered by West 65 and West 62 along West End Avenue. These replaced the milk platforms that were located at West 30th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues and that were razed for construction of the Morgan Parcel Post Facility. But, with the advent of the mechanically refrigerated express milk car (tanks) these platforms would not last long.
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Just about the time that 1955 Bromley Property Atlas was published, New York Central sold that triangle of land where the milk sheds were located to the New York Times, for an anticipated printing plant as referenced in the October 1955 issue of New York Central Headlight. This printing plant became operational in July 1959, and ceased operations in 1976 with the opening of the Carlstadt, NJ plant. This is important as we know Conrail was handling carloads of paper in 1982 at West 60th-72nd Street Yard for the New York Times, and where it has been stated trucks were transporting the rolls of newsprint from the yard in Manhattan to New Jersey.
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1924 - Fairchild Aerial Survey Image
8B - N.Y.C. (Aerial Set)
New York Public Library Digital Archives
annotated by author © 2025
click on map for un-annotated version
added 02 September 2025
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. For that direct freight
that was to be transfered to New Jersey and the terminals in Brooklyn
and Queens, those cars were blocked and placed into the
transfer bridge assemblage yards, for eventual loading upon carfloat.
Carfloats (waiting to be unloaded, or those that were loaded and
waiting for pick up were moored to piling in the carfloat holding area.
Pier I: this was an open pier and was for oversize and heavy freight, such as structural beams, boilers, engines, machinery, trucks, etc; and that of which required transfer for lighterage by open barge or stick lighter for further travel to its destination.
Pier G was designated for westbound / outbound freight (to New Jersey). Cars that needed to be combined were placed in sub-yard G, until dock workers could get to them.
Pier F was designated to handle eastbound / inbound (to Manhattan) barreled flour. Cars that needed to be loaded with this barreled flour were stored in sub-yard F.
Pier E was designated for dry export.
Pier D was designated for miscellaneous freight.
"Pier C" is mentioned in Gratz Mordechai's "Report on Terminal Facilities for Handling Freight of the Railroads Entering the Port of New York" as being held in reserve and not used frequently. This is odd, because there is no Pier C shown on any of the maps, property or railroad. It may have burned in the April 1889 conflagration, discussed below.Elevator B is also mentioned in Mordechai's "Report on Terminal Facilities"; but it too is not shown on any maps. It is believed at this time, it occupied "Pier B" as Elevator B had direct waterside transfer. Located in an 1889 Report of the Fire Department of the City of New York; a lard factory located at West 59th Street and Twelfth Avenue caught fire on April 19 at 3:40 pm. The building was fully engulfed within minutes; and the heat thereof communicated to surrounding structures which included Elevator A, and Elevator B, even pierhouse Pier D. The New York Times coverage "Millions Swept Away" and of this conflagration gives explicit details. When an urban area like New York (or Chicago or San Francisco) had a fire, it really knew how to have a fire! As Elevator B was built on a pier so fire apparatus could not access it despite fireboats being on scene. So it appears Elevator B was not rebuilt following this fire, and the pier reconstructed as a pier house instead. Elevator A however, was rebuilt. This also explains the construction date of 1889 for Elevator A.
Elevator A was used for the storage of grains with 2,300,000 bushel capacity. Carloads of grain and corn both for human consumption as well as those used for livestock needs. Cars went to Elevator A yard to be brought into one of three tracks underneath the elevator for transfer by conveyor into the appropriate silo bin. If I understand what I read correctly, it was supposedly regulated that a 10 days worth supply of grains needed to be kept on hand. As it was dispensed into either covered barges or floating grain elevators for further distribution.
West 60th Street Stock Yard: for livestock that was not destined for West 41st Street Livestock Yard and Abbatoirs (slaughterhouses); these were placed into the West 60th Street Stock Yard unloading tracks. The stock house (building) that was located on West 60th Street, was known as the "sheep house."
Team tracks: Team tracks at this facility were an unusual departure from the standard arrangement. The more common arrangement was to have one or two tracks with wide driveways on either side paralleling the trackage; then another track or two, a wide driveway, another track or two; and so on. This allowed a horsedrawn wagon or cart, or truck, that could either back up directly to the boxcar door or park alongside it for loading and unloading. However, here at West 60th Street Yard, a single team track came out from each of the pier house leads (or the transfer bridge lead) and curved to run parallel along the bulkhead and alongside a raised platform which was located between the track and the bulkhead; and parallel to the long driveway; but this track now ran perpendicular to the sub-yards trackage themselves. Freight could be directly unloaded from a barge or lighter moored to the bulkhead and directly into a freight car, or the freight car could be unloaded to the platform or onto a barge or lighter. After unloading, the car went to the empties yard. Freight could be anything from one or two crates, to crated appliances, furniture. Team tracks are highlighted below in yellow (north is to the right):
Empties Yard: empty cars went to the "empties yard" where they would be cleaned and swept out, if required. This task was usually relegated to male pre-teen and teen aged youth. These were the days where there were no under age employment laws. After cleaning, empty cars would be brought to whatever pier shed that needed cars for loading on an as need basis. This freight would arrive by covered barge or lighter; and whereas these loaded cars were then made up into outbound (northbound) trains.
Car repair tracks: adjacent to the empties yard. Here carpenters, metal workers, and any other skill craft that was necessary for the repair of freight cars was located here. These repairs could be as simple as replacing a broken or bent hinge on a door; to an entire wood body or floor; or later metal patches to steel cars.
The train assembly yard was for putting together the various groups of cars for the terminal yards and freight houses further south. Those long distance trains that arrived, were broken up (or broken down, depending on your preferred railroad lingo) by switch engines. Cars for the same general locations were grouped together (or "blocked" in railroad parlance). For those cars to be forwarded to the West 36-30th Street Yards and Freight Houses, and New Washington Square Market and St. John's Terminal, were made up in smaller blocks of cars, usually no more than 8 to 10 cars which was the norm for street running in Manhattan.This could include, but are not limited to:
- the New York Stock Company's Stock Yard and the Abbatoirs (slaughterhouses) at West 41st Street;
- carload and less than carload freight to West 36th-33rd Street Yards;
- Milk trains were "unit trains" meaning the entire train was comprised of milk cars. These milk cars went to the milk platforms at West 29th Street, or after 1930; to the platforms built at West 62nd Street and Eleventh Avenue to replace the West 29th Street milk platforms which were razed for the Morgan Parcel Post Building. Most milk cars had white roofs to reflect heat from the sun.
- the Fresh Produce Yard at West 17th Street;
- the New West Washington Market, at West Street at the foot of Gansevoort Street;
- spurs into the pierhouses of South Pacific Steamship Company occupying Piers 48, 49 and 50; located at the foot of West 11th Street, Bank and Bethune Streets respectively.
- the St John's Park Freight Terminal.
Running tracks were kept clear for the passage of trains.
In
short, the West 60th-72nd Street Yards were the "heart" of the New York Central Railroad's Manhattan
freight operation. From here, it went out to peripheral routes; the "arms
and legs" of commerce.
Excerpts of physical characteristics of New York Central terminals are
included
below; but perhaps most importantly, the procedures on how the freight
was handled at each of the terminals is defined in great detail.
Therefore, I have simply reproduced the text here verbatim. Keep in
mind, this is how the freight was handled and the terminals operated in
1885 - and such procedures likely changed over the decades.
1921 New York Central Railroad Industrial Directory and Shippers Guide - Page 748
image courtesy of Terry Link - canadiansouthern.com
the unabridged directory is available on Google Books and the section pertaining to New York City are pages 746 through 762
added 15 August 2025
Some of the following images were taken as part of a series
for surveying the route and subsequent construction of the Miller Elevated Highway a/k/a West Side Highway.
Because of the vastness of this facility, I have made an
attempt to separate images into geographical groupings. This set of
images view the structures and yards from the west side.
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T. Flagg photoleft: electrically operated, overhead suspension; steel, contained apron bridge "J. B. French patent" with steel gantry
center: pontoon float / steel, pony truss
right: electrically operated, overhead suspension, wood, Howe truss bridge / separate Apron "J. A. Bensel patent" with wood enclosed gantry house
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It is understood there had been some form of poultry unloading
in the West 60th Street Yard since the turn of the century, but to what extent and to what details exactly, are lacking. As beef transport to the West 60th Street Yard via cattle boat / stock barge slowly dwindled during the 1920's, and was such transport was rerouted directly to the stock houses in and around West 40th Street in Midtown; the stock yards at West 60th Street were downsized and repurposed. Also, with the construction of the sub-grade open cut as part of the West Side Improvement Project, trackage in the vicinity of the southeast corner of the railroad property at West End Avenue and West 60th Street and where it entered upon Eleventh Avenue was eliminated for the excavation of new right of way; and new trackage built in place of the stock yards west of this location. A little more to the west, around 1927 (exact year uncertain), a few of the existing tracks were removed and auto platforms build to unload automobiles, as well as a repair shop "cripple facilities" for railroad cars needing expedited repair to get the cars returned to revenue service. Located in the center along the south edge of the yard, with a driveway entrance at West 60th and West End Avenue; were the Poultry Platforms. But the most significant change was the construction of the poultry platforms. It is believed this poultry area replaced the West Washington Street Market, which was falling victim to its age (opened in 1889) and slowly being encroached upon, with the West Side Highway and other improvement happing in the neighborhood. Several of the yard tracks were removed, and two long covered platforms approximately 700' in length each and two driveways were built in their place. The combined lengths of both platforms offered a 39 car capacity; of which by 1929, constituted the arrival of 50 percent of the New York metropolitan area's poultry, equating to about 12,000 carloads annually. Here, dealers and wholesalers could park parallel or back their truck right up to the platform, which offered direct access across the platform to the doors on the poultry cars. Crates of chickens, turkeys, ducks, pheasant and other edible fowl would be off loaded at these platforms, weighed and recorded, then placed onto trucks for resale or slaughter. In 1941, according to Department of Markets officials, 120,000,000 pounds of live poultry came into the city at two main markets: at the Sixtieth Street railroad yards and at the West Washington Market, along the Hudson River at Thirteenth Street, both in Manhattan. All poultry will now be handled at the new market in Long Island City - August 3, 1942 These poultry platforms saw use up until the late 1950's, perhaps early 1960's. This poultry platform area is highlighted in yellow in the 1955 Property Atlas seen at right. |
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| West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms Main (double) driveway (looking northeast) New York Central System Historical Society added 28 April 2026 |
West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms (looking northeast) showing from left to right - driveway, track, covered platform, double driveway, platform New York Central System Historical Society added 28 April 2026 |
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| West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms Live poultry car "Flamingo" LPTX 1017 - built October 1923 - ca 1935 New York Central System Historical Society added 28 April 2026 |
West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms - ca. 1935 Live poultry car "Flamingo" LPTX 1017 New York Central System Historical Society added 28 April 2026 |
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| West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms Poultry crates behind outside mesh. New York Central System Historical Society added 28 April 2026 |
West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms Interior of car with poultry crates. Looking at end of car from center access. Note the quarter turn locks to secure the crates. New York Central System Historical Society added 28 April 2026 |
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| West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms While the one side of the poultry car was against the platform, the other side was open to allow for fresh air. New York Central System Historical Society added 28 April 2026 |
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| West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms Flat bed / stake trucks parallel parked along one of the poultry platforms New York Central System Historical Society added 28 April 2026 |
West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms (looking south) IRT power station in background New York Central System Historical Society added 28 April 2026 |
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| West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms - no date A pair of laborers manhandle a poultry crate off the scale, while a couple of its occupants stick their heads out. New York Central System Historical Society |
West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms - no date
employee (s) and truck of of S. Edelstein Live Poultry, 303 Elton Street, Brooklyn, NY. New York Central System Historical Society |
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| West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms - undated Note the white geese on left edge of image New York Central System Historical Society |
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| West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms - January 20, 1930 Poultry Policemen New York Central System Historical Society |
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| West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms - undated Poultry Policemen New York Central System Historical Society |
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| West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms - September 20, 1951 Loading antique automobiles for return to Chicago a race to New York. New York Central System Historical Society |
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 West 63rd Street Milk Platforms - May 1, 1939 Looking north-northwest from West 61th Street and West End Avenue. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID 250474 added 05 May 2026 |
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 West 63 Milk Platforms - September 1941 Note roof supports being installed on Platform B From left to right, "Platform D", "Platform C" and "Platform B". "Platform A" is out of view to right and slightly behind photographer. Taken from roof of Chrysler Warehouse at West End Avenue. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG603016 added 05 May 2026 |
 West 63 Milk Platforms - September 1941 Note roof supports being installed on Platform B From left to right, "Platform D", "Platform C" and "Platform B". "Platform A" is out of view to right and slightly behind photographer. Taken from roof of Chrysler Warehouse. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG603016 added 05 May 2026 |
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 West 63rd Street Milk Platforms - October 11, 1939 From left to right, "Platform D", "Platform C" and "Platform B". Platform A is out of view to right and slightly behind photographer. Taken from roof of Chrysler Warehouse. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID PB503186 added 05 May 2026 |
 West 63rd Street Milk Platforms - July 23, 1947 Even in 1947, the old school milk can was still in use! Queensboro Farms truck at "Platform C" and Queensboro Farms is still in business! New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR390052 added 05 May 2026 |
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 West 63rd Street Milk Platform - December 7, 1945 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR 350309 added 05 May 2026 |
West 63rd Street Milk Platform - December 7, 1945 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR 350308 added 05 May 2026 |
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West 63rd Street Milk Platform - December 7, 1945 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID: WR 350307 added 05 May 2026 |
intentionally left blank | |
From the "West End Rag" March 8, 2022:
"The building at 125 West End Avenue was originally built in 1929 for the Chrysler Corporation on land owned by the New York Central. The facility was designed with an internal ramp and was utilized for auto parts storage and service. A rail siding on the lower level allowed for easy delivery of parts. It remained with Chrysler for 30 years, though during World War II it was leased by the Army for quartermaster functions according to a New York Times article from 1943.
In 1957, the building was purchased by the New York Times, to supplement a large printing plant the paper was building on land stretching along the west side of West End Avenue from 62nd to 65th Street. The plant was intended to eventually be the main printing facility for the Times, with the paper keen to get its production operations out of the crowded confines of Times Square and attracted by the ability to deliver newsprint via rail to this location. The 125 West End building was used for storage in support of the printing operations in the main building.
The Times began printing sections of its Sunday paper at the West End site in 1959, but plans to eventually move all production to this location never panned out. According to a retrospective on the plant written in the Times in 2015, technical problems with the printing process there and difficulty maneuvering trucks in tight confines prompted the paper to build a larger printing plant in New Jersey in 1975 and to begin phasing out printing operations on West End.
It took the Times another 10 years to sell its West End printing plant property to developers, using the space to park trucks during the interim. And it took another 10 years before developers would complete construction on the West End Towers building at West 63rd Street in 1995, with a towing company parking trucks there for some time after the Times had moved out.
Meanwhile, 125 West End escaped the wrecker’s ball and continued to soldier on in commercial service, housing various retail and light manufacturing operations. ABC/Capital Cities purchased the building in 1982 and housed radio operations and some set design facilities there, also constructing a building for television studios on the site of a power substation next door along West 66th Street. ABC remained for nearly 40 years, but with the network now having decamped for the Hudson Square neighborhood downtown, 125 West End was in need of a new purpose."
 An oblique view, looking northwest at the south and east faces of the Chrysler Warehouse at West 65th Street and West End Avenue - 1942 The two unloading platforms are under the inclined viaduct, out of view from the Avenue. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR320234 added 05 May 2026 |
 An oblique view, looking southeast at the north and west faces of the Chrysler Warehouse at West 66th Street. Note the Viaduct has now reached the fourth storey. The two unloading platforms are also accessible via the driveway under the viaduct and one block to the right (south) - 1942 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR320234 added 05 May 2026 |
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of the shadowed nature of the auto loading platforms under the viaduct,
the next few images are excessively lightened for detail. |
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 Looking north at south face of Chrysler Warehouse at West 65th Street (West End Avenue out of image to right). Barely visible are auto boxcars under the viaduct, one appear to have Great Northern Rwy. logo. Yard level driveway at left, tracks in foreground and to right lead to milk platforms "C" and "D" behind photographer - 1942 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR320240 added 05 May 2026 |
 An oblique view, looking northeast at south and west faces of Chrysler Warehouse at West 65th Street (West End Avenue out of image to right.) A Tri-Power locomotive is working the milk platform "B" - 1942 New York Central System Historical Society - WR320245 added 05 May 2026 |
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 Under the Chrysler viaduct, looking north at the foot of West 65th Street - 1942
at concrete unloading docks of Chrysler Warehouse and driveway opening at West 66th Street. Tracks in foreground lead to milk platform "D" New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR320246 added 05 May 2026 |
 Under the Chrysler viaduct, looking east at concrete railroad unloading docks of
Chrysler Warehouse at foot of West 65th Street - 1942 Tracks in foreground lead to milk platforms "C" (extreme foreground) and "D" (mid-foreground) New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR320226 added 05 May 2026z |
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 looking north - July 24, 1937
Under construction in image is new Sheffield Farms bottling plant pump & tank rooms, with unbuilt platform and sub-grade siding. West Side Improvement Project - subgrade routing (note southbound Tri-Power leading train entering Eleventh Avenue from West 60th Street Yard in center of photo. Street running was still taking place in 1937! New York Public Library Digital Archives added 20 August 2025 |
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 Milk Tank Car at the underground Sheffield Farms siding at West 58th Street. That's daylight to the left of the car of the sub-grade ROW. New York Central Railroad System Historical Society - Image ID: WR260471 added 05 May 2026 |
 Stainless pipe connected to Milk Tank Car at West 58th Street. New York Central Railroad System Historical Society archives added 05 May 2026 |
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 glass lined tank in Milk Tank Car (another behind photographer) New York Central Railroad System Historical Society - Image ID WR260470 added 05 May 2026 |
 stainless pipes with tee swivel unions use to make the connections from tank to pump. New York Central Railroad System Historical Society - Image ID WR260478 added 05 May 2026 |
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 Another view of stainless pipes with tee swivel unions use to make the connection from tank to pump. New York Central Railroad System Historical Society - Image ID WR260476 added 05 May 2026 |
 stainless steel pump in pump room. New York Central Railroad System Historical Society - Image ID WR260477 added 05 May 2026 |
West 41st and West 42nd Street between Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues - December 1932
Looking west-northwest. Christmas trees! This was the stock yard for Abbatoir Row, out of view to the left.
New York Public Library
P.L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
West
41st Street / West 40th Street / West 39th Street - Stock boats, Stock tunnels, Stock pens and "Abbatoir Row"
Cattle and sheep and goats and pigs and chickens - Oh my!
Fairchild Aerial Survey Images - 1924
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 19 August 2025
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West 41st
Street Yard looking east from Twelfth Avenue. Former stock yard for
Abbatoir Row out of view to right (south) - March 17, 1929
P. L. Sperr photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 28 August 2025
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West
39th Street looking east from Twelfth Avenue. Flock of sheep being
herded into the slaughterhouse at 627 West 39th Street. - October 31,
1931
"Well Clarice, have the lambs stopped screaming?
P. L. Sperr photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 28 August 2025
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Empty stock cars on Eleventh Avenue at West 37th Street - February 7, 1932
Heading from Abbatoir Row towards the West 30-36th Street Yards (looking south).
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 16 August 2025
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Loaded stock cars on Eleventh Avenue at West 37th Street - March 20, 1935
Heading to Abbatoir Row from the West 30-36th Street Yards (looking south).
New York Public Library
P. L. Sperr photo
added 16 August 2025
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Abbatoirs / Slaughterhouses
Located between West 39th, West 40th and West 41st Streets and Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues were the stock pens of the New York Stockyards Company, as well as the adjoining abbatoirs (slaugherhouses). West 39th Street between Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues was known as "Abbatoir Row".
Various types of livestock (cattle, sheep, hogs) arrived by train into the various New Jersey terminals. At the New Jersey terminals, the animals were transferred to stock boats which were nothing more than ferries for livestock, which were also known as cattle boats (even though they carried sheep and pigs as well). Once loaded, these livestock boats were then ferried across the Hudson River by tugboat to the Manhattan piers. Here, the livestock was unloaded and marched across Twelfth Avenue and up the side streets to the respective pens.
As far as can be discerned, only the Pennsylvania and the New York Central Railroads operated stock yards / cattle pens in Manhattan, with the Pennsylvania having a cattle pen at the northwest corner of West 39th Street and Twelfth Avenue; and the New York Central having at least three: one at West 34th Street, one at West 40th Street and another at West 60th Street, and with the New York Central also having poultry yards.
In the P. L. Sperr image below, one of these cattle boats, the "G. W. Lewis"; can be seen moored to the north side of Pier 78 of the Pennsylvania RR, which was part of their West 37th Street Freight Station.
"G. W. Lewis" cattle boat at Pier 78, Manhattan, NY
New York Public Library
P. L. Sperr photo
added 20 April 2026
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At least one newspaper anecdotal from 1896 relates the cattle broke out of the pens and stampeded at waterfront terminals. Even in normalcy; more and more street traffic became ensnarled due to the animals being herded through the street.
Cattle Tunnels
Due to the growing congestion of vehicular traffic due to movement of livestock through city streets, tunnels are known to have been constructed under West Street leading from the pier heads to the pens. Upon the cessation of slaughtering and meatpacking on the West Side of Manhattan, these tunnels was sealed off and subsequently forgotten. There were two tunnels: one located at West 34th Street and Twelfth Avenue and another at West 38th Street and Twelfth Avenue.
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Fortunately, there is evidence of both of these tunnels.
A drawing in 1877 Harpers Weekly for the featurette "The Manhattan Abbatoir" shows the tunnel, highlighted at right: By the 1890 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map however the location is reflected as a Hay & Produce Exchange. I cannot associate any further evidence of the West 34th Street tunnel in use during post-1900 railroad operations - whether by image or map; as there are no recorded "livestock pens" per se are located at this location, on any of the New York Central Railroad valuation maps or Bromley Property Atlases, or Sanborn Fire Maps within the New York Public Library Digital Archives. However in the interest of thoroughness, a "meat market" is reflected on the south side of West 35th Street between Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues in the 1917 New York Central Railroad Track Map. It is understood that it this tunnel that was unearthed during construction of the West 34th Street / Hudson Yards project. The tunnel located at West 38th Street, was built and used by the Pennsylvania Railroad. We have proof of its existence in a map but unfortunately, as it has no direct association with New York Central Railroad operations, I refer you to that page of this website for further history of that tunnel: Pennsylvania Railroad West 37th Street Freight Station - Pier 77 & 78 |
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Over the ensuing few decades, livestock boats and the associated extra handling of said livestock (unloading from railroad car in New Jersey, loading upon stock boat, ferriage across the river, unloading at Manhattan), fell out of favor, and livestock increasingly came into Manhattan in stock cars via the West Side Freight Line and directly from points from the Midwest and north. Once in Manhattan, the livestock cars were switched into or directly adjacent to the pens, which in the case of West 39th through West 41st Street, were adjacent to the slaughterhouse.
After slaughtering; the sides of beef, hogs and such; were transported to the Meatpacking District at Gansevoort Street for butchering, packing and shipping, as well as direct wholesale and retail sales.
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Transporting livestock by rail was effected by the use of "stock cars", and use of these cars was laborious. Cattle cars were single floor level, but hogs and sheep could be loaded into two or even three level cars for increased capacity. Obviously, they needed men to load and unload the livestock. But there was also the Twenty-Eight Hour Law. This law dictated that if livestock are being transported for longer than 28 consecutive hours, they must be offloaded for at least 5 consecutive hours to get feed, water, and rest. This law was originally passed on March 3, 1873. The law was then repealed and reenacted in 1906; and again in 1994 to set humane standards for the transportation of livestock, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has jurisdiction and enforces this regulation. If weather or any other type of incident caused blockage of the route and as a result delayed the train carrying livestock; special arrangements had to be made. Therefore, this added considerably to transportation costs, as well as time involved. |
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| Meat Packers | |
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For already butchered and dressed beef, veal and pork that was
coming
into the New York Metropolitan area from Midwest processors, these were shipped in refrigerator cars or
"reefers." These cars were constructed of wood with double walls, and these walls were filled with and insulated by, sawdust. "Refrigeration" was provided by blocks of ice loaded through hatches on the roof at the end of the cars and covered in salt. As the ice melted, it dripped out the bottom. These were, essentially; big oversized iceboxes on wheels. Despite the insulation, for those "reefers" traveling long distances required stopping and inspection at icing platforms at selected locations to be re-iced if necessary. Almost every major railroad yard had icing facilities. Before mechanical ice making plants, natural ice was cut from frozen ponds and lakes during the winter months, and stored in icehouses. The rest of the year, ice was drawn, from the ice house, brought to the icing platform for use. Most of the railroads in the Northeast had them. A rather quick but concise webpage has the details. Naturally, hot summer time transport required more stops for icing, while transport in the cooler months required less. Once mechanical ice making equipment was perfected, natural ice harvesting was no longer necessary. "Company" cars were owned by the meat company, such as Swift, Morrell, Cudahy, et al; and carried their advertising on the sides, which could be very ornate. As such, they were also known as "Billboard Reefers." These were usually only used by the respective company for transport of their own goods. There were also "Leaser" reefer cars, belonging to a pool of cars owned by a leasing company or a railroad, which could be leased to any firm. It should be noted that these cars could also be heated with portable charcoal or alcohol fueled heaters, to keep fresh fruit and potatoes warm during the winter months. |
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Finally, in the evolution of perishable transport, we arrive at
the mechanical refrigerator car. This car was developed by the 1950's. With the advent of the compact mechanical refrigeration units, railcars were were now constructed with built in refrigeration units, and could travel hundreds to thousands of miles with minimal intervention. These are known as the "mechanical reefer." This is the only surviving method of perishable transport in the present day. So in short, the process was this:
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West 36th Street to West 30th Street & Twelfth through Tenth Avenues - Freighthouses, Transfer Platforms and Yard Complexes
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It should be noted, that when the properties were first organized and opened for operation, the West 36th and West 30-34th Street Freight Yards were in fact two separate yards operated by two separate railroads, and were physically divided by West 35th Street. The reason for this, was the West 36th Street Yard was originally owned and operated by the New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railroad; which was a competitor to the New York Central & Hudson River. This West 36th Street Station also shared operations with the New York, Ontario & Western Railway, as the NYO&W and the NYWS&B were corporately intermingled. With William Vanderbilt's acquisition of the NYWS&B in 1885, the NYWS&B railroad was renamed the West Shore RR and its property became a subsidiary operation to the New York Central & Hudson River. With this, connecting trackage was installed between the two yards, and despite being listed as two separate yards, it did in actuality became one large yard. |
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In 1914, all of the eleven subsidiary operations were merged with the New York Central & Hudson River RR, to be called "New York Central Lines".
In 1935, this name was changed to the "New York Central System".
Eleventh Avenue and West 36th Street looking southwest - July 24, 1937
Construction of Eleventh Avenue Viaduct over yards, as well as underpinning R. H. Macy warehouse for subgrade / tunnel to West 60th Street
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
Eleventh Avenue and West 35th Street looking south at West 34th Street ramps - June 25, 1937
Construction of Eleventh Avenue Viaduct over yards. Taken from the roof of the R. H. Macy warehouse.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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looking east from
midblock between Twelfth and Eleventh Avenues at West 35th Street
(left) to West 34th Street (right) - June 25, 1937
Construction of Eleventh Avenue Viaduct over yards, as well as underpinning old R. H. Macy Warehouse building for subgrade / tunnel to West 60th Street.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
Around 1954, the block bounded by Twelfth and Eleventh Avenues, West 36th Street and West 37th Streets, formerly occupied by Universal Carloading was redeveloped into a direct truck-railcar Less Than Carload "LCL" transfer facility. With tractor-trailers taking up more and more of the market as well as more space than the "straight job" truck (cab and cargo box on single chassis), it was necessary to offer a space and service where these trucks could be backed in, and unloaded directly to or loaded from boxcars.
 West 36th Street - new Less Than Carloard "LCL" freight transfer platform -May 11, 1954 West 36th Street to left, West 37th Street to right, looking west. New York Central System Historical Society Digital Archives - Image ID WR54169 added 01 May 2026 |
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 West 36th Street - new Less Than Carloard "LCL" freight transfer platform - May 11,1954 West 36th Street to left, West 37th Street to right, looking east. New York Central System Historical Society Digital Archives - Image ID WR54171 added 01 May 2026 |
 West 36th Street - new Less Than Carloard "LCL" freight transfer platform - May 11,1954 photographer standing on West 36th Street looking northwest. New York Central System Historical Society Digital Archives - Image ID WR54170 added 01 May 2026 |
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Twelfth Avenue and West 35th Street looking north, prior to paving - October 26, 1930
PRR gas-electric switcher at West 37th Street.
This is now Route 9A, with Javits Center to right, Pier 78 to left.
Library of Congress
added 15 August 2025
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West 35th Street Team Tracks - December 9, 1947
Following the completion West Side Improvement Projects, the various yards were reconstructed.
Here we are looking east-northeast from mid
block between Twelfth Avenue and Eleventh Avenues, at the "new"
facilities of West 35th Street Yard: team tracks, and the Eleventh
Avenue Viaduct.
With
the ever growing size of commercial trucks, ever wider driveways were
needed. Driveways made of poured concrete instead of packed dirt or
Belgian block were the order of the new era.
The train with CRRNJ and Great Northern boxcars is on the incline up to the High Line Trestle.
New York Central System Historical Society Digital archives - Image ID WR380322
added 01 May 2026
West 35th Street Team Tracks - December 9, 1947
The photographer of the image above, having moved a little more east,
is now looking northwest. The handrail of the incline up to the High
Line can be seen,
as well as the ventilation shaft of the Lincoln Tunnel at Twelfth Avenue and West 37th Street.
New York Central System Historical Society Digital archives - Image ID WR390295
added 01 May 2026
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Taken from the roof of the building at the southwest corner of West
37th Street and Eleventh Avenue looking south-southwest - 1/22/1953
West 34th Street ramp mid-image
New York Central System Historical Society Digital archives - Image ID WR52016
added 01 May 2026
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West 34th Street
looking north along west side of Eleventh Avenue and West 34th Street - July 9, 1932
NYC Tri-Power #1532 with baggage and passenger cars.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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looking south along east side of Eleventh Avenue and West 34th Street - no date (but High Line trestle is built)
NYC Tri-Power #1555 with railway express cars.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo.
added 19 August 2025
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Eleventh Avenue and West 36th Street (left) to West 34th Street (right) looking east-southeast - July 24, 1937
Construction of Eleventh Avenue Viaduct over yards, as well as underpinning R. H. Macy Warehouse building for subgrade / tunnel to West 60th Street
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
looking north east along Eleventh Avenue at West 34th Street - August 12, 1936
Construction of Eleventh Avenue Viaduct over yards, as well as underpinning building for subgrade / tunnel to West 60th Street
old R. H. Macy Warehouse.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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West 33rd Street - Transfer Bridges
In addition to the three transfer bridges located at West 72nd Street; the New York Central also had another pair of transfer bridges located between Piers 73 and 72 at the foot of West 33rd Street; of which trackage was connected directly to the freight yards and terminal at West 36th through West 30th Streets.
It has not been ascertained as to what date this pair of transfer bridges were constructed. They are listed in the 1916 Department of Commerce - Ports of the United States and are listed in the 1932 Port of New York, V2. Due to the wood enclosed gantry style of construction, it is estimated these transfer bridges were constructed ca. 1885-1890. There is conflicting information regarding dates of use: the accounting in Joint Report with Comprehensive Plan of 1920, these bridges were not in use. P. L. Sperr images of the area show carfloats at the bridges in 1929, and devoid of carfloats in 1930.
These transfer bridges would however be the first transfer bridges located in Manhattan to shut down by New York Central. I would presume them to have been torn down in conjunction with the construction of the West Side Highway. Referencing the 1942 edition of the Army Corps of Engineers Port and Terminal Facilities and Terminals, the transfer bridges are no longer extent; whereas the transfer bridges north at the West 60th Street Yard would remain in service until 1968.
Furthermore, is should be noted these bridges were not utilized for direct carfloat / freight traffic between New Jersey and New York (as the transfer bridges located at West 72nd were). These transfer bridges were utilized for the New York Central Railroad West 33 Freight Station to Barclay Street Pier carfloat traffic.
Freight cars for Barclay Street Station, would arrive at West 72nd Street Transfer Bridges or directly by train into the West 60th Street Yard. These cars would be grouped together and forwarded by street railroad operations to the West 30-36th Street Yards. Here, they would resorted if necessary; then they would be loaded upon station carfloats (two tracks with center platform) via the West 33rd Street transfer bridges and towed by tugboat to be placed at the pier at Barclay Street, of which was an "inbound only" freight station. After the freight cars were unloaded, the carfloat with empty cars would be brought back to the West 33rd Street transfer bridges; the freight cars brought off the carfloat and into the yards, loaded with freight if applicable and classified as to final destination (Albany, Buffalo, Chicago etc), then brought by train via street running to the West 60th Street Yard, where the cars were to be blocked (assembled) into the appropriate northbound / westbound train.
This may appear like duplicitous handing, but this was in fact the way it was done. We see the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal had a similar method of sorting and forwarding: all freight was brought first to Kent Avenue Yard, with freight cars unloaded from the carfloats and brought into the yard, then those car destined for the Brooklyn Navy Yard or Pidgeon Street, were blocked together then reloaded upon a carfloat with either all Navy Yard or all Pidgeon Street freight traffic. There was no direct traffic from other railroad terminals or locations to Navy Yard or Pidgeon Street - all freight had to go through Kent Avenue first.
As such, is the same for carfloat traffic out of these West 33rd Street transfer bridges.
Looking east from Hudson River at
West Side, Manhattan, NY - 1929
From left to right: Pier 74 with Lehigh Valley covered barge, Pier 73, West 33rd Street Transfer Bridges, Pier 72
P. L. Sperr photo
NYPL Digital Collection Image ID 734673F
added 05
April 2024
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Looking west at Hudson River at
West Side, Manhattan, NY - December 20, 1930
West 33rd Street Transfer Bridges with Pier 73 to and Pier 74 to right.
P.L. Sperr photo
NYPL Digital Collection ID 712072F
cropped and annotated by author
added 28 April 2026
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West 33th Street - 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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| Freight transfer at the West 33rd Street Freight Station - January 22, 1953 New York Central System Historical Society Digital Archives - Image ID: WR52012, WR52011, WR52010 added 01 May 2026 |
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I found this particular image taken by Ewing
Galloway, important to include here, because while the P. L. Sperr
images are taken ground level, and (mostly) contain surface detail,
they do not show the overall layout of the yards to the piers, and
especially so, prior to the West Side Improvement reconstruction taking
place.
from Tenth Avenue and West 31th Street (looking west) - 1929
Note how the boxcars to the left (south) of the west / northbound
freighthouse are aligned and no driveways for team loading are
present.
Since boxcar lengths of the era was almost always of uniform length
(either 36 or 40 feet) boxcar doors were lined up to those on adjacent
tracks and once the doors were open,
"bridge plates" (also known as "dock plates") were used to join boxcars
from one track to the next; and to allow hand trucks and electric or
gasoline mules
(tractors with small trailers) to access boxcars on parallel tracks
away from the freighthouse platform. Compare this image to the April 1966 image a few chapters below.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
E. Galloway photo
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Bridge plates shown in yellow.
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 looking southwest |
 looking northeast |
West 31 - 30th Street - under Eleventh Avenue Viaduct - May 7, 1954
This structure is credited to being a meat platform, and is located
directly under the Eleventh Avenue Viaduct between West 31st and
West 30th Streets
What is particularly interesting is the installation of ground level
third rail! This location should correlate to tracks 215 and 217 in the
New York Central RR Siding Location Chart - 1947
Sheet 130 - West 18th Street to West 60th Street.
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Tenth Avenue and West 29th and West 30th Street - Milk Sheds
Located between West 30th Street and West 29th Street Ninth and Tenth Avenues, were the Milk Sheds. These milk sheds are often and very aggrevatingly misidentified as passenger platforms in various Facebook Groups. They would be razed in 1929 for the construction of the Morgan Parcel Post Building.
These milk sheds were long roofed platforms, and the west ends were curved to accommodate the trackage entering diagonally from the yards between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues. These platforms were dedicated for the use of unloading full milk cans and crates of dairy products (cheese, cream, etc.) from reefer cars, and usually specially marked "MILK". These cars were also known as "can cars."
The milk was then transported to bottlers where it was sold to the public or sent to schools and institutions. Empty milk cans were returned to the platform in the evenings, loaded into the milk cars and brought back to the dairy farms in Upstate New York for reuse.
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Out of all the railroads entering the New York area, the New York Central RR carried the greatest share of milk. Obviously, the benefit of bringing it directly into Manhattan was a significant factor for this. There were three milk stations that were served by the West Side Line:
Borden's had a plant at 615 West 131st Street (beginning 1937), and Sheffield had three: 632 West 125th Street, 524 West 57th Street, 529 West 28th Street. |
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Referencing the platforms seen in the images, I shall discuss these at length in the chapter "Those Platforms"
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milkshed images: New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photos milkcan: eBay Milk
cans were usually embossed with the name of the farm "Elgin" (of the
Catskills), or the cooperative that the farm belonged to
Dairyman's League (DairyLea) or the dairy company: Crowley, Sheffield, Queensboro, etc Painted numbers were used to track the can and either painted letters or embossed tags for the railroad which carried it and the milepost that can was dropped off and received from. U&D - 51 (Ulster & Delaware MP51 - Kelly Corners) O&W - New York Ontario & Western Rwy NYC - New York Central, etc. Ergo, this can is marked NYC, for New York Central. |
| Here we see milk men with horsedrawn wagons (and a very primitive internal combustion powered truck!) lining up. By Spring of 1931, these milksheds will be razed and the property developed into the US Parcel Post Building. |
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Transportation via the milk cans above was the first era of milk transport. During the mid 1920's; a less labor intensive and more economical way method of transport was developed. This was the express milk tank car. The end of one can be seen in the top left image above. From outward appearances, it looked like a non-descript elongated box car or perhaps a railway express car. But internally, it was revolutionary. The interior contained two glass lined tanks of two to three thousand gallon capacity. These cars also incorporated a brine refrigeration system (instead of manually loaded blocks of ice); and a motorized system of paddles in the tanks to keep the butterfat from separating from the milk. Not only were these two tanks easier to clean and sterilize (than the many individual cans), it also reduced the amount of labor needed for transport of milk. All that was required was one, maybe two men; and hoses from the trackside dairy tanks to the car, to fill the tanks. At the bottlers, the same. The small armies of husky men to unload the thousands of milk cans at the destinations were no longer required. Neither were the milk sheds taking up vast amounts of space. |
| Following
both the advent of the express milk tank cars and the relocation of
rail traffic to the sub-grade cut between West 60th and West 36th
Street, the milk platforms at West 29th Street were demolished and new
ones constructed at the southeast corner of the West 60th Street Yard.
Following shortly thereafter the construction of the sub-grade cut in 1937, Sheffield Farms built a new processing plant directly next to the this cut at West 57th Street, and a dedicated rail siding constructed just to service this facility. Construction of this siding can be seen in the June 30, 1937 image. This new Sheffield facility consolidated the operations of their three older and smaller pre-existing processing plants located in Manhattan:
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Tenth Avenue & West 24th Street
NYC #444 [0-6-0, ALCo 1905] heading south on Tenth Avenue at West 24th Street - March 12, 1929
This is a rarer photo than one would suppose - the general policy of
the New York Central freight operations in Manhattan was that the use
of locomotives with tenders
were avoided south of West 30th Street Yard.
New York Public Library Digital Archives Image ID:710499B
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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Tenth Avenue & West 21th Street
Church of Guardian Angels
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West 21st Street and Tenth Avenue (looking west) - July 7, 1931
Church of Guardian Angels. In less than two years, the High Line will be built behind the church. New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
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Tenth Avenue & West 17th Street - Fresh Produce Yard Team Tracks
United States Trucking Corp.; B & J Auto Spring
 Tenth Avenue & West 17th Street (looking northwest) - April 2, 1929
United States Trucking Corp. New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
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 Tenth Avenue & West 17th Street (looking northwest) - May 27, 1930 New York Public Library Digital Archives United States Trucking Corp. P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
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 Tenth Avenue & West 17th Street (looking east-southeast) - July 16, 1932
New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
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Tenth Avenue & West 17th Street (looking east) - July 16, 1932 Looking east from Eleventh Avenue. B&J Auto Spring on Tenth Avenue. New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
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 NYC #1534 coming onto on Tenth Avenue from the West 17th Yard Looking northwest. United States Trucking Corp. New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
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 NYC #1532 coming north on Tenth Avenue, #1534 waiting to pull onto Tenth Avenue from the West 17th Yard (looking south) New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
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 From Eleventh Avenue and West 16th Street - April 2, 1929 United States Trucking Corp. (looking northeast) New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
Tenth Avenue & West 14th Street - Uneeda Biscuit / Uneeda Bakers (Nabisco)
Tenth Avenue & West 14th Street (looking north) - July 24, 1924 pre-High Line New York Public Library Digital Archives Standard Photographic Service Borough President of Manhattan added 19 August 2025 |
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 Tenth Avenue & West 14th Street (looking north) - October 1, 1928
pre-High Line NYC #1897 (Lima Shay) New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
 West Street (Twelfth Avenue) & Gansevoort Street (looking north) - April 31, 1929 northbound Shay type locomotive New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
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 West Street (Twelfth Avenue) & Gansevoort Street (looking north) - April 31, 1929 Shay type locomotive shoving refrigerator cars in front of meat packers. Believed to have been taken from roof of Manhattan Refrigerating Co. New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 19 August 2025 |
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 West Street (Twelfth Avenue) & Gansevoort Street (looking north) - April 31, 1929 Shay type locomotive running light. Believed to have been taken from roof of Manhattan Refrigerating Co. New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 15 August 2025 |
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 West Street (Twelfth Avenue) & Gansevoort Street (looking north) - April 2, 1929 Shay type locomotive running light. Taken from street level in front of restaurant in above photos. New York Public Library Digital Archives P. L. Sperr photo added 15 August 2025 |
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 West Street (Twelfth Avenue) & Horatio Street - ca. 1915 Looking east at Manhattan Refrigerating Company / David Mayer. added 15 August 2025 . . It is worth mentioning that the Meat Packing District's webpage on Manhattan Refrigeration is in error. It states:
"Artificial refrigeration and refrigerated trucking fueled the growth of the meatpacking business to an industrial and national scale. In the Meatpacking District, this was best exemplified by the Manhattan Refrigeration Company, which began operating in the neighborhood in 1898. The company built a massive complex that eventually included 9 buildings bounded by Horatio, Washington, West, and Gansevoort Streets. The complex was fueled by a central power station that delivered cooled air through underground refrigeration conduits to cold storage warehouses within an 18-block radius. These refrigerated buildings were not chilled by "cooled air" through street conduits, it was chilled salt water or brine that was pumped through the conduits. It was only inside of these buildings, that the chilled brine was passed through an evaporator where it chilled the air in that particular room or set of rooms. Basic thermodynamics clearly states chilled liquids will retain temperature better than chilled gases over distance. Chilled air (a gas) is not efficient for traveling distances as chilled liquids (salt water). A brine system uses a chilled liquid (salt water / brine) as a secondary refrigerant to transfer thermal energy from a target area (the freezer rooms) to a primary refrigeration system. The brine circulates in a closed loop to provide reliable cooling, especially for industrial applications that require temperatures below freezing. Thermodynamic principles: The brine cooling system operates on the principles of the vapor-compression refrigeration cycle, but with an intermediate step involving the brine.
Additionally, several City of New York documents state the Manhattan Refrigeration Co. (as well as others) paid a yearly fee for the placement of conduits to both draw salt water from the North (Hudson) River, was well as to pump chilled saltwater to the various buildings under the streets, and the New Washington Street Market. Many ice rinks use this system, where chilled brines is pumped through pipes cast in a concrete base, and where water is placed on top, to freeze. This may be trivial, but accuracy in history is paramount to a historian. |
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 Tenth Avenue and West 14th Street - looking southeast - 1911 Morris & Company; Conron Bros. & Co; Commission Merchants; Swift & Co. 34 - 32 Tenth Avenue; Geo. Hotchkiss & Co 30-28 Tenth Avenue, Strauch Bros. Piano Actions added 15 August 2025 |
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 Tenth Avenue and West 13th Street - looking southeast Swift & Co. 34 - 32 Tenth Avenue; Geo. Hotchkiss & Co 30-28 Tenth Avenue, Strauch Bros. Piano Actions added 15 August 2025 |
 Locomotive on Canal Street turning right onto Hudson Street - unknown date Looking west. added 15 August 2025 |
| . . Old St. John's Park Terminal (first): 1868 - 1927
Located in Port of New York Terminal Facilities, by Gratz
Mordecai, 1885 is this diagram of the old St. John Park Terminal, as well as particulars to its design and operation. 
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 Hudson Street and Beach Street looking north - ca. 1920 St John's Park Terminal out of view right edge This is an interesting image for it shows portable ramps and platforms used for loading / unloading of boxcars on street trackage, thereby making them impromptu team tracks. added 15 August 2025 |
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 St.Johns Park Terminal - 1890 0-4-0T Dummy with crew posing on Hudson Street (looking southeast) Stereoview Card added 15 August 2025 |
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 St.Johns Park Terminal - undated Hudson Street (looking northeast) added 15 August 2025 |
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 St.Johns Park Terminal - 1910 Hudson Street (looking northeast) New York Municipal Archives added 15 August 2025 |
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 St.Johns Park Terminal - 1911 Hudson Street (looking northeast) Emil Stopff photo New York Municipal Archives added 15 August 2025 |
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Little known (or remembered) to the general public
(and to be very frank, to myself as well until now), but there was
in fact limited passenger service offered on the West Side Line through
circa 1933. This service was unofficially known as the "Dolly Varden." It appears that most short passenger runs on branch lines were referred to as a "Dolly Varden" and research revealed that many trains of this type on different railroads throughout the world where they are called "Dolly Varden". "Dolly Varden," was a character in Charles Dickens' "Barnaby Rudge." Upon its opening in 1871, you would think almost all local and long distance New York Central and Hudson River Railroad passenger service would have been consolidated to the Grand Central Depot located at East 42nd Street and Fourth Avenue. While it has not been documented as to the reason why; it is shown that passenger service was retained on the West Side Line to provide those employees, whether those working for the railroad or employed by those industries located along the line; with some form of convenient service. |
In
the September 2007 issue of Trains Magazine, it is mentioned in regard
to West Side passenger service, the following train running in 1934 on
the 30th Street Branch had this schedule:
Note that a passing time for West 60th Street, not a depart time. These other stops at West 130th Street, West 152nd, Fort Washington and Inwood may have been relegate to flag stops after this date. Never the less, with the West Side route terminating at the Spuyten Duyvil Station on the Hudson Line, would allow passengers to go further north, or to go further south to stations in the Bronx and if desired, transfer to either the Putnam Line or the Harlem Line, or even the East Side of Manhattan. From what little can be discerned about this service on the West Side, the passenger service was interrupted temporarily from about 1917-1918 by the US Railroad Administration during and shortly following World War 1. |
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| November 12, 1906 - northbound at West 145th Street Another variant (non-pocketing) of the "monocle" type. Does not appear to be illuminated either (no light housing). The brick and stone structure is part of Riverside Park; and unrelated to railroad. |
March 28, 1906 - West 152th Street - northbound |
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| October 20, 1907 - West 152rd Street northbound and southbound flag stop signals In this image we see an non-illuminated semaphore blade (no lenses, no light housing) to the left (in photo, in actuality to the right) of the Hall Automatic Signals on the northbound track. A rope and pulley system (very similar to a clothes line!) can be seen in the image. Also circled is a high mounted (to the shanty eave) dwarf semaphore, which would be used for southbound passengers. |
1908 - West 152nd Street - looking south |
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 not heater cars - snow sweepers! |
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 Clearly a coach bringing up the rear. |
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I suppose, the existence of this service should not have come to
me as great a shock as it did,
because I have seen an image of a New York Central passenger train in
the streets. I, sadly to say; wrote this off as a special or excursion.
As my specialty is freight operations, I just did not put two and two
together. But with thanks to this ETT and research on both the part of other historians and now myself, proves there was in fact limited First Class passenger service between Spuyten Duyvil and West 30th Street Terminal twice a day, in both directions: For the northern direction (timetable direction westward) there was:
For southbound service (timetable direction eastward) you had:
To be perfectly clear, passenger service ended at West 30th Street Terminal. There was no passenger service south of West 30th Street or on the High Line. Anyone with this or other issues of timetable that show 30th Street Branch, please get in touch with me. Also this ETT specifies milk trains from the following: Rutland, Mohawk, Harlem, Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg, Rensselaer & Saratoga, Delaware & Hudson, and Mohawk & Malone. I *think* R&P is Rome & Potsdam. Additional ETT's may be viewed in their chapter: Employee Time Tables & Train Symbols |
 June 26, 1921 |
My reasoning for this is simple. The platforms shown in the images are "high level" (or elevated) platforms. The former West 30th Street Station is located parallel to the northernmost high level platform, but is not connected to it, or to any of the other platforms for that matter.
This means, passengers would have to walk out of the Depot Building on West 30st Street, turn left and walk half a block west to Tenth Avenue, turn south and cross the tracks, then climb the six or seven stair / steps at the end of the platform as seen in the above images.
Careful reference to those images, shows the Ninth Avenue end of platforms also appear to have been not connected with a "head house". Likewise, any platform to platform changes would also require walking to the extreme ends of the platform, climbing down the six or seven steps (note - no handrails!), crossing the tracks, then climbing back up the steps on the adjacent platform.
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 repository unknown, date unknown - ca.1925? Irving Underhill image via Sahib Akhundzadeh |
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Those steps. No handrails, narrow and steep. Not conducive for passenger use, especially carrying baggage. |
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In the drawing of Lincoln's train departing West 30th Street seen at right, the
curvature of the tracks is apparent, but note: there are no platforms. As such, following the relocation of those long distance passenger trains to Grand Central Depot; the West 30th Street Yard was, for the most part almost exclusively a freight terminal, yet keeping in mind the twice daily arrival and departure of the local "Dolly Varden" passenger service between West 30th Street and Spuyten Duyvil. For this, the passenger train would have arrived and departed from the depot platform. Also note the placement of a run-around switch for the locomotive to change ends (without one, it would be trapped at the end of this dead end track without a means for escape), and also note the difference in height between the depot platform and the milk platform. |
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 looking west along West 30th Street from Tenth Avenue towards Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues - October 26, 1932 George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
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 looking east-southeast at Morgan Parcel Post Building at intersection of West 30th Street and Tenth Avenue - October 26, 1932 George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
| . . And nine days later.... |
 looking west-southwest at Morgan Parcel Post Building at intersection of West 30th Street and Tenth Avenue - November 4, 1932 George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
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 looking east along West 30th Street, mid block between Eleventh and Tenth Avenues. Morgan Parcel Post Building on right edge - November 20, 1932 George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
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 looking east along West 30th Street from mid-block between Twelfth and Eleventh Avenues, atop the High Line Elevated under construction - December 13, 1932 George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
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 looking east along West 30th Street from mid-block between Eleventh and Tenth Avenues, atop the High Line Elevated under construction; Morgan Parcel Post Building right edge - December 13, 1932 George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
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 looking north-northwest along Twelfth Avenues, High Line Elevated under construction (West Side Highway behind) - December 13, 1932 George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
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 looking east along West 30th Street from Twelfth Avenue, High Line Elevated under construction (West Side Highway behind) - December 13, 1932 George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
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 looking southwest from corner of Eleventh Avenue and West 30th Street, High Line Elevated under construction - June 3, 1933 Erie Railroad West 28th Street Freight Station and Starrett-Lehigh Building under trestle George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
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 looking west along West 30th Street from Tenth Avenue at Eleventh Avenue, High Line Elevated under construction (West Side Highway in distance) - June 3, 1932 George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
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 looking southeast at corner of Morgan Parcel Post Building under photographer is intersection of Tenth Avenue (left to right) and West 30th Street (upper left corner to lower right corner) - June 30, 1932 George B. Fuller Company construction images New York Public Library Digital Archives added 11 October 2025 |
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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
portion of the ramp would be demolished in 1980 and a new ramp built one block south at West 34th
Street to accommodate the construction
of the Jacob Javits Convention
Center and in the hopes that the High Line would remain in service.
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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The beginning of the High Line looking southwest from West 35th Street- ca. 1957
Looking south-southwest from
West 35th Street and Eleventh Avenue through West 30th Street and Twelfth Avenue.
Library of Congress
added 15 August 2025
Eleventh Avenue and West 29th Street looking north at High Line trestle and West 30th Street - August 25, 1940
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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United States Post Office Department - Morgan General Mail Facility - "Parcel Post Building"
Beginning in 1930, there came about a major reconstruction of the West 30th Street Yards in response to the West Side Improvement Project, to which the long planned High Line would see construction.
Part of this reconstruction involved the block bounded by Ninth and Tenth Avenues, West 30th and West 29th Streets, with the milk sheds being demolished and the site redeveloped.
On this spot, the US Postal Office Department (currently known as the US Postal Service) had constructed their Morgan General Mail Facility, better known as the Parcel Post Building. Designed by James A. Wetmore, the acting supervising architect of the Public Works Branch of the United States Treasury Department; this ten story building would provide 2.2 million square feet. This edifice would be designed to incorporated direct rail service.
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excavation of lot for General Mail Facility / Parcel Post Building (looking west-northwest) - April 9, 1931
Formerly occupied by the West 30th Street Depot and Milk Shed platforms.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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Construction of General Mail Facility / Parcel Post Building looking east-southeast - June 2, 1931
General Mail Facility at West 30th Street and Tenth Avenue under construction. Ninth Avenue Elevated in background.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
June 30, 1933
Rail spur into General Mail Facility at West 30th Street and Tenth Avenue under construction.
note extra length ties every sixth for third rail supports.
added 19 August 2025
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When the High Line was built, the "main line" for downtown Manhattan including the Meat Packing District and St. Johns Park Terminal turned south just prior to Tenth Avenue. However a short two track spur continued east and diagonally crossed Tenth Avenue and entered the Parcel Post Building. Here the two tracks split into to three pairs of two tracks each between high level platforms.
One of the unique features of this location, was the tracks were inclined within the building at .026% up from Tenth Avenue to Ninth Avenue. This might have been done to assist the train rolling back towards the yard, or possibly to move cars within the building without the need for a locomotive.
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Dedicated trains from all points of the United States and carrying mail for the New York metropolitan area; eventually were routed to and came south on the West Side Line, which were then switched directly into the upper level by being shoved into the Parcel Post Building.
Tenth Avenue and West 29th Street looking northeast. Tri-Power
locomotive on High Line branch outside the doors of Parcel Post
Building.
West Side Improvement Project Brochure - June 28, 1934
added 19 August 2025
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Tenth Avenue and West 29th Street (looking north) - May 30, 1934.
Morgan Parcel Post Building on right, with High Line access.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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In 1967, the Morgan Building suffered a huge and devastating fire putting it out of commission. Unrelated, the US Postal Service further discontinued transporting mail on seven of their eight remaining routes by rail on April 30, 1971. With the High Line being severed in 1980 for construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center, rail service ended for the entire High Line.
| 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. However, reference to this Spring Street Terminal is hardly encountered, with almost all railroad references calling it the St. John's Park Freight 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. It would be built on 311 caissons reaching down to bedrock, in case of expansion. 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. |
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 Tenth Avenue at West 17th Street. Building is 101 Tenth Avenue with High Line trestle right center. Note: third rail shoes on the truck of the locomotive. Location marker 11 in High Line Map below |
 Tenth Avenue at West 17th Street. Building is 101 Tenth Avenue with High Line trestle right center. Note: third rail shoes on the truck of the locomotive. Location marker 11 in High Line Map below |
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 Tenth Avenue at West 17th Street. Building is 101 Tenth Avenue with High Line trestle right center. Note: third rail shoes on the truck of the locomotive. Location marker 11 in High Line Map below |
 Tenth Avenue at intersection of West 26th Street looking south. The white building is 259 Tenth Avenue - R. C. Williams (wholesale groceries) warehouse. Location marker 10 in High Line Map below |
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 Taken from the High Line Trestle lead into the Parcel Post Building at West 30th Street looking southerly towards West 29th Street. |
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| One of the topics of frequent
discussion, is whether the entire High Line from St. John's Park Terminal to West 35th Street was electrified territory
(meaning being equipped with third rail for powering those locomotives the could be powered by it - the Tri-Powers)
or was third rail only installed in certain sections? First, we must discuss the type of locomotives owned by the New York Central that were used on the High Line and that could receive third rail power. The New York Central RR had several types of third rail powered "straight electric" locomotives for both passenger and freight use, and for both yard switching and road service. We also know at first, the New York Central RR tracks with third rail existed between Spuyten Duyvil and West 72nd Street. However, New York Central also announced during the West Side Improvement phase, that all switching south of West 72nd Street was to be done with DES class locomotives. (Dawn of the Diesel Age, Kirkland, p.128) The West Side Improvement booklet published by New York Central, is a little more specific:
For this West 72nd Street to West 36th Street section of the main line, locomotives consisting of the New York Central Q and R2 "straight electric" classes were used in addition to the Tri-Powers. But neither the Q or R2 types of locomotives had internal battery power or diesel-electric power, therefore they could not be used south of West 30th Street, because it was here that the third rail ended. |
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Ironically,
the Q, R and R2, (and the S, and T classes) had small pantographs
mounted on the roof of the cab or on top of the hoods
of the locomotives (this pantograph can be seen directly behind the
headlight on #333 at left. These small pantographs would contact an
overhead third
rail mounted to the roof of the Park Avenue Tunnel or the ceiling over
the tracks of Grand Central Terminal, so as to power the locomotives
through switch gaps. The High Line and the sub-grade cut between West 60th and West 36th Streets had no such installations. Therefore the only types of locomotives that could both run on the third rail powered section as well as the un-powered sections, were the DES-2 and DES-3 classes, the "Tri-Powers". Only these were third rail capable, battery power and of course, diesel-electric power. We do know the Q class (steeplecab), the R class (double boxcab) and the R2 class (single boxcab) were geared for, and led freight trains commencing in 1926. The straight electrics could go north from West 72nd Street to Spuyten Duyvil, then farther north to Croton-Harmon Yard, or turn east and south along the Harlem River to Highbridge, the Bronx Terminal Market or Mott Haven Yards. Predating the Q, R and R2 class freight locomotives, were the now famous S & T Motors. Again, these were external electric powered. The S was designed for moderate to high speed passenger service as well as switching in Grand Central Terminal, and the T class for road use. Again, neither had internal battery power, therefore they could not operate on un-powered right of way in the yards, along the High Line or in the industries. With this explained, none of the straight electric locomotives could work south of West 30th Street, which was the southern-most point of uninterrupted third rail. And they would have had to stay on the main tracks. |
 High Line - parallel to West 30th Street, by Eleventh Avenue - April 1957 J. Shaughnessy image |
 High Line - parallel to West 30th Street, by Tenth Avenue - April 1963 WCPC collection |
| We do know
without a doubt that the open sub-grade cut from West 60th Street through
West 36th Street had third rail installed, following the West Side
Improvement project. I also believe, based on images; third rail power ended by crossover 185 (over West 28th Street) and seen in the map at right. Images of the High Line, south of West 29th Street through St. John's Park Terminal; do not show any signs of these extra long railroad ties being installed on the tracks. I shall state however, for the record; one image taken from the roof of Uneeda Biscuit factory, shows what might be a third rail on the siding track into the building. Third rail support shoes or brackets were installed on cross ties that were 10 feet in length, and about 2 feet longer than the standard cross tie lengths of 8 feet. These ties were installed at approximate intervals of every sixth tie, or about every 15 feet. We can see these extra long ties in the 1937 image at above right of the construction of the open subgrade cut between West 36th and West 60th Streets. Using these construction images dated 1933 through 1937; we see that the High Line incline ramp from West 35th Street up to the Morgan Parcel Post Building definitely had third rail installed, and was still installed as of 1957 as it is seen in the J. Shaugnessy image of 1957 above left. (It remains to be determined if it was still energized at this time.) However, by the April 1963 image from the WCPC collection seen above right; the extra long ties are still present, but the third rail is removed. But by this time, diesel-electric switching locomotives of various ratings were common place. Unfortunately, all copies of this particular image on the web, are small and compressed, and in trying to enlarge or zoom does not yield the resolution necessary to make a firm determination, and I have not yet located the repository in which the original image rests. It could simply be a shadow of the handrail. So, most things having been considered, it does not appear the third rail was installed along the entire length of the High Line, that only those locomotive types that were self powered: diesel-electric or battery; could have worked the unpowered portions of Freight Yards and the High Line; and the duration of third rail usage on the High Line was limited to West 35th Street to West 29th Street. It would not be until I located the following that I get a definitive answer. The official booklet published in 1934 by the New York Central RR, on the West Side Improvement. We now know where a great deal of the unattributed images on the web come from, and it also contains a great deal of information. |
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| electric operation to West 30th Street, switching and service south of West 30th Street by diesel electric. |
St. John's Park Freight Terminal | |
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| St. John's Park Freight Terminal |
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| electric operation to West 30th Street, switching and service south of West 30th Street by diesel electric, Elimination of 105 street crossings, discontinuance of steam locomotives, development of Riverside Park |
abandonment of old St. John's Park Freight Terminal opened in 1868 | Bell Telephone Laboratories at Bethune Street, Manhattan Refrigerating Company and direct siding |
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| Cudahy Packing Co. Armour & Co. Smith & Co. West 13th Street |
National Biscuit Co (Uneeda Bakers / Nabisco) - West 14th and 15th Streets |
Merchants Refrigerating Co - West 17th Street |
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| High Line Viaduct between West 17th Street and West 2th Street | R. C. Williams Building - 265 Tenth Avenue Spear & Co Warehouse Church of Guardian Angels |
Morgan Parcel Post Building - Tenth Avenue & West 30th Street |
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intentionally left blank |
| West 30th Street Yard | New York Stock Yards Co. - West 41st Street, Eleventh to Twelfth Avenues | |
Conrail declared enormous losses on its federal income tax returns from 1976 through 1982, resulting in an accumulated net operating loss of $2.2 billion during that period. Congress once again reacted with support by passing the Northeast Rail Service Act of 1981 (NERSA), which amended portions of the 3R Act by exempting Conrail from liability for any state taxes and requiring the Secretary of Transportation to make arrangements for the sale of the government's interest in Conrail. After NERSA was implemented, Conrail, under the aggressive leadership of L. Stanley Crane began to improve and reported taxable income between $2 million and $314 million each year from 1983 through 1986.
Conrail's government-funded rebuilding of the dilapidated infrastructure and rolling stock it inherited from its six predecessors succeeded by the end of the 1970s in improving the physical condition of tracks, locomotives and freight cars.
However, fundamental economic regulatory issues remained, and Conrail continued to post losses of as much as $1 million a day. Conrail management, recognizing the need for more regulatory freedoms to address the economic issues, were among the parties lobbying for what became the Staggers Act of 1980, which significantly loosened the Interstate Commerce Commission's rigid economic control of the rail industry. This allowed Conrail and other carriers the opportunity to become profitable and strengthen their finances.
The Staggers Act allowed the setting of rates that would recover capital and operating cost (fully allocated cost recovery) by each and every route mile the railroad operated. There would be no more cross-subsidization of costs between route-miles (that is, revenue on profitable route segments were not used to subsidize routes where rates were set at intermodal parity, yet still did recover fully allocated costs). Finally, where current and/or future traffic projections showed that profitable volumes of traffic would not return, the railroads were allowed to abandon those routes, shippers and passengers to other modes of transportation. Under the Staggers Act, railroads, including Conrail, were freed from the requirement to continue money-losing services.
   Duplicate Shipping Receipts for freight delivery from Troy, NY to St. Johns Park Freight Terminal; Manhattan, NY- 1883 Form 24 M. L. Filley J. E. Barwick, agent Wild Wood, Florida authors collection |
| Ordinances of the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonality of the City of New York | D. T. Valentine | 1859 |
| 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 | 1918 | |
| Joint Report with Comprehensive Plan | New York, New Jersey Port and Harbor Development Commission | 1920 |
| Water Terminal and Transfer Facilities for the First District of New York | US Government Printing Office | 1920 |
| The New York Central Electrification | General Electric | 1929 |
| 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 |
| The Wreck Of The Penn Central | Joseph R. Daughen & Peter Binzen; | 1971 |
| When the Steam Railroads Electrified | William D. Middleton | 1974 |
| Memories of New York Central Steam | Arnold Haas | 1980 |
| The Port of New York, Volume 1 and 2 | Carl W. Condit | 1981 |
| Dawn of the Diesel Age | John F. Kirkland | 1983 |
| Historic American Engineering Report NY-557A | Thomas R. Flagg & Gerald Weinstein | 2006 |
- Sahib Akhundzadeh
- Thomas R. Flagg
- Al Galanty
- Stephen Grande
- Terry Link / Canadian Southern website
- Richard Maudsley
- New York Central Railroad Fangroup on Facebook
- New York Central System Historical Society
- New York City Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS)
- New York City Municipal Archives
- New York Public Library Digital Collection
- New York Times digital archives
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