The High Line & the West Side: New York Central RR

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

New York Central & Hudson River / New York Central Railroad

Street & High Line Operations
West Side - Manhattan, NY

Preamble

As the author, it is imperative I explain to reader before anything else; that they must be kept in mind there was a period of time where operations in the street and those segregated from the street (the High Line and the sub-grade cut) per the West Side Improvement Project overlapped and took place simultaneously.

As the internet blogs and local history pages on the High Line and the surrounding neighborhood would have one believe, the opening of the High Line in 1934 eliminated street running of the freight train once and for all on the same day.

As I have stated before, and will state again: This is NOT the case. The High Line removed most of the street running freight traffic, but not all of it. It was the beginning of the end, but not THE end. If there were 30 trains / movements per day, than I say 24 were eliminated. The morning (possible afternoon) and evening movements of cars to the Fresh Produce Market at West 17th Street and Tenth Avenue still had to take place. And they would do so until March 1941. Years after the High Line and the sub-grade cut opened.

This also applied to the livestock cars from the West 30th-36th Street yards that still kept flowing along Eleventh Avenue to the New York Stock Yard Co, at West 41st Street between Twelfth and Eleventh Avenues as well. Even though the sub-grade cut opened to freight service in 1937 between the West 60th-72nd Street Yards and the West 36-30th Street Yards; street operations on Eleventh Avenue continued to the West 41st Street New York Stock Yards Stock House, until 1940 (when the wye and stub track was excavated and subsequently connecting the Stock House tracks to the sub-grade cut.)

And last but not least, street operations to the Terminal Stores Warehouse at West 27th Street, which was relocated from trackage on Eleventh Avenue to Twelfth Avenue, but in actually street operation was neither replaced by operation via the High Line or sub-grade cut, but was merely relocated to a more "industrial" and less pedestrian thoroughfare.

So, to put it succinctly; street operations did not "miraculously end" and was replaced with segregated operation. The street and segregated rail traffic co-existed at the same time for a duration of several years. If the date of the image is after 1929 yet before 1941 - then both street and segregated operations were taking place. The High Line (and likewise the sub-grade cut) were not the "miracle cure" some make it out to be. I cannot stress this enough.

This "end of" date is contrary to what most urban blogs will have you understand. "Death Avenue" didn't simply end when the High Line opened in 1933 - street operations continued until 1941, seven years after the High Line and the cut opened to service. Street operations on Eleventh Avenue didn't end when the sub-grade cut opened in 1937 - they ended in 1940.

It just isn't as simple as "here one day, gone the next".

Aside from that, it must also be kept in mind, that New York Central Railroad operations for certain locations were phased in, in parts; i.e.: the West 30-36th Street Yards were rebuilt right through the 1940's, while remaining open to operation. One part of the yard would be cordoned off, the track removed, the infrastructure re-constructed, then track re-laid into the new configuration and placed into service. Then the railroad and/or contractors would move to the next part. All the while, remaining portions of the yard remained in service.

So, for me the author to simply say to you, the reader; "Here is the West 33 Street yard before, and here it is after" is most difficult, and almost impossible for the sake of chronological continuity. Extenuating circumstances of operation dictated street operation to remain in effect, even after the stipulated agreements of the West Side Improvement Project took place.

As such, it is equally difficult to refer to some locations in the post-Improvement era, because they pre-date it, so on occasion and throughout this website you will find images and maps showing comparisons to both eras. This unfortunately duplicates some content of the chapters on Page 1, but this is necessary so you the reader will not have to flip between two pages for comparison.

Also, it is necessary to inform the reader, that the improvements and relocations of railroad property due to the construction of the West Side Highway / Miller Elevated Highway and the Henry Hudson Parkway; took place before the West Side Improvement Project was agreed upon. Therefore, images showing the reconstruction of the railroad due to the West Side Highway should not be considered part of the West Side Improvement Project, even though it came under a similar name.

And so it was very agonizing to decide in how to "break up the one massive page" - the original page 1 of this website. Maps and locomotives, yeah; they could go on their own page without really jeopardizing the continuity of the property history. With that, this page is organized in the following manner:

recap of West Side Improvement,
West Side Improvement approval process;
Phase 1: electrification of entire line as well as realignment and covering of the line north of West 72nd Street to West 153rd Street
Phase 2, part 1: construction of the High Line (northern part) West 35th to West 20th Streets
Phase 2, part 2: construction of the High Line (southern part) West 20th Street to the new St. John's Park Freight Terminal
Third Rail Territory: where was it?
Phase 3, excavation of sub-grade cut; West 36th Street to West 60th Street
Last Ride of the West Side Cowboy March 1941
Yard Revitalization & Facilities - West 60th to West 72nd Street
Yard Revitalization & Facilities - West 36th to West 30th Street
Last Ride of the West Side Cowboy
Pulling the Last Rail

So let it be written, so let it be done.

Philip M. Goldstein

Returning to the West Side Improvement Project(s) - Riverside Park: the battle rages on

As discussed on Page 1, the battle over West Side Improvements raged since before the turn of the century.

Riverside Park - 1925
Looking north from West 135th Street.
Brown Brothers image
courtesy of KermitProject.org
added 19 October 2025

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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, I took note in several of the articles of the moderation and willingness to negotiate of the part of the Central.

And as you will read for yourself, it was mostly the shenanigans and lack of unified jurisdiction and bureaucracy 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.

November 28, 1929
February 9, 1929 - First appraisals of grade crossing elimination work to be performed: $29,600,000 and a tentative agreement
	February 21, 1929 - Order to eliminate West Side crossings between St. John's Park Freight Terminal and West 155th Street. Costs now $30,700,000. $12,280,000 by the State of New York, $3,070,000 by the City of New york, and $15,350,000 by the New York Central Railroad. And the railroad approved these appraisals. . .

March 11, 1929 - William Bullock, director of City Affairs Bureau of the New York County Republican Committee; accuses the City Administration and the New York Central Railroad of a "land grab." Proof that opposition and delays were not always perpetrated by the railroad. . .	March 12, 1929 - Mayor Walker repudiates William Bullock's claim. Also, note last paragraph: "I am surprised at the moderation of the New York Central's demands, and the modesty with which they have been put forth."

March 14, 1929 - William Bullock, repeats his accusations.	March 15, 1929 - Bullock states President of the New York Central Railroad Patrick Crowley is claiming the railroad does not own the land, that in reality the City does. . .

March 22, 1929 - NYCRR First Vice President Charles C. Paulding states the railroad owns land, but is giving up property amounting to 6 acres and the air rights to 16 more to the City of New York. .	March 23, 1929 - Proving enough is never enough; now the Washington Heights Taxpayers Association is demanding a roof over the West 135th Street Yard. Pipe dream. .. .

April 1, 1929 - The Transit Commission reallocates funding to reduce the City's cost of the grade crossing elimination by $828,000 and pushes more of the financial burden onto New York State.	April 30, 1929 - A revised tentative agreement by the Board of Estimate consulting engineer, Arthur S. Tuttle; states a six year time line for grade crossing removal. Also note that this agreement specifies the use of steam locomotives is to be discontinued north of West 72nd Street within two years of the agreement. Which reinforces the conclusion to my research that the Kaufman Act was no longer in effect. Why discontinue something that is already banned? . ..

May 6, 1929 - The West Side Plan comes up for informal discussion. One of the points for discussion is use of street trackage to access the terminal warehouse located at West 28th Street between eleventh and Twelfth Avenues. In giving up its trackage on Eleventh, the railroad would like to use and easement on Twelfth Avenue instead. Also, it is reiterated that the New York Central has to give up steam locomotive use within two years, and to cease street operation between Canal and West 60th Streets within five years; after the agreement is reached. . .

May 7, 1929 - Another hearing for another revision. . .

May 10, 1929 - City experts at odds over placement of Parkway: either on roof of railroad right of way or along the shore line. While not directly impacted the railroad portion of the plan; this article demonstrates the conflicts of various issues amongst the various City agencies. Each wanted their own vision. . .

May 1, 1929 - Steady progress in planning. And the City is shirking off more of the cost of the grade crossing elimination costs onto the State.	May 11, 1929 - Discussion of West Side Improvement aesthetics. . .
May 14, 1929 - Estimate Board defers vote for one week.
	May 21, 1929 - West Side Improvement Project ready for vote.
	intentionally left blank
May 28, 1929 - Vote postponed another week: where to put the parkway, where to put the playgrounds... . .

June 4, 1929 - YAY! The City Estimate Board votes yes! One City agency down, how many more to go? . .

June 7, 1929 - West Side Plan formally ratified!	June 8, 1929 - Transit Board fixed a date for public hearing on grade crossing elimination. . .

June 11, 1929 - Appraisers report on West Side Plan - balance in City's favor of almost $6,000,000. Also allows additional sidings at Tenth Avenue & West 14th and 15th Streets (cold storage warehouses) and vacates the permanent rights and easements of the railroad Twelfth & Thirteenth Avenues between West 27th Street and West 30th Street (the spur to Terminal Stores Building?) . .

June 13, 1929 - City to rule today on Riverside Plan . .

June 14, 1929 - West Side Plan passes Estimate Board. City agencies still arguing over placement of highway. . .

June 22, 1929 - Transit Commission votes on West Side Plan, gives formal approval. . .	July 2, 1929 - Public Service Board acts on electrification of New York Central trackage north of West 72th Street and Spuyten Duyvil and grade crossing elimination.

July 3, 1929 - West Side Plan wins final City vote. Estimate Board removes last obstacle to Riverside Improvement. And another voice in opposition: Henry H. Klein, an attorney. . .

July 4, 1929 - Ugh. Back to this argument: Mayor Walker denied that the City was giving the New York Central Railroad land worth $250,000,000.	July 5, 1929 - Klein still rambling on. . .
	intentionally left blank
July 6, 1929 - The contract is Signed!! 40 years in the making. The City of New York and the New York Central reach an official agreement to eliminate grade crossings in Manhattan. Klein, who threatened to serve papers on Mayor Walker was nowhere to be found. . .

July 13, 1929 - Now it is the Central's turn to beg for money. Apparently if it started work earlier, it would get a lower interest rate on the loan. . .
Era of New Splendor Opens for West Side - July 14, 1929
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July 15, 1929 - Ugh! Not this Klein guy again.	August 30, 1929 - New York Central orders 35 oil-electric switchers (Tri-Power; DES-2) from American Locomotive. . .

December 12, 1929 The West Side Plan wins approval from federal Interstate Commerce Commission. Cost of project now $137,737,000 with $120,872,800 to be paid by the railroad. It should be noted, that prior to reaching this decision on December 12; a very note worthy event took place - the Stock Market crash in October 1929 - and the start of the Great Depression. A lot of the work on the West Side Improvement Project in the coming years, excavation, moving soil and rock and grading in Riverside Park is going to performed by persons enrolled in the Works Progress Administration. . .
December 20, 1929 First contract awarded to Arthur McMullen Company for rearrangement of trackage at south end of West 60th-72nd Street Yard. Also, the Milk Yard to be relocated to West 60th Street; and allow the Morgan Parcel Post Building to be constructed.

The West Side Improvement Project finalized: The High Line & the open sub-grade cut

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

The West Side Improvement battle, that had been raging since the turn of the century (and previously discussed at length in this chapter on Page 1); after years, no; decades of honest negotiation, numerous under-the-table political and legislative end runs; finally, we come to the as-built remedy to the "West Side Problem".

After agreeing to plans in 1927; and following yet two more years of legal wrangling and ironing out the smallest details; and coming to a grand total of twenty or so years of bargaining, bickering, shrugging shoulders and finger pointing to and from various City and State agencies and the railroad; all the pieces were finally in place.

The City of New York and the New York Central Railroad had finally reached an agreement regarding the West Side Side Improvement Project.

It would take place in multiple parts: the first phase would be southern segment West 30th Street to Beach Street. This including razing of buildings, land preparation and construction of the High Line taking place in 1929 through 1934. This would be an elevated structure beginning at West 35th Street loop to West 30th Street and to parallel alongside Tenth Avenue.

The second phase would entail the excavation of the "subway" or more technically correct, and open sub-grade cut. This also required the acquisition of land.

Perhaps phases in not quite the apt word, as these projects took place sometimes simultaneously, yet at other times separately.

Mayor Jimmy Walker; R. D. Starbuck, a vice president of the New York Central; and E. F. Stephenson, the New York Central Railroad's secretary signed the documents on July 5, 1929.

The agreement called for construction to start immediately, a timetable as follows:

electrification north of West 72nd Street and diesel electric motive power for operation south of that; to be installed by 1931. (Completed and which the New York Central was planning to do anyway.)
train movements on city streets to be eliminated by June 30, 1934. (Missed target date with City permission - street movement of trains did not end until 1941.)
the trackage in the street on Tenth Avenue was to be relocated to a viaduct between West 34th Street and St. John's Park, "the High Line" (completed, 1934)
the trackage on Eleventh Avenue was to be relocated to a walled open sub-grade cut containing the railroad tracks north of West 34th Street to West 60th Street, (completed, 1937)
the two yards at West 30th Street and West 60th Street and the three smaller yards at West 17th Street, West 41st Street and West 145th Street were to be expanded to 4,000 car capacity. (Completed)
the existing surface St. John's Park Terminal to be razed and new elevated terminal constructed at Spring Street. (Completed)

The New York Central Railroad literally was giving the City more than the City was requesting. The New York Central would give up its ownership of some of the land along the Riverside waterfront, in exchange for land for the routing a few hundred feet to the east. The City agreed to finance some of the relocation. And according to the media, The New York Central Railroad began construction started immediately. Like within minutes. Apparently the work crew was standing by for word from the officials the moment the order was signed.

The cost of this ambitious project had now reached $175,000,000 in 1929 dollars ($3,200,000,000 in adjusted 2024 dollars), freight traffic on line was averaging about 1,700 cars daily. All work on this project took place under the supervision of the railroad's chief engineer, J. W. Pfau.

So yes; when you consider why present day freight railroads have a particularly resistive attitude against additional regulations and / or having to relinquish or relocate property and assets, perhaps some of you will bear in mind and recall this and decades long situation and history.

Contractors for the second phase (High Line) were James Turner Co. and George A. Fuller Co., with the steel contractors being American Bridge Co.; McClintic Marshall Co. and the Fort Pitt Bridge Works. Structural design of Riverside Park was the work of Madigan - Hyland Company. General contractor for the construction of the new elevated St. John's Park Freight terminal was the James Stewart Co.

Third phase (sub-grade cut) contractors were the Thomas Crimmins Contracting Co., George J. Atwell Foundation Corp, the P. T. Cox Contracting Co. and Corbetta Construction Co.

First phase of construction: 1926 - 1931

Electrification and Grade Crossing Elimination of the West Side Freight Line from West 72nd Street to Spuyten Duyvil

Starting our journey in the north, the finalized West Side Improvement Plan as agreed upon; was for the New York Central Railroad to electrify the existing right of way from the railroad swing-bridge at Spuyten Duyvil.

But as it has been revealed, the New York Central had been planning on pursuing this goal prior to the agreement. Straight electric freight locomotives were ordered in 1925 for other lines in the New York suburban area, to join the already in service all electric passenger locomotives used in and out of Grand Central. So it was only a natural step to expand this power source into freight service on the West Side.

The goal here was not so much to eliminate railroad traffic, as it would be to eliminate remove steam locomotive use. The Kaufman Act of 1923 failed - it was found unconstitutional. So, instead of forcing the New York Central Railroad to give up steam, the City and State tried asking nicely. And the New York Central accepted.

Strangely enough, while this section of the right of way was the most contested and protested, as can be read in the following newspaper articles; ironically, it would require the least amount of reconstruction or realignment.

In retrospect, perhaps, that is a bit of understatement. Adding third rail power is a relatively straight forward process - install longer ties every 5th or 6th tie to support the third rail support, hook the third rail to a sub-station for power. But one must supply the electricity to that third rail. That requires additional infrastructure. Significant infrastructure.

Power for the electrification of the West Side Line came from the New York Central Railroad generating station located in Port Morris, the Bronx. This generating station was backed up by an identical power generating station located on the Hudson River in Glenwood, near Yonkers in Westchester County. These generating stations were built and opened in 1906 for the electrification of the Park Avenue Line, as well as connecting suburban lines. However, it was only natural for these plants to supply the power for the West Side Line as well.

POWER STATIONS

As a precaution against possibility of failure of power at the generating source, duplicate stations were located at Glenwood, near Yonkers, and at Port Morris . The initial equipment of each station included sixteen 625- horsepower boilers with superheaters and mechanical stokers, and four 5000-kilowatt steam turbine generators .

Provision was made for an ultimate increase in total capacity to 30,000 kilowatts. It is an interesting commentary on the progress of the art to note that, after nearly twenty years of service, these 5000-kilowatt units are being replaced by 20,000-kilowatt units which require no more space than was originally provided for units of one-fourth the capacity. Not only is the new equipment a great improvement as regards space occupied, but it is much more efficient and enables the company to produce electric power at a much lower cost.

At the present time, the modern units handle all of the load, the older turbines being held in reserve. The equipment of both the power stations at the present time is given in the accompanying tables. The power- station units are designed for generating three-phase, 11,000- volt, 25- cycle current, which is transmitted without change to the several substations.

At the Port Morris station, which is now considered the main generating plant, bituminous coal is used entirely. Provision is made for transferring the coal directly from the cars to overhead bins, a storage capacity of 3500 tons being available.

At the Glenwood Station, which is located nearer to the residential section, the off-peak load is carried on coal-burning boilers, and the peak load on boilers burning fuel oil.

PRESENT BOILER EQUIPMENT

The present boiler equipment of the Port Morris plant consists of sixteen 625- horsepower and four 673-horsepower boilers, all equipped with underfeed stokers for burning bituminous coal. The Glenwood plant also has sixteen 625-horsepower and four 673-horsepower boilers, of which four are equipped with underfeed stokers for burning bituminous coal, six with chain grates for burning anthracite, and ten for burning fuel oil.

TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

Under the present conditions of operation, power is transmitted at 11,000 volts to the nine original substations, all of which are equipped with synchronous converters and are manually operated. Additions have been made to the equipment from time to time so that these original stations now contain a total of 66,500 kilowatts. During the last three or four years, it has been found necessary to increase the substation capасity because of additional traffic. This has been done by the addition of new substations of the automatic type, located approximately midway between the older stations.

The 11,000- volt, high- tension lines are carried in ducts throughout the congested districts, and on steel poles located on the right-of-way, in the outside sections . Low-tension power is fed from the substations to the third rails by underground feeders . The third rails act as the main d-c. feeders and are connected together at intervals through circuit breakers located in circuit- breaker houses.

The Yonkers Branch, recently placed Automatic Substation at Wakefield in service, is fed from Kingsbridge and Glenwood substations. Three new substations are planned for supplying power to the West Side tracks when the electrification of tracks in this district is completed.

THIRD RAIL

The contact conductor is known as the Wilgus-Sprague under-running third rail and was first used by the New York Central. It is particularly designed to safeguard employees and others from accidental contact. It is also arranged so that the contact surface is not exposed to sleet or snow.

This insures freedom from tie-ups in bad weather. The rail itself is of the bullhead type weighing 70 pounds per yard. The contact surface is located 2 3/4 inches above the top of the running rail and the center line 2 feet 4 1/4 inches from the gauge line of the nearest running rail. This rail is used at all points except where intricate switch layouts prohibit the use of a continuous conductor near the level of the track.

At such points, a rigid overhead conductor is used. Gaps are left in the third rail opposite substations to facilitate sectionalization and the isolation of any defective portion of the contact line. Flexible ribbon bonds are soldered to the side of the third rail. The track bonds are 16.8 inches long, pin- expanded into 1 -inch holes drilled in the track rail.

On the main line, both rails are double-bonded; but in the yards, only one of each pair of rails is bonded.

The New York Central Electrification, by General Electric - January, 1929
GEA -902

This information above, was ascertained from a very informative book regarding the electrification of the New York Central Railroad, was published by General Electric in January 1929. While this publication is all encompassing, it contains some specifics regarding the power and locomotives used on West Side Line in Manhattan on pages 23 and 33.

General Electric: The New York Central Electrification - January 1929

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And with electrification, the smoke nuisance issue so vociferously stated by the Upper West Side residents, was eliminated.

The New York Times Digital Archives has an article stating that the first experimental train, running on electric power took place on June 1, 1931 between Spuyten Duyvil and West 72nd Street. This was an experimental or test trip south with locomotives 1213 (renumbered 313) and 1214 (renumbered 314) "running light" (meaning no railroad cars, just the locomotives). However the locomotives returned to Croton-Harmon later that the evening with a train of empty milk cars.

These would have been R2 Class electric (only) road freight locomotives built in 1931 with C-C wheel arrangement. These locomotives were built by American Locomotive Co. in Schenectady, NY with General Electric propulsion systems and was rated for 2500 hp.

Proving once again, nothing is ever simple as it seems; historical credit is also given to another locomotive for being the first electric powered train to run on the West Side of Manhattan in revenue freight service. This was New York Central #1255 - a B-B wheel arrangement Q Class freight electric (only) switching motor built in March 1926; developing 1665 horsepower, and a max speed of 40 mph. It was one of a class of seven identical locomotives built by American Locomotive Co in Schenectady, NY with General Electric propulsion systems.

There is a pair of undated images in the New York Central System Historical Society Digital Archives, reflecting this trip and seen below. It appears the train is made up of mostly LCL containers following two gondolas of regular freight.

New York Central System Historical Society Image ID WR040147

New York Central System Historical Society Image ID WR040148

But electrification was only one issue: as sporadic intervals, there were grade crossings that the people used to cross to get to the shore line; and that, auto traffic to boat houses, yacht clubs, and riverside swimming areas.

This necessitated the "Elimination of Grade Crossings", or "Grade Crossing Elimination", with the wording depending on which periodical you were reading.

Unlike the Midtown and Chelsea issue of grade crossings, with one every block; it was not so much of an issue here in the "northern territory" of Manhattan, where most of the West Side Line was surrounded by unimproved area. In most cases here, a simple ramp and pedestrian or narrow street bridge was installed over the tracks connecting with the street grid above the tracks..

But the Manhattanville area would be another matter entirely, and we'll get to that in a few moments.

Spuyten Duyvil

Spuyten Duyvil Swing Bridge - May 1954
Looking south at a pair of R2 Class electric locomotives: New York Central #316 and sister; heading north with mail / express train.
Herbert H. Harwood photo
added 20 May 2026

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Dyckman (pronounced DIKE-men) Street

Grade Crossing Elimination - date unknown
Note no third rail at this location on this date, switchman's shanty on right edge.
New York Public Library Digital Collection - Image ID 734615B
(the image description card associated with this image is mismatched in the library digital collection.. It states this is "the Bowery")
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Looking west-northwest at Dyckman Street viaduct - about 1930
E. Galloway image
New York Public Library Digital Collection - Image ID 719406B
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Looking north-northeast at Dyckman Street, Manhattan - October 1937
Tracks on viaduct; Henry Hudson Parkway to right; Spuyten Duyvil railroad swing bridge to north.
Note foot bridge to boat basin bottom right.
New York City Department of Parks
New York Public Library Digital Collection - Image ID 720357B
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West 156th Street
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Marginal Street and West 156th Street - January 13, 1932
Looking south. I know I'm pretty much beating a dead horse here, but someone want to tell me which is the bigger eyesore?
The railroad; or the ramshackle boat houses, abandoned vehicle hulks and industries? Remember this is 1932! The railroad is electrified - no more steam locomotives.
New York City Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) - New York City Municipal Archives
added 13 October 2025
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West 155th Street - January 13, 1932
Looking east at Milk cars on the siding.. Image notes state "Victoria House". I don't know if it means Victorian style house, or the home was named Victoria House. I cannot find reference to it.
What I do know is that apartment building is still standing, and its address is 775 Riverside Drive East.
New York City Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) - New York City Municipal Archives
added 13 October 2025
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West 151th Street - ca. 1940's
Looking south with stone gazebo in foreground at West 145th Street Yard with six lane Henry Hudson Parkway opened in 1937.
unknown provenance (please contact me with either provenance, date or repository.)
added 13 October 2025
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West 135-149 Street - Manhattanville Yard

By this time in the history of the West Side Line, the Manhattanville Yard was the northern most of freight facilities of the New York Central in Manhattan.

Originally consisting of a running siding at and around West 152nd street, and a separate yard at West 142nd through 145th Streets, the yard gradually expanded to encompass several more blocks. The reason?Actually, two of them. This became the North Manhattan milk terminal, to service Borden's, which had a plant located at 615 West 131st Street (beginning 1937), as well as Sheffield Dairy which had a plant located at 632 West 125th Street.

A traveling gantry crane appears to have been installed here during the 1920s, presumably for the transloading of LCL MilkTainers (although a traveling gantry would in practice be used for other LCL containers and oversize loads needing transfer.)

The second reason being, all surface trackage that had been in the vicinity of West 130th Street Yard, was eliminated due to the Grade Crossing Elimination, and only those businesses that were adjacent to the elevated viaduct could receive service. This left the little guy out, so team tracks were moved here to compensate.

The yard as originally laid out was overlapping stub sidings (some opening to the north, some to the south) to give equal opportunity to local trains of either direction. Following the time of the West Side Improvement, the yard was reconfigured to a diagonally oriented double ended yard (similar to the West 60th - 72nd Street yard, after it was reconfigured ca. 1960.)

West 145th Street Station - Milk Platforms - January 19, 1929
Looking north with George Washington Bridge towers under construction, just prior to electrification.
Also note cantilevered street at West 155th, Riverside Drive West and the stone gazebo at West 151st Street (behind steam plume.)
I'll say it again. The railroad is less of an eyesore than the boatyard, land fill and jumble of buildings.
New York City Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) - New York City Municipal Archives

added 13 October 2025

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West 145th Street Station - August 30, 1931
A little further north than above image and looking north. Note that a third rail has been added to the main line and yard tracks. No more steam locomotives here!
Also note cantilevered street at West 155th, Riverside Drive West and the stone gazebo at West 151st Street.
Still unimproved landfill and a jumble of buildings two and half years later but with the George Washington Bridge almost finished in background.
New York City Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) - New York City Municipal Archives
added 13 October 2025

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West 145th Street Yard - July 31, 1931
Looking southeast as milk transfer platforms at West 144th Street. Note third rail at this location on sidings at this date.
The hemispherical balls seen next to the third rail are the underground feeder cables in a weather resistant covering.
P. L. Sperr photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 30 August 2025

West 145th Street Yard - July 31, 1931
Milk transfer platforms looking southeast from West 142nd Street.
P. L. Sperr photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 30 August 2025

West 145th Street Yard - July 31, 1931
Looking northeast at milk transfer platforms at West 142nd Street.
P. L. Sperr photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives

added 30 August 2025

West 145th Street Yard - West 142nd Street & Riverside Park - July 31, 1931
Looking north-northeast from West 138th Street.
P. L. Sperr photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 30 August 2025

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Traveling gantry crane at West 145th Street Yard, Manhattan, NY - July 19, 1927
Looking northeast.
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID PB644001
added 12 May 2026
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Looking north into West 145th Street Yard from West 130th Street viaduct construction.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID - WR050087
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West 130th Street Viaduct - Manhattanville
Weber McLoughlin Coal
Burns Brothers Coal
Wright Gillies
Bartel & Co.
Freight Station
meat packers?

As stated above at the beginning of the chapter, while most of the line north of West 72nd Street was a relatively "simple" realignment due in part to the unimproved nature of the surrounding area to the right of way; it was another matter entirely upon reaching the West 136th through West 124th Street area better known as Manhattanville.

A significant amount of heavy commercial businesses and industries were located here, directly next to the railroad and of which quite a few of them receiving service via the railroad. Simply building upon empty land was not an option as it could be north and south of this location.

Furthermore, enough of a conglomeration of businesses and road traffic existed directly trackside in Manhattanville, that keeping both the railroad service at the surface with the public, as well as introducing high voltage third rail power supply was not a safe option.

Therefore, a great deal of realignment would be necessary to relocate existing surface trackage, and to shift it away from where the abutments and trestle pilings would be built for the Viaduct to go over this location. All the while this construction was taking place, rail service was maintained to existing coal silos and other industrial firms in the area.

In a way, this viaduct may be considered the "Little High Line" as it bore some similarity to its big brother: elevation above the streets, and offering service via second storey platforms.

This required the building of temporary platform extensions to reach the tracks now some dozens of feet away from the industry. All images below are part of the "EGC" series of images held by the New York Central System Historical Society dated June 1926 through 1927; unless otherwise noted. Images are in geographic order, not chronological order.

Looking north from West 132th Street - June 30, 1926 Grade crossing in view. Image ID PB644018 added 20 May 2026

Looking north from West 131st Street- September 7, 1926 Image ID - PB644035 added 20 May 2026	Looking north from West 130th Street - June 30, 1926 Grade crossing in view. Image ID PB644014 added 20 May 2026
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Looking east-southeast from West 131st Street - June 30, 1926 Image ID PB644019 added 20 May 2026	Looking south from West 132nd Street at platform extensions - June 30, 1926 Image ID PB644017 added 20 May 2026
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Looking north from West 133rd Street - June 30, 1926 Image ID PB644016 added 20 May 2026	Looking northeast at West 134th Street - June 30, 1926 Image ID PB644015 added 20 May 2026

Looking north from West 124th Street at fill for gradient up to viaduct - September 7, 1926 Image ID PB644002 added 20 May 2026	Looking north-northeast from St. Clair Place (West 125th Street) at south abutment - Note the freight platform under the viaduct. Image ID - WR100094 added 20 May 2026
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Looking south from St. Clair Place atop south abutment - October 6, 1927 Image ID - PB644047 added 20 May 2026
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Looking north-northeast at West 136th Street (north abutment) - September 7, 1926 Image ID PB644038 added 20 May 2026	Looking north-northwest at West 136th Street (north abutment) - September 7, 1926 Image ID PB644034 added 20 May 2026

Looking north from West 134th Street - September 3, 1926 Image ID - PB644033 added 20 May 2026
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Looking north from West 128th Street - October 26, 1926 Image ID PB644036 added 20 May 2026	Looking north-northwest from West 136th Street - July 28, 1926 Image ID PB644004 added 20 May 2026
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Looking north at "West 130th" Street Freight Station under construction - March 23, 1927 West 135th Street. Image ID PB644023 added 20 May 2026	Looking north at "West 130th" Street Freight Station - March 23, 1927 West 135th Street. Image ID: WR050086 added 20 May 2026
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West 130th Street Station - April1, 1938 Looking north from West 135st Street Viaduct P. L. Sperr photo New York Public Library Digital Archives added 30 August 2025
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Looking south at bare viaduct deck - waiting for laying of track and ballast - July 13, 1927 Taken from Burns Brothers coal silo platform Image ID PB644020 added 20 May 2026	Looking south with ties and rails in place - October 6, 1937 (The platform used in image to left can be seen in this image) Image ID PB644048 added 20 May 2026
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Looking north-northeast from West 125th Street with ties and rails in place and new loading "second storey" loading docks - October 6, 1927 Image ID PB644044 added 20 May 2026	Looking north from West 125th Street at new ballast. No third rail installed yet - November 18, 1937 Image ID PB644049 added 20 May 2026
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Looking north from West 132nd Street at new ballast. No third rail installed yet. - November 18, 1937 Image ID PB644050 added 20 May 2026	Looking north from West 133rd Street at new ballast. No third rail installed yet - November 18, 1937 Image ID PB644051 added 20 May 2026

Despite the railroad's best efforts, once the trestle was built and the railroad no longer able to offer service, most of these smaller industries folded up and left. One or two small concerns built trestle level platforms, but the heyday of this area passed. Also, as coal was being phased out as a heating source by the late 1930's, the coal silos the railroad diligently went around, were not long for the world either.

A quick side note before moving onto the next locations images. I, as a youngster, while in a car heading north on the Henry Hudson Parkway; distinctly recall two boxcars spotted at the platform for the industry located at West 130th Street. I wouldn't know the name of the industry located at that location at that time; but Google Maps shows the address as 2350 Twelfth Avenue; and Google Books reflects the address was occupied by the West Harlem Pork Center in the late 1980's. This structure is now occupied by F.W. Webb Plumbing & Heating Supply (which opened in 2021 and w-a-a-a-y after freight service ended!)

I seem to recall asking myself how were they going to get those boxcars out of there, as I was interested enough in railroads then to know the Spuyten Duyvil swing bridge was out of order. This would mean the industry would have to be prior to 1991. The platform is still there and visible, but no longer used (as the line is now the Amtrak Empire Connection).

Naturally, if anyone can recall the name of the industry, feel free to reach out.


Google Maps Street View- looking northeast	Google Maps Aerial View

Automobile & Pedestrian Bridges

So, from Spuyten Duyvil to the West 60th Street Yard, third rail was installed or to be installed on main tracks and most sidings. In order to put this alternate form of propulsion into use, street grade crossings needed to be eliminated.

Ergo, road bridges or pedestrian pass-overs were constructed (these are known as "over-grades" in railroad engineering parlance), and the railroad right of way shifted so streets could be continued to let both residents and businesses continue about their business.

Prior to the electrification; and where adjacent streets did not cross the tracks at grade; not pedestrian bridges for getting over the tracks and accessing the shoreline were located at West 83rd, West 86th, West 92nd, West 147th, West 151st and West 155 Streets.

With the electrification and grade crossing elimination; road bridges to get over the tracks needed ramps and approaches (some temporary, some permanent); as well as being connected to the street grid a few hundred feet to the east up the embankment of Riverside Park. It was not an easy engineering feat.

Please keep in mind these images are not in chronological order, but geographical order first; then if possible in chronological order. This was done to better represent the changes over time to one particular area.

There are several more images pertaining to this subject, however these exemplify the lengths the railroad went to appease the City of New York. At least one of these locations (West 152nd Street) had a road bridge connecting the city street grid over the tracks and to the boat industries located on the shore line. However, when the City of New York commenced on the building of Riverside Park, with its stone keeps and gazebos, and the cantilevered roadway at West 155th Street; this road bridge was removed and not replaced. Street traffic was diverted to West 158th Street grade crossing.

The point of this, is to reflect that not all impediments to the Hudson River shoreline on the Upper West Side were caused by the railroad's existence or expansion.

assembling one of the bridges. New York Central System Historical Society Image ID PB644030	West 146th Street looking north Here we see automobile overpass support bents being constructed, with a pre-existing pedestrian bridge in the background. New York Central System Historical Society Image ID PB644009
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West 146th Street overgrade looking north. Note the roadway cutting into the embankment of Riverside Park. New York Central System Historical Society Image ID PB644024	West 146th Street overgrade looking south New York Central System Historical Society Image ID PB644040
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West 146th Street overgrade Looking south at West 145 Yard and Milk Platforms New York Central System Historical Society Image ID PB644052	West 146th Street overgrade Note that the third rail ties have been installed New York Central System Historical Society Image ID PB644058
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West 151st Street looking north at pedestrian footbridge. New York Central System Historical Society Image ID PB644008 It is important to note that at this particular location the bridge used stone abutments that belonged to an pre-existing (and removed) bridge that once provided access to the shore line. This bridge was in place before the first Riverside reconstruction project which was performed by the City of New York in 1906-1910, and can be seen in the image at right. The point of this is to reflect, not all impediments to the Hudson River Shoreline on the Upper West Side were caused by the railroads existence.
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Looking north at pedestrian bridge at West 155rd Street New York Central System Historical Society Image ID PB644007

West 123rd Street through West 72nd Street - "Get it out of our sight!"

Converting to electric propulsion was but only one part of the Improvement Plan. While the third rail was installed along the old right of way to remediate the usage of steam locomotives; a new right of way was taking shape a few dozen feet to the east.

Coinciding with this particular stretch of new right of way, was the intent to "bury" it - place it underground, unseen and segregated from public viewing and access. Therefore, electrification by 600 volt third rail lent itself nicely (with exception) to these plans.

This "tunnel" per se; was not built using a conventional tunneling method like the New York City subway lines had been - those built with either with the "cut and cover" method (soft ground) or "boring through" (hard ground / stone) method.

For the West Side Line and this segment of the route; the new tracks were laid on a newly graded right of way slightly to the east of the existing right of way. Tracks were laid with third rail power supply and two concrete walls were poured on either side of the tracks.

Once the walls had been erected, the roof was constructed made of girders laying perpendicular to the walls, and poured concrete decking resting on the girders and thus forming the "roof". Then, to the outside of the walls, they were back filled and graded to match the existing terrain. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Excavation and grading of the new right of way in Riverside Park, approximately 75-100 feet east of existing tracks - July 11, 1931
Note the third rail already in place next to old tracks! 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

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Works Progress Administration Laborers working at Riverside Park - May 16, 1934
New York City Department of Park & Recreation
added 19 October 2025

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The original plan as originally designed and contained within the Improvement Plan, is described as comparable to a two level Roman aqueduct without the tall support columns. The trains would run along through 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. As constructed, it saw stone walls with arches on the west side of the railroad right of way, with Romanesque arches at 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.

Showing the east wall. This side will be backfilled.
courtesy of Stantec Consulting Services - Pre-Scope investigation of Reconstruction of Drainage Systems In Riverside Park, Archeological Assessment of 2022

West 89th Street
Google Maps
added 19 October 2025

West 83rd Street

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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..

While not part of the railroad's fight or agreement, but worth mentioning: Moses' plan was move the highway to the very shoreline itself (which if one reads, was one of the original sticking points to approving the Project back in 1929). The original roadway portion of the plan was ultimately denied, and tunnel roof became the walkways of Riverside Park.

This in effect defeated the very purpose of burying the railroad, as by such would have returned residential access to the shore. This was the plan 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 Moses' Henry Hudson Parkway! All of this construction was completed by 1941.

In short, the railroad was lambasted over decades for blocking access to the river, but it was "okay" when Robert Moses did it with a highway. .

The south portal of this "tunnel" was located at the north end of the railroad yard at West 72nd Street (until the yard too was redeveloped). The north portal is located just past West 123rd Street (the north portal lies mid-block between West 123rd Street and LaSalle Street) and can been seen from the Henry Hudson Parkway - Route 9A.

And for this stretch of the route, again, the railroad was out of sight. Completely. The goals of the West Side Improvement Project were reached. The residents were pleased.
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West 71st Street to Spuyten Duyvil - September 8, 1937
McLaughlin Aerial Service
New York City Department of Parks & Recreation collection
added 19 October 2025

West Side Tunnel
Due to the number of tracks shown, this appears to be just north of West 72nd Street.
unknown provenance - ca. 1940

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The railroad tunnel still exists to this day. A rail connection was built in 1986 at West 36th Street for the West Side Line (running north-south) to access Penn Station (running east-west).

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. For better or for worse, (depending if you are an urban explorer / modernist or a traditionalist that eschews unconventional lifestyles), the tunnel served some of the citizens. At this point the tunnel took on the name "Freedom Tunnel" in recognition of graffiti artist Chris "Freedom" Pape, who used the tunnel walls to create some of his most notable artwork. (Honestly, I thought it was named for the freedom from organized society the homeless persons used the tunnel for.. See, even this historian is still learning.)

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 surreptitiously and remain until 1994), at which time the last "unofficial" tenant left, but the tunnel is still used covertly by the homeless.

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West Side Tunnel a/k/a "Freedom Tunnel" - 2015
Will Ellis photo
added 19 October 2025

West Side Improvement Projects Advancing Rapidly - November 29, 1931

"Removal of rails on Eleventh Avenue south of West 60th Street"

With the simple part of the Improvement Plan out of the way; let us delve into the intricate parts of the plan.

On December 31, 1929; two events of historical importance pertaining to West Side Freight Operations took place.

The first, received significant publicity. For in the pavement where the rails of the New York Central Railroad entered upon Eleventh Avenue, at the northwest corner of the intersection of West 60th Street; stood City of New York Mayor Jimmy Walker and New York Central Railroad president with a spike puller.

They in turn removed the "first spikes" from the rails to symbolize the cessation of street operations (they appear to be on the northbound track - the track that ran on the east side of Eleventh Avenue.)

Ironically, this event was pure symbolism. This is because, the freight trains still needed to transverse Eleventh Avenue from the West 60th Street Yard to the West 36th Street Yard, until the sub-grade cut could be excavated and constructed and tracks laid. Construction of this sub-grade cut would not open to full service and eliminate all Eleventh Avenue rail traffic until 1940. Eleven years after the "spikes were pulled."

There are plenty of images showing trains running along Eleventh Avenue after this December 31, 1929 spike pulling date as you are about to witness.

Furthermore, we know from fact that rail service continued on Eleventh Avenue from West 36th Street to West 41st Street location of the New York Stock Yards, even after the sub-grade cut opened in 1937; as the trains still needed to get to West 41st Street, and that sub-grade spur had not been built yet to the New York Stock Yards; and this would not open until 1940.

Those sticking points aside, it was a lovely ceremony, full of typical 1930's wardrobe and glad handling. This ceremony was fortunately filmed and preserved; and can be viewed through the link at right by clicking on the image.

At this time I would like to thank the University of South Carolina - Moving Image Research Collections for granting permission to publish this film; considering the film is still under copyright.

A New York Times article published the following day can be read below.

Showing the "start" of the West Side demolition -
City of New York Mayor James J. Walker & New York Central President Patrick Edward Crowley,
Each one pulling one of the spikes that started it. - December 31, 1930
Click on image to view film of ceremony

video used with permission: University of South Carolina Libraries - Digital Collections
Fox Movietone News Story 4-823

still: New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR140034

Pried loose by long crowbars wielded in turn by Mayor Walker and Patrick E. Crowley, president of the New York Central, the first two spikes were removed from the "Death Avenue" tracks at noon yesterday. Five minutes later the contractors' crews had started the $150,000,000 joint enterprise of the city and the railroad for elimination of all Manhattan grade crossings on the west side and general improvement of the Hudson River front from Canal Street to the city line.

The ceremony took place in Eleventh Avenue, between Sixtieth and Sixty-first Streets, where the "Death Avenue" tracks emerge from the railroad yards. It was witnessed by hundreds of dwellers in the tenements which line the easterly side of the avenue at that point. They leaned from their flag-bedecked windows as Mayor Walker and Mr. Crowley, flanked by city, State and railroad officials, pried loose the first two spikes on the westerly rail. Their cheers rattled the microphone of the talking movie apparatus into which Mayor Walker and Mr. Crowley spoke.

The two spikes will be gold plated and preserved as mementos of the happy end of a forty-year controversy between the city and the railroad.

The ceremony took place in the shadow of one of the railroad's most modern locomotives, the last to pass over that particular section of "Death Avenue” track. Mayor Walker and Mr. Crowley took their places near the section of track to be removed and the crowbar was inserted under the first of the two spikes. The Mayor took a firm grip on the other end of the bar.

"Mr. Crowley,” he said, "this is an occasion of which I am indeed proud. Before this spike is taken up may I not extend to you and to those associated with you the sincere congratulations of the people of the city for the splendid spirit shown by you in making this move possible? There is one note of regret which I must express-that we have not with us today the late Ira A. Place of your legal department who gave many years of his life to furthering this great project."

"This work which we are starting here today will go down in history as one of the greatest ever undertaken by any municipality."

Mayor Walker put his weight against the crowbar and the first spike left the ties. Mr. Crowley stepped up and grasped the bar, now in position under the second spike.

"Time for Work," Says Crowley.

"I thank you for your compliments, Mr. Mayor," he said. "For forty years this west side improvement has been talked of. Now the time for talk is past and the time for work is here."

President Crowley, with a skill born of past experience, levered the second spike from the rails. The locomotive whistle sounded three long blasts. Cheers and the shrieks of small horns sounded from the surrounding tenement windows. The locomotive and its trailing passenger coach backed slowly into the yards. Five minutes later two lengths of track had been removed by businesslike workmen and a police detail of 100 patrolmen, 10 sergeants, mounted men and 10 traffic policemen dispersed the large crowd which had witnessed the ceremonies.

The last locomotive to pass over that piece of track was piloted by J. J. Lyons of 2,360 Third Avenue. His fireman was W. O. Colbert of 239 West 230th Street. W. M. Polly of Croton, N. Y., who had the west side "passenger run"—still scheduled on the company's timetables—for twenty-four years, was in charge of the coach.

Mr. Polly recalled the hundreds of troop trains that had passed over the Death Avenue rails, not only in wartime but in peacetime, too, to discharge their passengers at steamship docks.

"Cowboy Troop" Missing.

One group was absent from the ceremonies yesterday-the eight men and twenty-four horses comprising the famous "cowboy troop" whose function it has been for years to ride ahead of the puffing locomotives as they wheeled along Death Avenue. They will soon pass from the scene, but their services will be needed for at least part of the four years that it will take before all of Death Avenue, from Canal Street to Sixtieth Street, has been cleared of rails.

With President Crowley yesterday were R. E. Dougherty, his engineering assistant, who will have charge of the elimination work; Vice Presidents R. B. Starbuck, G. H. Ingalls and Charles C. Paulding, General Superintendent F. M. Melius, D. W. Dinan, general manager of the road east of Buffalo, and a score or more of department chiefs.

With Mayor Walker were Transit Commissioner Charles C. Lockwood, Charles F. Kerrigan, assistant to the Mayor; Charles S. Hand, the Mayor's secretary; Corporation Counsel Hilly and officials from various branches of the municipal service.

New York Times - January 1, 1930

But, as I have pointed out; the ceremony was a feint. A ruse. A publicity stunt. Here, in this image taken nine years later, we still see trains on Eleventh Avenue and West 54th Street, and running on both tracks. This is kind of hard to do when you have "pulled the spikes" and removed the rail.

Obviously, the event was to commemorate the start of work to eliminate street operations. Sort of like the first shovel scoop. But obviously, it was not actually a celebration for the conclusion of work or the cessation of freight service on the city streets. That wouldn't take place for another 11 years.

Eleventh Avenue and West 54th Street - November 22, 1939
Looking north at Packard Motors Building (787 Eleventh Avenue, constructed 1927 - no railroad freight service)
Even with the sub-grade cut having opened in 1937; freight trains are still operating on city streets.
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR260435
added 11 May 2026

Second Phase of Construction, Part 1:

Construction of the High Line (northern portion) from West 30 to West 20th Streets - 1929 through 1933

The second event, took place at an unknown location in the West 30th - 36th Street Yard: excavation and pile driving began for the High Line.

This part of the West Side Improvement project received a lot more fanfare after it started. This was the part of Improvement that was more in view of the public's eyes, that of which was promised that would actually impact lives for the better. For it took place more in the heart of the business district that was slowly evolving; from industrial and blue collar commercial, to white collar commercial and professional, as well as modest residential replacing the slum-like tenements and cold water railroad flats with a shared bathroom on each floor..

The construction of the elevated High Line structure (which was not constructed over the avenue thoroughfares as originally planned in the 1910's; and like most New York City rapid transit elevateds were); but was now set off approximately 100 feet west of Tenth Avenue, not quite mid-block, and revised to only two to four tracks in width, not six or eight.

Along the route, at irregular intervals; were sidings to serve industries and businesses directly adjacent to the line. Some of these business already existed and merely needed to punch a hole in their wall to access a loading dock, while others moved into structures built specifically with a rail service platform next to the elevated structure.

Because the High Line was not built on or under the avenue itself, there was minimal disruption to automobile and pedestrian traffic. At most, perhaps one or two streets were closed off for the girders to be raised and riveted into place over that particular sheet, but once that was accomplished, the street was opened to traffic again.

The first section of the line to open was the section from the incline at West 36th Street between Eleventh and Tenth Avenues to West 20th Street. As stated before many times, it did not open all at once. Upon reaching its full height of 30 feet above the street at West 35th Street and Twelfth Avenue and two tracks in width, it looped around the West 36th-30th Street Yard Complex and turned east and parallel to run on the north side of West 30th Street. Just after Eleventh Avenue, two tracks split off and curved to the south-southwest and entered upon the High Line portion that ran 100 feet west of Tenth Avenue. The other two tracks continued straight and then jogged slightly south into the Morgan Parcel Post building of the US Post Office Department.

Returning to the High Line running tracks, a short third track siding (but run-around capable) was installed for the R. C. Williams Company, a grocer; located between West 27th and West 25th Streets. The two running tracks continued south for two blocks before another third track run-around siding was built to service the warehouse of Spear & Company (a furniture company) located between West 23rd Street and West 22nd Street.

It is here for the duration, that High Line service temporarily ended, and this was the southernmost point of freight service from the opening on August 1, 1933.

Second Phase of construction - Part 2

Construction of the High Line (southern portion) West 20th Street to St. Johns Park Freight Station (new) - 1933 through 1934

Construction on the High Line continued, until the next section was completed and opened, including the new St. John's Freight Terminal on June 28, 1934.

The two track running main continued south to West 17th Street where the tracks curved to the east and crossed diagonally over Tenth Avenue and entered under the second of two National Biscuit Company buildings. A siding split off the east side for National Biscuit; and to the west, tracks exited the Cold Storage Warehouse and the western Nabisco building.

At West 14th Street, the High Line turned due south, and was four tracks wide, and this was the Meat Packing District.

The outer tracks servicing Cudahy, Armour, Morrell and Wilson meat packers located between West 14th and West 13th Street, and miscellaneous meat packers between West 13th and West 12th Streets. The northbound siding ended at Little West 12th Street, leaving two running tracks and the southbound siding.

This siding continued south into the Manhattan Refrigerated Cold Storage Warehouse between Horatio and Gansevoort Streets. Here, the southbound siding merged back into the southbound running tracks and the High Line was simply two running tracks.

Between Bethune and Bank Streets, the two tracks ran through the Bell Systems Laboratory Building, but Bell Systems was never a customer on the High Line. The tracks simply ran through the building on their way south.

At Charles Street a small one block southbound siding once again was installed, running through and servicing the building here, where Whitehead Metal and Cudahy Packing were occupants. The siding merged back into the running track at West 10th Street, returning the line to two running tracks, for the next three blocks.

At Leroy Street, the two running tracks split, and split again, to form eight stub end tracks within the new union freight terminal with second storey trackage and platforms. This was the new St. John Park Freight Terminal.

And with that, we have reached the southern most reach of the High Line.

High Line Construction Images

And, thanks to the New York Times Digital Archives article below right, we now have a confirmed date in which the High Line opened to freight traffic. We also learn that the High Line opened in two phases.

The first section from West 35th Street to West 20th Street opened on Tuesday, August 1, 1933

The second section from West 20th Street to St. John's Freight Terminal opened on Thursday, June 28, 1934

It is also on this second date that the High Line was also officially dedicated.

Unfortunately, (and I sound like a broken record here) both the High Line website and many resultant blogs on the High Line Park have this 1934 date as the date freight service began, and this is obviously erroneous. The opening on August 1, 1933 was not a soft opening or a test run. It was "the" opening - revenue freight moved on this date. The High Line just wasn't complete.

Many railroads (among other things) open on one date, albeit incompletely; out of necessity, and then other portions or segments are completed afterwards adding to and extending the route already in service.

Even the New York City Subway opened in sections upon gradually being expanded. However, it is the initial opening date of the subway on October 27, 1904; and not the date that the extensions were completed that are touted as the opening date.

Look, I get it... A lot has been written on the High Line. It is a popular attraction with the "locals" since it was repurposed as an urban park. But wouldn't one rather have accurate historical information?

Once construction was started, it progressed at a rapid pace. All those years of delay were uncorked. The following series of images were taken by the George B. Fuller Company (one of the contractors of the project). These images pertain to the area of West 30th Street from Tenth Avenue to Twelfth Avenue, and represent only a small three block portion of the High Line's construction in a 6 month period from October 1932 through June 1933.

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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Tenth Avenue and West 31st Street looking west at Yard - January 26, 1932
Pilings for High Line being erected.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 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

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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 to 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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High Line Opening

High Line Customers

There in fact were not a great amount of car load customers along the High Line as one would expect. All told, about ten. But, those few customers generated the most traffic.

Of course there hundreds receiving LCL freight at St John's Park.

I have compiled a list of Car Load customers from north to south which follows with landmarks. Any track numbers noted, correspond to the 1947 New York Central Track & Siding Location Map - Plate 130

street location	occupant	commodity	siding / track condition	track layout, notes
West 29 / 30th	US POD Morgan Parcel Post Building	mail	spur, split to 6 stub tracks stub indoors	platform, 2 tracks, platform, 2 tracks, platform, 2 track, platform
West 25 / 26	R. C. Williams	grocery	jog; double ended siding, east side of main
West 24			single x over, main to main
West 22 / 23	Spear & Co.	furniture	double ended siding, west side of main
above open to freight service - August 1, 1933 below open to freight service - June 28, 1934
West 19			jog
West 18 / 19			single x over (#114) main to main
West 17 / 18			40 degree curve to east, and crosses over Tenth Avenue
West 16			40 degree curve to west, parallel with avenue
West 16 / 17	Merchants Refrigerating	cold storage	single track spur to west, indoor double track (slightly lower than running track)	32 and 24 "Northern Spur"
West 15 / 16	National Biscuit	bakery	single track spur to west, indoor (slightly lower than running track)
West 15 / 16	National Biscuit	bakery	single track spur to east, dead end at building wall	track 30
West 15			single x over, main to main (#117)	main main siding
West 14			double x over, sb main to west siding / west siding to sb main (#112 & 113), up to 4 tracks
West 14			turnout to east siding, 3 tracks north
West 13	Armour, Wilson, Morrell, Cudahy	meat	sb main to west siding (#111)	Meat Packing District
			nb main to east siding	siding main main siding
			still 4 track
West 12			east siding merges with nb track
Little West 12 - W14			to 4 track heading north, east siding for meat packers
Little West 12	Cudahy	meat	west siding double x over sb main to west siding, west siding to sb main (116 / 109)
Horatio / Gansevoort	Manhattan Refrigerating	cold storage	beginning of siding to west of running tracks, with siding ending in Merchants Refrigerating
			double x over nb main to sb main (107 / 108)
Jane			west siding from West 10 becomes sb main, start of third track (siding) to west
			two tracks
Jane / W 12			double X over (105 / 106)
Bank / Bethune	Bell Laboratories	no service	two tracks through building (no service / no siding)
West 10 / Charles	Whitehead Metal	metalwork	siding (22) to west of sb running track
			double X over (104 / 103)
			curve 3 degree to west
LeRoy / Morton			double x over (102 / 101)
			tracks start splitting for St John's Park Freight Terminal
Charlton / LeRoy	St Johns Park Freight Terminal		to 8 tracks	end of main track, platform, three sidings, end of main track, platform, three tracks.

The High Line, being the core subject of this page; is shown in the following series of images; most of which were taken during, or just after completion. Keeping this series in order, best displays the over purpose and route of the High Line.

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

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

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Looking east at West 37th Street - West 30th Street Yards - April 1966
Department of Marine & Aviation - New York City Municipal Archive
added 10 October 2025

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Looking east at West 34th Street - West 26th Street Yards - April 1966
Compare this image to the Ewing Galloway image of 1929
Note a great deal of the trackage to the right of the westbound freight station along West 33rd Street; both between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues as well as Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues
has been eliminated. A space of about three tracks removed, and paved driveways installed between every two tracks or so, to allow for direct carloading from tractor trailer truck (team loading)
Department of Marine & Aviation - New York City Municipal Archive
added 10 October 2025

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Looking south at West 36th Street - West 30th Street Yards - April 1966
Department of Marine & Aviation - New York City Municipal Archive
added 10 October 2025

West 30th - West 31st Street Team Tracks and Traveling Gantry Crane from High Line - September 6, 1957
Looking north-northwest from atop the High Line towards Twelfth Avenue.
New York Central System Historical Society Digital archives - Image ID NG605090
added 01 May 2026

Eleventh Avenue and West 29th Street looking north at High Line trestle and West 30th Street - August 25, 1940
Morgan Parcel Post Building out of view one block to right.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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High Line looking northwest at West 30th Street Yard , Manhattan, NY - 1934
Taken from roof of Morgan Parcel Post Building, with Parcel Post Building lead tracks bottom center.
Switches and curve at middle left is High Line main route to St. Johns Park Terminal
Note, every sixth tie is extra length for the support brackets of a third rail.
added 05 April 2024
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West 30th Street: 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 storey building would provide 2.2 million square feet. This edifice would be designed to incorporated direct rail service.

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

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

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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

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.

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.

First class mail that arrived by train to the New York Central Yards was brought to the James A. Farley Post Office two blocks north at Eighth Avenue and 31st Street, via an underground vehicular tunnel between the two buildings.

First Class Mail that arrived via the Pennsylvania Railroad went directly upstairs to Farley. Parcel Post packages were brought to Morgan via the tunnel.

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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Most of the public is unaware of a tunnel under Ninth Avenue connecting the basement of the Morgan Parcel Post Building with the basement of the James A. Farley General Post Office, a block to the north and west of the Morgan building. This tunnel, while not large enough for full size vehicles, does see small vehicle traffic in the way of golf cart sized vehicles and electric tractors towing carts (like at the airport)

This tunnel was used for specifically for the exchange of mail and parcels between the New York Central Railroad mail trains (arriving from Chicago via Albany, NY) and Pennsylvania Railroad mail trains stopping at Pennsylvania Station (from Washington DC) or via the New York, New Haven & Hartford (via Boston, MA.)

The Morgan Parcel Post Building was the primary sorting facility for mail and parcels. Any mail that of which was destined for Manhattan, was transfered via the tunnel and brought upstairs to the Farley Post Office. Mail arriving from Chicago and Albany for destinations south, would be sorted and brought via tunnel to the mail platforms in Pennsylvania Station.

Likewise, mail arriving via the Pennsylvania Railroad or the New Haven Railroads via Pennsylvania Station, would be brought via the tunnel under Ninth Avenue to the Morgan Parcel Post Building for sorting, and forwarding to its destination.

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.

West 30th Street looking east at Tenth Avenue (prior to area redevelopment) - ca. 1990's
Street level looking up at High Line trestle connecting Parcel Post Building
Jim Henderson image

added 19 August 2025

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West 28th Street - R. C. Williams, grocers warehouse

Looking south at loading dock & siding (#190) of R. C. Williams.
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR180040
added 17 May 2026

Spear & Company - furniture warehouse

Looking north at loading dock & siding (#189) of Spear & Company furniture.
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR180038
added 17 May 2026

#1867 / #188 crossover at West 21st Street. Spear and Co. Warehouse visible past crossover
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID
added 17 May 2026

West 19th Street looking north
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR180029
added 17 May 2026

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Looking north from West 18th Street (foreground) to West 29th Street (background) ca. 1934
United States Trucking Corp. is on west 18th Street. Track crossover and jog in alignment in foreground is West 19th Street; double crossover is West 21st Street,
Spear & Company siding (left side) is West 23rd Street, crossover is West 25th, jog in shadow is West 26th Street, with siding for R. C. Williams (right side), with curve left at West 29th Street to West 30th Street.
Note, no electric third rails or support ties.
added 05 April 2024
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Merchants Refrigeration

Looking north-northwest on spur track into Merchants Refrigerating Cold Storage at Tenth Avenue & West 16th Street- ca. 1945
Photographer is standing slightly higher on running track viaduct, with the tracks S-curving and running towards West 17th Street at upper right.
Note No third rail. - locomotive is on battery power within the building.
New York Central #1541 [DES-3]
ALCo / GE Tri-Power - ALCo c/n 68374 / GE c/n 11126, built November 1930

unknown photographer
added 05 April 2024
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Looking south-southwest at Merchant's Refrigeration Building from West 18th Street and Tenth Avenue - ca. 1934
The primary reason why street operations couldn't end with the opening of the High Line, can be seen on the right side of this image: the West 17th Street Fresh Produce Yard.
Why a facility was not built, something akin in design to the St. John's Park Freight Terminal; with tracks at viaduct level and elevators to the street remains an unanswered question.
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Looking southwest from High Line at West 17th Street Fresh Produce Yard - date
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National Biscuit Company - Nabisco - Uneeda Bakers / Ritz

National Biscuit siding (east building) looking southeast - August 13, 1940
The siding the locomotive is on dead ended within the building and did not project from south wall.
Tri-Power (DES-2) #546.
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National Biscuit siding (east building) looking southeast - August 13, 1940
This siding dead end within the building and did not project from south wall.
Boxcar in shadow, sitting on northbound running track. Tri-Power (DES-2) #546.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID WR270456
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Looking southeast at Nabisco east siding, within building - August 13, 1940
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID WR270463
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Looking south at locomotive, now on northbound running track - August 13, 1940
(Nabisco east siding in above images, to left of locomotive pilot)
Barely visible on right edge is slightly lower siding to Nabisco (west building) and Merchants Refrigeration.
Tri-Power (DES-2) #546.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID WR270452
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Looking north at train pulling north on northbound running tracks - August 13, 1940
Photographer is standing under the Nabisco east building, with support piling on left edge.
Merchants Refrigeration building on left.
Barely visible are rails on slightly lower siding curving into Merchants Refrigeration.
Tri-Power (DES-2) #546.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID WR270451
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Looking north at train pulling north on northbound running tracks - August 13, 1940
. Photographer is standing under the Nabisco east building, with support piling on left edge. Merchant Refrigeration building on left.
Barely visible are rails on slightly lower siding curving into Merchants Refrigeration.
Tri-Power (DES-2) #546.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID WR270459
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Looking north at National Biscuit (west, east and portion of south buildings) at Tenth Avenue & West 14th Street - date?
Note, no electric third rails, and spur to Nabisco and Merchants Refrigerating Co. descends lower than running track.
Kalmbach Library
added 05 April 2024

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Looking north from Tenth Avenue & West 14th Street - March 31, 1937
National Biscuit (west building) left, and east building (right) with Ritz sign
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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Looking north-northeast at National Biscuit (east building and portion of south building) Tenth Avenue & West 14th Street - June 20, 1935
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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National Biscuit (west building) at Tenth Avenue & West 14th Street (looking north) - March 31, 1937
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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National Biscuit (south building) looking east from Eleventh Avenue / West Street, West 15th Street on left, West 14th Street on right - June 20, 1935
National Biscuit Company "Nabisco." Empty lot is now 14th Street Park
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025
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Cudahy Packing / Swift / Morrell

Looking south-southeast at Intersection of West 14th Street and Tenth Avenue, and newly built Cudahy / Morrell Packing facility.
Note the High Line trestle has not reached this far south yet, but the building has been designed for pass through of four tracks.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID
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West 15th Street - ca. 1934
Taken from the northeast corner of roof of the National Biscuit Company (west building) and looking south.
From bottom: track under construction is spur to Nabisco, foreground cross street is West 14st Street,
Tracks entering through building is Cudahy, Armour, Morrell, and Swift Company with sidings on both sides (zig zag of West Side Highway to right),
tracks through building in distant background is Manhattan Refrigerating.
Note, no third rail support ties on any tracks.
added 05 April 2024

Looking south at Cudahy / Morrell Packing from West 15th Street (under photographer)
Tri-Power (DES-2) #546
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID

looking west-northwest at Cudahy Packing garage, with High Line overhead.
Corner of Gansevoort and Washington Streets.
Tri-Power (DES-2) #551
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID

Got meat? Cudahy Packing platform, between Gansevoort and Little West 12th Street, facing east.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID

Tri-Power (DES-2) locomotive at Swift & Company platform, between Gansevoort and Little West 12th Street, facing north.
Nope, no third rail here either.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID
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looking north from atop the Manhattan Refrigeration building at 109/116 double crossover; Swift & Co. Packing platform and Gansevoort Meat Market,
Armour and Morrell platform one block behind. National Biscuit makes up the tall buildings in background.
Washington Street below, intersection is Little West 12th Street
Tri-Power (DES-2) #?
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID
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Looking west from Little West 12th Street. Locomotive is spotting cars for meat market platforms.
West Side Highway and Pier 53 head house in background.
Tri-Power (DES-2) #52_
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID
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Manhattan Refrigerating / Cudahy Platform

looking southwest at Cudahy Packing garage (street level), with High Line siding and service platform
under construction; and Manhattan Refrigeration Company cold storage warehouse
from Little West 12th Street and Washington Street.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID
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looking southwest at completed Cudahy Packing garage (street level), with High Line siding and service platform
and Manhattan Refrigeration Company cold storage warehouse
from Little West 12th Street and Washington Street.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID
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Looking north from two blocks south from above image; at south wall of Manhattan Refrigeration.
Siding at left leads to Manhattan Refrigeration loading platform (covered), then meat packers loading platforms a block and two behind.
Tri-Power (DES-2) #
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID

Bell System Laboratories

While Bell Labs was not a known customer of the High Line, it's prominent building is a well known landmark. Therefore, it is shown here.

Looking south from roof of Manhattan Refrigeration at north wall of Bell Systems Laboratories. (no rail service)
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID

Looking south at Bell Systems Laboratories. Tracks pass through - no rail service.
Washington Street and West 12th Street.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID

Whitehead Metal

Looking southwest at Whitehead Metal stub siding, west side of running track.
intersection of Washington Street and Charles Street looking at West 10th Street.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID

Looking northwest at Whitehead Metal stub siding, west side of running track.
intersection of Washington Street and West 10th Street.
New York Central System Historical Society Image ID

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High Line looking south from Christopher Street at St. Johns Park Terminal; Manhattan, NY - 1933/1934
Note, no electric third rails.
Looking south.
added 05 April 2024

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Washington Street & West 10th Street - 1936
looking west under the High Line, West Side Highway on West Street
unknown provenance.
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St. John's Park Freight Terminal (second) - "Spring Street Terminal": 1934 - 1960

Looking south from Leroy Street at St. Johns Park Terminal; Manhattan, NY - ca. 1934
Southern terminus of the High Line - 550 Washington Street at West Houston Street.
Note, no third rails.

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-storey structure. Revisions were filed with the New York City Department of Buildings in March 1931, which now called for a 17 storey 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-storey 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 storey could accommodate a load of 300 pounds per square foot.

The "Spring Street Terminal" and the elevated rail viaduct the "High Line" to service the terminal; were dedicated on Thursday, June 28, 1934, with ceremonies at the terminal building.

With the opening of this new terminal, the New York Central Railroad filed plans to also abandon the nearby Franklin Street station on (new) Pier 23 (no trackage, lighterage only), which was being used to make local deliveries.

The new terminal quickly became known as St. John's Park Terminal because the old terminal had been so well known as such. The third floor was leased in 1937 to the Borden Company, which used that space as a warehouse for refrigeration equipment.

This new terminal building was constructed with all modern amenities;

fireproofed with sprinker system;
pneumatic tubes connecting freight offices on upper floors with track level platforms as well as ground level for expedient handling of freight bills and invoices;
14 freight elevators, 2 of which were truck elevators between track level platforms and ground level;
track level had 8 tracks with high level platforms to facilitate ease of loading / unloading
concrete floors and platforms on track level for ease of cleaning
two refrigerator rooms on track level for high value perishable freight
ground floor could accommodate 127 trucks;
5 ton hoist on south side of building for direct transfer of freight from railroad car on track level to truck bed on ground level.

Outdoor track level platforms - 1936 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR250061 added 10 May 2026		Indoor track level platforms - 1936 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR250057 added 10 May 2026
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Handling freight at St. Johns Park: crates of eggs from car, unloading dairy products, etc. - 1936 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR250052 added 10 May 2026
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F. C. Linde Company - Store No 1 - US Customs Bonded Warehouse - March 1, 1940 Loading bays 27E and 28E New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR260680 added 10 May 2026		Universal Carloading & Distributing Loading bays 28W through 22W New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR260683 added 10 May 2026
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Loading bays 32E through 41E - March 1, 1940 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR260682 added 10 May 2026		Loading bays 32E through 34E - March 1, 1940 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR260681 added 10 May 2026
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Street Level: truck loading docks - March 1, 1940 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR260685 added 10 May 2026

Third Rail Territory - So where exactly was it?

The above map relevant to the time period of third rail use: 1937 - ca. 1955
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One of the topics of frequent discussion among both casual rail enthusiasts as well urban historical bloggers with no technical or mechanical knowledge, 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?

All too often its stated that the entire line was electrified with third rail. This is not the case.

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:

"Operation will be by electric third rail to 30th Street. Switching 30th and 60th Street Yards and to industries south of 30th Street will be by Diesel electric locomotives."

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.

As we can plainly see from the image directly below, we have an R2 class straight electric locomotive #333 standing at West 36 Street a few hundred feet east of the beginning of the incline for the High Line. And we have third rail.

New York Central System Historical Society Image

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 passenger service. 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.

So it was specifically necessary for a locomotive to have battery power for use on the High Line and in the West 30th - 36th Street Yards for three reasons. The first; being the yards would have contained hundreds of gaps in a third rail located by each switch, if third rail had actually been installed (it had not).

The second reason is, why go through all the effort of having a locomotive designed and built with a battery power source, if one could simply install a third rail power source in those buildings with inside trackage?

High Line - Twelfth Avenue - West 34th Street and West 33rd Street - third rail visible next to tracks
Fairchild Aerial Survey Image - 1951?
nyc.gov - New York Municipal Archives image

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 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.

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 sub-grade 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. Shaughnessy 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.

West Side Improvement Booklet issued by New York Central RR - 1934


	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

Railway Age - June 23, 1934

New York Central Completes elevation of 2.3 Miles of Busy Freight Line in New York City

"Death Avenue" didn't die when the High Line was born, or when the sub-grade cut opened.

Street Operations Continue! For a "little" while - only 8 more years!

Contrary to popular belief, and yet another misconception is that when the High Line opened to service for it's full length in 1934, all street running railroad operations on Tenth and Eleventh Avenues ceased.

And as you about to learn, it did not. The High Line was not the replacement for Eleventh Avenue street running (the sub-grade cut was); with the High Line being the replacement for Tenth Avenue street running. Furthermore, even street running on Tenth Avenue was not eliminated with the opening of the High Line in 1934.

Because of its nature of operation on the surface, the West 17th Street Fresh Produce Market still needed rail service. That meant freight trains still had to operate street level from the West 30th Street Yard to West 17th Street to service the market.

After 1934, street running ceased south of West 17th Street and on West Street, Washington Street, Canal Street, et al. But north of West 17th Street and Tenth Avenue? You were still going to run into trains operating on the street.

It is only when the Fresh Produce Market closed in March 1941 - last ride of the West Side cowboy; did the final train to operate on Tenth Avenue take place, and operations on Tenth Avenue cease in their entirety. And this did not take place until March 1941. That's right, 1941 - seven years after the High Line was opened all the way to Beach Street and the St. John's Park Freight Terminal. and and 4 years after the sub-grade cut opened to service.

If there were a total of 30 trains running along the street in a 24 hour period, at least four and possibly six trains remained: two (or three) in each direction - one morning, (possibly one afternoon) and one evening; would have to be retained to service the Fresh Produce Market.

So, even after the grade crossing elimination and electrification adjacent to Riverside Park, the High Line, and the sub-grade cut were completed and opened to service, they did not eliminate street operations. The frequency of trains operating in the street was just reduced and as such, freight train movements were no longer the large nuisance or safety issue to pedestrians and automobiles.

But, while the High Line and the sub-grade route was and remains, a novel solution to both the operational hazards to pedestrians as well as those inadvertently caused traffic jams while the locomotive was switching freight cars in the street, it should be noted that despite the fanfare and even after the High Line was finished and opened for service, this did not eliminate the need for street running, and it continued albeit in a much reduced capacity.

This is even stated in the New York Times article (highlighted text) published June 28, 1937 to announce the opening of the sub-grade cut. Take special note of the highlighted text:

The Fresh Produce / Perishable Goods Yard was located between West 17th and West 18th Streets on the west side of Tenth Avenue, and has been discussed a few chapters previous.

Even though cessation of street running on Tenth Avenue was expected in 1939; it would not cease until March 1941, with Eleventh Avenue running ceasing a year prior.
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Third Phase of Construction:

The sub-grade cut "subway" between West 58th Street to West 35th Street - 1934 through 1937

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Any track numbers noted, correspond to the 1947 New York Central Track & Siding Location Map - Plate 130

Technically speaking, the excavation of, and the installation of trackage in the sub-grade cut between West 35th Street and West 60th Street constituted a fourth (chronological) phase of construction, (if you count the two parts of construction of the High Line).

In addition to the construction of the elevated High Line from West 35th Street to St John's Park Freight Terminal; an open sub-grade cut was to be built from West 35th Street to West 60th Street. This sub-grade route separation was as equally important to the West Side Improvement Project, as the High Line would be south of it.

Without the sub-grade cut, the New York Central would have remained operating its trains on Eleventh Avenue. To mention the High Line in one breath and on a website / blog, and nothing about the sub-grade cut; leaves off fully one third of the West Side Improvement Project, but an equally important third of the project.

Yet, for some odd reason; the urban blogsters and neighborhood historians miss this importance.

Equally as ironic, it is this sub-grade route remains in service to this day, and continues to serve Manhattan in a railroad capacity (albeit Amtrak passenger service to and from Penn Station and not freight), and not just as a "park" as the High Line is now. Granted, the sub-grade cut is just not as photogenic then (I mean that I understand - it's a trench with railroad tracks - no buildings, no structures.

I also get it that a published history with images in todays age, wouldn't be worth spit; mostly because the sub-grade cut is all covered up now (a few openings still exist). Boring, yes. But again, the sub-grade cut is as important historically to the West Side Improvement Project, therefore it must be included in the history and must be discussed.

Overview:

Starting at West 60th Street, exiting the yard and progressing south; the right of way would lowered into an two track open air sub-grade cut mid block between Eleventh and Tenth Avenues and proceed south. Each cross street would go over the tracks on a small overpass, maintaining continuity of the street grid.

A third track double ended siding on the west side began at West 58th Street through West 54th Street, forming the underground siding for the Sheffield Farms plant. On the east side of the two running tracks were a coupe of stub tracks.

The tracks went back to two Running Tracks at West 54th, then a block later opened back to three tracks, with that third track a very long double ended siding, which also led into north leg of the wye at West 41st Street. This wye, with the west leg veering off to the west and becoming the spur track running west one and half blocks to the New York Stock Yard Building and Slaughterhouse. The south leg of the wye formed a another siding at West 39th Street running along side the Running Tracks where at West 37th Street began to fan out. Three sidings on the east side of the cut, led to the Yards located between West 30th Street and West 34th Street, north of Eleventh Avenue. The Two Running tracks ran into the West 35th Street led directly to the High Line. The siding to the west, split into three stub tracks serving West Virginia Pulp & Paper, and the Williams Building. One track swerved around these buildings to the west and opened up into the West 36th Street Yard and platforms for Universal Carloading.

The West 35th to West 60th Street sub-grade route and tunnel opened to freight service on June 28, 1937; three years after the High Line. And even after this sub-grade routing was finished, it should be noted: street operation of freight trains continued until 1941.

Please note, that our virtual journey will progress from south to north, unlike other chapters.

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Looking north from West 36th Street overpass - May 1, 1936
Sub-grade cut excavation, temporary West 37th Street overpass; St. Cyril's Church spires visible above overpass.
P. L. Sperr photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 20 August 2025

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Temporary Eleventh Avenue Viaduct 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

combined 1932 / 1942 Port Terminal Facilities Map
showing temporary track arrangements - June 1937
© 2026 - freightrrofnyc.info

Looking east from mid-block between Twelfth and Eleventh Avenues at West 35th Street - June 25, 1937
Photographer is standing on start of High Line incline. Note the opening in embankment (straight ahead) for sub-grade cut, and the short steel bridge (red)
allowing railroad access to existing yard trackage located between West 34th and West 30th Streets, Tenth through Twelfth Avenues.
Note the straight track coming through embankment (blue) which is NOT connected by date of this image, but will be within 48 hours.
All trains are still entering this yard from Eleventh Avenue street running (orange & yellow) by the tracks seen curving to left. Pink represents the loading platform tracks.
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

Un-annotated version of above image for your viewing pleasure - June 25, 1937
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025

One month later - July 24, 1937
Looking east-southeast at Eleventh Avenue and West 36th Street (left edge) to West 34th Street (right).
Tracks between sub-grade cut and High Line at bottom right.
Track at bottom of image is (former) lead off Eleventh Avenue no longer in service.
Note the remains of embankment just above it, necessary to access yards south of West 34th Street.
As these tracks are now connected into the sub-grade cut, the embankment track is no longer needed.
Temporary Eleventh Avenue Viaduct over 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

Because of the unique angle (northeast / southwest) at which the sub-grade cut entered the West 36th Street Yard complex, the images taken in the vicinity of West 35th through West 37th Street come in on an angle to the street grid.

Looking southwest at West 35th overpass (left) Eleventh Avenue Viaduct (right) - July 24, 1937
Now on the east side of Eleventh Avenue, the underpinning R. H. Macy warehouse for subgrade cut and yard access.
Tracks to left lead to West 30th through West 32nd Street Yards, and Railway Express.
Trackage under warehouse leads to West 33rd and West 34th Street Yards, with tracks on right of image are leads to High Line.
Note third rail is not yet installed.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025

With the photographer shifting just a couple of feet to his left, yet still looking southwest with R. H. Macy warehouse over, West 35th Street overpass on left edge and Eleventh Avenue Viaduct seen under it. Locomotive is now on West 35th Street Yard lead (track 215). Northbound running track (#1) is right edge of image, leading to High Line incline. Note the use of third rail power on some tracks.

Looking southwest with R. H. Macy warehouse over, West 35th Street overpass on left edge and Eleventh Avenue Viaduct seen under it. Locomotive is on northbound running track (#1), leading to High Line incline. The track extreme at right of image is the southbound running track "Running Track 1" leading to High Line. Note the use of third rail power on some tracks.

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Looking north from West 36th Street overpass - July 24, 1937
West Side Improvement Project - subgrade routing
Note tie lengths for installation of third rail supports.
The spires of Sts. Cyril & Methodius and St. Raphael Church (502 West 41st Street) are visible on right side of image.
New York Central RR Publicity photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 20 August 2025Sheffield Farms siding

Moving down into the cut, and few dozen feet to the west grants us this view. The locomotive is on Running Track #1, the photographer is on Running Track #2
and the track behind the worker is track #218, which in one block hidden by the pillars) leads into the wye and Track 222, which turns to the west and leads to
New York Stock Yard stock house one and a half blocks to the left (west).
The spires of Sts. Cyril & Methodius and St. Raphael Church (502 West 41st Street) peek up over the West 40th Street overpass.

Still looking north, and moving north, the photographer is under the West 40th Street overpass.
Track #218, enters the 2-1-8 double slip switch with track 222 curving into the darkness and leading to New York Stock Yard (stock house one and half blocks to the left - west).
The train (insulated reefer cars) is crossing over from Running Track 1, with 212 siding ending under the crossover running track. The track to right of photographer is Running Track 2
The spires, and apse and transcept of Sts. Cyril & Methodius and St. Raphael Church (502 West 41st Street) are now clearly visible.
(click on image for annotated version)
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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!

The stock pens were on the north half of the block bounded by West 41st Street and West 40th Street, Eleventh and Twelfth Avenues.

There was no "stockyard" per se; that served the stock house. A single spur track (highlighted in yellow) came off the southbound track of the Eleventh Avenue running track. This track turned west onto West 41st Street and was aligned just inside of the southern curb line of West 41st Street, and ran along the north wall of the stock house along the sidewalk, and cattle were unloaded directly from livestock cars into the building.

It is understood this original stock house was two storeys. By the late 1920's, the miscellaneous structures of the New York Consolidated Gas Co. located on the block to the north (between West 42nd and West 41st Streets were razed), and the block directly north of the stock building was graded, and several pair of team tracks installed and connected with switches to the running track along Eleventh Avenue. The team yard driveways were paved with Belgian block. This team yard allowed dressed beef to be loaded into refrigerated cars for transport to the meat packers further south at Gansevoort Market, or shipped directly out of Manhattan.

Around this time, the stock house was rebuilt and expanded to three storeys, Following that renovation; and beginning in 1937, sub-grade stub tracks were excavated into the bottom level of the building which routed from the sub-grade cut and to replace Eleventh Avenue street running. The tracks entered through the east wall of the stock building approximately 15 feet below the surface of the street. Because the land naturally slopes down towards the waterfront, what is sub-grade at Eleventh Avenue is at grade at Twelfth Avenue.

The junction of this stub track with the running tracks in the sub-grade cut can still be seen out of the right side windows of a southbound Amtrak trains running the Hudson Line and heading into Penn Station.

these three maps: north is right

north is up north is right

Fairchild Aerial Survey Images - 1924
Showing street track curving off Eleventh Avenue onto West 41st Street, and no yard on the block north.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 19 August 2025

One of the better images I've encountered, and to which caused me some great enjoyment. Images of the wye are especially scarce.

Looking south-southwest. - July 24, 1937
Note that there are no rails installed yet on Track 214 or 222 (ties laying haphazardly.
Service via these tracks would not commence until 1940; as excavation to Twelfth Avenue was still underway,
as well as shoring up the stock house building to install the sub-grade tracks.
P. L. Sperr photo
Gift of New York Central System Publicity Bureau
New York Public Library Digital Collections - Image ID 733563B
West Side Improvement Projects

This next image is heavily damaged, but for what its worth, it gives us the view looking west at the wye, before the air-rights were sold, and it was covered up.

Looking west, with West 40st Street overpass - March 4, 1938
Eleventh Avenue in background.
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR230147
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We are fortunate as the air-rights over some of the West 41st Street wye were being re-developed when this satellite image was taken, offering this great aerial perspective - 2026
The Michael J. Quinn Bus Depot now stands on the site of the stock house and slaughterhouse.
Google Maps
annotated by author
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Looking north along Track 222
Eleventh Avenue one block to left, New York Stock Yard stock house 1½ blocks to left.

Looking east - Track 214 to left, Track 222 to right;
sub-grade cut running tracks behind granite formation in center.
Eleventh Avenue and New York Stock Yard stock house behind photographer.

These two images circulate every now and then in various New York area railroading groups on Facebook.
As they have been shared and reshared numerous times, I do not know who to credit; so if these are yours, please contact me so you can be duly accredited. My deepest thanks for capturing this!
Passengers on southbound Amtrak Hudson Line service into New York Penn Station, can see this wye from the right side of the train (just before entering the curve into NY Penn Station.)
Personally speaking, I have witnessed Amtrak Maintenance Of Way track equipment stored on Track 222 back around 2016 and 2018.

West 41st Street - New York Stock Yards - February 15, 1941 Looking west from Eleventh Avenue. The area to right was the former open stockyard. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR280375		West 41st Street - New York Stock Yards - February 15, 1941 Looking southwest at east entrance door. The area to right was the former open stockyard. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR280381
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West 41st Street - New York Stock Yards - February 15, 1941 Looking southeast at east entrance door, eleventh Avenue in background. The remnant of the open stockyard track lead can be seen in the mismatch pavement center left of image. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR280382
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West 41st Street - New York Stock Yards - February 15, 1941 Looking south at west entrance door. (The open stockyard was behind photographer.) New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR280378		West 41st Street - New York Stock Yards - February 15, 1941 Looking east-southeast along West 41st Street mid-block at west entrance door / driveway. (Former open stockyard to left. Twelfth Avenue behind photographer) New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR280379
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West 41st Street - New York Stock Yards - February 15, 1941 Looking east along West 41st Street at southwest corner of building. Former open stockyard to left. Twelfth Avenue behind photographer New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR280376

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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

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

Returning to the sub-grade cut and our journey north:

Looking south from between West 41st and West 40th Streets. The photographer is on Track 212 and looking at the West 40th street overpass (foreground - top)
and West 39th Street overpass (over locomotive on Running Track 1).
From left: Track 217, loco is on Running Track 1, photographer is on Track 212 (Running Track 2 is out of view immediately to the right.)
Note the prodigious light standards for night work in this images and preceding. These tracks were active 24 hours a day.

Now the photographer is on Track 222 and looking south with the West 40th street overpass (foreground - top) and West 39th Street overpass (over locomotive on Running Track 1).
Behind the photographer, Track 222 curves to the right to the New York Stock Yard Co. stock house. From right to left, Track 222, Track 218, Running Track 2, Track 212, Running Track 1 (with loco)

Looking south from West 52nd Street overpass - July 24, 1937
Photographer is on Running Track 1 (left), Running Track 2 (middle), Track 206 (right)
New York Central Publicity photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 20 August 2025

Sheffield Farms Processing Plant - underground railroad siding - West 58th to 54th Streets - post 1937

Looking north from West 57th Street overpass - July 24, 1937
Southbound Tri-Power leading train entering Eleventh Avenue from West 60th Street Yard in center of photo.
Under construction in image is new Sheffield Farms bottling plant, with unbuilt sub-grade siding - Track 200.
Running Tracks 2 and ! to right of unbuilt siding.
New York Central Publicity photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives

added 20 August 2025

As we have seen in the images of the West Side Improvement Projects, Sheffield Farms, a rather large dairy concern in the New York City region, constructed a new processing plant at 525 West 57th Street. Because the West Side Line railroad right of way was now sub-grade and; underground offloading docks were constructed adjacent to a siding track. This unloading dock was located on the west side of the right of way, between West 58th Street and West 54th Street.

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 - sub-grade 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

After the opening of this milk plant in June 1938; most milk tank cars seen in the images of the West 60th Street Yard, milk was no longer being drawn off by direct transfer to trucks, and with said trucks transporting milk to the processing plant.

A new underground siding opened to rail traffic around this date, allowing several milk tank cars to be spotted directly adjacent to the Sheffield plant.

Once loaded milk tank cars was spotted on this siding; Sheffield employees would connect stainless steel pipes, constructed in sections with tee swivel union fittings, that were used to connect from the pumps in the pump rooms to the outlets on the Milk Car tanks.

Being underground, this operation could hardly be seen by the layman. We are fortunate that the New York Central System Historical Society has six images taken for a publicity spread in "Westsider Magazine".

These are the only known images of this particular operation known to me, and I thought them worthy to include here. If you know of others, and would like to see them here; please email me.

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

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The West 60th Street "Portal"

The portal to the sub-grade cut located at West 60th Street, isn't so much as a tunnel portal as it is a very wide overgrade of Eleventh Avenue on an angle. Thing length and angle lend itself to be dark underneath; so it has all the appearance of a tunnel portal, so for simplicities sake, let's call it a portal.

Here are four nice images of that portal. Originally, I was not going to include them in an effort to save space on the page. On retrospect, I am glad I included them, as two of the images contain the DES-2 prototype Tri-Power Diesel-electric / Battery / Third Rail locomotive #1525. There aren't many images of this locomotive "in action" that I could find during my research; as most are "standing still" roster and publicity images.

Note that only a few tracks are below grade and have access into the "portal": From left to right: Running Track 1, Running Track 2, staging track 212, 211 and 210. These staging tracks were for trains already assembled and ready to head south to West 36th Street Yard for breakdown. Also, Sheffield Milk Tank trains would be spotted on the staging tracks just prior to their being shuttled south two blocks to their respective underground siding.

As these were staging tracks, only those cars getting ready to move south, occupy these tracks. All railroad cars behind these first five tracks, and higher and at yard surface level. These tracks are stub end storage sidings; mostly for empty express baggage cars and mail cars wait for assignment.

unknown # DES-3 southbound on Running Track 2 heads into the portal off the #212 yard staging track at West 60th Street - September 1, 1941 Image ID WR290445		unknown # DES-3 southbound on Running Track 2 heads into the portal at West 60th Street off #212 yard staging track t - September 1, 1941 Image ID WR290441
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DES-2 #1525 emerging from the portal northbound on Running Track 1 at West 60th Street, with mail / baggage express cars on the southbound #210 staging track t - September 1, 1941 Image ID WR290439		DES-2 #1525 on Running Track 1 takes the curve into the Yard t - September 1, 1941 Image ID WR290442

West 60th - 72nd Street Yards - December 19, 1937
Milk cars on the staging tracks at about West 63rd Street. Note third rail installation.
These milk tanks cars are waiting to be brought to the new Sheffield Farms underground siding at West 57th Street.
P. L. Sperr photo
New York Public Library Digital Archives
added 20 August 2025

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"Death Avenue" didn't die when the sub-grade cut opened.

Street operations continue for 4 more years!
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Contrary to popular belief, and yet another misconception is that when the High Line opened in 1934, all street running railroad operations ceased and we addressed that misconception a few chapter previous.

Now, we are completing yet another phase of the West Side Improvement Project, and despite that, street operation are retained out of necessity.

Street running on Eleventh Avenue between the West 36th Street Yard and West 41st Street had to continue in operation, to service the New York Stock Yards Co.

It was not until the replacement routing which entailed both the sub-grade cut AND and the additional new excavation from the sub-grade cut to under the New York Stock Yards building, which was completed in 1940, that street running on Eleventh Avenue was completely eliminated. This entailed the true completion third phase of construction, which we discussed above.

So, even after the Riverside Park grade crossing elimination, electrification, covering, the High Line being built, and the sub-grade cut being excavated and completed, they did not eliminate street operations.

The frequency of trains operating in the street was just reduced and as such, freight train movements were no longer the large nuisance or safety issue to pedestrians and automobiles, but they were still there.

This is even stated in the New York Times article (highlighted text) dated June 28, 1937:

With the introduction of electric and Diesel-electric locomotives into Manhattan; steam locomotives were no longer brought into the borough. As such, the coal trestle and coaling facilities adjacent to the West 72nd Street Roundhouse, as well as the water tower, were removed. This allowed for more area to service and store locomotives near the shops, as well as provide a footprint for supports of the West Side Highway.

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.

In 1941, a new grain elevator was constructed at Albany, NY (130 miles north) and of 13.5 million bushel capacity, which pretty much supplanted those in the New York City proper. Elevator A was dismantled, nd the grain elevator site repurposed. It would now would be home to a small cement loading plant built in its footprint.

The advent of mechanical refrigeration also 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 brought direct. The former stock yard space was re-developed into the Live Poultry Terminal 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 as you can imagine, especially after the conclusion of World War II; was really becoming a major shipping commodity into Manhattan. A chicken in every pot and an automobile in every garage finally became reality!

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.

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.

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.

This images on this page are post-1929 and for earlier views and operations and structures of the yard prior to this date, I respectfully refer you to the Chapter on Page 1.

Because of the vastness of this facility, I have made an attempt to separate images into geographical groupings. T

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West 72nd Street, looking northeast from the Pedestrian Bridge - October 23, 1947
Tri-Power working running track. West 72nd Street ramp to West Side Highway over locomotive.
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG605306
added 10 May 2026
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Railroad Young Mens Christian Association "YMCA" at West 72nd Street - September 17, 1931
Looking south-southwest. Note roof of YMCA has been removed and building "flat-topped" to permit West Side Highway to pass overhead.
Also the coal trestle with chutes can be seen, which allows us to see how the older steam locomotives were fueled; however,
by this date, steam has been replaced and the coal trestle and water tower are out of service.
The pedestrian bridge where above image were taken, can barely be discerned above the trestle and camouflaged by West Side Highway girders.
Locomotive to left of coal trestle is R Class, locomotive to right is Tri-Power DES-3 class.
New York City Department of Records & Information Services (DORIS) / New York City Municipal Archives
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West 60th - 72nd Street Terminal - September 28, 1931
Looking south from apartment building roof at West 69th Street. Transfer bridges to right of West Side "Miller" Highway which is under construction.
New York City Department of Records and Information Services (DORIS) - New York City Municipal Archives
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General view of shop area at West 72nd Street - September 28, 1931
Looking south-southwest. Note water tower has scaffolding around it - presumably ready to be taken down as there are no more steam locomotives to this facility.
New York City Department of Records & Information Services (DORIS) / New York City Municipal Archives
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General view of shop area at West 72nd Street - June 1, 1932
Looking south-southwest. Note coaling trestle and water tower are gone.
Locomotive on left edge is Tri-Power class DES-3, locomotive at center right is R class.
New York City Department of Records & Information Services (DORIS) / New York City Municipal Archives

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General view of shop area at West 72nd Street - August 18, 1931
Looking south-southwest.
Note that girders for West Side Highway are brought directly to location of construction by railroad car. Very convenient!
New York City Department of Records & Information Services (DORIS) / New York City Municipal Archives
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Pier E roof (looking southeast) - June 26, 1931
Note combine baggage / passenger car in yard. That should be on the carmen's repair tracks.
New York City Department of Records & Information Services (DORIS) / New York City Municipal Archives
added 15 August 2025
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Pier E roof (looking southeast) - June 26, 1931
Note combine baggage / passenger car in yard. That should be on the carmen's repair tracks.
Frank S. Savastano photo
New York City Department of Records & Information Services (DORIS) / New York City Municipal Archives
added 15 August 2025
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West 60th - 72nd Street Terminal - September 23, 1937
Looking north from West 64nd Street, taken from upper level of Elevator A. Transfer bridges to left of West Side "Miller" Elevated Highway.
West 67th Street footbridge on right edge.
Associated Press photo
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Looking northeast at outshore ends of (from left to right) Transfer Bridge #2, Pier G, F, E, D, B and Transfer Bridge #1B - no date
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR050187
added 11 May 2026
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Looking north from West 60th at west side of yard - September 1, 1941 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR290437	Looking north from West 60th at center of yard - September 1, 1941 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR290436
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Looking north from West 60 at west side of yard - 1957 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG605334
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Looking northwest from West 61st Street and Eleventh Avenue - May 1, 1939 Milk Platforms and Socony gas station New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR250484
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Looking west from about West 65th Street at west side of yard - May 1,1939 Freighthouse under West Side Highway, note Weehawken grain elevator across river. Believed to have taken from roof of Chrysler Building. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR250475

DES-3 southbound on Running Track 2 heads
into the portal off the
#212 yard staging track at West 60th Street - September 1, 1941
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR290445

Looking south at center of yard and Poultry Platforms from
West 65rd Street - July 23, 1947
Taken from Chrysler Viaduct
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR390054

Looking south at west side of yard from West 64th Street - 1957
Taken from top of boxcar at Pier B driveway
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG605335

Looking north at east side of yard from West 67th Street - April 14, 1942 Taken from footbridge. Note yard bypass track extreme right. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR300363
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West 70th Street, east side of yard, looking south - November 21, 1949 Note yard bypass track extreme left. Taken from West 71st Street foot bridge. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG605068	West 71th Street, center of yard, looking southwest - October 23, 1947 Taken from West 71st Street foot bridge. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG605303
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Looking south from West 71st Street footbridge. . November 21, 1949 Taken from West 71st Street foot bridge. Note train on yard bypass track under West 67th Street footbridge (partly hidden by smoke. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG605067
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Looking south from West 70th Street at east side of yard - no date Yard bypass track extreme left. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG504008	West 70th Street, east side of yard looking south - March 24, 1961 Yard bypass track extreme left. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG605240
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Looking south from West 70th Street at center of yard - October 23, 1947 Taken from foot bridge over yard. Note empty cement bottle gondolas bottom right corner (openings in sidewalls for hoses and side braces) New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID NG605305

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West 60th - 72nd Street Terminal - ca. 1940's
Looking south from West 72nd Street. Transfer bridges to right of West Side "Miller" Highway.
unknown provenance
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West 60th - 72nd Street Terminal - ca. 1940's
Looking south from West 72nd Street.
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This next set of images are from a series of Fairchild Aerial Survey Images from 1957. By this point in time, we also can see that at least two transfer bridges; the wooden Howe truss bridge with wood gantry house as well as the steel French design bridge (center right) are still in service; with an empty carfloat as the steel pontoon float bridge. The Transfer Bridge, #1B;at West 63rd Street has been removed as has Elevator A.

Looking northeast from West 60th Street - 1957
Grain Elevator A formerly occupied the open yard tracks bottom center with three covered barges. At the times of this image, this location now houses a cement handling facility.
New York City Department of Records & Information Services (DORIS) / New York City Municipal Archives
added 15 August 2025
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looking south - 1957
The yard has not yet been reconfigured into a double ended set up. Almost all tracks are stubs, with the only run through tracks are those going into the sub-grade cut at upper left corner.
New York City Municipal Archives
added 15 August 2025
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looking southeast - 1957
New York City Municipal Archives
added 15 August 2025
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With the widespread proliferation of trucking in the 1950's, and with that being exacerbated by the opening of the Eisenhower Interstate System; door to door trucking became prevalent. It diminished the need for terminal to pier lighterage, and as a result without a need for lighterage transfer, pier houses became superfluous.

The New York Central Railroad owned this property (not the City of New York), therefore property taxes needed to be paid, more so on upon improved lots. So, to reduce expenditures, some pier houses were demolished. Some burned, and others collapsed from neglect. Since the pier houses were no longer needed and demolished, the need for the pier yards was eliminated.

So the railroad rebuilt the yard track configuration in the West 60th Street Yard about 1962-1965 (exact date uncertain). Note in the next two images, the yard trackage layout has been changed to a central main track supplied ladder yard or "hourglass" configuration (where as the old configuration seen above was groups of dead end sidings in groups or "subyards" in front of the piers. The team tracks & yard has been thinned out, to allow larger tractor trailers access.

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Looking east-southeast from Hudson River - June 1974
Northern part of West 60th-72nd Street Yard.
Original image: Hope Alexander / DOCUMERICA
Environmental Protection Agency / National Archives & Records Administration
annotations by author
with thanks to Sahib Akhundzadeh
added 10 October 2025
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Looking south-southeast from Hudson River - May 1974
Southern part of West 60th-72nd Street Yard.
Original image: Hope Alexander / DOCUMERICA
Environmental Protection Agency / National Archives & Records Administration
annotations by author
with thanks to Sahib Akhundzadeh
added 10 October 2025
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West 60th Street Poultry Yards & Platforms - Live Poultry Terminal

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. Nothing is reflected on property atlases.

As beef transport to the West 60th Street Yard via cattle boat / stock barge slowly dwindled during the 1920's, and 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.


West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms - September 9, 1930 Main (double) driveway (looking northeast) with original two narrower platforms. New York Central System Historical Society - Image IDWR150089 added 28 April 2026		West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms (looking northeast) - September 9, 1930 Main (double) driveway (looking northeast) with original two narrower platforms. showing from left to right - driveway, track, covered platform, double driveway, platform New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR150088 added 28 April 2026

Purpose built freight cars designed for transporting poultry were switched and spotted along two parallel platforms with a wide driveway between them. Think of a boxcar, but instead of solid walls, there were open mesh grate to permit the flow of fresh air (and the escape of that wet gym sock smell of chickens - I live in Texas up the road from a chicken farm. Trust me, when the wind is just right, it smells like a high school gym locker room, especially after a rain.) Think of the car as a rolling cage, with shelves. Each chicken crate was inserted into a shelf and secured in place, with a quarter turn lock.

The crates were accessed through a central door located along the side.


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

As can be viewed here, dealers and wholesalers could park parallel or back their trucks right up to the platform, which was level with the door on the poultry car for ease of transfer and handling.


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


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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Because of the small nature of the poultry, partly due to the public access nature of the poultry platforms, and then the onset of desperation following the Depression beginning in October 1929; a squad of special watchmen were assigned to the poultry platforms. A young delinquent might be able to carry off one or two birds, but a few crates were worth their weight and easily absconded with.


West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms - January 20, 1930 Poultry Policemen New York Central System Historical Society


West 60th Street Yard Poultry Platforms - undated Poultry Policemen New York Central System Historical Society

The new poultry platform - ca. 1940

north is right

When Elevator A, (the grain storage elevator) located at the southwest corner of the West 60th Street Yards; was no longer needed and dismantled; the resultant size of the adjacent car storage yard (tracks 168 through 230 in the map at left) was no longer necessary or relevant.

About 1940, several of the east tracks were removed (#187, 188, 189, 205) were removed, and a third wider poultry platform (reflected in yellow), with a single track on the east length (#230) and a new driveway running its length on the west side of the platform (show in red) was constructed to the west of the original two platforms around.

What makes this even more intriguing, is not a single map in my collection reflects this third platform. It's not shown in either the 1942 Port Facilities Map, the 1951 New York Central Siding Location Map (of which the map at left is modified from), the 1955 G W. Bromley Property Atlas or even the 1965 Port Facilities Map.

I would have expected that at least the official New York Central issued siding location maps to be more accurate. No dice - it shows side by side siding tracks from West Side Highway to the original two poultry platforms. Matter of fact, it does'nt show these plaforms either - just their driveways.

If it weren't for these images, I would have said the third poultry platform didn't exist. But the proof is in the images.

The final arrangement was thus:

yard - new driveway - new poultry platform - new track - new driveway - existing track - old poultry platform - double driveway - old poultry platform - track -
track for cripple repair shop - auto platforms (which aren't shown either!)

Original poultry platforms - September 9, 1930
Note small platform with wagons, where the new platform would be built.
West Side Highway not built yet.
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR150089

New poultry platform with larger eave and new driveway - September 1, 1941
west of original two platforms
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR290453

Both images taken from roof of warehouse.

West 60th Street Auto Platforms

While perusing the images of the poultry cars, I happened across these images of the auto loading / unloading platforms at the West 60th Street Yard in the New York Central System Historical Society Digital Archives as well.

Do not let the old cars fool you - these were taken in 1951 - and the cars were part of a vintage auto race from Chicago to New York. They are being shipped back to Chicago.

It should be noted, that the majority of automobile shipments were waybilled to the auto facility located at Kingsbridge Yard in the Bronx. However, certain shipments could be waybilled for West 60th Street.

(It should be noted, that several of the images in the NYCSHS archives are labeled as being West 60th Street or New York, NY yet should be "Bronx, NY" and are in fact Kingsbridge, as trees can be seen over the boxcars. There were no trees in the West 60th Street Yard!)


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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As we are working counter-clockwise around the Yard, our next location brings us north up West End Avenue from West 60th Street to West 63rd Street to the:

West 63rd Street Milk Platforms - "A" - "B" - "C" - "D"

1947 New York Central RR Siding Location Chart 1955 G. W. Bromley Property Atlas
added 05 May 2026

Following the razing of the the milk sheds and platforms at West 29th Street and Tenth Avenue for the construction of the Morgan Parcel Post Building in 1930; the southeast corner of the West 60th Street Yard was reconfigured, and four new milk platforms constructed here.

These new platforms appear longer in length than their West 29th street counterparts, there are more tracks nine versus six, and some are configured with a connecting track to switch around a standing train, allowing a locomotive to pull a train of milk cars alongside the platform instead of always pushing them into place. Essentially, this was a runaround track arrangement, or a partial double ended ladder yard for tracks 246, 247, 248, 250, 251, 252.

What is evident is the several of the tracks are next to very wide driveways. The reasons for this are clear, as some image show a tractor trailer loading a portable milk tank; the newest attempt in specialized bulk handling.

West 63rd Street Milk Platforms - May 1, 1939 Looking north-northwest from West 61th Street and West End Avenue. Socony Gas Station at foot of West 61st Street and entrance to Milk Platform driveways 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

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West 65th Street Chrysler Warehouse - West End Avenue and West 65th and West 66th Streets

1947 New York Central RR Siding Location Chart 1955 G. W. Bromley Property Atlas
added 05 May 2026

Looking northeast at West 34th Street Yard Team Tracks - December 9, 1947
Following the completion West Side Improvement Projects, the various yards were reconstructed.
Here we are looking 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 34th Street Team Tracks - December 9, 1947
The photographer of the image above, having moved a little more east, is now looking northwest.
The photographer is standing roughly in the alignment of where West 35th Street, when it connected to Twelfth Avenue. 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

looking north east along Eleventh Avenue at West 34th Street - August 12, 1936
Construction of sub-grade cut under Eleventh Avenue, as well as underpinning building for sub-grade tracks to West 60th Street
Sub-grade cut is behind and under white billboard fencing and runs under photographer.
old R. H. Macy Warehouse.
New York Public Library Digital Archives
P. L. Sperr photo
added 19 August 2025

West 32nd - 31st Streets - under Eleventh Avenue Viaduct - May 7, 1954
This structure is credited as being a meat transfer platform, signed for Olympia Transportation Co. Refrigerated Services;
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.

And here we have come to the reason why street operations continued for so long on Tenth Avenue.

Even after the High Line was built and opened, after numerous newspaper articles touted about demise of Death Avenue, and all the resultant urban blogs; there was no other way to haul freight cars to or from this location without street running.

The Fresh Produce Yard was very important aspect of Manhattan operations. Fresh fruit from the tropics arrived via ship, off loaded and drayed into the yard for loading upon railroad car; while fruits and vegetables arriving from the west were placed in the yard for shipping back to the tropics or overseas.

From all known resources and signage evident in the images, this location was for the "Delivering Inbound or Receiving [Produce?] Car Load Freight" operation, meaning full cars of produce; not smaller less than carload LCL lots.

go to:	Page 1:	History and Operations: 1846 through 1941 (street running)
you are on:	Page 2:	History and Operations: 1926 through 1982 (West Side Improvement; High Line & sub-grade cut)
go to:	Page 3:	Locomotive & Equipment Histories, Rosters & Images
go to:	Page 4:	Maps (Property Atlases, Port Terminal Facilities, Track, Siding Location and Valuation) and Employee Time Tables

Preamble	Return to the West Side Improvement Projects	West Side Improvement Project Finalized!
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1926-1931: First Phase of Construction: Electrification & Grade Crossing Elimination: north of West 72nd Street Spuyten Duyvil West 156th Street West 135th - 149th Streets - Manhattanville West 130th Street Viaduct West 123rd to West 72nd Streets - Get It Outta Of Our Sight! Removal of the tracks on Eleventh avenue. Not. New York Central Electrification Booklet, 1929	1929-1934: Second Phase of Construction, Parts 1 & 2: The High Line - West 35th to West 20th Street and West 20th Street to Beach Street Construction Opening - in two parts! Customers US POD Morgan Parcel Post Building (mail & parcels) R. C. Williams (grocers) Spear & Co. (furniture) Merchants Refrigeration (cold storage) National Biscuit Co. - Uneeda / Ritz (bakers) Cudahy / Swift / Morrell (meat packing district) Manhattan Refrigeration (cold storage) Bell Laboratories (no service) Whitehead Metal (steel partitions and cabinets) St John's Park Freight Station (new) Death Avenue didn't die with the birth of the High Line and would continue for 8 more years.	West Side Improvement Dedication Booklet - New York Central Railroad - June 28, 1934 Railway Age - New York Central Completes Elevation of 2.3 Miles of Freight Line in New York City - June 23, 1934
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Third Rail Territory Where was it at... and where it wasn't.	1934 - 1940: Third Phase of Construction: the sub-grade cut - West 36th to West 60th Streets West 41 Wye & Spur to New York Stock Yard Co. stock house Sheffield Farms Bottling Plant - West 58th Street West 60th Street "Portal" Death Avenue still open! Street operations continue for 4 more years.	West 60th - 72nd Street Yards West 60th Street Poultry Platforms / Live Poultry Terminal West 60th Street - Auto Platforms West 63rd Street - Milk Platforms West 65th Street - Chrysler Warehouse, Auto Platforms
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West 30th - 36th Street Yards West 27th Street - Terminal Stores new access track West 17th Street - Fresh Produce Yard - still needs street running South of Canal Street In the Interim - Franklin Street Station	1941 - March 29 The Last Ride - of Man, Horse and Locomotive on the Streets of Manhattan Real Facts - not Rail Fiction: Actual Dates of Cessation of Street Running	1941 - June 25 The Rail Pulling Ceremony now "Death Avenue" is morte..
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1960's - 1970's The decline of freight railroads in Manhattan (and the US) 1968 - Penn Central 1976 - Conrail 1980 - The End of the High Line 1982 - Last move on the 30th Street Branch - Conrail 1987 - West Side Yards - LIRR 1991 - The Resurrection of the Tunnel - Amtrak	Memorabilia
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Bibliography	Special Thanks To...	Sign the Guestbook

location	milepost*	facilities
Inwood (Dyckman Street)	.98	Freight Station
Fort Washington	2.58								Depot
West 152nd Street	3.75		Yard						Foundry Yard	these three locations merged into one big facility ca. 1930
West 148th - 143 Streets	4.00	Freight Station	Yard		Milk	LCL
West 130th Street - "Manhattanville"	4.82			Meat Packer
West 72nd - 60th Streets	8.40	Freight Station	Yard	Stock Yard	Milk		Grain Elevators	Transfer Bridges (4)	Poultry	Auto
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)	Express Svc
West 30th Street	10.06		Yard		Milk	LCL
West 17th Street	10.62								Fresh Produce Yard
old St. Johns Park Terminal	12.39	Freight Station
* from Spuyten Duyvil

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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Because of the shadowed nature of the auto loading platforms under the viaduct, the next few images are excessively lightened for detail.
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

looking southwest .		looking west
West 30th Street - West 37th Street - September 1, 1941 Both were taken from the roof of The R. H. Macy warehouse.
from right to left: High Line lead tracks, box cars in West 34th Street Team Yard (new); West 34th Street ramp, West 33rd Street car storage yard; West 33rd Street ramp; Universal Carloading platforms and transfer houses (new); West 32 through West 30th Street Team Yards (old).		from left to right: boxcars on #137 Team Track in West 34th Street Yard); High Line lead tracks and incline (directly under photographer), siding #230, (square flag driveway) sidings 234 & 236 against old storehouses; truck driveway; Universal Car Loading and West 36th Street Yard tracks. West 36th Street, and Pennsylvania RR West 37th Street Freight Station at top right quarter of image with Lincoln Tunnel Ventilation Shaft.

updated: Sunday, 24 May 2026 - 0:00 CDT

page split from Page 1, many new images and chapters added
page added 01 April 2024 - basic contents formerly known as Misc Freight RR Images page

West 36th Street - new Less Than Carload "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


Freight transfer at the West 33rd Street Freight Station - January 22, 1953 Images exemplify small less than carload freight shipments. New York Central System Historical Society Digital Archives - Image ID: WR52012, WR52011, WR52010 added 01 May 2026


1932: spur track from New York Central yard (green) occupies Eleventh Avenue providing service to Terminal Stores (yellow), as does track from Erie RR (blue) map is collection of and annotated by author added 10 May 2026		1942: New York Central Eleventh Avenue spur track removed; a new track on Twelfth Avenue is installed. This map shows Terminal Stores (yellow) now has service from three competing Class 1 freight railroads: Lehigh Valley (maroon), Erie (blue) and New York Central (green). map is collection of and annotated by author added 10 May 2026

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.	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.
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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.	Tenth Avenue at intersection of West 26th Street looking south. The white building is 259 Tenth Avenue - R. C. Williams (wholesale groceries) warehouse.
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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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The cutting room floor. Like most photographers, there are those images that weren't selected to represent the occasion. Whether it be due to bad lighting, underexposure, undramatic composition, cluttered foreground, or a host of other reasons. But I thought enough of them, to post them here.

After the last ride of George Hayde and Cyclone; a second commemorating event took place, with the City of New York officials as a co-host. This was a "last rail" pulling ceremony was held on June 25, 1941. Politicians, public officials, railroad management, the press; and a smattering of public congregated at the Intersection of West 29th and Tenth Avenue. From the New York Times - June 25, 1941 "After fifteen years of work the tremendous West Side Improvement of the New York Central Railroad has been completed. It will be a happy symbolism when Governor Lehman, Mayor La Guardia, Borough President Isaacs and others participate today in ceremonies incident to removing the last remaining rail from one of the streets over which the Central's trains have run for more than eighty years. New York is celebrating more than the West Side Improvement as such. It is hailing the disappearance of the last shred of "Death Avenue," the actual menace of which has long since passed. It is renewing its expression of gratitude for the Henry Hudson Parkway and for the extension of Riverside Park down to the waterfront, both of which were largely made possible when the railroad tracks, as part of the larger project, were covered by a steel and concrete roof north of Seventy-second Street. A cause for celebration also is the removal of railroad grade crossings at 105 intersecting streets. Commercial enterprises in midtown are expected to benefit by the construction of the railroad tracks through existing and soon-to-be-erected buildings. Out of this one widespread improvement the city has received many advantages. The project has proved well worth the more than forty years of planning and negotiation by city and railroad it took to bring it about.
New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR290124 New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR290126 added 10 May 2026
Looking north on Eleventh Avenue and West 28th Street - Terminal Store & Warehouse building on left. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR290125 added 10 May 2026	Alright boys, get it outta here. Looking south on Eleventh Avenue and West 28th Street - Terminal Store & Warehouse building on left. New York Central System Historical Society - Image ID WR290124 added 10 May 2026

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

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