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

POUCH TERMINAL
Clifton, Staten Island

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Visitors please take note ! The collection of images on this website, which continues to grow; is due to the unprecedented and selfless contributions of the current owners of photo archives. These people made their generous contributions to this website in good will, and allowed me to post their images online for the entire railroading community to view and appreciate, in admiration if these Fallen Flag Railroads. In return, I strongly request that you please respect the ownership copyrights on those said images. Other than that, please enjoy the history, thanks for taking the time to visit, and don't forget to sign the guestbook on the main page!  ~ Phil

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Map of Railroad and Terminal Facilities in the Port of New York
1943 edition.

   As both Paul Strubeck and I both are amoured with the Mack switcher of Pouch Terminal, I had listed it's build data here. That in turn led me to research the actual history of the Pouch Terminal.

History   

   As submitted by Ed Bommer; Pouch Terminal was founded in 1916 by William H. Pouch, and occupied Piers 19-21.

    Ascertained from research for American Dock Company, there was some ownership / financial connection between American Dock and Pouch Terminal, so both American Dock and Pouch Terminal were somewhat inter-related through members of the Pouch family over the decades.

   Pouch Terminal was a pier and warehouse complex on the east shore of Staten Island by Clifton, occupying 3 piers and offering lighterage service, but with no float bridge service listed. It was connected to the Staten Island Railway (operated by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad), and was connected to the American Dock Co. further north via that railroad.

   Paul Strubeck then located some information in the New York New Jersey Port and Harbor Development Commission Joint Report with Comprehensive Plan & Recommendations, 1920:

The Pouch Terminal is operated by the Pouch Terminal Company and is located at Clifton, Staten Island.    It has  rail service from the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, three piers and fifteen warehouses, but no floatbridges.    It is used by all railroads but it maintains no carfloat or lighterage service.    The following companies are tenants at it's piers: Oriental Navigation Nippon Yusen Kaisha Livermore Dearborn & Co.

   The image seen at the top of this page, is an excerpt taken from the Map of Railroad and Terminal Facilities in the Port of New York, as issued by the New York Central Railroad in 1943. This image shows the close proximity of Pouch Terminal to American Dock Company. Both terminals are denoted as having lighterage and with a red semi-circle which means Car Load Delivery.

   The following image is an advertisement for Turner Construction, and features an image of one the warehouses they constructed for Pouch Terminal. Of particular note is the fact they repeatedly constructed buildings for Pouch Terminal, American Dock, Bush Terminal, New York Dock and Robert Gair (which was located at the Jay Street Terminal.

Architecture & Building, vol.. LIV (54) - September 1922
authors collection
added 26 Dec 2009

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   Inbound freight arriving at Pouch Terminal came either by carfloat via the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad St. George Terminal, or via the Staten Island Railway (Baltimore & Ohio Railroad) via New Jersey and the Arthur Kill vertical lift bridge..

   As per "New York Harbor Railroads, Vol. 2" by Thomas Flagg; this terminal went out of business around 1979. The property is now home to a New York Power Authority Gas Turbine Electric Generating Plant.

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Locomotives

   "The Pouch Terminal Mack switcher is a Type AW 30 ton unit, with two 6 cylinder Mack gasoline engines developing 135 horsepower each. These engines powers a single generator which in turn supplies two traction motors.  This locomotive was also originally equipped with dual controls.

   In 1958, the Pouch Terminal Mack switcher was overhauled at the Clifton Shops of the Staten Island Rapid Transit. By chance, the freight lead for Pouch Terminal ran through the Clifton Shop area, next to the retaining wall for the mainline and Clifton Station.

   For most of its life it wore black paint, but sometime around 1970 or 1971, it was given a spiffy looking red paint job, with imitation gold pin striping, a Pouch Terminal emblem consisting of a ships wheel and steam locomotive. Under this emblem, it would wear the moniker "Yard Engine 2".

   Ed Bommer related that in 1959, he had a chance to photograph, measure and ride on this locomotive at Pouch Terminal. When running, Pouch Terminal most often used only one of the engine and traction motor sets. With both sets running however, it could pull about 15 cars on the level, more than enough for the confines of the Pouch Terminal area.

   Here is a 1971 Staten Island Advance newspaper article on the locomotive:

Staten Island Advance - 1971
courtesy of Ed Bommer
added 26 Jan 2009

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   There are an interesting discrepancy in this article in comparison to the Mack builders information that I have received from Allen Stanley. According to this article above, this locomotive was built in 1929, yet Mack builders records state this locomotive was built in April 1936.

Present Day   

   I have located the Pouch Terminal locomotive after a chance encounter with fellow railroad historian Ron Wallace. The Pouch Terminal Mack, is currently at the Pine Creek RR, in NJ. As this is a narrow gauge outfit, I don't believe the Mack sees any use as it is standard gauge.

   Also the pictures of the Mack on the Pine Creek website show the locomotive to be stored indoors with various tools, lumber and material stored on the running boards and against the locomotive.

   All photos known of Pouch Terminal locos are of this unit, numbered #2.

   On 10 January 2010, I was sent a link to the webpage of J. C. McHugh, which concerned the history of Mack Locomotives #4 & 5.  In this website, it was learned that Pouch Terminal #2 was damaged in transit from Staten Island to Pine Creek, NJ

   I contacted and received an email from J. C. McHugh containing the following:

"Thank you for writing. We had moved several coaches to Pine Creek over the years back then. We had quoted them a price to haul the Pouch Terminal #2 that could be ramped without cranes and transported on a very lowbed trailer. This would resulted in the locomotive not being damaged because it would not had been as high in overall height as when done by the other firm who hauled it.

Our quoted price was $500.00 more than that the other firm. But they got what they paid for, as (the locomotive) it was delivered damaged and the carrier did not have insurance to cover the repairs."

   So with this most recent revelation, it is now unknown as to what extent the locomotive is damaged.

   Eight days later, I receive an email for Joe Connelly, wrote the following:

   "I recently saw your website concerning Pouch Terminal Rwy #2 and wanted to clear up how the locomotive got to where it is. My name is Joe Connelly and I worked at Pouch Terminal in the 1980s. Mr. Pouch had turned to warehouse into office space and the pier into parking lot for NYC Transit and there was no longer a need for the locomotive. The picture of the locomotive outside of the sheet metal building which you labeled "#2 unknown time and location" actually looks like a photo I took. The metal building was where the locomotive was stored on the terminal. When you entered the gate at Pouch Terminal from the street, the building was to the left. That building was the start of why the locomotive was moved.

   Mr. Pouch wanted to raze the building, which would have left the locomotive exposed so he intended to scrap the locomotive. I interceded and told him of the historical significance of the locomotive and asked him to consider donating it for display and use. He offered the locomotive to me and I initially was going to offer the locomotive to the Jersey Central Chapter of the NRHS the officers of the chapter were fighting and threatening to sue each other, so I offered it to the NJ Museum of Transportation at Allaire State Park. The locomotive is a Mack, which had historical ties to NJ, so it belonged in the state.

   Mr. Pouch was also in such a hurry to move the locomotive off the property so we had very little time... I think it was 30 days to move it before it was going to scrap. When the locomotive was moved from Staten Island to Allaire State Park the stack struck an overpass at low speed and the damage was merely superficial sheet metal damage. The locomotive was capable of running when it was moved and was displayed at Allaire on the dual gauge track outside of their engine house for awhile. For my effort I received a gold membership card, which has not survived my moves for my employer, Federal Railroad Administration.

   It is a shame that the locomotive has met the same fate as when Mr. Pouch had it stored. I know that he had hoped it would be used and occupy the historical prominence that it deserves. BTW, if you look carefully at any of the in service photos you will note the stack rises above the roof. If you look at the photo inside the engine house at Allaire you notice the stack is shorter and that is what was damaged...it's all superficial."

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   As I stated to Mr. Connelly in my reply; one of the benefits of this historical compilation being of electronic format (as opposed to a printed and bound book); is the website is dynamic and I can correct or amend incorrect info or add info as it arrives.

   So, we now have the next piece of the puzzle in the move of #2. Fortunately, as Mr. Connelly states; the damage is minimal and restricted to an exhaust stack and sheet metal.

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Pouch Terminal Locomotive Roster

Locomotive Footnotes

[a]	There are some interesting discrepancies in this article to the Mack builders information that I have received. According to the SI Advance article seen above, this locomotive was built in 1929, yet Mack builders records state this locomotive was built in April 1936. . .

Memorabilia

Silicon Bronze Letter Opener - side 1: Pouch Terminal

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Silicon Bronze Letter Opener - side 2: American Dock Co
authors collection

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Lighter (fluid type - lighter component mfr'd by United).
unknown mf'r of entire unit
authors collection

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