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

WALLABOUT UNION FREIGHT STATION
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

(PENNSYLVANIA, NEW YORK CENTRAL,
LEHIGH VALLEY, BALTIMORE & OHIO AND
CENTRAL OF NEW JERSEY RAILROADS)

(PRR / NYC / LV / B&O / CRRNJ / CNJ PIER STATION)

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and the:

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WALLABOUT STATION
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

(ERIE RAILROAD)
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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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Overview

   In viewing the Terminal Facilities Map of 1940 below, we can see the various locations of the terminals and facilities located in the Wallabout Basin in relationship to one another.

   Starting from the north and working south, this area in the Wallabout Basin would eventually come to be served by several railroads throughout the years:

   The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad "Wallabout Terminal" facility, is covered at length on another page of this website: Wallabout Terminal (DLW)

   Also located at the head of the basin was the "Wallabout Terminal Market" of the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal. The history of this BEDT Wallabout Market Terminal is discussed  in depth on my Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal website: Wallabout Market Terminal

   This page is concerned with the history of the two "pier station only" facilities: the "Wallabout Union Freight Station", (combined Pennsylvania, New York Central, Lehigh Valley, Baltimore & Ohio and Central Railroad of New  Jersey); and the "Wallabout Station" of  the Erie Railroad.

   The Wallabout Market, where the vendors would actually conduct business, would be organized at this location in 1884, after being banned from its prior location at Fulton Street, Brooklyn.

  The Wallabout Market was one of the premier farmer's markets in the city of Brooklyn, and according to historical accounts it was the second largest produce / farmers market in the United States. According to a 1914 article in the New York Times discussing the modernization and expansion of the Wallabout Terminal Market, there were 45,325 farmers wagons located at the market in 1913.

  The peak time of business transactions for the Wallabout Market vendors would be between midnight and dawn. Considering there were no electric lights during this era, makes this a most unusual time of day to conduct business. But, if one thinks about it; conducting business during the wee hours of morning ensured fresh produce delivered and ready for sale by the time the populace was beginning to stir and beginning their day.

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Wallabout Union Freight Station

    Initial research of this facility by this author failed to provide an exact start of operations date for the railroad portion of this facility, and the exact dates of construction and completion of the pier stations was elusive.

   It was ascertained from the following New York Times article that the Pennsylvania Railroad would establish their presence in the Wallabout Basin at the time of this articles publication on November 1, 1898.

New York Times - November 1, 1898

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   However, the author procured on 10 January 2009; a Pennsylvania Railroad issued "Map of New York Harbor" (seen below) where it was learned that the Pennsylvania Railroad Wallabout Freight Station opened on June 1, 1900 from a notice printed on the reverse side of this map:

Pennsylvania Railroad Opening Announcement Notice for their Wallabout Freight Station - June 1, 1900
authors collection
added 10 January 2009
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Pennsylvania Railroad Map of New York Harbor - June 1, 1900 
authors collection
added 10 January 2009

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   The actual "Union Freight Terminal" or the combined operations of the Pennsylvania, New York Central, Lehigh Valley, Baltimore & Ohio and Central of New Jersey Railroad's is estimated to have been completed between 1906 - 1910, based on the information carried in the following New York Times article:

New York Times - July 29, 1906

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This Wallabout Union Freight Station facility was constructed as a pier station only, meaning it had no float bridge or team tracks.    Each of the railroads named above would have their own pier or blukhead location in the Wallabout Union Freight Station.    Carfloats loaded with freight cars would simply be moored to one of several covered piers and the freight in those cars would be unloaded directly into the pier sheds / freight houses on those piers.    The Wallabout Union Freight Station multiple pier facility which served the Wallabout Market. According to the 1915 issue of Railway Age Gazette, the following railroads serving the Wallabout Union Freight Station piers were the: Pennsylvania New York Central West Shore New York Ontario & Western Lehigh Valley Baltimore & Ohio Central Railroad of New Jersey Pier 2 Pier 3 Pier 3 Pier 3 Pier 5 east bulkhead unknown*   However, by viewing the 1929 E. Belcher Hyde Property Map at right, we see that the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Freight House now occupies the bulkhead south of Pier 5.    It should be noted that the presence of the Central Railroad of New Jersey at this location did not last long as it is no longer listed by 1913.

E. Belcher Hyde - 1929 added 04 January 2009

   The "Report of the Committee on Terminals and Transportation of the New York State Food Investigating Commission" published April 18, 1913; lists the capacities of the various railroads at the Wallabout Union Terminal in 1913, as follows:

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   It is understood that the inbound freight was not so much general freight as it was predominately fresh foods, fish, produce and other perishable items which required expedited delivery.

   According to a New York Times article discussing the future and expansion of the Wallabout Terminal Market, there were 45,325 farmers wagons located at the market in 1913.

   In the picture below, located by Joe Roborecky and the inspiration for this page; was taken in 1932. I have highlighted three of the piers (Piers 2, 3 and 4) of the Wallabout Union Freight Station (upper left corner) as used by the four railroads. Heading west across Washington Street (the main north - south thoroughfare in the image) and in the open field type area is the actual Wallabout Market. 

   Also in the photo below, we can see three station type carfloats moored in the center slip and one tugboat with a station carfloat in the south slip.

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   In referencing the Terminal Facilities Map at the top of the page; the reader will take note that only the Pennsylvania, New York Central, Lehigh Valley and Baltimore & Ohio Railroads still served this location in 1940.

   The following images, a zoom in from a Brooklyn Navy Yard Archives images, shows the "basin end" of the Pennsylvania Railroad's pier station at the Wallabout Union Freight Station. Note the station carfloat through the lattice legs of the crane.

August 25, 1933
unknown photographer
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp Archives
added 04 May 2009

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January 26, 1934
(note New York Central tug approaching New York Central Pier Station on the next pier to right)
unknown photographer
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp Archives
added 04 May 2009

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WALLABOUT STATION
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

(ERIE RAILROAD)
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This facility will be located on this page until more information is discovered,
and at which time a seperate page is warranted.

E. Belcher Hyde - 1916

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   The Erie Railroad maintained a freighthouse at the head of the Wallabout Basin on the south bulkhead and on the northeast corner of the intersection of Metz Street and Clinton Avenue.

   Extremely little information has been located about this facility to date.   

   According to the "Report of the Committee on Terminals and Transportation of the New York State Food Investigating Commission" published April 18, 1913; the Erie "Wallabout Station" freight house had a capacity of 10,000 square feet. 

   We also know it existed at the time of publication of the Terminal Facilties Map of 1940 at the top of this page.

   We do know that all the terminals, pier station facilities and the market closed by late 1941, when the United Stated Government announced the expansion of the New York Naval Shipyard (a/k/a Brooklyn Navy Yard) and siezed the properties surrounding the Wallabout Basin. 

   While there would be no need to reconstruct the piers or freight houses, the farmers market would be relocated to Foster Avenue and East 83rd Street in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Canarsie. It would be renamed the "Brooklyn Terminal Market" where it still exists today.

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