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MILITARY RAILROADS
OF THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN AREA:

GOVERNOR' S ISLAND / FORT JAY
Governors Island, New York

New York Harbor

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   Prior to 1918, the Army built the Governors Island Railroad, which originally consisted of 1 ¾ miles of track, and three flat cars carrying coal, machinery and supplies from the pier to shops and warehouses. In later years, the trackwork was greatly expanded to cover almost the entire length of the island, with many more cars (primarily box cars) present in the Fairchild Aerial Survey Photographs below.

   The trackage that can be seen in the 1918 Fairchild Aerial Survey Photograph below (looking southwest) with authors annotations, show a rather modest sized railyard built on the curve to the east leading to a pair of wood Howe Truss floatbridges (very difficult to see in this photo), and what appears to be an enginehouse on the southern tip of the inland.

   Three tracks heading up roughly the center of the island (running north / south) from the enginehouse, with the outside two tracks splitting off to the east and west and into alleys between the Quartermaster Supply Buildings.

   (For your viewing pleasure, there is an non-annotated photo in photo section below.)

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   In the picture below, taken ca. 1927 (and looking due north) we clearly see in the close up at bottom right; the two Howe Truss float bridges (the southern one already with a sunken pontoon) and the northern float bridge with a carfloat moored.

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   That car float by the way, appears to be a New York Dock carfloat. I believe this to be on several counts:

1. the sign boards are approximately of equal size, and the words in: | NEW |   | YORK |   | DOCK |  are equal in length, and no other railroad in New York City area had a name that was of relative equal length in three words, and;
   

2. the Atlantic Terminal was just a short tug haul away: approximately 2000 feet across Buttermilk Channel!

Unfortunately, any attempts to "zoom" any closer on the photo only pixelates the image worse.

   You can see all too well in the regular view (top left) that: all the east side as well as some of the west side Quarter Master Buildings, the enginehouse, and most of the yard trackage has already been removed.  

   Strangely, for all intents and purposes, this railroad did not last long.
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   Now, ascertained from the locomotive pictures below; it is seen that:

• GIRR #3 hauling a wood sided flatcar bearing the number 60 off of a Howe Truss style float bridge;

• GIRR #4 has boxcars marked: Governors Island Q.M.C. 104 and G.I.R.R.108 with a third boxcar end just showing.

• Couplers are Janney style with notch for link and pin.

• Track appears to standard gauge.

   Never-the-less; many questions abounded at first, which some of which were answered over time.

   Extensive research of authors H. K. Porter builders records, reveal numerous locomotive entries for US Army and QMC, but none show conclusively they were assigned to, or operated at Governor's Island.

UPDATE:

   This author has discovered in the ALCo builders records, four 0-4-0T steam locomotives built by ALCo Schenectady, that fit the numbering sequence, loco type, corresponding with the date that the GIRR was built and the fact they were ordered by the Quartermaster Division. (QMD). I now believe that the locomotives are ALCO products not H. K. Porter, and the roster below has been changed to reflect this. Unfortunately, build specs are not listed, (cyl size, driver dia).

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Governor's Island Rail Road Locomotive Roster

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