| ~ freightrrofnyc.info ~ | ||
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Industrial
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Welcome to the
Encyclopedia of: |
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by
Philip M. Goldstein, Paul F. Strubeck, Joseph S.
Roborecky and
Thomas R. Flagg
among many other
contributors.
The companion to "New York Harbor Railroads in Color"
Rated 3 out of 3 stars by Trainweb.com for volume, accuracy and update frequency!
Often imitated, can't be duplicated.
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Website updated: MONDAY, 13 May 2024 20:30 CDT In memory of Benjamin W. Schaeffer counter added 05 December 2021
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UPDATE LIST |
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| update summary | date | location | |
 | Bronx Terminal Market page added Tug "Yorkdock" added | 5/13/2024 | Bronx Terminal Market New York Dock |
| NYNH&H RR Bronx Terminals: Harlem River Yd, Hell Gate Yd & Oak Point Yd page added 1921 Fairchild aerial survey photo added | 5/12/2024 | Bronx Terminals: Harlem River Yard, Hell Gate Yard & Oak Point Yard (NYNH&H RR) |
| LIRR Long Island City Freight Yard & Terminal page added | 5/7/2024 | Long Island City (LIRR) |
| LIRR / NYNH&H / PRR - 65th Street / Bay Ridge Yard page added 1960 commission photos added | 5/11/2024 | 65th Street / Bay Ridge Yard (LIRR / NYNH&H / PRR) |
| NYC&HR / NYC RR Manhattan Freight Operations - Street & High Line page added | 4/29/2024 | Manhattan Freight Operations: Street Operations, High Line & West Side Line (NYC&H RR / NYC RR) |
| NYNJR 11 and 111 Reacher Car photos added | 3/30/2024 | New York New Jersey Rail / Port Jersey | |
| NYNJR 5102 photo and KLW 253 photo & data added | 2/25/2024 | New York New Jersey Rail / Port Jersey | |
| Encyclopedia:
Is a type of reference work or compendium holding a comprehensive summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries which are usually accessed alphabetically by article name. Encyclopedia entries are longer and more detailed than those in most dictionaries.
Generally speaking, unlike dictionary entries which focus on
linguistic information about words, encyclopedia articles
focus on factual information concerning the subject for |
This website is a compilation of the histories of
the offline
freight terminals, industrial concerns with railroad operations
and pier
stations that were operated by railroads and that were located
throughout
Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx and Manhattan.
Included in each chapter you will find the histories of that location and data (where known) for the locomotives and equipment that operated for the companies and facilities listed on this website. To date, almost all of the steam locomotives that operated for these concerns, were of sidetank or saddletank in some configuration or another. The electric "juice jacks" and internal combustion locomotives were as eclectic and varied as one can find: center cab, offset cab, box cab, steeple cab, and open cab; gas-mechanical, oil-mechanical and diesel-electric. These chapters also include, where known and where applicable; the marine equipment (tugboats, carfloats, lighters, etc) and the respective specifications for those vessels for the companies that operated them.
For
those of you who are
just "finding" this page for the first time, this particular website
was
borne out of my primary research topic: the Brooklyn Eastern District
Terminal.
As I found it difficult if not impossible to discuss the BEDT and not
refer
to the histories and rosters of the neighboring Rail - Marine / Offline
Contract
Terminals, Industrial Railroads and some of the businesses
associated
with them; this page was created to cover the histories of
those companies
and their locomotives.
In searching through
the records of various locomotive builders for data concerning the
locomotives
owned by the rail - marine companies on this website, in turn led me to
"discover" small industrial concerns in the New York Metropolitan Area
that
operated locomotives as well. So these companies in turn were
researched
and listed on this website as well.
While the content of this website was originally concerned only with those railroads operating in Brooklyn and Queens, it gradually expanded over time to include two very small but old terminal railroads in Staten Island, that operated some very unique locomotives. And then the website expanded to include the offline terminal operations in the Bronx. The final expansion of the website came about while I was researching railroad operated pier stations and offline terminals located in Manhattan, so those pages were created as well. It has for intents and purposes evolved into an encyclopedia.
It should also be
noted that this website and the information contained on those
webpages
is constantly evolving, being updated and in some cases, corrected.
Revisions are listed by individual page in the "update list"
located
at the very top of this page.
It must be noted that I cannot take full credit for all the efforts on this website, as what you see before you is due to the collaborative efforts of many people who have contributed to this website and they should be recognized as well. These people and their contributions are listed in alphabetical order in the "special thanks" chapter at the bottom of this page, but I am especially indebted to and grateful for the continuous contributions and assistance from many people, of which many have become good friends with, most notably: Joseph Roborecky, Fred Breimann, (both of whom are retired Brooklyn Offline Terminal locomotive engineers) as well as Thomas Flagg, Benjamin W. Schaefer, Jay Held, Ed Bommer and John McCluskey. All fine historians in their own right. Last, but certainly not least is co-author and friend Paul F. Strubeck.
Photographs come from a variety of notable "old time" collections; Everett DeGoyler, F. Rodney Dirkes, Harold Fagerberg, Gerald Landau, Bradford Stiles, Frank Zahn and from the digital archives of the Brooklyn Public, New York Public and New York State Libraries. Images also come from "modern" collections such as Gene Collora, Tim Darnell, Mike DeLuca, Matt Herson and Dave Keller, among many others and from either photographs they themselves took or acquired over the years.
Of course, all photographs pertaining to the locations covered are welcome! If you have images you would like to have displayed, please feel free to contact me at the email link below.
As stated above, this website was a result of ongoing research of the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal. Research for locations on this site, in turn led to the creation of companion websites. It is strongly recommended that you also read the first listed website, as it is a primer for understanding how transfer bridges worked, and of which were an integral part of the Rail-Marine Terminal covered by this website:
.
Development
of the Carfloat Transfer Bridge in New York Harbor
.
.
Military
Railroads of the New York Metropolitan Area
All photographic contributions (specific to the locations covered) are welcome. Please free free to submit your images to BEDT14@aol.com. Your images will be watermarked, and you will of course be given due credit under each image.
PHILIP M. GOLDSTEIN
Normangee, TX
(936) 396-6103
bedt14@aol.com
.
When one actually stops and compiles a list of all the railroads that once operated in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx or Manhattan, that list actually becomes quite impressive, and in fact will reflect more operating entities than some states in the U.S. and most countries in the world.
Normally, when railroads of Brooklyn are mentioned, one tends to either think of the four independant Rail-Marine contract terminals, those being the: Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal, Bush Terminal, New York Dock and the Jay Street Terminal.
Or, one may think of the many steam powered (and later electric streetcar) passenger railroads that once operated and that were eventually absorbed into the Transit System. If one thought of Staten Island, the Staten Island Railway (another predominant passenger railroad once operated by the Baltimore & Ohio RR) is forefront in the majority of railfans recollections.
While Queens was home to the LIRR's Long Island City Freight Yards & Float Bridge, this facility was not "technically" off line after 1917, being it was connected to the Hell Gate Bridge via Sunnyside Junction; and after that span opened. But BEDT's Pidgeon Street Yard was indisputably offline. As far as I can tell, this was the only offline terminal located in Queens.
The Bronx and Manhattan also had several offline terminals as well, but these were all operated by trunk line / Class 1 railroads (B&O, LV, Erie & PRR). There was also the New York Central freight routes running through city streets, but I consider this operation to be "online" (and therefore not covered by this website) as it was in fact connected to mainline trackage via bridges in the Bronx via the Spuyten Duyvil swingbridge.
Yet despite all the knowledge of these operations, there were in fact other offline freight railroads located in Brooklyn, that have hardly been mentioned in contemporary accounts, if at all; as well as the hardly known industrial railroads that operated throughout the five boroughs of New York City.
As such, most of the terminal railroads covered on my websites, are known as "offline terminals". The accepted definition of an "offline terminal" is such that a railroad terminal with no physical rail connection to the mainland rail network of the United States. The only method of freight car transfer to and from the mainland rail network to these terminals was by carfloat.
When I first published this website in 2005 and until December 2008, this website did not cover the following terminals (on or offline) operated by the Class 1 railroads:
| borough | facility | railroad | borough | facility | railroad | borough | facility | railroad | ||
| Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn |
25th Street Wallabout Basin North 4th Street North 1st Street |
DL&W |
Bronx Bronx Bronx | Bronx Terminal Harlem Station Bronx Station | CRRNJ LV Erie |
Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan |
West 37th St West 28th St West 27th St West 26th St | PRR E / EL LV B&O |
.
While the Harlem Transfer has been covered on my website for some time, this was largely due to the fact it was originally a joint venture (shared facility) until 1906, when at such time it was purchased outright by the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. But even after this occurred, it had been operated as wholly owned subsidiary of its own accord and identity. The design of the Harlem Transfer Company, which it shares in most degrees with two other Bronx facilities; is unique in the fact that is has a circular freight house and concentric circular access trackage.
Save for that one facility though, I had intentionally omitted all the other Class 1 offline terminals in the above list from my website. This decision was made then, for the most part; because I felt that with the plethora of information already published both in bound form and on the internet, and with so many leisurely and professional historians working on the histories of the Long Island Railroad and the Baltimore & Ohio / Staten Island Railway, as well as the other Class 1 railroads, I would be duplicating efforts already undertaken.
I eventually realized this was an error in judgment on my part. In fact, and over time; there did not appear to be an overwhelming amount of published material on quite a few of these Class 1 terminals located outside of Manhattan. In my opinion, detailed histories of Pennsylvania Railroad's North 4 Street Terminal, and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad's 25th Street and Wallabout Terminals (all of which were located in Brooklyn); were practically non-existent and desperately needed.
I also found a severe lack
of information
on the web of the Lehigh Valley and Erie Railroad facilities
in the
Bronx. The Central Railroad of New Jersey's Bronx Terminal has received
a
bit more publicity (being the subject of Tim Warris' model building
website);
but an actual dedicated history on that Central Railroad of New Jersey
Bronx
Terminal was not to be found either. In the process of researching the
Pennsylvania Railroads' North 4th Street Freight Station, it was
discovered
that a very early and short lived offline terminal had been located at
North
1st Street! This facility was constructed by the Baltimore
& Ohio
RR in 1898 and subsequently sold to New York, New Haven &
Hartford RR
until it's demise around 1918; but until now, this location eluded
discovery
or mention in contemporary accounts or in research by present day
historians.
I also did not
intend to create a page
on the shared Wallabout Union Freight Station operation (Pennsylvania,
New
York Central, Lehigh Valley and Baltimore & Ohio Railroads) or
the Wallabout
Station of the Erie Railroad. Both of these facilities are kind of odd
balls,
as they were pier stations only; with no trackage or float bridge.
Carfloats would simply be moored to
the pier, and freight
and commodities removed directly from the freight cars to the pier
sheds.
But their contribution to railroading history in Brooklyn was without
fanfare
until now.
Therefore, with the
dedicated assistance
of Joseph Roborecky, Tom Flagg, Paul Strubeck, Jay Held, John
Teichmoeller
and many other fine contributors, the terminal railroads
located
in Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan were researched, images located and now
pages
have been created and added to this website detailing the histories of
these
locations. Also added was the New York City's Float Bridge located at
their
207th Street Yard in north Manhattan.
Like with the rest of my shortsightedness, I had no intention of creating pages for the online terminals in the City of New York either:
| borough | facility | railroad |
| Brooklyn | 65th Street / Bay Ridge Terminal |
New York, New Haven & Hartford / Long Island Rail Road 1 |
| Queens | Long Island City | Long Island Rail Road 2 |
| Staten Island.. | St. George | Baltimore & Ohio 3 |
| Manhattan | West 130th, 60th, 36th, & 33th Streets.. and St. Johns Park & the High Line |
New York Central & Hudson River / New York Central 4 |
| Bronx | Oak Point Hell Gate Yard Harlem River Station Port Morris Bronx Terminal Market |
New York, New Haven & Hartford " " " " " " " " " " New York Central " " " " " " |
1 via the Hell Gate Bridge
2 via Sunnyside Yard and the East River Tunnels or over the Hell Gate Bridge
3 via the Arthur Kill vertical lift bridge to New Jersey
4 via several bridges crossing the Harlem River
These locations were to be omitted from
this
website for the following two reasons:
a. These
rail marine / carfloating
terminals were technically connected to the mainland United States rail
network;
and / or
b. They have been covered
in printed and
internet publications.
Lapse forward to 2024, and these locations are just now being added to the website along with a few others. I now found either they were not getting covered to the extent this website could for them; or worse: the spread of incorrect information in social media groups was at the tipping point, and that an authoritative online reference source was now desperately needed.
There was another, more somber reason: the older generation of railroad historians were passing on; or had reached the age where they were no longer publishing. I have been finding, much to my consternation; that many of my previous go to sources were either no longer active, and had stored or sold all their materials and / or fell out of contact.
Within the last five years, Sam Berliner, Ben Schaeffer, Joe Korman passed on. I have been trying to get in touch with Tom Flagg, and I know he is still with us; but he is in 80's, and not returning telephone calls. As of 2023, Robert Yanosey announced there world be no more new book titles for Morning Sun Books.
Myself, personally; I am finding an increasing lack of ability to concentrate and focus on research. So, I came to the conclusion I better get those pages added before I'm not able to.
Looking back over the past two decades many fan-sites are no longer published: Bill Russell's "PennyBridge" site. Gone. Donald Nutes' BEDT pages, Gone. The "Joe KorNer" (Joe Korman). Gone. And perhaps the largest loss: Sam Berliner's extensive website on New York area boxcab and experimental locomotives. Gone.
So, all things considered; this website, will be a legacy. 20 years, going strong.
All told, there are now fifty separate locations on which the histories and operations of Industrial & Terminal Railroads in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island & the Bronx & Manhattan are covered by this website, plus the "photo albums" of the Manhattan Pier Stations & Inland Freight Stations, current modern day freight operations in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, the Glossary page, the page on the Development of the Carfloat Transfer Bridge in New York Harbor, the Comprehensive List of Transfer Bridges in New York Harbor page!
.
.
As for the definition
of a facility, some
readers might find themselves asking what is the difference between an
"industrial railroad" and an "offline terminal railroad". There are now
actually seven distinct categories of freight railroads discussed within this
website:
.
1) Offline Terminal
Railroads
.
1a) Companies operating
locomotives and an offline freight terminal, with
rail - marine interchange (carfloating) capacity:
Brooklyn Eastern
District Terminal; Brooklyn Dock & Terminal;
Brooklyn Wharf & Warehouse;
Bush Terminal; Jay Street Connecting;
New York Cross Harbor; New York New
Jersey Rail; New York Dock;
Harlem Transfer; Pennsylvania Railroad North 4th Street Freight Station;
New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad
North 1st Street Freight Station; Central Railroad of New
Jersey Bronx Terminal; Erie Railroad Harlem Station;
Lehigh Valley Bronx Terminal; Central Railroad of New Jersey Railroad West 15th Street Freight Yard;
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad West 26th Street Freight
Station; Lehigh Valley Railroad West 27th Street
Freight Station; Erie Railroad West 23rd and West 28th
Street Freight Stations; Pennsylvania Railroad West 37th Street Freight Station
.
1b) Companies operating
locomotives and an offline freight terminal, without
rail - marine interchange (carfloating) capacity themselves, but were
provided with freight service via carfloating service from an above
railroad and/or by mainline railroad (service connection in
parenthesis):
Atlas Terminal (Long Island Railroad),
American Dock & Trust (Baltimore &
Ohio); Degnon Terminal (Long Island Railroad);
Pouch Terminal (Baltimore & Ohio);
South Brooklyn (Bush Terminal / New York Dock / New
York New Jersey Rail); Port Jersey (New York New Jersey Rail / Conrail Shared Assets
Operations)
.
2) Industrial or
Private Railroads
.
2a) Companies operating
locomotives in a dedicated industrial, construction or other
private capacity with
private operation of a float bridge:
Procter &
Gamble; Independent Subway Lines /
New York City Transit Authority 207th Street Yard
Bronx Terminal Market (City of New York),
2b) Companies operating
locomotives in a dedicated industrial, construction or
other private capacity without
private operation of a float bridge:
Astoria Light, Heat & Power;
Brooklyn Ash Removal Company; Degnon Contracting /
Degnon Realty Improvement; G & R Packing;
Queens Subway Apartment & Loft Building Corp.
.
3) Pier
Stations
.
3a) Railroad companies
operating freight houses on piers or bulkhead for the removal of
freight directly from a carfloat or lighter (no float bridges, team
tracks or locomotives):
Erie Railroad Wallabout Station; Wallabout
Union Terminal (combined operation Pennsylvania, New York Central,
Lehigh Valley, Baltimore & Ohio and Central Railroad of New
Jersey), various pier stations on the Hudson & East Rivers;
.
3b) Inland Freight Houses
(warehouses not along the waterfront, with no rail or marine facilities
whatsoever)
Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
.
For an in-depth
list of terms and definitions
with illustrations; please visit the
Glossary.
With that being stated; any readers who might have questions, comments, suggestions, information or contributions are more than welcome to contact me:
Philip M. Goldstein
(936) 396-6103
bedt14@aol.com
Now, without further delay; I present to you
Industrial &
Offline Terminal Railroads of Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, the
Bronx
and Manhattan...
A
Glimpse of the Way
Things Were
.
It is the year 1870.
Ulysses S. Grant
is in the White House after being elected president following a
successful
victory in the Civil War. Walrus mustaches are popular among men, and
top
hats are in. The Department of Justice is created as a government
agency.
The Army Weather Bureau is created, and this would become the National
Weather
Service. The current Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is placed in service, the
transcontinental railroad celebrates its 1 year
anniversary. There are no
electric lights and
either the mail or the telegraph is the means of communicating
long
distance, (even though a gentleman inventor by the name of
Alexander
Graham Bell is tinkering with acoustic telegraphy, which in a a few
years
yields a device that will eventually become known as the
telephone).
In New York
City; the Statue of Liberty
does not exist and just north, Ellis Island, known then as Castle
Garden, is beginning to bustle with freshly arrived immigrants
looking
to become Americans. North Manhattan is wild forests. Staten Island is
similar
with a smattering of farms. Brooklyn and Queens are highly developed
the
closer you get to New York Harbor, but the eastern edges of Brooklyn
&
Queens are what would be considered "rural", and farmland dominated the
view.
Long distance travel, primarily via horse drawn wagon; is beginning to
give
way to the railroads. But, horse drawn carriages and small
steam locomotive
drawn street cars were the way to travel anywhere out of walking
distance
within the city.
Long Island (which is comprised of Kings
[Brooklyn], Queens,
Nassau & Suffolk Counties, and Staten Island [Richmond County]
were truly
isolated from the mainland US. There are no bridges or tunnels spanning
the
East or Hudson Rivers. The Brooklyn Bridge would not be opened until
1883
and the Manhattan, Williamsburg, Queensboro or George Washington
Bridges
would not be built until many years after that. There are no Holland,
Lincoln
or Queens Midtown Tunnels.
The only
way to transport anything to these locations was by
water: either
by ship, boat, lighter or barge. If you found it necessary to go from
Brooklyn
or Queens to Manhattan, or from Staten Island or New Jersey to
Manhattan,
you would have to take a ferry. The waterborne vessels of this period
are
powered either by wind and sail or primitive steam power and coal is
starting
to increase as the fuel of choice for furnaces and boilers, which are
used
for heat or propulsion power.
The "second" industrial revolution is underway in
earnest, and
the mass production of consumer goods is taking hold. To get the raw
materials,
commodities and items from the mainland to Long Island, everything was
shipped
by water from New Jersey to Manhattan and Long Island. Today, it is
difficult
to envision this isolation with the myriad of bridges, highways, and
tunnels
(and gridlock!) linking Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island with the
mainland.
As a result of this waterborne traffic, many
dockside terminals
and warehouses were built around the New York City proper for storage.
The
large mainland trunk line (or known later on as Class 1) railroads had
their
own equipment and properties; namely: tugboats, lighters, barges and
ferries
to bring these commodities to and from various mainland
railroad points
around the NY Harbor. To get the commodities to the New Jersey
shoreline;
many railroads, their locomotives themselves powered by steam, have
built
a vast network of tracks radiating towards the New York
area.
In the
pre-float bridge days, freight
had to be manually transferred at the docks and wharves from newly
arrived
trains to barges and lighters (a lighter is essentially a barge with a
enclosed
structure on it, similar in design to a one room warehouse). Of the
lighters
that carried products that need to be kept chilled, (i.e.: milk, meat,
fruits
and vegetables), these lighters were insulated (usually with double
walls
filled with sawdust) and were equipped with roof hatches for
the loading
of ice to be carried on board.
This was a time consuming and back breaking method, of having
to unload a freight car on the dock, load it onto a lighter or barge,
transport
the lighter cross-harbor out of New Jersey, then unload it. Then repeat
the
process again for the trip back. It also required vast labor pools.
There had to be a better way...
.
 |
The first intensive use of the dedicated carfloating of
freight in the United States seems to have occurred during the Civil
War, when freight cars were floated on makeshift barges along the
Potomac River, to serve places where existing rail lines could not
reach for various reasons. As published in "American Railroad
Freight Car", by John H. White, Jr. (1993, Johns
Hopkins University Press) credits Brigadier General Herman
Haupt for first carfloating on a barge in 1862, during the Civil
War. In the October 2000 issue of "Model Railroader" magazine,
p. 82-85 there is an illustrated article on the November 1862
construction, under the direction of Brigadier General Herman Haupt, of
a carfloat operation for the Union Army at Alexandria, Virginia.
Haupt had been the Chief Engineer of the Pennsylvania Railroad and was in the process of constructing the Hoosac Tunnel when he was "conscripted" to run the U. S. Military Railroad. Two steamtug drawn floats were constructed, each holding 8 cars transversely, and they were served by triple-track aprons at the transfer landings, running from Alexandria, Virginia, down the Potomac River 60 miles to Aquia Landing, about 10 miles northeast of Fredericksburg, Maryland. In addition, George Abdill on page 48 of his book "Civil War Railroads: A Pictorial Story of the War between the States, 1861-1865 "(1961, Indiana University Press) calls it "pioneer car ferry" which it was not. Instead, it was the pioneer carfloat in the United States. General Haupt supervised the construction of these transfer bridges at both terminals of this proposed water route. General Haupt also designed, requisitioned materials and built the unique railroad float barges. The carfloats consisted of two large-sized Schuylkill type barges moored side by side, across both of which long timbers were placed supporting eight tracks mounted transversely (from port to starboard instead of the modern configuration of bow to stern). At Alexandria, VA; the loaded freightcars were placed singly aboard each of the eight tracks of the carfloat. The carfloat was then towed sixty miles by steam tug to Aquia Landing, VA. Once at this location, railroad crews unloaded the carfloats by pulling the cars. While not this has not been confirmed, it appears from maps and background detail that the three transfer bridges were located in Alexandria, VA; and the eight track bulkhead was at Aquia Landing, VA. We were able to locate three images of the operation in searching the web. All three images are attributed to the National Archives, but were located on a very nice website showcasing Bernard Kempinski's "The American Civil War in Miniature". |
|
|
Brigadier
General Herman Haupt |
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|
The wharfs and transfer bridges at Alexandria, Virginia. All
four photos: |
||
.
Once the freight cars were unloaded, they were then able to forward those freight cars with their contents, without the need of "breaking bulk" (unloading the freight from the car) along the rebuilt rail line of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad to Falmouth, across from Fredericksburg, VA; on the north bank of the Rappahannock River.
According to Haupt this
was:
.
"the first known attempt
to transport cars by water
with their cargoes unbroken. The Schuylkill barges performed admirably
and
thus was formed a new era
in military railroad transportation. The length
of the barges were sufficient for 8 tracks carrying eight cars, and two
such
floats would carry the sixteen cars which constituted a train."
.
All of this construction occurred over a period of two weeks. Haupt was ready to support further military operations by November 17th, 1862. As to how the cars were loaded onto the barges, the technology was already in place for carferrying. So the Civil War usage of carfloating maybe was more of an inspiration than an invention, inspiring the New Jersey railroads about how to serve Manhattan without having to unload everything out of the cars onto ferryboats or sail lighters on the Jersey side.
Development
of Carfloat
Transfer Bridges in New York Harbor
.
The following link will take you to the comprehensive history of the Development of the Carfloat Transfer Bridge in New York Harbor.
This stand alone website includes illustrations, engineering drawings, developmental history, information and installation locations of past & present float and transfer bridges located in New York Harbor. This website is sort of a "primer" if you will, to understanding an integral part of the operations of the Rail-Marine Terminals covered by this website. It is highly recommended that it be bookmarked and read at your earliest convenience.
.
DEVELOPMENT OF CAR FLOAT TRANSFER BRIDGES IN NEW YORK HARBOR
.
.
.
.
Comprehensive
List
of Float Bridges throughout New York Harbor
including New
Jersey
.
The following link will take you to a comprehensive list of all known float bridges that existed from 1866 to present, and that were located throughout New York Harbor and all adjoining estuaries, basins and rivers including but not limited to: Hudson / North River, Harlem River, East River, Upper New York Bay, Morris Canal, Wallabout Basin, Gowanus Bay and the Arthur Kill.
This table was compiled by both Paul Strubeck & myself; with the cooperation of Tom Flagg and Ben Schaefer and others. This comprehensive table of all float bridges was born out of the previous list located here of surviving float bridges in the New York Harbor. Therefore it is only fitting that those surviving float bridges (whether they be derelict, in service or not yet placed in service) are listed in the comprehensive list and all data (where known) for all float bridges is now listed.
Naturally, an undertaking of this scope may have encountered unintentional omissions or erroneous data. Please direct all questions, corrections, and suggestions to bedt14@aol.com.
.
COMPREHENSIVE
LIST OF FLOAT BRIDGES
LOCATED
THROUGHOUT NEW YORK
HARBOR
INCLUDING NEW
JERSEY
.
.
.
.
The illustration below shows the appliances found on almost all pontoon type float bridges used throughout New York Harbor. Clicking on the illustration below will bring you to close up off the appliances. Use the back arrow on your web browser to return you here.
Please take note that the only appliance not shown is the float bridge jack and a-frame. The reason for this is that this component has not been used in day to day float bridge operations for the last 20 years. Matter of fact, by referencing current images of New York New Jersey Rail float bridge operations in Brooklyn, the float bridge jack is not even mounted on the Bush Terminal float bridge in service.
This appliance, if it were to have been included in the diagram below, would have been located between the center two toggles with the hydraulic piston overhanging from the edge of the float bridge.
DIAGRAM NOT TO SCALE
 |
.
.
.
.
Carfloat
Mooring &
Float Bridge Pinning Procedures
..This chapter, once the reader has familiarized themselves with the components of a floatbridge; is to give the reader an understanding of the procedures involved in mooring and pinning a carfloat to a float bridge.
Pontoon Float Bridges
To moor carfloats at pontoon type
float bridges;
the following procedure applies:
Tugboat approaches float bridge with carfloat, and holds it in position for mooring;
Four
hawser lines attached to front mooring cleats (two on
each side) of carfloat and are tightened up via winch wheels to bring
carfloat into initial
alignment. The winch wheels turns the
winch drum (which holds the hawser line) via a gear reduction / torque
multiplier system;
Locomotive slowly proceeds onto right track (facing water) of float bridge to weigh it down into the water; and to match height of float bridge with deck of carfloat;
The right toggle bars are slid into carfloat receptacles and fastened with the toggle block;
Hawser lines would be tightened again via winch wheels, and mooring lines from carfloat side cleats are attached to finger pier (if applicable);
Locomotive reverses and
backs off float bridge, switches to left track, and proceeds forward on
float bridge left track until left side toggle bars
are aligned with carfloat
toggle receptacles;
The left toggles (pins) are slid into carfloat receptacles and fastened with the chock;
Hawser lines are tightened again;
Hand jacks on the rails on the float bridge would be turned to adjust the horizontal alignment of the rails on the float bridge to match with rails on carfloat;
Locomotive now "drills"
(unloads cars from carfloat). For the procedure on this operation,
please proceed to the next chapter below:
"Carfloat Unloading
Procedures"
Overhead Suspension Electrically Operated Transfer Bridges
Carfloat mooring and
pinning procedures
were a little different at electrically operated (separate apron
& contained
apron) type float bridges; as those float bridges has electric winches
for
drawing in the carfloat tight against the float bridge:
Tugboat
brings carfloat in, and the float bridge is raised or lowered by
bridgeman in control cabin to bring it into correct height alignment
with
carfloat.
Hawser lines from power winch attached to front mooring cleats on each side of carfloat.
Carfloat would be drawn in tight to float bridge.
All toggles (pins) would be slid into carfloat receptacles and chocked in.
Secondary hawser lines from manually powered winch wheels added and tightened.
Hawser lines from carfloat side cleats attached to "finger piers" on both sides of carfloats.
Hand
jacks on the rails on the float bridge would be turned
to adjust the horizontal alignment of the rails on the float bridge
to match with rails on
carfloat;
Locomotive now "drills" (unloads cars
from carfloat). For the procedure on this operation, please proceed to
the next chapter below:
"Carfloat Unloading
Procedures"
.
.
.
.
Carfloat
Unloading
a/k/a "Drilling" Procedures
.
.
The procedure for unloading a carfloat can be viewed below. Please note, this procedure would apply in 99% of the time. In certain unusual cases, the procedure was modified to accomodate an extra heavy or wide load or special circumstance. While the diagram below shows a pontoon float bridge, the procedure was the same at overhead suspended transfer bridges.
|
Please note:
|
Locomotive
is inched forward onto float bridge to bring it into same
height as carfloat. Carfloat is secured to float bridge using method
and appliances outlined in above
chapter. Locomotive then couples up to cut of cars
on starboard side track.
Locomotive
pulls cut of cars on starboard side track half way off the carfloat and
onto the float bridge lead; leaving part of the cut of cars still on
float bridge and carfloat;
The locomotive uncouples from starboard side cut of cars, and locomotive continues past float bridge lead turnout. Turnout is thrown and aligned for port side track.
Locomotive heads forward onto port side carfloat track, and couples up to cut of cars on port side track.
Locomotive reverses direction, and pulls entire cut of cars off of port side track of carfloat and past float bridge lead turnout; and float bridge lead turnout is thrown and aligned for starboard side track.
Locomotive proceeds forward pushing port side cut of cars and couples up to starboard side cut of cars.
Locomotive reverses direction and pulls combined port and starboard side cuts of cars off carfloat to clear the turnout on float bridge for carfloat center track, and points of center track turnout are thrown and aligned for center track;
Locomotive pushes combined port and starboard of cars onto carfloat, coupling up to string of cars on the center track of carfloat.
Locomotive
reverses direction, and pulls entire cut of cars (combined
port starboard and center track cuts of cars) into the yard.
Carfloat is now unloaded. To load carfloat, reverse procedure.
Would you like
to see this operation in
real time? Visit my videos on YouTube
at:
.
.
.
.
.
Kaufman
Act / Anti-Smoke
Legislation of New York State - 1925
(Enter the diesel-electric locomotive...)
.
The Kaufman Electrification Act of 1923, ratified by the New York State Assembly; mandated that all railroads located in the City of New York City be electrified by January 1, 1926.
The bill was sponsored by recently elected Assemblyman Victor R. Kaufman (R) (hence it being called the Kaufman Act) and signed by Governor Alfred Emanuel Smith (D) on June 2, 1923. News of this act was published in the June 5, 1923 issue of the New York Times. As a result of this act, all railroads (freight, as well as passenger railroads) operating in New York City would face a significant change pertaining to their operations, with the passage of this bill.
It should be noted, that the Kaufman Act was separate from and now in addition to the regulation already in place, prohibiting the use of steam locomotives in tunnels conveying passengers. That regulation was enacted by the State of New York, as early as May 7, 1903; and thus prohibiting the operation of steam locomotives on Manhattan Island south of the Harlem River after June 30, 1908.
That legislation was in response to the January 8, 1902 wreck in the New York Central & Hudson River Railroad's Park Avenue Tunnel, leading to and from Grand Central Station. In this incident, smoke had obscured the view of stop signals by a locomotive engineer, and he collided into the rear of another passenger train. As a result, fifteen passengers were killed and two score (forty) of people were injured.
Returning to the Kaufman Act, and even though this
legislation was enacted,
clearly exemptions had been made as there are several
photographs within
this website showing several of the trunkline railroads operating steam
locomotives in Manhattan right up through the mid
1920's (i.e.: Erie
RR at West 28th Street, New York Central RR along Tenth and Eleventh
Avenues).
.
By way of this new 1923 legislation however, the State of New
York attempted to force the railroads to electrify their lines. This
new legislation required that:
As some of these railroads in the list at below right are covered in this website, I felt it necessary to include a "universal" explanation of the Kaufman Act that is applicable to all. Following this legislation, the Kaufman Act (as this legislation was to be known as) banned coal burning steam locomotives from New York City because of severe pollution problems. The response to this law was to electrify high-traffic rail lines. However, electrification was uneconomical to apply to low traffic areas, freight terminals and small industrial concerns. Naturally, this legislation did not sit well with many of the railroads in the New York City area, and several railroads (trunk line and independent alike) filed an appeal.
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The Kaufman Act would, without any doubt; incur serious financial hardships on many of the independent contract terminals operating in New York City. |
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| One would only need to calculate the
total cost of replacing all eleven of Brooklyn Eastern
District Terminal's steam locomotives (those in use in 1925 and all at
the same time) with electric locomotives plus
having to string trolley wire or catenary to power those electric
locomotives. Quite simply, here is where "sticker shock" sets in.
The Long Island Rail Road estimated it was going to cost between 25 and 40 million dollars for them to comply with the Kaufman Law. This figure translates to 306 to 490 million in 2009 dollars. Almost half a billion dollars! But the true loser however, is really the small one or two locomotive terminal like Degnon, which would most likely just "fold up" rather than attempting to electrify. Taking into consideration that research into gas / diesel locomotive technology had yet to be perfected, which is why the Kaufman Act specified "electric". Other than steam locomotive power, it appeared there was no real alternative other than electric. |
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| .
Enter the Oil (Diesel) - Electric Locomotive In response to the Kaufman Act, several railroads operating in the New York City area approached Ingersoll-Rand to build a prototype diesel-powered switching locomotive. Actually, both General Electric and Ingersoll-Rand had been experimenting separately with internal combustion powered locomotives for some time. But the looming compliance date of the Kaufman Act really spurred on advances with this form of locomotive. This is not to say Baldwin Locomotive Works was ignoring this situation either. They too developed a diesel-electric locomotive, however their design was more conducive of road service. Therefore, the Ingersoll-Rand was the logical choice for the various offline contract terminals in New York City. Ironically, the Jay Street Connecting Railroad, athe offline rail-marine terminal located in Brooklyn; had already hosted a diesel-electric locomotive prototype built by General Electric in 1918. Unfortunately this design was not successful, due in most part to electrical control issues, not mechanical. This prototype GE-IR model (X3-1) is known by its construction number: #8835. It was fitted with an inline six cylinder (10" x 12" cylinders) diesel engine constructed by Ingersoll-Rand utilizing the Price-Rathbun design and solid injectors. This engine in turn powering an electrical generator designed by General Electric. This in turn supplied electricity to traction motors with voltage and current being regulated using controls designed a few year prior by Hermann Lemp of General Electric. The carbody was a left over, laying around at General Electric's Erie, PA facility. Sam Berliner, had authored an extremely knowledgeable (and enjoyable) website containing an in-depth history on the development of the oil-electric locomotive, including the resulting commercial models sold. His website contained images, rosters, and specifications thereof. However, upon his passing; the website was removed from the web. I did manage to download most of the pages before it was removed. Further info may also be ascertained from the December 1970 issue of Trains magazine. Sam also had this to add and it should be noted: "By
the way, CNJ #1000 (and the other early diesel electrics) were NOT
called "diesel-electric" (not then, anyway); they were referred to as
"oil-electric". . . #8835 would be "unveiled" on February 28, 1924 to the representatives of the following railroads showing interest in a diesel-electric locomotive: Baltimore & Ohio, Pennsylvania, Boston & Maine, New York Central, Reading & Lehigh Valley. While the men were impressed, they remained unconvinced of the design which had not seen day to day service. So, beginning in June 1924, and for the next thirteen months; the unit went through rigorous (and to some extent, abusive) testing on ten different railroads and three industries (to which the locomotive had been leased on a trial basis). #8835 would come to spend quite a bit of time operating on the West Side of Manhattan along Tenth and Eleventh Avenues for the New York Central Railroad: . According to Diesel Spotters Guide, by Jerry Pinkepank, Kalmbach Publishing; the locomotive was broken in at the Ingersoll-Rand plant at Phillipsburg, NJ. The breakdown of hours of service per railroad are as follows. Details of the service performed are from Sam Berliner's website on ALCO / GE / IR Boxcabs.
Three
notable accomplishments took place during this trial phase: 2
It also "partook" of a tug of war with a
60 ton 2 truck Shay type locomotive of New York Central's; in which it won that battle
due to smoother torque of the electric drive 3
Midpoint through its so-far successful testing, (in which it operated
for seven months in almost continuous use), the locomotive was returned
to Ingersoll-Rand. The engine
Without any room for doubt, it was clear that the prototype design of this locomotive proved to be durable, efficient, easy to maintain and easy to operate. It was now that Ingersoll-Rand felt secure that it was time for commercial production of the design. This resulted in the production of the American Locomotive / General Electric / Ingersoll-Rand (a/k/a "AGEIR") 60 ton 300 hp boxcab locomotive, with Ingersoll-Rand supplying the power plant, General Electric furnishing the electrical components and American Locomotive supplying the carbodies. The first AGEIR unit constructed for sale was a Model B3-1: "B" denoting boxcab, "3" denoting horsepower (in hundreds) and "1" denoting body style. This first production locomotive was purchased by and delivered to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Bronx Terminal in October 1925 and was numbered 1000 by the CRRNJ. This highly successful Ingersoll-Rand locomotive went on to further demonstrate that diesel-electric locomotives could in fact provide many of the benefits of an "electric powered" locomotive without the cost of the railroad in having to install overhead trolley wire / catenary to power that locomotive, which was a significant expense of electrification. .
So, following the success of the AGEIR locomotive
at Bronx Terminal; several railroads ordered identical models for use
at their offline terminals in the New York area:
Meanwhile, back at the ranch... the
Kaufman Act "battle" continues... |
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|
Returning to the Kaufman Act; the Long Island, New York Central, New York, New Haven & Hartford, Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal, New York Dock, Degnon Terminal, and Staten Island Rapid Transit were still maintaining that the law was unjust and were successful in obtaining temporary injunctions. The Kaufman Law would eventually be held as unconstitutional as evidenced by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle September 10, 1926 article seen at far right. The following railroads: Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal, New York Dock, Degnon Terminal and Staten Island Rapid Transit, were awarded preliminary injunctions against the State of New York as stated by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle article. The Kaufman Act was subsequently amended in 1926 to extend the deadline five more years, to 1931. This extension was partially made in consideration of the fact that diesel-electric locomotive technology (as discussed above) was now past the experimental and prototypical phase and had entered successful railroad applications. As diesel-electric locomotives were deemed to be in compliance with the intent of the legislation, the Kaufman Act was further amended to include diesel-electric locomotives as an option to replace steam locomotives. |
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This amendment now allowed a second "power" option for the railroads to use in order to comply with the law, and obviously of which some railroads took this route.
Others did not: the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad would electrify their Staten Island Railway, Degnon Terminal would simply sell out their operation to the Long Island Rail Road in September 1928, with the Long Island Rail Road both electrifying and dieselizing their routes within Brooklyn and Queens, and Bush Terminal would "dieselize" in 1931 with their purchase of seven H3 high hood models from Ingersoll-Rand.
Also, if I understand correctly; the Kaufman Act was further amended to consider those railroads that were too small to consider electrification, but I cannot locate either a newspaper article or legal document to reflect this amendment. Apparently some form of allowances or exemptions were proposed and adopted, as both the New York Dock Railway and Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal operated steam locomotives through 1951 and 1963 respectively.
What has not been learned as yet, is under what specific allowances / exemptions the New York Dock and Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal operated their steam locomotives. One possible hypothesis which is unconfirmed at this time; is that about the early to mid 1930's the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal converted their locomotives from coal fired to oil fired, using Bunker-C oil. As evidenced by many of the photographs of the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal steam locomotives, they burned rather "clean" with little evidence of heavy smoke typical of a coal fired locomotive. I believe this is how the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal complied (circumvented?) with the Kaufman Act.
Referencing several photos of New York Dock steam locomotives show tall enclosed style oil bunkers on the rear of the locomotives post-1931, while others show short open coal style bunkers, and even piles of coal and coal bins on the docks (which may have been for indoor stove use, but cannot be discounted for powering the locomotives as yet). New York Dock would continue to operate their steam locomotives as well, but eventually "dieselized" in 1951 with their purchase of five General Electric 44 ton centercab switchers, leaving only the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal to continue to operate steam powered locomotives until 1963; when they too would dieselize with their initial purchase of four (eventually to add two more, making a total of six) used American Locomotive Company model S1 switchers.
As a footnote, I have to add that researching the Kaufman Act was no quick and simple task. When steam locomotives faded into obscurity and diesel-electric locomotives became the standard throughout the 1940s and 1950's, details about the Kaufman Act also faded into obscurity. I still have not been able to locate the original legislation. It also appears to date at the time of this writing, that no railroad historian had yet assembled a definitive history of the Kaufman Act (with the exception of a quick blurb or paragraph), and both the negative and positive repercussions of the Kaufman Act upon the railroad industry.
That is until now.
.
.
.
The various terminals (online & offline) in the New York Area would become the location for many "firsts" of railroading that would occur, not to mention "lasts" and "onlys".
The following table is
a compilation of
those occurrences or events. Please feel free to submit others or
corrections.
Criteria is that the event or occurrence pertain to an offline terminal
or
industrial railroad in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Bronx or
Manhattan.
| railroad |
location |
description |
date |
| Central RR of New Jersey | New Jersey (exact location ?) |
First pontoon float bridge in New York Harbor | 1866 |
| Palmer's Dock | Brooklyn | First offline terminal and floatbridge operation
located in Brooklyn. First float bridge operation east of Manhattan as well. |
1876 |
| Pennsylvania | New Jersey (Harsimus Cove) |
First separate apron transfer bridge. | 1888 |
| Harlem Transfer | Bronx | First circular freight house and concentric trackage. | 1898 |
| Long Island | Queens (L.I.C.) |
First swiveling head block (Mallery design) transfer bridge. | 1904 |
| Bush Terminal | Brooklyn | First offline terminal to combine terminal operations,
overseas shipping and manufacturing facilities on one property. |
1905 |
| New York Central | Manhattan (W. 69th St) |
First overhead suspension contained apron transfer
bridge (French design) placed in service. |
1911 |
| Jay Street Terminal | Brooklyn | First diesel electric locomotive #4 (General Electric) |
1918 |
| Central RR of New Jersey | Bronx | First successful commercially produced diesel electric
locomotive #1000 (American Locomotive Co / General Electric / Ingersoll-Rand) |
1925 |
| Delaware, Lackawanna & Western | Brooklyn (Wallabout) |
Wallabout Terminal is only offline terminal to utilize
overhead catenary power for complete operation including locomotive operation on float bridge. |
1926 (may predate this) |
| Bush Terminal | Brooklyn | First independent offline terminal to completely dieselize railroad operations. | 1931 |
| Lehigh Valley | Manhattan (W. 27 St.) |
First building to house various manufacturing and
commercial tenants and to offer enclosed rail service with loading / unloading and distribution services (Starrett - Lehigh) |
1932 |
| Baltimore & Ohio | Manhattan (W. 26 St.) |
Oldest steam locomotive in regular operation for a
Class I Railroad #316 was originally built in August 1865. |
1937 |
| Jay Street Terminal | Brooklyn | Only known composite steel plate girder & steel truss float bridge. | ca. 1940 - 1959 |
| Baltimore & Ohio | Manhattan (West 26th St.) |
Last wood Howe Truss float bridge constructed new for use. | 1954 |
| Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal | Brooklyn | Last operation of steam powered locomotives concludes for daily freight use. | 1963 |
| Lehigh Valley & Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal |
Brooklyn | First & only usage of centerpipe carfloat for
unloading of bulk powder / grain material for Schaefer Brewery. |
1960's - 1974 |
| New York New Jersey Rail | Brooklyn, NY/ Greenville, NJ |
Last carfloating operation in New York. (between Greenville, NJ & Bush Terminal Brooklyn, NY) |
current |
.
.
.
.
Railroad Operated
Pier Stations & Inland Freight Stations
.
In all honesty, I never intended to create pages on the Pier Stations or Inland Freight Stations. My sole page on these facilities regarded those Pier Stations located in Wallabout Basin in Brooklyn. However, after expanding my research into the Class 1 offline terminals in Manhattan, images began to creep into my collection.
Therefore as of April 2009, you will now find a page on pier station facilities located in Manhattan. After all, it was only fitting I refer to those pier stations in Manhattan since I squirrelled away several images of those pier stations that I locating in the various archives.
It must also be remembered, that almost any pier could receive freight via carfloat. As such, a great majority of piers on West side of Manhattan handled freight in some way or another, so I had to differentiate between the railroad operated piers and those of the many shipping lines in Manhattan as well.
Also, most of the fruit and produce wholesalers had one or more piers on the Hudson and / or East Rivers, therefore station carfloats could be found next to a pier that was not a railroad operated pier station and have not been included. In any event, pier stations on the Hudson and East Rivers, were very ubiquitous to say the least and were not often photographed. Therefore even the small amount of photos I have acquired, should provide some enjoyment to the interested reader.
It was then in doing some quick research on those pier stations (for pier dimensions), that I learned the railroads had "inland" freight stations as well. These were nothing more than multi-story warehouses located some blocks from either the pier stations or offline terminals. Photos of these are what I consider "rarest of the rare". There were not many of these inland freight stations and both data and images are scarce, so I have included these as well on the page.
In regards to this topic, one person stands out above the rest a unique contributor: Mr. Joseph DeMay. Joe is a historian of piers and wharves in the New York Harbor area and is constantly acquiring images of those piers and wharves to which some are over 100 years old. Special thanks goes to Joe for sharing his collection of images of pier stations with us.
The following link will
take you to the
page showcasing the collection of images taken throughout New York
Harbor
of Railroad Operated Pier Stations and Inland Freight Stations that
were
located in Manhattan:
.
RAILROAD OPERATED PIER STATIONS & INLAND FREIGHT STATIONS OF MANHATTAN
.
.
.
.
List
of Miscellaneous
Locomotives, Owners & Operators
in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island & the
Bronx
.
.
The following is a compilation of firms listed in the various builders records I have acquired, that were located in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx, and which are shown to have received, owned or operated locomotives.
In several circumstances, I have come across firms shown on property tax maps (Bromley, E. Belcher Hyde) that show trackage, but I could not find an entry for a locomotive for this firm. A link to an image of that property map is listed under those entries.
It should be noted, that with the industrial railroads that I have listed above, they had some significant data or history records in one form or another that I have been able to compile, and this information made it feasible to create a separate page on that company. The owners listed below however, have no such recorded history of operations, and so until such a history is found, they are relegated to a simple list.
Frankly, there are dozens if not hundreds of locomotives listed in the builders records for firms in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, NY; and I have only located one entry for the Bronx. When I first started this venture, it was brought to my attention that some of those locomotives may have indeed operated in Brooklyn and / or Queens, while others may have simply been registered to an owner or company that was located in Brooklyn or Queens, but the locomotive may have actually been used at another location not in the City of New York.
There were also many machinery equipment suppliers and brokers located in Brooklyn (and Queens, Manhattan, etc), so some of those locomotives were actually purchased by one of these brokers and resold, i.e: to a plantation railroad in South America, a quarry railroad in Manitoba, etc. Those locomotives cleared marked for export or lease in the builders records have been excluded altogether.
However, one factor to consider in regards to several contracting and construction firms listed below, these firms are also found to be named or seen in photographic records of some of the various New York City subway system construction contracts. Therefore it is a possibility that the locomotives were used in some capacity or another to excavate new tunnel construction and / or existing tunnel expansion projects throughout the early half of the Twentieth Century.
One of the things I took note of when reviewing the expanded this list below (which now includes the locomotive models and dates of acquisition), is that the majority of dates of acquisition are in the 1920's, prior to the Great Depression, with extremely few entries dated afterwards. Whether there is any real correlation between the fall off of locomotive purchases and the stock market crash of 1929, remains unknown.
For now, here is a list of firms that are listed in the builders records as being in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island and show as to having received locomotives, or in some cases a property tax (Belcher - Hyde, Bromley), or fire insurance (Sanborn) map shows trackage for that firm. I have listed the pertinent data for each locomotive where known.
Please note, this list does not include the recipients of steam or other locomotives for passenger use.
| firm | location | manufacturer | model | c/n | gauge | date
acquired (u) = used |
date
sold (s) returned (r) transferred (t) scrapped (x) |
note |
| American Brick | Annadale, Staten Island | Plymouth | 7T BL2 | 1188 | 36" | 3/14/1922 | ||
| American Linoleum | Linoleumville (Travis) Staten Island |
[pm] | ||||||
| Awixa Corp. | Long Island City | Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb |
6T MO 6T MO 7T MO 7T MO 7T MO |
11402 11403 11616 11689 11690 |
36" 36" 36" 36" 36" |
8/1922 8/1922 9/1923 2/1924 2/1924 |
(r) (s) 12/1926 6/1925 |
|
| Barber Asphalt Paving | Long Island City | Porter Porter |
0-4-0T 0-4-0T |
2358 2430 |
30" 30" |
4/1901 10/1901 |
||
| E. W. Bliss (Munitions) Co | Brooklyn | Whitcomb | 45DE27A | 60111 | std. | 1/1942 (u) | (s) | |
| Campbell Motor Co. | Brooklyn | Brookville | 4 WGM B1 | 341 | 24" | 3/11/1924 | ||
| P. J. Carlin Construction | Brooklyn | Whitcomb | 7T MO | 12227 | 36" | 7/1926 | ||
| Carleton Company | Brooklyn | Whitcomb | 6T ESB | 1990 | 36" | 1/1929 | ||
| Con Edison | Staten Island | EMD? | SW _?_S | |||||
| Connor Brothers Contracting.. | Brooklyn | Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb |
6T MO 6T MO 6T MO 6T MO 7T CKU 7T CKU 7T CKU |
1186 1187 1188 1189 12767 12768 12769 |
24" 24" 24" 24" 24" 24" 24" |
8/1920 (u) 7/1928 7/1928 7/1928 10/1928 10/1928 10/1928 |
(r) 12/1928 (s) 3/1931 (r) 12/1928 (s) 3/1931 (r) 12/1928 (s) 3/1931 (r) 12/1928 12/1935 12/1935 12/1935 |
|
| Cornell Contracting |
Brooklyn | Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb |
4T UF 6T ESB 6T ESB 6T ESB 6T ESB |
12015 1992 1993 1994 1995 |
36" 36" 36" 36" 36" |
7/1925 7/1929 7/1929 7/1929 7/1929 |
[d] | |
| Corson Construction | Brooklyn | Brookville Brookville Brookville Brookville |
4wGM FCR 4T 4wGM FCR 4T 4wGM FCR 4T 4wGM FCR 4T |
957 959 983 985 |
36" 36" 36" 36" |
11/10/1926 11/10/1926 12/28/1926 12/28/1926 |
||
| Crawford Co. | Brooklyn | Porter Porter |
0-4-0T 0-4-0T |
5594 5595 |
24" 24" |
8/1914 8/1914 |
||
| Thomas Crimmins Contracting | Long Island City | Porter Porter Plymouth Plymouth |
0-4-0T 0-4-0T AL 2 AL 2 |
4058 4059 608 609 |
36" 36" 36" std. |
4/1908 4/1908 6/5/1919 6/5/1919 |
||
| Dolan Brick | Great Kills, Staten Island | Whitcomb | 7T MO | 12360 | 36" | 12/1926 | 11/1937 | |
| Downey Shipbuilding | Howland Hook, Staten Island |
as seen on the 1924 Army Corp of Engineers Port Facilities Map |
||||||
| John Duncan Co. | Brooklyn | Whitcomb | 7T MO | 11760 | 36" | 4/1925 | (s) 7/1928 Synder Eng, NJ | |
| Emerson - Garden Electric | Brooklyn | Plymouth | FLB | 3404 | std. | 2/4/1930 (u) | ||
| Empire Mills | Brooklyn | Porter | 2-6-0 | 1148 | 3/1890 | |||
| Erickson Engineering | Staten Island | Plymouth | 4½T RF 2 | 3624 | std. | 4/30/1931 | ||
| Faircroft Engineering | Brooklyn | Whitcomb Plymouth Plymouth |
7T MO 5T FLB 2 5T FLB 2 |
11953 3671 3672 |
36" std. std. |
3/1925 1/22/1932 1/22/1932 |
(s) 1/1934
to Erie Cnrtg NJ (to A. Paino) |
|
| James Ferry & Sons | Woodhaven, Queens | Plymouth | 3½T AL 2 | 685 | 30" | 9/4/1919 | ||
| Fortis Contracting | Jamaica | Plymouth Plymouth |
5T FLB 2 5T FLB 2 |
3671 3672 |
std. std. |
(used) (used) |
||
| Funch Edye Co. | Brooklyn | Porter | 0-4-0(T?) | 1989 | 24" | 6/1899 | ||
| T. A. Gillespie | Bay Ridge, Brooklyn | Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb |
12T MO 12T MO 12T MO 12T MO |
11707 11708 11709 11789 |
36" 36" 36" 36" |
3/1924 4/1924 4/1924 7/1924 |
(s) 5/1928 (s) 11/1928 (s) 11/1928 (s) 2/1928 |
|
| Gregg Company | South Brooklyn | Davenport | 0-4-0T | 872 | 40" | 3/1909 | ||
| E. Harry Howard | Little Neck, Queens | Brookville Brookville |
4T 4wGM 4T 4wGM |
715 | 24" | 9/9/1925 | ||
| Hubbard - Floyd Co. | Brooklyn | Whitcomb | 7T MO | 11953 | std. | 3/1925 | (s) 7/1932 to Faircroft | |
| International
Ultramarine Works. (possibly S. I. Kaolin) |
Port Mobil, Staten Island |
|||||||
| Arthur A. Johnson | Brooklyn | Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Plymouth |
4T UF 4T UF 4½T CS4 4½T CS4 4T CL3 |
12015 12016 12657 12686 1334 |
36" 36" 36" 36" std. |
7/1925 7/1925 7/1928 8/1928 2/23/1928 (u) |
. . [a] [a] . |
|
| James D. Leary | Brooklyn | Porter | 0-4-0 (T?) | 996 | 1/1889 | (s) 4/1910 | ||
| McElroy & Kerwin | Brooklyn | Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb |
4½T CS4½ 5T CS4 5T WVK |
12425 12823 13109 |
std. std. std. |
4/1927 2/1929 7/1931 |
||
| Patrick McGovern | Long Island City | Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Plymouth Plymouth |
5T ESB 5T ESB 5T ESB 4T FL 2 4T FL 2 |
1528 1541 1542 2664 2665 |
24" 24" 24" 30" 30" |
11/1917 12/1917 12/1917 7/5/1927 7/5/1927 |
||
| James Marino | Long Island City | Davenport | 0-4-0T | 1021 | 36" | 6/1910 | ||
| Kreischer Brick | Charleston, Staten Island | [pm] | ||||||
| Mason & Hanger | Brooklyn | Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb |
6T ESB 6T ESB 6T ESB 6T ESB 6T ESB 6T ESB |
1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1990 |
36" 36" 36" 36" 36" 36" |
12/1928 12/1928 1/1929 1/1929 1/1929 1/1929 |
|
[c] [c] [c] [c] [c] |
| Mideastern Contracting
|
Long Island City | Plymouth Plymouth Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb |
7T DLC 6 7T DLC 6 6T ESB 6T ESB 6T ESB 6T ESB |
2315 2408 1970 1971 1996 1997 |
36" 36" 36" 36" 36" 36" |
7/26/1928 8/24/1926 7/1928 7/1928 3/1929 3/1929 |
(s) to Danco Supply, Pa (s) to Danco Supply, Pa |
[b] [b] |
| Milliken Brothers (Steel Mill) |
Staten Island | Porter Porter Porter Porter Porter Porter |
0-4-0T 0-4-0T 0-4-0T 0-4-0T 0-4-0T 0-4-0T |
3353 3354 3446 3447 3448 3576 |
std. std. 36" 36" std. std. |
1/1906 1/1906 5/1906 5/1906 5/1906 8/1906 |
(s) Montray
Corp. (s) Colonial Iron |
|
| Montrose Engineering | Brooklyn | Vulcan | 8T Gas | 3602 | 36" | 9/1926 | ||
| National Sugar Refining of NJ | Long Island City | Whitcomb | 2½ T ESB-SW | 2013 | 36" | 6/1929 | [f] | |
| Necaro & Co | Brooklyn . . Jamaica, Queens |
Brookville Brookville Brookville Brookville Brookville Brookville Brookville |
3½T 4wGM 3½T 4wGM 4T 4wGM FCR 4T 4wGM FCR 4T 4wGM FCR 4T 4wGM FCR 4T 4wGM FCR |
373 625 903 933 935 937 939 |
24" 24" 36" 36" 36" 36" 36" |
7/15/1924 3/12/1925 7/7/1926 10/16/1926 10/16/1926 10/16/1926 10/16/1926 |
||
| New York & Boston Dye Wood Co | Greenpoint, Brooklyn | [pm] | ||||||
| Oakdale Construction / Oakdale Contracting |
Flushing, Queens | Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb |
7T MO 7T MO 7T MO 4T UF 4T UF 4T UF |
11561 11562 11628 12015 12016 12017 |
36" 36" 36" 36" 36" 36" |
6/1923 6/1923 9/1923 7/1925 7/1925 7/1925 |
(s) 1/1928 . . (s) 2/1920 (s) 5/1928 (s) 5/1928 |
|
| Oakland Chemical | Rossville, Staten Island | [pm] | ||||||
| O'Rourke Engineering
& Contracting (some units possibly shipped to Sheldon, Iowa)
|
Long Island City | Baldwin ALCo ALCo ALCo Baldwin Baldwin Whitcomb |
0-4-0T 0-4-0T 0-4-0T 0-4-0T Mule 8HP Mule 8HP 6T ESB-SM |
22360 29661 29751 29752 27173 27174 2002 |
36" 24" 24" 24" |
6/1903 2/1904 6/1904 6/1904 12/1905 12/1905 4/1929 |
[e] | |
| Angelo Paino | Brooklyn | Whitcomb | 7T MO | 3/1925 | (s) 7/1932 | |||
| Paladino Engineering | Brooklyn | Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb Whitcomb |
12T BJD 12T BJD 12T BJD 12T BJD |
12097 12098 12099 12100 |
36" 36" 36" 36" |
11/1925 11/1925 11/1925 11/1925 |
(r) 12/1928 (r) 5/1930 (r) 10/27 (s) 9/1927 |
|
| Harry Perissi | Far Rockaway, Queens | Plymouth | 4T CL2 | 2027 | 23½" | 5/20/1925 | ||
| Carlo Petrillo | Brooklyn | Vulcan Vulcan Vulcan |
4T Gas 4T Gas 4T Gas |
3987 3989 3999 |
24" 24" 24" |
6/1929 6/1929 6/1929 |
||
| Pioneer Iron Works | Brooklyn | Porter | 0-4-2T | 774 | 30" | 9/1886 | ||
| T. H. Reynolds Construction | Brooklyn | Plymouth | 4T CL3 4T CL3 |
1334 1335 |
std. std. |
11/9/1922 11/9/1922 |
||
| Richmond Brick | Rossville, Staten Island | [pm] | ||||||
| Riter - Coaley Mfg. | Astoria | Porter | 0-4-0T | 2956 | 36" | 7/1904 | ||
| Robins Dry Dock & Repair | Brooklyn | Brookville Brookville Brookville Brookville Brookville Brookville Brookville Brookville |
8T 4wDM BMD UD-6 4w flatcar, 6' long 4w flatcar, 6' long 4w flatcar, 6' long 8T 4wDM BHA D00C 4w flatcar, 6' long 4w flatcar, 6' long 4w flatcar, 6' long |
2648 2649 2650 2651 2697 2698 2699 2700 |
std. std. std. std. std. std. std. std. |
7/26/41 7/26/41 7/26/41 7/26/41 12/26/1941 12/26/1941 12/26/1941 12/26/1941 |
||
| Rossville Brick | Rossville, Staten Island | [pm] | ||||||
| Charles F. Schmitt | Brooklyn | Whitcomb | 3½T | 11/1920 | ||||
| Emmett B. Simpson | Queens | Plymouth | 10T JLA 2 | 2799 | 36" | 1/27/1928 | ||
| Slattery & Daino | Astoria | Vulcan Vulcan Vulcan Vulcan Vulcan |
14T Gas 14T Gas 14T Gas 14T Gas 14T Gas |
4035 4113 4114 4115 4126 |
36" 36" 36" 36" 36" |
12/1930 10/1930 10/1930 10/1930 12/1930 |
||
| Staten Island Kaolin |
Charleston, Staten Island |
[pm] | ||||||
| Henry Steers | Bronx | Baldwin | 0-4-4T | 5573 | std. | 4/1907 (u) | ||
| Todd Erie Basin Dry
Docks (merged w/ Robins Dry Dock) |
Brooklyn | Brookville | 4w flatcar 9' 8" long 40t capacity |
2950 | std. | 11/24/43 | ||
| Wagner - Larsen Construction | Brooklyn | Whitcomb | 5T WVK | 12991 | std. | 12/1929 | ||
| Walsh Construction | Long Island City | Whitcomb Whitcomb |
25DE17 (23DE1?) 23DE1 |
60104 60118 |
std. std. |
8/1941 8/1941 |
(s) 6/1945 |
|
| John Weber | Rossville, Staten Island | [pm] | ||||||
Locomotive Footnotes
| [a] | Sales records show this locomotive being shipped through the Brookyn Eastern District Terminal, Brooklyn, NY |
| [b] | Sales records show this locomotive being
shipped: Pidgeon St Station, Brooklyn, N Y (the BEDT Pidgeon Street Station / Terminal was located in Queens, but the BEDT main offices was Kent Avenue, Brooklyn) equipped with 20" wheels and Westinghouse V53 motor |
| [c] | Mason - Hanger won the contract to bore
and construct the Fulton Street subway tunnel under the East River for
the 14th Street line. These five 6 Ton ESB locomotives were shipped to the Fulton Terminal (of the New York Dock Railway), Brooklyn, NY. Another five identical Whitcomb 6 Ton ESB locomotives were purchased as part of this contract (for a total of 10 locomotives) and delivered to Pier 16 & 17, East River, New York, N Y; presumably so that boring could commence from both sides of the river and meet under the center of the riverbed. equipped with 20" wheels and Westinghouse V53 motor |
| [d] | trade in - $400 for Oakdale locomotive equipped with 20" wheels and Westinghouse V53 motor |
| [e] | equipped with 20" wheels and Westinghouse V53 motor |
| [f] | this unit believed to have been brought in
by BEDT and used in Jack Frost Sugar Refinery @ Pidgeon Street, Long
Island City. equipped with 18" wheels and Westinghouse V54 motor |
| [pm] | trackage shown on property maps, no locomotive data found in builders records. |
ESB = Electric Storage Battery
.
.
.
.
| [1] | . | ALCo builders records | ..... | [21] | . | Trains Magazine, December 1973 |
| [2] | Baldwin builders records | [23] | Thomas R. Flagg; NY Harbor RR's | |||
| [3] | H. K. Porter builders records | [24] | Jay Bendersky; Brooklyn's Waterfront Railways | |||
| [4] | Pittsburgh builders records | [25] | Joseph A. Strapac, Industrial Electric Locomotive - GE | |||
| [5] | Davenport builders records | [30] | data from photographer notes, D. Keller archives | |||
| [6] | Plymouth builders records | [31] | Shore Line Trolley Museum website | |||
| [7] | Birmingham Loco & Rail sales records | [32] | Colin Churchers Industrial Locomotives in Canada | |||
| [8] | Vulcan Iron Works builders records | [33] | Robert Brendel compilation | |||
| [9] | Rhode Island builders records | [34] | Gene Gerstner research | |||
| [10] | Mack builders records | [35] | Donald Nute website | |||
| [11] | BEDT records & sales prospectus | [36] | Illinois Railroad Museum website | |||
| [12] | Lima builders records | [37] | Erie Lackawanna Historical Society website | |||
| [13] | Whitcomb builders records | [38] | Ed Bommer research | |||
| [14] | Schenectady builders records | [40] | Pennsy Power (1962) | |||
| [15] | Diesel Shop (J. Komanesky) GE Roster | [41] | Pennsy Power II (1968) | |||
| [16] |
North East Rails website & photo rosters |
[42] | Penn Central Bi-Annual (1973) | |||
| [17] | B & O Power, Sagle / Staufer | [44] | Bill Russell website | |||
| [18] | Critters, Dinkys & Centercabs | [45] | Sam Berliner, III website | |||
| [19] | General Electric records via R. Lehmuth via J Taubeneck | [55] | Paul Strubeck research | |||
| [20] | Trains Magazine, December 1970 | [56] | John Taubeneck research (builders records) |
.
.
.
.
Like
what you see?
Suggestions? Comments?
.
.
.
.
Bibliography,
Resources
& Suggested Reading:
|
New York Times |
various issues and years | ||
| Brooklyn Eagle | various issues and years | ||
| Annual Reports of the Dept of Docks & Ferries CoNY | various years | ||
| Eads Johnson's Steam Vessels of the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Coast | various years | ||
| Merchant Vessels of the United States | various years | ||
| The Pennsylvania Railroad: Its Organization, Construction & Management | Dredge, James | 1879 | London Engineering |
| History of the Pennsylvania Railroad | Watkins, J. Elfreth | 1886 | |
| Engineering News: Freight Transfer Bridge | 1890 | ||
| Monthly Meeting, Western Railroad Club | September 1900 | ||
| Engineering News: Standard Car Transfer Bridge NYC&HR RR | December 1901 | ||
| Transfer Floats, Ferries & Bridges | Snow, J. P. | 1901 | |
| New Transfer Bridge, Harsimus Cove, Jersey City | Bensel, John, A. | 1901 | |
| Passenger & Freight Terminal Transfer System at Harlem River, NY | Chamberlain, W. E. | 1904 | AREA Proceedings |
| Notes of Track Construction and Maintenance | Camp, W. M. | 1904 | |
| Railway Age: The Greenville Yard & Transfer Arrangements of the PRR | March 1904 | ||
| Yards & Terminals and their Operation | Droege, John A. | 1906 | McGraw - Hill? |
| Electrical Age: Electrically Operated Transfer Bridge | September 1906 | ||
| City of New York Department of Docks Atlas | 1907 | ||
| Engineering Record: The Weehawken Transfer Bridges of the WSRR | February 1908 | ||
| Track Mileage Book | Brooklyn Rapid Transit | January 1910 | |
| Engineering Record: The Oak Point Float Bridges on the East River | March 1910 | ||
| Documents of the Senate of the State of New York | 1910 | ||
| Engineering News: 69th St Car Transfer Bridge of NYC&HR RR | December 1911 | ||
| Freight Terminals and Trains | Droege, John A. | 1912 | McGraw - Hill |
| Report of the Committee on Terminals & Transportation; | 1913 | ||
| Water Terminal & Transfer Facilities | US Army Corp of Engineers | 1913 | |
| The Floating Equipment of a Railroad | duBosque, Francis L. | 1915 | Area |
| Railway Age Gazette | 1915 | ||
| Ports of the United States | Jones, Grosvenor M. | 1916 | |
| Municipal Year Book of the City of New York | 1916 | ||
| City Planning | Nolen, John | 1916 | |
| The Development of Car Float Transfer Bridges in New York Harbor | 1917 | ||
| Car Float Transfer Bridges in New York Harbor | French, James B. | January 1918 | |
| Joint Report with Comprehensive Plan & Recommendations | NY NJ Pier Development Commission | 1920 | |
| discussion after paper presentation on Carfloat Strength | duBosque, Francis L. | 1927 | Society of Naval Architects |
| Working With The World | Bush, Irving T. | 1928 | Doubleday Doran |
| Railway Age: Floating Operations Rendered More Efficient | March 7, 1931 | ||
| Railroad Magazine: Boxcar Navy | Rohde, William L. | September 1945 | Popular Publications |
| Railroads of New York | O'Connor, William L. | 1949 | Simmons - Boardman |
| Railroad Model Craftsman Magazine: CNJ Bronx Freight Terminal | Crater, Warren B. | February 1950 | Carstens Publications |
| Erie Railroad Magazine | internal publication | February 1952 | |
| Railroad Magazine: Railroad Across The River | Krampf, Melvin | June 1952 | Popular Publications |
| The Lackawanna: Harlem Station | internal publication | August 1956 | |
| Train Sheet, Vol... XIV, No. 2 | Railroadians of America | 1959 | Railroadians of America |
| Locomotives & Cars since 1900 | Lucas, Walter A. | 1959 | Simmons - Boardman |
| Railroad Magazine: Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal | Plowden, David | April 1961 | Popular Publications |
| Pennsy Power | Staufer, Alvin F. | 1962 | |
| The Twilight of Steam Locomotives | Ziel, Ron | 1963 | Grosset & Dunlap |
| Trains Magazine: Railroad News Photos: BEDT #21 | Jaeger, Alfred R. | February 1963 | Kalmbach Publications |
| Railroad Model Craftsman Magazine: Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal | Arcara, Roger | September 1964 | Carstens Publications |
| B & O Power | Sagel, L. W. & Staufer, A. | 1964 | Standard Printing & Publishing |
| The Locomotives that Baldwin Built | Westing, Frederick | 1966 | |
| Diesel Spotters Guide | Pinkepank, Jerry A. | 1967 | |
| NYC Early Power | Staufer, A.F.; Edson, W.D. & May, E.L. | 1967 | Staufer Publishing |
| Rail Freight of the Tri-State Region | August 1967 | Tri State Transportation Comm | |
| Pennsy Power II | Staufer, Alvin F. & Pennypacker, Bert | 1968 | |
| Railroad Magazine: Hobby Club (BEDT #15) | Reich, Sy | June 1968 | Popular Publications |
| Trains Magazine: South Appalachin #15 (ex BEDT) | Huss, William J. | October 1969 | Kalmbach Publications |
| Trains Magazine: Ingersoll - Rand | Hamley, David | December 1970 | Kalmbach Publications |
| The Second Diesel Spotters Guide | Pinkepank, Jerry A. | 1973 | |
| Penn Central System, Bi-Annual (First) | Reid, Robert H. | 1973 | PC Railroader |
| The Boats We Rode | Roberts, F. B. & Gillespie, J. | 1974 | Quadrant Press |
| Uptown Downtown, A Trip Through Time on New York's Subways | Fischler, Stan | 1976 | |
| Railroad Magazine: Information Booth | Popular Publications | May 1976 | Popular Publications |
| Under the Sidewalks of New York | Cudahy, Brian J. | September 1979 | Stephen Greene Press |
| The Port of New York: A History of the Rail & Terminal System... | Condit, Carl | 1980 | Chicago University Press |
| Brooklyn's Waterfront Railways | Bendersky, Jay | 1988 | Meatball Productions |
| Railroad Ferries of the Hudson | Baxter, R. J. & Adams, A. G. | 1987 | Lind |
| Over & Back | Cudahy, Brian J. | 1990 | Fordham University |
| Railpace: The Cross Harbor | Perelman, Carl & Krattinger, John P. | September 1992 | Railpace |
| Bridge & Trestle Handbook | Mallery, Paul | 1992 | Carstens Publishing |
| Keystone: V. 25 #1: Steam & Saltwater | 1992 | PRR H & TS | |
| Keystone: V. 26 #2: Long Island City Float Yard Operations | Kalis, Nicholas | Summer 1993 | PRR H & TS |
| Headlights | Electric Railroaders Association | May-June 1993 | ERA |
| Classic Locomotives The Series - Vol.... 1: Alco Switchers | Szachacz, Keith | 1993 | H & M Productions |
| Historic American
Engineering Record Greenville Transfer Bridges - HAER #NJ-49-A |
National Park Service | 1996 | Lind Publications |
| Where Rail Meet the Sea | Kreiger, Michael | 1998 | Metrobooks |
| Critters, Dinkys & Centercabs | Reed, Jay | 2000 | Rio Hondo |
| The Diamond, Vol... 15, #1: Brooklyn 25th Street | Erie Lackawanna Historical Society | 2001 | ELHS |
| New York Harbor Railroads in Color, Volume 1 & Volume 2 | Flagg, Thomas R. | 2000 & 2002 | Morning Sun Publishing |
| Comprehensive Guide to Industrial Locomotives, 3rd Ed | Reed, Jay | 2002 | Rio Hondo |
| The Diamond, Vol.... 18, #4: Erie West 28th Street | Lee, Vince & Flagg, Thomas | 2004 | ELHS |
| The New York Waterfront | Bone, Kevin | 2004 | Monacaelli Press |
| Interurban Electric Locomotives from Baldwin - Westinghouse | Strapac, Joseph A. | 2004 | Shade Tree Books |
| Interurban Electric Locomotives from General Electric | Strapac, Joseph A. | 2005 | Shade Tree Books |
| Tugboats of New York | Matteson, George | 2005 | New York University Press |
| Alco's HH Series | Cupper, Sweetland & Withers | 2006 | Withers |
| The New York Connecting Railroad | Sturm, Robert C. & Thom, William G. | 2006 | Sunrise Trail Chapter NRHS |
| The New York Central System (Images of Rail) | Levy, Michael | 2006 | Arcadia Publishing |
| Jersey City's Hudson River Waterfront, Book 1 (PRR) | Caldes, Charles P. | 2009 | Journal Square |
| Jersey City's Hudson River Waterfront, Book 2 (LV, CNJ, E, DLW, EL) | Caldes, Charles P. | 2010 | Journal Square |
| Pennsylvania Railroad in Jersey City | Caldes, Charles P. | 2011 | Journal Square |
| Transfer, various issues | various authors | Rail Marine Information Group | |
| Joseph Roborecky research | continuous | ||
| Fred Breimann research | continuous | ||
| Thomas Flagg research | continuous | ||
| John Teichmoeller research | continuous | ||
| Benjamin W. Schaeffer research | continuous | ||
| Erie Lackawanna Historical Society | Jay Held | ||
| Railroad Webpages | Sam Berliner, III | ||
| Long Island Rail Road website | Steve Lynch | ||
| Rail Marine Information Group | John Teichmoeller | ||
| NYCSubway.org - work cars & locomotives | Dave Pirmann | ||
| Arrt's Arrchives - NY Railroads | Arthur Huneke | ||
| TheJoeKorner - NYC Railroads | Joseph Korman | ||
| North East Rails Photo Archives | Clint Chamberlin | ||
| Don's Depot | Don Ross | ||
| Brooklyn Public Library | |||
| Queens Public Library | |||
| New York Public Library | |||
| New York State Library | |||
| Library of Congress | |||
| Historic Map Works | |||
| Historic Aerials |
Please note, I am not responsible for inaccuracies published by other sources.
.
.
.
.
It has to be stated for the record, we cannot take sole credit for this website and contents.
The associated pages within, would not be possible without the generous assistance and contributions from many avid railfans of the Offline Terminals, railroad and locomotive historians, descendants of owners or principals of the industrial railroads, as well as those representatives at repositories where information and photographs are stored.
We have listed, in alphabetical order, those who have given their time and assistance in searching catalogs and locating and contributing images from their vast files:
|
Jim
Arbuckle |
John
Komanesky |
|
Morgan
Askew |
Joseph
D. Korman |
|
Sam
Berliner, III |
Stephen
Lacey |
|
Bob's
Photo Archives |
Walt Lankenau |
|
John Bartelstone |
Schuyler
Larrabee |
|
Jim
Blackstock / |
John
La Rue, Jr. |
|
Edward F.
Bommer |
Vince Lee |
|
Robert
Brendel |
Steve Lynch |
|
Fred
Breimann |
Bill
McBride |
|
Bob
Caramore |
John
McCluskey |
|
James
Christie |
Stojiny
McCoy |
|
Gene Collora |
Roger
& Leah McEnery |
|
Bob
Cornett |
Conrad Milster |
|
Tim
Darnell |
David Pearce |
|
Dave's
Rail Pix / Dave's Electric Railroads |
Dave
Pirmann |
|
Joseph De May |
David
Ramos |
|
Gino
DiCarlo |
Jay
Reed |
| Joe Dobbs, University of Texas at Austin for hi resolution scanning the complete set of 1942 Series ACoE Port Terminal Maps (82 plates) | |
| Harold
Fagerberg for use of his photographs . | Bob Rickey for his contribution of Wallabout Terminal research, including photos and newspaper articles |
|
Jose
Feliciano |
Joseph
Roborecky |
|
Nathan
Fenno Port Ivory from 1985-1991 |
Don
Ross |
|
Ben
Fiorello |
Benjamin
W. Schaeffer |
|
Thomas R.
Flagg and answering my ever growing amount of questions! |
Allen
Stanley |
|
Cynthia Franco |
Paul
F. Strubeck |
|
Jon Franz |
John
Taubeneck |
|
Charles
Gerow |
John Teichmoeller |
|
Gene
Gerstner |
Joseph
Testagrose |
|
Steve
Grande |
Frank
J. Trezza |
|
Jim
Guthrie |
Arie
Van Tol & Gary Smith |
|
Jay
Held / |
Alton
Underwood |
|
Matt J. Herson |
Tim
Warris |
|
Evan
Jennings & the Trolley Museum of NY |
Robert Yanosey |
| Phyllis Kayten; Librarian of Stanford University, CA for furnishing information of repositories of ACoE Port Terminals Maps and contact information for those repositories. |
Lillian
Zahn |
| Dave
Keller for the use of his extensive photo archives, photo developing of my negative collection and constant answers & information on LIRR |
.
.
Will
there ever be a published
book of this website?
For those of you who have not yet realized it, this website is a labor of our affection for the topics covered within. The co-authors of this website spend quite a deal of our free time on it; improving upon it, adding to it and correcting errors as we either found them or as they were pointed out to us.
Many of you loyal readers and rail-marine fans have suggested, and rightly so; why not publish this website into a printed book? More than once the thought has occurred to and quite frankly, flatters us. While quite honestly we know we are capable of drafting the manuscript and having it printed; there are a few good reasons we have chosen not to.
Existing Scope:
This website started out in mid-2004 at less than 50 kilobytes, with maybe about twenty-five very primitively scanned and highly compressed images of "steam locomotives only" of the BEDT. As of May 2007, the website was expanded to include the other Brooklyn rail-marine terminals: Bush Terminal, Jay Street Connecting and New York Dock, and broke 300 kilobytes (text only) bytes. This figure does not included the photo files which were now enlarged, minimally compressed and now included diesel locomotives, miscellaneous equipment, tugboats, carfloats, and property. In March of 2008, the main page broke 500 kilobytes (text only) bytes.
Here we are in 2016 and the BEDT main page alone is just under 1 megabyte. The entire website, which now covers over 40 locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City, is 13 megabytes (again, text only). Add to this figure, over one thousand images and document files; a few of are .pdf files but for the most part are minimally compressed .jpg files and now beginning to be sized for wide screen monitors.
In all, text and
graphics; this website
is now comprised of in excess of 950 megabytes. That is only 50
megabytes
shy of a gigabyte or 1GB! (And you want us to print this to a book!?!?!)
To even consider printing something of this scope,
a multi-volume
set of books would at the very minimum, would be necessary. To keep with the
detailed
nature of this work, numerous fold-out inserts per volume, at least 2:1
and
in most cases 1:1 would be needed to accommodate the detailed property
and
track maps AND keep them legible. Naturally, this set of books would be
a
color production on good quality gloss paper, all of which
leads to
a hefty production cost. Reflecting on what a printed set of the
Encyclopedia
Britannica (on pulp paper and 99% black & white) way back when,
no wonder
why it cost so much and it was mass produced!
Let us say we were able to keep the retail unit cost at around $300 per set (a very conservative figure). We came up with this amount by comparing the retail cost of several (in print) releases with an average retail of $60 retail per issue, approximately 150 pages per issue multiplied by six volumes. All volumes of which to be published and released simultaneously. Obviously we can't go door to door selling sets of books of this website, because if we were fortunate enough to sell a multi-volume set at $300 a set to every rail-marine fan, industrial archeologist, and local historian who would be willing to spend that amount; we might, might; be able to sell 250 units.
It simply is not worth the production cost. It is a limited niche market. Even if we were to limit the coverage to a one or two volume offering with a few paragraphs on each location, you lose what this website is all about: a multi-disciplined, comprehensive and authoritative area of coverage.
Anything less and you get what you have every few years: a "coffee table" picture book. Anyone can throw a few dozen photos into a book with a date and maybe a title underneath, put their name on the cover and sell for $50.
But no one is going to get rich. And it certainly will not be comprehensive. Nor will it make the New York Times best seller list or Oprah's book club.
.
Photo Contributions - Not for profit vs. Commercial:
Another important reason against a printed book is in regards to the photo contributors. This website is non-profit and non-commercial. We see no income much less profit from its existence. Matter of fact, the research that is incurred with a task of this magnitude sometimes leaves us strapped for funds (we have other hobbies and other obligations) and quite honestly, the website operates in the negative.
In any event, this not for profit status allows us some latitude in publishing photographs from established archives and repositories. For individual images, to now go back and obtain written copyright permission from each and every contributor now would be time consuming not to mention expensive, and as some of these contributors may now want some form of monetary compensation for themselves.
We also feel, we would also lose some of the "good
faith"
photographic contributions made in the spirit of railfanning. ("I'm
sending
these to you to use on your website provided you don't sell
them. Just
put my name under them").
Essentially, if we published a book, we
would be selling
those photos. And it changes the game, so to speak. So it is by far
easier
to keep this a friendly contribution non-commercial based website,
where
we all share in the glory of the photographs and information, located
in
one place and very easy to access.
.
Accuracy & Content - In good faith:
Considering that in a historical reference such as this; some dates are estimated, names may not be spelled correctly or locations misstated, and information from previous sources is learned to be incorrect. In some instances, we ourselves unintentionally screw things up; such as: transpose information, data, dates, etc. In short, the electronic format of this website allows us the immediate opportunity to correct those mistakes when they are discovered.
We like to think of ourselves as perfectionists and we have spent many a sleepless night editing to get things just so, in regard to text, images and illustrations. Sometimes we work on it for hours only to tear it down and start over, because something just does not seem or look right or the continuity does not "flow".
In this electronic format, when we receive a correction, we correct the appropriate error on the webpage, make a note in the revision list and upload. After a 90 days it is removed from the revision list and forgotten about, because the correct version is on display. That's it, any errors have been fixed with a few keystrokes.
Unfortunately with a printed object, nothing can be done about an error unless it is decided to print a second volume or use an online addendum, and then we can only hope that the book purchasers find that addendum and take the time to review it.
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Accuracy
& Content - In bad
faith? Not!
Another reason, which we have to say is quite important to more than one of us (sometimes more so than other reasons), is the accuracy and veracity of the information contained within this website.
This day and age of the home office publishing suite, has simplified the way in which to put together a book or website, add images, print / publish and offer it for sale. While most works have been well researched, well authored and presented; inevitably this do-it-yourself publication trend has seen the proliferation of revisionist historians and sometimes worse: those authors so obstinate to the point that they will not accept facts and observations in evidence, and of which that have been borne out time and time again through genuine research and documentation. So they print their version. While most of us take it in good stride, it does remain a thorn.
Unfortunately, the numbers of these contradictory information authors are increasing, because of the ease in which they can publish their slant or opinion and of which can be seen or heard easily in a world wide forum. After all, that is why it is called the 'world wide web'. Inevitably enough people read this bad information and becomes accepted as a fact. This bad information then circulates and the new reader (who justifiably accepted that the author did his research and presents fact and not fiction) comes along and accepts that information as fact. (I saw it on the internet - it must be true. Abraham Lincoln, 1866).
While this type of bad information is the exception and not the rule; it is a problem in this field (and I am quite sure of others). Rail transportation is a popular subject. Rail-marine operations in New York Harbor? Even more so. Most rail enthusiasts are stubborn to the point of, "If I didn't see it, it didn't happen".
In short, what you can
be assured of,
is that this website in its electronic format, and of which is made up
of
several co-authors and extremely knowledgeable contributors in the
various
fields covered by in this website including but not limited to
railroad,
marine, civil engineering, mechanical design, construction, municipal
planning,
history, etc. This "consortium" approach of sorts has the effect of
leading
all of the contributors to be open-minded and very careful in our
research
and subsequent conclusions, and this group effort so to speak negates
any
one of us intentionally publishing erroneous information out of
obstinance.
As stated above, once information is published to
a printed
and bound book, that's it. It's printed: erroneous conclusions,
conjecture,
opinions and all.
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Image Size:
As stated in the first
reason above, one
of the drawbacks to a bound / printed book, is size limitation on
graphics,
maps, etc. While a foldout can be pasted into a book, production costs
are
very expensive. Some of the track maps used on this website are 3 feet
by
5 feet!
With this website however, we can scan oversize
images and put
a link to it, where you as the reader can reference that oversize
image.
Then you can enlarge, reduce, zoom, etc. using computer functions
(control
+ / control -) on the portion of the graphic you desire.
The same applies to standard images of equipment.
A large image
scan reveals details not normally seen in a reduced image size on a
printed
page. But there is a downside to good quality images: image use without
due
credit. But again, this is the exception, not the rule. And as most of
us
rail enthusiasts pretty much travel in the same circles, one can't
get
away with "hijacking" an image for too long.
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Additions and expansion:
As this page increases in publicity, more and more data arrives from several different sources for us to add. In a printed format and once published, we cannot add a new chapter, location or anything else we deem important, i.e.: a previously undiscovered connection or an influential event, or perhaps that yet undiscovered photo of a previously unknown piece of equipment. Any of these would warrant an immediate update to this website and we would not have that luxury with a printed and bound publication.
With this electronic format, as mentioned with corrections, we are free to expand without the need of returning to a printer and publishing a new edition.
Exposure - More than just railfans:
As rail transportation enthusiasts ourselves, we all are aware that a publication on the subject can usually be found at a railroadiana show. Maybe, if the book is really good; you may see it on a shelf in a chain book store if they have a local history section. An older book may be out of print and obtainable only in a used book store. But what these locations do not offer is the availability to the general public, such as the descendant of a railroad employee or even a retired railroad employee who is not seeking the book but some obscure bit of information.
What I am trying to say
is that with a
printed book, you will only encounter it in a select venue. This
website
in contrast, which is published electronically and searchable by any of
the
text within the website on the internet, leads to many more
opportunities
to have these works "found", read and commented on such. As former
employees
who have no such interest in railroads or navigation, the neighborhood
they
once worked in may very find this website simply by searching the
internet
for a general term such as the company they were employed by
or by something
so specific as an address.
We can state for the record that we know this to
be true, because
to date dozens of employees and in cases, the descendants of employees;
have
contacted us via this website, whether to share personal reflections,
images
and history on their tenure with a particular company or to seek
information
on what their anscestor did for the company. From the obscure
Phelps-Dodge
employee to emails from descendants of the principals of the those
companies
such as American Dock, Pouch Terminal and Bush Terminal.
Former rail industry employees like our very own co-author Joseph Roborecky give us insight to how the job was done. Emails from great-great grandchildren looking for information on an ancestor that worked for a railroad; or further information on an ancestor who unfortunately died on the job due to an accident. Emails from attornies researching or representing an injury case and need to know the technicalities of break bulk cargo. Emails from parks planning in checking the historical accuracy of their displays. Emails from a New York Times reporter on the dates of operation or other incongruous details for an column they are writing.
We have even learned that even that general management of an active railroad uses information from this website in their daily operations for new hires. While we use to publish the letters as we received them on the bottom of the website when it was first started, we ceased for space reasons and the inclusion of a guestbook. Now we regret that. But you can go through the guestbook yourself and see who has added their name to the readers of this website.
It is very rewarding to hear from these people from all walks of life, young and old, even when their letter is nothing more than "I used to work for _____ back in _____. Your website brought back a lot of memories. Thanks for the effort!"
It is even more rewarding when we follow up with them, and through the course of conversation get more information from them about an operation, then are able to publish it here almost instantly and share it with you all. We find it difficult to say we would have obtained these connections and this information with a limited circulation specialty subject book.
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In conclusion:
So, all things considered: to all of you who find this website; no matter what field your preferred field of interest is, whether it be railroad, marine, rail-marine, civil planning, the evolution of the City of New York City, or more specifically your old or new neighborhood or even if you were bored, found this website by chance and need to tune out the rest of the world; you will have to accept this electronic website / eBook format.
We can only hope and ask for your understanding in our decision and support it...
Enjoy!
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Interested
in Rail - Marine
/ Offline Terminal Operations?
.
Then consider joining the Rail Marine Information Group!
.
Rail Marine Information Group Website
.
.
.
.
For
those of you who wish
to visit our other railroad websites, please click
here:
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This website is fondly dedicated to the
memory of my
father Stan.
Quite simply, he is solely responsible for my interest in railroading,
and
for that I shall forever be indebted.
See you at the next stop dad.
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It is with great honor that I also dedicate portions of this website to the memory of Francis "Frank" George Zahn. I never had the pleasure of actually meeting Frank, but I knew of him and his extensive railroad archives. The railfan community suffered a significant loss with his passing.
His wife Lillian was gracious enough to allow me access to Frank's archives and to procure his vast collection of New York Industrial & Terminal Railroad photos (Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal, New York Dock, Bush Terminal, American Dock and Atlas Terminal), so that he and his photographs may be remembered and kept in the public eye. This was my first collection purchase and I am proud that it was formerly Frank's.
So in recognition for her graciousness, I found it necessary to see to it that we all remember Frank for his selfless contributions to the railfan community. Henceforth, those pages of which his images are on (Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal, Bush Terminal, New York Dock and Atlas Terminal) are now dedicated in his memory...
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Francis "Frank" George Zahn
February Twenty-Third, Nineteen Hundred Twenty Five June Eighth, Two Thousand Eight
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Ben passed away on the evening of April 28, 2020; one day after his 58th birthday, and one more victim of the Coronavirus-19 pandemic. As far as we knew, he had no underlying health issues to contribute to the severity of his particular case.. Ben was very instrumental and selfless in contributing exacting and minute detail to several pages contained within this website, as well as being a great friend and railfan. Not just your average railroad enthusiast, Ben was one of the foremost historians of rail-marine freight operations in New York City, as well as New York City Transit operations, and he can be accredited to several articles and publications as a result. Ben was 58 years old, a 23 year veteran Conductor of the New York City Transit Authority, with several commendations for exemplary & heroic service. He was also a part-time Auxiliary New York City Police Department officer and Ben is survived by his elderly parents Allen & Harriet, and his girlfriend Lisa Smid. Above all else, our hearts go out to them in his memory and in this time of sorrow. To say the least, we are devastated over this loss. This website will undoubtedly suffer without his knowledge and input, yet we will somehow persevere and continue on in his honor and memory. Rest peacefully friend. עליו השלום |
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click here
to learn about the
AUTHOR.
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