www.freightrrofnyc.info
Industrial Offline Contract Switching
Rail Marine Pocket Terminal Brooklyn Kings Queens Staten Island Richmond
Bronx Manhattan New York City
Freight Harbor Port Pier Station Railroad Trains Steam Diesel Gas Electric
Mechanical Locomotive Locomotives Sidetank Saddletank Docksider Tank Engine
Street Running Steeplecab Boxcab Switcher Dinky Dummy All Over Cab Carfloat
Tugboat Barge Float Bridge Interchange Pier
Station
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ail marine pier station lighterage contract independent
. This website designed to be viewed on widescreen (16:10 ratio) monitors and MSIE.
UPDATE
LIST
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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 data (where known) for the locomotives 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, 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 their respective specifications for those companies that operated them.
For those of you who are just "finding" this page for the first time, this particular website grew 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 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 marine - rail companies on this website, in turn led me to "discover" small industrial concerns in the New York Metropolitan Area that operated locomotives. So these companies in turn were researched and listed on this website as well.
While the content of this website was originally concerned with only those railroads operating in Brooklyn & Queens, it gradually expanded over time to include two very small (but old) terminal railroads located in Staten Island that operated some very unique locomotives; and then the Bronx. Finally, I found myself looking for and locating Manhattan based Offline Terminal & Pier Station information, so those pages were created.
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.
As with my BEDT website, I cannot take full credit for all the efforts on this website, and the collaborative efforts of the many people who contributed to this website 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, and I am especially indebted to and grateful for the continuous contributions and assistance from Joseph Roborecky, Thomas Flagg, Ralph Heiss, Jay Held, Ed Bommer and Paul Strubeck among many, many others.
Photographs come from a variety of notable "old time" collections; Everett DeGoyler, F. Rodney Dirkes, Harold Fagerberg, Gerald Landau and Frank Zahn to name a few; as well as "modern" collections such as Gene Collora, Tim Darnell, Matt Herson and Dave Keller, among many others; and from the digital archives of the Brooklyn Public, New York Public and New York State Libraries.
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.
Be sure to visit my website on:
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. You will of course be given due credit!
~ Visitors please take note ! ~
The collection of images on this
website, which continues to grow;
is due to the unprecedented and selfless contributions of the current owners
of photo archives.
These people made their generous contributions to this website in good will, and allowed me to post their images online for the entire railroading community to view and appreciate, in admiration of these Fallen Flag Railroads.
In return, I strongly request that you please respect the ownership copyrights on those said images.
.
Other than that, please enjoy the history and thanks for taking the time to visit this website and don't forget to sign the:
Philip
M.
Goldstein
Margaretville,
NY
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 contract Rail-Marine 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 wasn't "technically" off line (connected to the Hell Gate Bridge via Sunnyside Junction), but BEDT's Pidgeon Street Yard indisputably was 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), as well as being serviced by "online" New York Central freight routes running through city streets!
Yet in fact there were so many more offline freight railroads located in these Brooklyn, that have hardly been mentioned in contemporary accounts, if at all. This website also addresses the hardly known industrial railroads that operated in the the five boroughs of New York City.
As such, all 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, is considered "offline". The only method of freight car transfer to and from the mainland rail network to these terminals was by carfloat.
Until December 2008, this website did not cover the following "offline" terminals operated by the Class 1 railroads:
Trunk Line / Class 1 - Offline Freight
Terminals
(previously not covered by this
website)
| borough | facility | railroad |
| Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn Bronx Bronx Bronx Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan |
25th Street Wallabout Basin North 4th Street North 1st Street Bronx Terminal Bronx Terminal Harlem Station West 37th Street West 28th Street West 27th Street West 26th Street |
Delaware, Lackawanna & Western
|
.
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, I had
intentionally omitted all the other Class 1 offline terminals from my website.
This decision was made 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 on my
part.
In fact, 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. There was no knowledge
of the Baltimore & Ohio's North 1st Street offline terminal, which had
been completely overlooked until now.
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 North 4th Street Freight Station, an early and short lived Baltimore
& Ohio offline terminal was discovered at North 1st Street!
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, Ralph Heiss, Jay Held, John Teichmoeller and many other contributors, these Class 1 Offline Terminals 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.
All told, there are now thirty-six pages concerning the histories and operations of Industrial & Terminal Railroads in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island & the Bronx & Manhattan, plus the "photo albums" of the Manhattan Pier Stations & Inland Freight Stations, plus the page of photos of street running freight trains of New York Central railroad in Manhattan and current modern day freight operations in Brooklyn & Staten Island, and the Glossary page; for a total of thirty-nine pages!
Trunk Line / Class 1 - Online Freight Terminals Not Covered
For the time being, the following locations in New York will remain 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 extensively covered in printed and
internet publications.
.
Those locations being the:
| 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 |
New York Central & Hudson River / New York Central 4 |
| Bronx | Oak Point Hell Gate Yard 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
.
Again, even though I had no intention to cover online terminals in the New York Metropolitan Area, I came across several interesting photographs of New York Central Freight Service (street running albeit "pre-High Line") in New York City. As I feel the photos are historically important, so I have included those images on their own page strictly as a photo album. You may view those images here.
If you should desire information on those first three locations above, I highly recommend these three resources:
1. Steve Lynch's &
Dave Keller's
"LIRR
website", and the books:
2. "The New York Connecting Railroad" by
Robert C. Sturm and William G. Thom, as well as
3. "New York Harbor Railroads in Color, Volumes
1 and 2", by Thomas Flagg.
.
Contradictions in Data & Opinion
I also think is bears mentioning that every so often, a contradiction in data surfaces. Research from one publication or author contrasts with information from another.
Naturally, on occasion; it becomes very difficult to determine the truth. I know after many exchanges of dialog with other historians, it can become confusing. I assure you, I have taken the utmost care to reiterate that data accurately. Therefore in cases of contradictory data, both versions are usually listed with my notes.
Only where and when I state that text or information is of my opinion or hypothesis, is information not conclusive.
.
As for definitions, some readers might
find themselves asking what is the difference between an "industrial railroad"
and a "terminal railroad". There are now actually five distinct categories
of freight railroads discussed within this website.
.
Offline Terminal Railroads.
.
Companies operating locomotives and an offline freight terminal,
with marine - rail interchange (carfloating) capacity:
Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal; Brooklyn
Dock & Terminal; Brooklyn Wharf & Warehouse; Bush Terminal;
Jay Street Connecting; 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; 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
.
Companies operating locomotives and an offline freight terminal,
without marine - rail interchange (carfloating)
capacity:
Atlas Terminal, American Dock & Trust; Pouch
Terminal; South Brooklyn;
G & R Packing;
.
Industrial or Private Railroads.
.
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
.
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 Terminal Improvement;
Goodwin - Gallagher Sand & Gravel; Queens Subway Apartment &
Loft Building Corp.
.
Pier Stations
Railroad companies operating freight houses on piers 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;
.
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
(845) 586-4672
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 tops
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 and the current Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is placed in service. The
transcontinental railroad celebrates it's 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 Development of Carfloats
& Float bridges
(Or how to get freight cars from here to there by
water.)
To better understand the success of the
Offline Terminal railroads, we need to discuss the unique method of getting
the freight cars to those terminals. It is too easy to think in simplistic
terms that the railcar was merely placed by the railroad in front of the
business, to be loaded or unloaded.
One needs to remember that until 1916, there was no rail link
to Brooklyn usable by freight trains (The Long Island Rail Road tunnels under
the East River were not designed for freight service). Even by todays standards,
the expedient way to ship a freight car to Brooklyn from the mainland of
the United States (west of the Hudson River), remains to be by carfloat.
The other alternative is having the freight car go as far north as Selkirk
Yard near Albany, and then cross the Hudson River, head south, to eventually
go through the Bronx and over the Hell Gate Bridge to Fresh Pond yard
in Queens, only then to be routed further south into Brooklyn. This process
is known in railroader's parlance as the "Selkirk Hurdle".
As you can now understand, this routing is very time consuming
and adds a great distance of travel, and could add at least one days travel
time to the freight being transported. More often than not, it would take
two or three days, taking into account the switching of cars from train to
train, and assembling and readying that train to head south.
Also keep in mind, only the New York, New Haven & Hartford
Railroad / Long Island Rail Road jointly operated Bay Ridge Terminal, and
through interchange there, the Bush Terminal; could receive freight cars
via this route after 1916, as the Hell Gate Bridge wasn't completed until
that year. As such, even the NYNH&H / LIRR had to carfloat their freight
into Brooklyn prior to 1916. But Palmer's Dock / Brooklyn Eastern District
Terminal, New York Dock and Jay Street Connecting Railroads would not have
this advantage, and have absolutely no physical track connection to any other
railroad throughout their histories. So, getting those railcars to Brooklyn
was the problem that these railroads faced.
This dilemma had been solved a many years prior, by the invention
and development of the carfloat and float bridge or transfer bridge. (The
names "float bridge" and "transfer bridge" can be used interchangeably, but
for continuity I will use the more colloquial term "float bridge" in this
website). In order to load and unload the railcars themselves from the
carfloats, the carfloats would be moored to the device known as
the float bridge.
| The history of the the
first railroad car transfer bridge in the United States, reflects that it
was built in 1838 under a joint venture by the Camden & Amboy and Baltimore
& Potomac Railroads to provide car ferry service across the Susquehanna
River at Harve De Grace and Perryville, Maryland. While the idea of carrying railroad cars on top of barges across a body of water had already been tried and utilized in different manners in various parts of the United States, it was a hap hazard affair with apparently no standardization among the different users. Historical records reflect in one case, single cars would be mounted on a barge transversely (across the short end)! The improved or "modern" method of transferring railroad freight cars via carfloat and float bridge, as we know it today, has been attributed to John Henry Starin. After studying medicine and dabbling in veterinary pharmaceuticals and politics, he relocating to New York City at age 31. At this time, he turned his attentions to harbor freight handling, and became well known for his lighterage services for the railroads located in the New York Harbor area. |
John Henry Starin |
As principal owner of Starin City River
& Harbor Transportation, many references reflect that he became especially
involved with the freight handling, lighterage and carfloating operations
of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. He also was significantly
involved in the lighterage for the New York Central & Hudson River, Morris
& Essex and Central of New Jersey Railroads. By the late 1800's;
Starin's marine fleet consisted of over 125 tugboats, lighters, steamers,
barges and other assorted pieces of marine equipment.
So total was his recognition for his development of the carfloat
/ float bridge freight car transfer method, even a paragraph of his obituary
in the New York Times dated March 23, 1909; reads:
"He originated the idea of transporting freight cars on floats, and was very proud of this achievement..."
This might be a bit of an overstatement however, as it should be noted from historical references, that car ferry service preceding the development of car floats. Car ferries, from my understanding, appeared to be predominately for the transport of passenger cars, while carfloats were simple utilitarian affairs for freight cars.
The first float bridge to be constructed
in the New York Harbor area for car float service of freight cars was of
the pontoon type and built in 1866, (however float bridges for car ferry
service predate this application). According to Tom Flagg, the first
carfloating in New York Harbor was not actually used for ferrying cars in
interchange, but instead the carfloat (loaded with cars) was moored next
to piers (called pier stations) along the Manhattan shoreline, where the
freight cars could be unloaded and reloaded without the freight cars themselves
ever having to be removed from the carfloat.
When the freight cars were unloaded (and likewise loaded with
items to be shipped) they were the carfloated back to New Jersey and unloaded
over the same float bridge(s) that had loaded the carfloats in the first
place. This was different from the process elsewhere, where the cars were
moved from place to place by car ferry.
It is unfortunately not stated which railroad built these first
pontoon type float bridge(s). But by the early 1880's, the Pennsylvania Railroad
had constructed a 100' wooden Howe Truss bridge suspended by heavy iron chains
run over sheaves supported by wooden frames at their at Harsimus Cove, NJ
rail facility. This gave the PRR a 150 car per day car floating capacity,
utilizing three track carfloats with a 14 car capacity.
A float bridge is basically a bridge span anchored and hinged
to land on one end, and hung over the water on the other. The end over the
water could be supported by an overhead gantry, as in the case of the Separate
Apron or Contained Apron types, or supported by a pontoon in the water which
kept it afloat by buoyancy.
If you would like to learn how carfloats
were "moored" to the float bridges, and the proper procedure for such, please
see
Carfloat
Mooring
Procedures.
As the railroads saw the advantages of carfloating, it rapidly
gained acceptance and use. Lighters by the way, weren't totally obsolete,
as some railroads still maintained "pier stations" along the waterfronts,
where there was insufficient room for a rail terminal and float
bridge.
Thankfully, Lowell Palmer recognized the usefulness of carfloating,
and as discussed on the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal page of this website,
he would install his first float bridge on the Williamsburg waterfront in
1876. According to both Tom Flagg's previous research and my own, it is
understood that Palmer had in fact constructed the first float bridge
for use by a Brooklyn rail terminal, and in all likelihood, the first float
bridge for an offline rail terminal anywhere east of the Hudson
River.
From this point in history, you now need to refer to the individual locations, and the table in the next chapter below will provide the locations.
Kaufman Act / Anti-Smoke
Legislation of New York State - 1925
(Enter the diesel-electric locomotive...)
.
In 1925 (some resources state 1923), the freight railroads (as well as passenger railroads) operating in New York City would face a significant change pertaining to their operations with the passing of the State of New York's "Kaufman Act".
Actually, the State of New York had already enacted legislation as early as 1903, prohibiting the operation of steam locomotives on Manhattan Island, south of the Harlem River after June 30, 1908. This 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 an engineer and he collided with another train. As a result, fifteen passengers were killed and two score (forty) of people were injured.
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 1925 legislation
however, the State of New York attempted to force the railroads to electrify
their lines. This new legislation required that:
"No railroad or part thereof operating within the limits of the city As some of these railroads in the list at 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 steam locomotives
from New York City because
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.
The Kaufman Act
would, without any doubt; incur serious financial |
|
||
| 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 diesel 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 a really the small one or two locomotive terminal like Degnon, which would most likely just "fold up" rather than being 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 there was no real alternative other than electric. |
|
||
| .
Enter the Ingersoll-Rand 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 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 resulted in the production of the American Locomotive / General Electric / Ingersoll Rand (a/k/a "AGEIR") 60 ton 300 hp boxcab locomotive. Ironically, the Jay Street Connecting Railroad, an offline rail-marine terminal in Brooklyn; had already hosted a diesel-electric locomotive prototype built by General Electric in 1918. But unfortunately this design was not successful due in most part to electrical control issues. This prototype AGEIR model (X3-1) was fitted with a diesel engine constructed by Ingersoll Rand utilizing the Price-Rathbun design, which 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 built and assembled by American Locomotive. After 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) over the period of thirteen months; the design of this locomotive proved to be durable, efficient, easy to maintain and easy to use. During one test, and with great effort, it did in fact start and pull a train of 93 cars (on level track), which is not a bad accomplishment considering you only had 300 horsepower to work with! Following its successful testing, in which it operated for seven months in almost continuous use, the locomotive was returned to Ingersoll Rand. The engine was disassembled for examination and here it was seen that wear and tear was extremely minimal: .0005 inch on cylinders and .0025 on main bearings. And this from a relatively unproven design! The engine was subsequently reassembled without replacing, repairing or modifying a single component. Now Ingersoll Rand felt it was the time for commercial production. The first AGEIR unit constructed for sale was a B3-1: "B" denoting boxcab, "3" denoting horsepower (in hundreds) and "1" denoting body style. This locomotive was purchased by and delivered to the Central Railroad of New Jersey's Bronx Terminal in October 1925. This highly successful Ingersoll Rand locomotive demonstrated that diesel-electric locomotives could in fact provide many of the benefits of an electric 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 terminals in the New York
area:
|
|||
Meanwhile the Kaufman Act "battle" continues... 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 locomotives as an option to replace steam locomotives. |
|
||
This amendment gave a second "power" option for the railroads to comply, and of which some railroads took this route.
Also, if I understand correctly; the Kaufman act was 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.
Regardless of the amendments, 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.
What has not been determined as yet, is how the New York Dock and Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal managed to operate steam locomotives well after 1931. It is understood, 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.
New York Dock eventually "dieselized" in 1951 with their purchase of six 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, 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.
.
|
||
| G & R Packing | ||
| Harlem Station (Erie / EL) | ||
| Harlem Transfer (Erie / Joint / DLW) | ||
| Bronx Terminal (CRRNJ) | Jay Street Terminal / Connecting | Wallabout Terminal (DLW) |
| Bronx Terminal (LV) | New York Dock | Wallabout Station (Erie) |
| Brooklyn Ash Removal | North 1st Street Freight Station (BO / NYNHH) | Wallabout Union (PRR, NYC, LV, BO) |
| North 4th St Freight Station (PRR) | ||
| Pouch Terminal | ||
| Procter & Gamble | ||
| Bush Terminal | Queens Subway Apartment & Loft Building | West 27th St Freight Yard (LV) |
| Degnon Contracting / Degnon Terminal | Seatrain Shipbuilding | West 28th St Freight Sta (Erie / EL) |
| Goodwin - Gallagher Sand & Gravel | South Brooklyn | West 37th St Freight Sta (PRR) |
Railroad Operated Pier Stations & Inland Freight Stations of Manhattan |
||
Miscellaneous Freight Railroad Images of New York City (historical & modern era) |
||
Glossary of Definitions Indicative to Rail / Marine Terminal Operations in the New York Harbor Area |
||
|
||
.
.
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.
The following link will take you to a
page showcasing a collection of images taken throughout the Twentieth Century
of Railroad Operated Pier Stations and Inland Freight Stations that were
located in Manhattan:
.
RAILROAD OPERATED PIER STATIONS & INLAND FREIGHT STATIONS OF MANHATTAN
Miscellaneous Freight Railroad
Images of New York City
(historical & present day)
.
This page is dedicated to images of Freight Railroad Operations in the City of New York, that do not specifically apply to my areas of interest, but are of significant importance to be archived.
While most are images of the New York Central Railroad street operations in Manhattan, prior to the construction of the "High Line", there are also present day images of the freight operations at the New York Container Terminal in Port Ivory, Staten Island. This is significant due to the fact that it incorporates use of a historical railroad landmark, the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge.
Also included are a few images of the current operator of Bush Terminal in Brooklyn and Greenville, NJ; that being New York New Jersey Rail.
MISCELLANEOUS
FREIGHT RAILROAD IMAGES OF NEW
YORK CITY
(HISTORICAL & MODERN
ERA)
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 two or three 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.
It should be noted, that with the industrial railroads that I have listed above, those 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 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. Also, when I first started this venture, I was informed that some of those locomotives may have indeed operated in Brooklyn and / or Queens, 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.
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.
Also, there were 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. These locomotives marked for export or lease are excluded altogether.
What does it take for a name on this list to "make the big time" and get its own page? Photos and / or documents of course! If and when data on some these companies makes itself available, you can be sure it will be listed on its own page.
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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| City of New York, (Department of Corrections) |
Rikers Island, Queens | Whitcomb Whitcomb |
10T BJD 10T BJD |
12510 12511 |
36" 36" |
10/1927 10/1927 |
||
| 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 | |
| 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.. | Staten Island | [pm] | ||||||
| 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 | ||
| 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, NY | [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 | 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 |
||
| Phelps - Dodge Copper Smelting | Laurel Hill, Queens | Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth Plymouth |
10T DLH 6 5T RGT 5T RGT 6½T RGT |
3946 6160 6188 6235 |
30" 21" 21" 21" |
10/30/1937 2/7/1959 12/22/1959 6/3/1960 |
(t) Nichols Copper | [g] [h] [h] [h] |
| 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 |
||
| 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 |
||
| 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 |
||
| 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 |
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 |
| [g] | this locomotive was transferred to the Phelps - Dodge subsidiery Nichols Copper Smelting in El Paso, TX. |
| [h] | according to Jay Reed, this 21" gauge might be "Hunt
gauge", a special system where the wheels are put on the axles so that the
flanges are on the outside. However, this is not confirmed. |
| [i] | this locomotive can be seen in "Under The Sidewalks of New York",
by Brian Cudahy, p. 91. and "New York City Subway Cars" by James Greller,
p. 32 As this locomotive is pulling the first R1 subway cars (built by American Car Foundry in 1930) off a carfloat, the locomotive must have been built in or prior to 1930. Unfortunately, Whitcomb builders records do not reflect an entry for Independant Subway, City of New York, Transit or anything similar. However, NERails website shows an identical locomotive, used at NYC "IRT" subway. This is believed to be this locomotive |
| [pm] | trackage shown on property maps, no locomotive data found in builders records. |
ESB = Electric Storage Battery
.
.
| [1] | . | ALCo builders records | ..... | [20] | . | Trains Magazine, December 1970 |
| [2] | Baldwin builders records | [21] | Trains Magazine, December 1973 | |||
| [3] | H. K. Porter builders records | [23] | Thomas R. Flagg; NY Harbor RR's | |||
| [4] | Pittsburgh builders records | [24] | Jay Bendersky; Brooklyn's Waterfront Railways | |||
| [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 | [44] | Bill Russell website | |||
| [15] | Diesel Shop (J. Komanesky) GE Roster |
[45] | Sam Berliner, III website | |||
| [16] | North East Rails website & photo rosters | [55] | Paul Strubeck research | |||
| [17] | B & O Power, Sagle / Staufer |
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Like what you see? Suggestions? Comments?
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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 | |
| Monthly Meeting, Western Railroad Club | September 1900 | |
| Notes of Track Construction and Maintenance | W. M. Camp | 1904 |
| Yards & Terminals and their Operation | John A. Droege | 1906 |
| City of New York Department of Docks Atlas | 1907 | |
| Track Mileage Book | Brooklyn Rapid Transit | January 1910 |
| Documents of the Senate of the State of New York | 1910 | |
| Freight Terminals and Trains | John A. Droege | 1912 |
| Report of the Committee on Terminals & Transportation; | 1913 | |
| Water Terminal & Transfer Facilities | US Army Corp of Engineers | 1913 |
| Railway Age Gazette | 1915 | |
| Ports of the United States | Grosvenor M. Jones | 1916 |
| Municipal Year Book of the City of New York | 1916 | |
| City Planning | John Nolen | 1916 |
| Joint Report with Comprehensive Plan & Recommendations | NY NJ Pier Development Commission | 1920 |
| Railroads of New York | G. W. O'Connor | 1949 |
| Railroad Model Craftsman Magazine | Carstens Publications | February 1950 |
| Erie Railroad Magazine | internal publication | February 1952 |
| Railroad Magazine | Popular Publications | June 1952 |
| The Lackawanna | internal publication | August 1956 |
| Train Sheet, Vol. XIV, No. 2 | Railroadians of America | 1959 |
| Railroad Magazine | Popular Publications | April 1961 |
| Pennsy Power | Alvin F. Staufer | 1962 |
| The Twilight of Steam Locomotives | Ron Ziel | 1963 |
| Trains Magazine | Kalmbach Publications | February 1963 |
| Railroad Model Craftsman Magazine | Carstens Publications | September 1964 |
| The Locomotives that Baldwin built | Frederick Westing | 1966 |
| Diesel Spotters Guide | Jerry A. Pinkepank | 1967 |
| Pennsy Power II | Alvin F. Staufer & Bert Pennypacker | 1968 |
| Railroad Magazine | Popular Publications | June 1968 |
| Trains Magazine | Kalmbach Publications | October 1969 |
| Trains Magazine | Kalmbach Publications | December 1970 |
| The Second Diesel Spotters Guide | Jerry A. Pinkepank | 1973 |
| Penn Central System, Bi-Annual (First) | Robert H. Reid | 1973 |
| Uptown Downtown, A Trip Through Time on New York's Subways | Stan Fischler | 1976 |
| Railroad Magazine | Popular Publications | May 1976 |
| Under the Sidewalks of New York | Brian J. Cudahy | September 1979 |
| Brooklyn's Waterfront Railways | Jay Bendersky | 1988 |
| Classic Locomotives The Series - Vol. 1: Alco Switchers | Keith Szachacz | 1993 |
| Headlights | Electric Railroaders Asscociation | May-June 1993 |
| Critters, Dinkys & Centercabs | Jay Reed | 2000 |
| The Diamond, Vol 15, Number 1 | ELHS | 2001 |
| New York Harbor Railroads in Color, Vol.1 & Vol. 2 | Thomas R. Flagg | 2002 |
| Comprehensive Guide to Industrial Locomotives, 3rd Ed | Jay Reed | 2002 |
| The Diamond, Vol 18, Number 4 | ELHS | 2004 |
| The New York Waterfront | Kevin Bone | 2004 |
| Tugboats of New York | George Matteson | 2005 |
| The New York Connecting Railroad | Robert C. Sturm & William G. Thom | 2006 |
| The New York Central System (Images of Rail) | Michael Levy | 2006 |
| Transfer, various issues | Rail Marine Information Group | |
| Joseph Roberecky research | continuous | |
| Fred Briemann research | continuous | |
| Thomas Flagg research | continuous | |
| John Teichmoeller 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 Hukeke | |
| 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.
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It has to be stated for the record, I 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, desecendants of owners or principals of the industrial railroads, as well as those representatives at repositories where information and photographs are stored.
I 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 |
Evan
Jennings & the Trolley Museum of
NY |
Morgan
Askew |
Dave Keller |
Sam Berliner, III |
John
Komanesky |
Bob's Photo Archives |
Joseph D. Korman |
. John
Bartelstone |
Stephen Lacey |
Jim
Blackstock / |
Walt
Lankenau |
Ed
Bommer |
Schuyler Larrabee |
Robert Brendel |
Vince Lee |
Fred Briemann |
Steve Lynch |
Bob Caramore |
Bill McBride |
James
Christie |
Roger & Leah McEnery |
Gene
Collora |
Conrad
Milster |
Bob Cornett |
David
Pearce |
Tim Darnell |
Dave
Pirmann |
Dave's Rail Pix / Dave's Electric Railroads
|
David
Ramos |
Gino DiCarlo |
Jay
Reed |
Harold Fagerberg |
Joseph Roborecky |
Jose
Feliciano |
Don Ross |
Thomas
Flagg |
Allen Stanley |
Ben Fiorello |
Paul F. Strubeck |
Cynthia Franco |
John Teichmoeller |
Jon Franz |
Joseph Testagrose |
Charles Gerow |
Frank
J. Trezza |
Gene
Gerstner |
Arie
Van Tol & Gary Smith |
Steve
Grande |
Tim
Warris |
Ralph
Heiss |
Robert
Yanosey |
Jay Held / |
Lillian
Zahn |
Matt J.
Herson |
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and above all, my
fiancée Shannon and sons Joe &
Dan |
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And to those stingy, selfish, greedy image buyers
who run up the prices of images on eBay
and then refuse to share those images, (you know who you are!)
I wish there was a
way to prevent you from referencing this website!
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Why should you benefit from this research, if you are unwilling to contribute
to it?
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Interested in Rail - Marine / Offline Terminal Operations?
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Then consider joining the Rail Marine Information Group!
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Rail Marine Information Group Website
Rail Marine Ops (the forum for RMIG)
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For those of you who wish to visit my other railroad websites, please click here:
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It is with great honor that I dedicate 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.
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, this website is now dedicated in his memory...
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Francis "Frank" George Zahn
February Twenty-Third, Nineteen Hundred Twenty
Five
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Please click here
to learn about the
AUTHOR.
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