Old New York

It certainly is grand, but they put the real beauty underground, and not open to public view.

Don

The photos show the 3rd Ave el station at Grand Central. This was the original terminal of the El.
Later it became a shuttle from the el to GC. There were usually 2 cars assigned there. A motor car and a control trailer. The photo of the single car in the station is the laid up trailer. The white paper signs in the windows of the cars are the notice of the discontinuance of service of the spur.



Sent from my iPad

> On Feb 21, 2015, at 6:17 PM, O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum <alerts@hoop.la> wrote:
>

Wow, great shots. These should be compiled into a book or calendar

It was a remarkable achievement in that the complete terminal project was constructed while everyday railroad operations were maintained. In the middle off the project, electrification was introduced on regular scheduled trains on both the New York Central and the New Haven . Bens next to last photo shows you the scale of the excavation operation two place the tracks on two levels below grade. This photo was relatively early in the construction. Note the steam locomotives on the right hand side of the photo. Its before 1907.

Fantastic shots of GCT!

 

Thanks!

 

Peter

The clock inside the terminal, valued at about $30,000,000.00, is probably more then the cost of construction of the entire terminal. 

Don

Don

The original construction cost was almost 80 million dollars then  They estimate that constructing the same thing today would cost about 10 billion

I ran across a New York Times article  a few years ago that originally ran on Feb. 5, 1909 that was entitled, "Six Ground to Death on Central's Tracks." The article went on to tell the story of a track gang that was hit by an electric locomotive pulling its dirt train. I think from the date it would be likely that the dirt could easily have been excavated from the Grand Central Terminal construction. The foreman of the track gang, who lived in Yonkers, claimed that he never heard any bell or whistle. The quiet operation of the electric locomotive on a solid roadbed was mentioned as a possible factor for the accident. The engineer was held for homicide.

The article also goes on to talk about the track crew as being made up of all Italians. The police are mentioned as saying how unusual it was that the track workers actually went back to work surprisingly fast because they are usually "unfitted" for work once one of their own is killed.

Being Italian myself I thought that was a bit harsh, but I guess that was what people thought back then.

Similiar to that...I mentioned elsewhere that Fred Arone ran the Depot Attic railroadianna store in Dobbs Ferry. Fred worked as an Investigator for the New York Central and was proud that his father was one of the first Italian station agents for the Central, on the Putnam Division at Ardsley. If I recall correctly, a picture of Fred's father is at the back of the Dan Gallo book, The Putnam Division.

 

Tom

Trains Magazine has a great article on the work being done today and they reference that purchasing the land alone for what they are doing is going to be $10B, not to mention the money they have already spent. 

 

Excellent article - suggest you all buy it or download it.

 

Kevin

Here's something different I came across.

 

The train looks like a Union Pacific streamliner, but the location is the New York Central mainline in the south Bronx near 149 St.

 

Maybe before or after an appearance at the 1939 New York World's Fair???

 

 

And here's a photo of the monorail system that once ran in Pelham Bay Park in the City Island area in the Bronx.

 

Jim

http://www.1939nyworldsfair.co...zone-6/railroads.htm

 

Great website on the railroads at 1939 World's Fair.

Was talking to a friend of mine about the original South Brooklyn Railway   He believed it ran from Ave I on Mcdonald to Coney Island  It did run well past Ave I to Ditmas where it curved under the original Culver line tracks ( Later the Culver shuttle ) to the 9th ave station and 38 st yard continuing on to second ave for its connection with the Bush Terminal RR   The tracks can be seen below these Culver shuttle pics

 

 

 

This pic is the Culver line before the IND extension was completed  You can see the portal in the background leading to Church ave.

Long Island RR Bay Ridge branch

 

 

 

Great photos of Bay Ridge yd . The first and last phot show the yd under construction. These are quite early and you can make out the trolleys up on the el structure. El passengers would transfer yo the trolley to go further south in Bay Ridge. You can also make out on the right the right of way for the original manhattan and Sea Beach steam railroad before the 4th Ave. subway . 

 

The second photo dates to the early days of electrification. The original freight line over the Helgate bridge was not electrified until 1928. Those BB3's look prettying new.  Check out the street level to the right. That is a Peter Witt 8000 series car in the red and cream B&QT colors. 

 

The 4th photo has a LIRR camelback on the work train. Wonder if it was one of the three the PRR sent over . Looks like the LIRR didn't like them either.

 

Photo 5 is modern in the 1960's and is at Fremont tower in fresh pond on the LIRR. We se the ex Virginians on a train heading too the carfloats. For the first 10 k

years of service on this line, New Haven trains were steam powered usually by a mikado class locomotive. LIRR switched the float bridges with steam as well.  

 

Dont know about the wreck. Thinking it was up in Middle Village area. When I lived over there,there was always a lot of noise from the railroad at fresh pond. And I recall talk of a wreck in those days. 

 

 

Larry

That derailment occurred in 1966  Two mischievous boys threw a switch and caused the train to hit an abutment  It was a couple of blocks away from Brooklyn College

 I have been looking for a copy of a Ballantine Ale radio commercial which sang "who is the aleman?,  Who can he be?" It was from the late '60's or early '70's. If any one knows of this I would love to find a copy.

Shocked that the switch was not locked/

Bob

 

The van Nest shops were acquired by Con Edison. They use it as a machine shop for generation plant equipment. I believe it stil may be used for that purpose. When I was there back in the late 80's early 90's there no vestiges of. The railroad visible in the building.

Near the Van Ness shops, along Tremont Avenue, across from Parchester, was a small New Haven yard, group of team tracks.....every December I would go with my family there and buy Christmas trees off of a boxcar. The cars usually had Christmas lights strung up on 2X4s and a roaring fire in a 55 gallon drum. The yard was gone by the mid 60s and replaced by the Bronx DMV.

 

Peter

On occasion New York Westchester and Back cars were serviced at Van Ness shop for Heavy repairs and modifications. New Haven equipment was loaned to the NYW&B at that time To make service.

The connection between the Dyre ave line and the NH at 174th St. remained well into the 60's. It was used for new car deliveries, coal and ballast hoppers and BMT el cars from Brooklyn for scrapping. Many cars were scrapped at the site between the  Colosium bus garage and the 174th St. Bridge along the Bronx River.

Great pictures and history lesson. Someone needs to document this in a digital book

This thread is so large, not sure if this has been included yet, but I stumbled upon this collection of "oldest video of NYC" which I thought you'd all like.

 

Best...Rich

Cool Video   Lots of Erie stuff on the West side of manhattan   And I never knew the NY Aquarium was originally in Battery Park

Very cool video,

When I was a young boy growing up in NYC, my grand father and father took me to FAO Schwarz and Madison Hardware regularly. Always a treat. Santa also left some really nice items that I still have. 

Some Freight

 

 

Nice photos.

Don

In the photo with the Erie Boxcab, does it look like the auto the autos and flatbed truck have their headlights blacked out? Hard to tell for sure. If it is, then it would date the picture as being during WWII, from Dec. 1941 to 1945.

 Tom 

Bob,

  Great photos...I noticed what looks like some sort of double poling pocket on each corner of the pilot, I guess to give the crew more options (dangerous as they may be), depending on the angle/position of cars on adjacent tracks. Never noticed that on any other locomotive before.

  Tom

 

great photos. wonderful history here.

Does any one make  a steeplecab, like this?

Over the years, there have been a number of steeplecab electrics offered in brass and/or kit form. I don't believe anything specific for the 4001 has been introduced. A steeplecab is in the ETS line but it is a model of a different prototype and utilizes tinplate construction. I've included pictures of a few of the available options below. The ETS locomotive is in the third picture.

 

Bob

 

SOmething to add to my York list!!  Thanks Bob

Bob I remember getting stuck on West street while the Pennsy moved cars across the street to the floats  Car floats always amazed me.

 

BTW  I have one of those ETS boxcabs   Cool little engine that runs pretty good.

Some Jay Street Connecting RR. Located in Brooklyn between the Brooklun Bridge and Manhattan Bridge and to the North .Operated from around 1900 to 1959.  They had two yards and two float locations. The two yards were connected by street trackage .Two steam tank engines were used until 1931. There were a variety of small locomotives used over the years including Jay street No 4 which was thought to be the first diesel locomotive built by GE in 1918. Iy only lasted a short time on the Jay street line, being returned to GE in 1919. Iy looked a lot ike that ETS engine except no pantographs. The Jay st  Connecting had two tigs for floating operations. The John McCormack was thought to be the largest RR Tug operated in NY harbor in Float service. 

 

 No 3 doing some street running

 

 

 No 4 Posing when new

 

 

 No 300 an Alco  box cab

 

 

 No 5 an Alco- GE HH600

 

 

 Np 7511  a Vukcan product

 

 The John McCormack underway in NY Upper bay. She was very colorful

 

 

 The John McCornack working a car float

 

I remember as a boy in the 1950s, seeing the car floats going up and down the East River, under the Williamsburg Bridge.

 

Richie

Rich

 

We could have been neighbors in those days. I lived on S Second street.

I lived at 253 Rutledge, between Marcy and Harrison Aves.  I used to walk up to the Hewes St. station and travel into Union Square(changed at Canal St. for uptown Bway local), pretty bold for an 8 year old.

 

Richie