NYC loads going out

[NYC_George]

This never dawned on me until the other day when one of our members asked me about New York Central load's heading to the far west. I worked for the Penn Central and Conrail from 1969 to 1981. So when I was asked this question I was trying to think of what loads were exported from the Harlem line. I thought about it and in the 2 years I worked the Chatham switcher I can't remember one load we picked up. Lots of food products, feed, paper rolls, lumber, and coal coming in, nothing going out. I did spent some time switching the Bronx meat market and Hunt's Point produce market but still everything coming in. Anyone have any examples of NYC freight cars heading to the west coast?

George

 

[Boris]

George:

Finished autos out of the GM Plant on the Hudson Line? Van trains loaded with merchandise from various locations in the Metro Area? I agree most of the freight was incoming for the distribution centers. How about on the River Division?

Being a PRR guy from the Maryland Division, I never really got in to Metro NY traffic until I came here under the auspices of Conrail in 1986. By then most of the business flowed through North Jersey. It was enough to generate the highest revenue of the entire Conrail system, but even with that, about 60% to 70% of the volume was inbound loads from the West. North Bergen originated TVLA, the Coast to Coast Intermodal train which was heavy with UPS and Merchandise from freight forwarders. South Kearny originated Stack Trains to/from the Port, Meanwhile Linden (GM), and Edison (Ford) had finished SUVs and Pick-ups on covered bi-levels.

Boris

 

[NYC_George]

I was thinking more of freight cars heading west in the 60's and 70's. I know they had the GM plant in Tarrytown on the Hudson that's gone now.

George

 

[Boris]

That's the one I was thinking of, Tarrytown. I believe that that was closed the same time Linden was. Mostly everything was loads to NYC, for instance on the High Line, as opposed to outbound. I am guessing that any outbound freight for the west would be generated from port activity, and any manufacturing in the outlying Boroughs.

 

[cv_acr]

New York Central was a big system that stretched all the way to Chicago and also cut through southern Ontario (Canada) and made it up to Montreal.

That's a lot of opportunities for manufacturing customers.

 

[Boris]

New York Central was a big system that stretched all the way to Chicago and also cut through southern Ontario (Canada) and made it up to Montreal.

That's a lot of opportunities for manufacturing customers.

True, but Metropolitan New York was always a consumer, rather than a producer, from what I have observed. Rail traffic however, at least during my career, was mostly loads in, empties out, the exception being intermodal. Much of the traffic that was destined for New York City, originatedon other parts of the New York central. including Southern Ontario.

 

[cv_acr]

True, but Metropolitan New York was always a consumer, rather than a producer, from what I have observed.

Most big cities are.

I think we're talking about two different things in this thread in some ways; I read the original question as simply about loads heading out west from the New York Central system, and a lot of focus has been directed just on New York City itself, while the NYC system was much bigger than that. Perhaps as a non-expert on the NYC I misunderstood the "Harlem Line" reference as a nickname for the NYC rather than a specific tiny piece of it.

 

[montanan]

I can remember seeing NYC freight cars going through Montana when I was a kid. It was almost loke trying to spot out of state license plates on a road trip.

 

[Boris]

I misunderstood the "Harlem Line" reference as a nickname for the NYC rather than a specific tiny piece of it.

The Harlem Line, is a branch primarily operated for commuter service. Other Commuter branches were the Putnam and the Hudson Line - which is the main passenger / freight line from New York City to Albany. On the other side of the Hudson, was the River Line aka the West shore. The River was primarily a freight and commuter operation originating in Weehawken NJ which also linked NYC to Albany. The OP, "George" used to work on the New York Central, and primarily worked on the Harlem Line.

 

[NYC_George]

Boris I meant the Harlem line as Grand Central Station to Chatham, NY. Yes today it's a passenger line but back in the early 70's there were 2 everyday switchers working the lower and upper Harlem. I worked the Chatham switcher for 2 years. It was mostly feed, faming machinery, lumber , paper and coal. No loads going out, all coming in. Tomorrow my wife and I are taking a trip along the switcher's route taking some photo's along the way. I wanted to see how these freight cars were moved after we spotted them. A friend of mine told me they use to move the 4 coal cars we spotted once a week on the power plant's coal trestle in Wingdale NY with a car bumper jack? I know they used some kind of rope pulley system to move the feed cars. I thought it would be a nice touch if your modeling a small feed / grain company. I'll post the photos in a few days.

 

[Boris]

Yes today it's a passenger line but back in the early 70's there were 2 everyday switchers working the lower and upper Harlem. I worked the Chatham switcher for 2 years. It was mostly feed, faming machinery, lumber , paper and coal. No loads going out, all coming in.

Thought so, basic point was that everything on the line was an inbound load, with all empties going out. I may have confused Chris, by using NYC, meaning New York City, where he was seeing NYC as New York Central.

Much of the rail served customer base in the Northeast has disappeared, especially on secondary lines. The latest Railroad Model Craftsman magazine, has an article about the "disappearing" box car, something that was predicted back before I left high school, many years ago.