CSX Charlotte Runner

As B766's power passed by, I captured a few shots as it headed toward the main-line along with
the fixed approach signal and the overhead bridge of Interstate 490. It was pretty neat to get a few
shots in this area. For those that don't know, many years ago, it was a bit busier when NYC and PC
owned the tracks and had through trains on the Falls Road Branch.

Hope you enjoyed!

Charlie

Charlie, right in that area were several sizable customers in NYC days. South of Maple Ave, west of the track, was Tobin Packing which used to get cars of hogs, and shipped tank cars of tankage. South of what is now I-490, that Water Tower Industrial Building used to be Yawman and Erbe. And between 490 and Maple, east of the track, was Castle Hanson, which was a manufacturer of glass bottles and jars - they received cars of silica, limestone and whatever else goes into making glass. And south of Maple, east of the track was Flanigan Furniture, who received by rail back then.

And there were many more - rail customers were right next door to each other right on down the line, one after another. Each afternoon, the parade of locals would come dragging into Goodman Street from the west side - the Kent Street KS2, YT-1 from over by the B&O/PRR, KS4 from the Subway when it was NYC's turn to operate that. Cars from Otis. Anywhere from 20 to 40, sometimes more, cars on each..

BR&P wrote:Charlie, right in that area were several sizable customers in NYC days. South of Maple Ave, west of the track, was Tobin Packing which used to get cars of hogs, and shipped tank cars of tankage. South of what is now I-490, that Water Tower Industrial Building used to be Yawman and Erbe. And between 490 and Maple, east of the track, was Castle Hanson, which was a manufacturer of glass bottles and jars - they received cars of silica, limestone and whatever else goes into making glass. And south of Maple, east of the track was Flanigan Furniture, who received by rail back then.

And there were many more - rail customers were right next door to each other right on down the line, one after another. Each afternoon, the parade of locals would come dragging into Goodman Street from the west side - the Kent Street KS2, YT-1 from over by the B&O/PRR, KS4 from the Subway when it was NYC's turn to operate that. Cars from Otis. Anywhere from 20 to 40, sometimes more, cars on each..

That's some incredible information. It's mind-boggling how none of that business remains, whether it
was chased off by Conrail or driven out of New York, either overseas or elsewhere. Looking at overhead
views, I can see where the "scars" are, the empty areas where these businesses were.

I was dreaming of having a time-machine while I was out there earlier!

Charlie

Can't help you with the time machine, Charlie, but here's an "almost" before and after comparison:
Your shot (and a very nice one, I might add):

.. and one from about 1972 or so.
This side track is to the left of the bridge support in your photo. I'm guessing PC 9608 is working Castle Hanson, but that's just a guess - I will let BR&P confirm.

You are correct, sir - Castle Hanson it is! Good memories!

Charlie, re something you said above, I don't think Conrail can be faulted too much. Penn Central drove business away, and perhaps in the early days of CR, but once they got the ship righted CR was actually not bad. The biggest factor was the mass exodus of heavy industry from the northeast in general, New York in particular, and even the USA overall. You can't ship computer chips or Starbucks by rail.

Nice catch!
Looks like they switch out Boxhart St.
Do wonder how/when they do the empty hopper pick up from the West yard.
Chris

Forgot to ask, where was the diamond as I remember that from the mid seventies when a group of us went to check it out. Somewhere between Jay and Hague?
It was a summer evening and only because I was with the group I got to see it as I would not go to that neighborhood alone back then.

This will help. Hague, Murray, Child and Whitney streets were crossings at grade level. The Abandon rose at that point and bridges carried the line over Orchard, Broad (mistakenly labeled as "Mague" on the DICCS), the canal, Moore and Oak streets. After Oak St., the line dropped down to grade level on its way to the Kent St. yard.

See also: http://rrpicturearchives.net/showPictur ... id=4333589" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The diamond you 'probably' saw (there were others) is or was somewhere under the last engine in the consist or the first hopper in the photo. That diamond would have been the crossing of the Abandon and the Charlotte branch and was visible from the sidewalks on Hague St.

Thanks guys! Do vaguely remember being surprised at how clean and neat the ballast was at the time.
So Hague St was at grade which has me wondering about a bridge that we were near.....
Chris

BR&P wrote:You are correct, sir - Castle Hanson it is! Good memories!

Charlie, re something you said above, I don't think Conrail can be faulted too much. Penn Central drove business away, and perhaps in the early days of CR, but once they got the ship righted CR was actually not bad. The biggest factor was the mass exodus of heavy industry from the northeast in general, New York in particular, and even the USA overall. You can't ship computer chips or Starbucks by rail.

Thanks DRB, that certainly is true........all we have to do is look around and see how much business has left
Rochester and everywhere else in the rust belt.

Chris, the bridge you mentioned in the area of Hague Street. Are you thinking of the one next to the old Delco building
east of there, possibly the one over Orchard Street?

Charlie

Okay, CP Smith and DRB, I gotta ask...Assuming Mr. Smith's picture is standing on Jay Street looking south towards the main, I have a picture from near the same location of a wb Conrail freight heading for Niagara Falls going through the CP70 interlocking, which stood about where the approach signal in Charlie's shot is standing now. There doesn't appear to be anything resembling an interlocking there in the black and white picture, soooo...am I mistaken about the view being Jay Street looking south, or did they install an interlocking there after Mr' Smith's picture was taken?

Nope. No optical illusion here. If you look at Charlie's photo first, there is a 490 bridge support directly underneath the front of the tractor trailer cab and the white sedan. That same bridge support is to the extreme right in my B&W photo. The Falls Road is not in my photo at all and is out of sight even further right. Everything in my photo is just gone today, except for 490.

Relax, you're not seeing things ...

MP366, this is off the top of my head without double checking to be sure of my facts. But I think CP70 was just NORTH of Jay Street and thus would be just behind the photographer.