Maspeth

I know I spelled the location wrong, but anyway I'm looking for photos of the now gone industries the LIRR served there. I mean places like PhillipsDodge and so on. I've looked on all the usaul sites, but nothing of any detail. '50 & 60's era would be great. Thanks all.

Mike

You might have greater success if you posted this question to the NY & Atl forum on this site.

I was thinking that also. My thinking was this was in the LIRR freight era.

Mike

There was a rendering place there (VanEisensteins sp?) which took in mountains of tallow and fat scraps and created such a stench that one often wondered how the heck anyone could live within a mile of the place.

Late one night I was helping a crew secure the hanging brake rigging in a boxcar there. Laying under the car in the summer heat with a handful of bailing wire, I was ignoring the stench and leaking mung that was dripping out of the floor on my pants and jacket.

After we were done, we peaked into the car.

A dead elephant.

Seriously. I couldn't make up stuff like this.

Clem

That's OK, Clemuel . . . We believe you

Seriously, that is an apt description of the fragrance of Van Iderstine's.

If you've never had the pleasure, on a nice, hot, humid, hazy, Long Island summer's day in August, you missed the experience of a lifetime!

I would much rather be smelling the Silvercup bakery or Sunshine Biscuit anyday!

Dave Keller

everything you would want (or need) to known on the subject of Van Iderstines.


http://www.astorialic.org/topics/indust ... lume1.shtm

AlcoMD
That's a great article and and a very informative site. I read a number of the other LIRR articles and found them to be very interesting and full of info I hadn't heard before. Some great photos too, unfortunately, they are small and can't be enlarged.

Clem
The above mentioned article states that the city shipped dead animals to the company. Who's to say that the elephant didn't come from the Bronx Zoo, afterall, dead elephants have to be sent somewhere!. I can't even imagine the stench that thing gave off.

http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/licity/licity47-54.jpg
http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirr/freightsidings.htm scroll down to Maspeth for 1966 info. Hope it helps.
Steve

I know whever I ride the light engine from the LIC yard up the Montauk branch it's like visiting the "land that time forgot". The Phelps-Dodge site ( a contaminated superfund toxic site) to the diner in Maspeth that DeNiro and Liotta would have coffee at in "Goodfellas".

That Astoria/LIC web site is the best for learning about all the siding and industries the RR served.

Just saw the PBS series "A walk through Queens". Though they correctly stated the history of the rise of industry in LIC, they were remiss on mentioning the LIRR's role in the rise, fall and rise again of the LIC area.

See Steve Lynch's webpages listed a couple of posts above.

He's gone through a lot of trouble to provide data, maps and photos of the area. He's got siding info, factory info, etc., etc.

I even made him copies of the Emery maps of the area to post for all to ponder.

Give it a look. It's worth it.

Dave Keller