Arch st RIP, Long Live Wheelspur

[DogBert]

So sometime in the last 2 or 3 weeks it looks like NY&A's customers vacated Arch street - and Wheelspur (now called LIC terminal) is loaded with boxcars on both sides of the buildings and tankers near the driveway. Oh and that string of CDEX cars still stored on the old case siding.

2 LIRR MOW gons are in arch street, and this morning there looked like a crew emptying the shop - I have no idea why or if that's related...

[AlKaLI]

Hey DogBert is back!

I just want to add that about a month ago that I was suprised to see boxcars (maybe two or three boxcar red , NS?) at Arch Street.
Coming in to the city one day, I noticed from my LIRR train that there were cars behind the M-3 cars. I don't remember seeing any cars for most of this cold winter.
So those cars were probably the last deliveries.

So now what of the Montauk Cutoff? NY&A retrenches some more as no need to service the area around Sunnyside yard anymore?

On a related topic, I guess it is just the ebb and flow of business:
-Allied Extruders closes and now so does Arch Street. But Wheelspur turns into a new hub.
-AMCO closes near Farmingdale on the Central but Posillico builds new spurs to handle aggregate next to Coastal.
-NY&A builds a new yard near Pinelawn but Emjay closes (burns) down.
-Brookhaven Rail Terminal starts expanding with Home Depot traffic and additional buildings.

[Sir Ray]

-NY&A builds a new yard near Pinelawn but Emjay closes (burns) down.

Hopefully they get it reopened as a scrap/salvage yard - apparently it will use rail service, but of course I can't find an article about that right now.
Variance application:

T.C. 5196 – King & Queens Transload, LLC – Applicant seeks a change of zone from Industrial One District to Industrial Two District. Applicant seeks a Town Board special permit for a scrap metal processing facility. West side of Emjay Boulevard, Brentwood (80 Emjay Boulevard).

Brookhaven Rail Terminal starts expanding with Home Depot traffic and additional buildings.

And sand mining - don't forget the sand mining...

[DogBert]

Hey DogBert is back!

I just want to add that about a month ago that I was suprised to see boxcars (maybe two or three boxcar red , NS?) at Arch Street.
Coming in to the city one day, I noticed from my LIRR train that there were cars behind the M-3 cars. I don't remember seeing any cars for most of this cold winter.
So those cars were probably the last deliveries.

So now what of the Montauk Cutoff? NY&A retrenches some more as no need to service the area around Sunnyside yard anymore?

On a related topic, I guess it is just the ebb and flow of business:
-Allied Extruders closes and now so does Arch Street. But Wheelspur turns into a new hub.
-AMCO closes near Farmingdale on the Central but Posillico builds new spurs to handle aggregate next to Coastal.
-NY&A builds a new yard near Pinelawn but Emjay closes (burns) down.
-Brookhaven Rail Terminal starts expanding with Home Depot traffic and additional buildings.

Packing, unpacking, week without internet... I was having some rr.net withdrawl... LOL! Now that I'm in LIC I guess I'll be reporting on things around here more often.

Anyway. Those boxes you saw were probably some of the last. I think the very last cars were tanks for the fuel guy.

Customers definitely come and go, especially these transload folks - though in the last few years they've all been pretty steady (at least in Queens). So far as I can tell, if wheelspur keeps as busy as it looks, it'll be a one:one transfer of the freight that previously went to arch street.

[freightguy]

In reference to Arch St. shops the stuff being cleared out may belong to bombardier. They had a lease on that building to make repairs on M7s. Watch them make the Montauk cutoff into like a rail trail the way the area is changing from industrial to residential. Like west side yard the whole yard area might be covered by buildings in the next 10-15 years.

[Teutobergerwald]

But there is a new signal installed controlling the Montauk Cut-Off visible from the westbound L.I.E. viaduct. There must be some plans for continued LIRR use connected with the ESA project.

[Backshophoss]

It might be possible that BBD was done,and LIRR needs to get Arch St up and running,while Amtrak finishs up
their Tunnel Box and rebuilds the West side Yard running repair shop. LIRR might be starting to get the former Yard A
ready to use as a layup yard for ESA trains.
Getting Arch St up and running will help cut down on deadhead moves to Hillside yard and shop.

[freightguy]

I would say legally they had to put a signal with track still active into Harold interlocking. I read somewhere the 100 year old Montauk Cutoff is in a state of bad repair. It needs a lot of work and I guess the cost and amount of activity doesn't warrant the repairs with not even a daily freight. In the earlier part of NYAR it seemed a lot busier down there to mid 2000's.

I always said that would be a perfect yard to transload products for the NYC market right off I-495. NYAR has in their transfer agreement they have to relinquish certain property for LIRR if it warrants. The space by the former Wheelspur yard pales in comparison to even the Arch St. area of yard A. I would say ESA paid for the cost of relocating to the new area. They(LIRR) paid for NYAR to have their locomotive shop moved from LIC to Fresh Pond in the mid-2000's as part of the ESA work.

[emfinite]

Montauk cutoff is officially out of service this week as per LIRR general notice. If necessary, the track may be occupied in certain instances by permission from the Yardmaster at Pond.

[krispy]

That's huge - end of an era... Did they clear the bogies and whatever else was stored on the switching lead? TIA...

[DogBert]

Bogies still up there. Probably to be scrapped sooner or later now that the bond or whatever on them is paid up.

At Blissville I'm pretty sure RR Construction was doing work on the tracks leading to the cutoff, so that end might still get used for the upcoming MSW move that will probably start sometime this year or next.

[AlKaLI]

^^ Yes. Bogies are still there. Saw them from the window of my LIRR M-7 before ducking into the tunnel to Penn. this morning.

A couple of questions:
- So what is the final arrangement of the trackage at Wheelspur? Does it have switches from both ends?
- Is it possible to to view from the street or a surrounding bridge? Google is not updated yet.

Thanks.

[mikey cruz]

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7391367 ... !1e3?hl=en

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.739806, ... !2e0?hl=en


Notice the fence on the main in second pic.

[AlKaLI]

Thanks Mikey!

I should have looked before posting! One more link http://goo.gl/maps/gcvhv" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Switches at both ends. Like you pointed out - interesting fenicng on the old main tracks.
Would be interesting to see how this is switched.

[mikey cruz]

Which signal is it that you guys are sayin they replaced?