Arch st RIP, Long Live Wheelspur

[AlKaLI]

Mikey:

I believe everyone is talking about the signal on the Cutoff. See between the 2nd and 3rd bogie. http://goo.gl/maps/9Bq5n" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AlKaLI

[mikey cruz]

ahh ok. thank you =)

[rb]

Anybody know which end of the yard they're mainly switching from? I'm moving back to NY in a few weeks and will be within walking distance. Looks like some cool shots are possible from the west end.

[DogBert]

I'm guessing both, though I've only seen them switch it once on a saturday morning, via the east end. There's a park across newtown creek behind the sewage plant (ridiculous but true) that has a good view of the yard & drawbridge.

[ccutler]

This discussion inspired me to ride my bike to see wheelspur...I counted 14 tank cars, 5 box cars, and 2 lumber rack cars there today.

[ccutler]

Here are some photos of spots near Wheelspur.

there is a Syms Metal Recyclers facility just east of Wheelspur, with a new but apparently unused siding. On the ramp that [used to] head[s] up to Sunnyside Yard is a cut of scrap-metal-gondola carriers. Judging by the rust on the wheels of the first car, they've been sitting there for a long while.

I little north along the connection to Sunnyside yard are the old, never used, custom piggyback cars, still rusting away. The only virtue to those cars today is that they are close to several scrap metal dealers. The RR placed a bumper at the end of the cut of cars, which are designed for a type of truck trailer no longer seen on US roads.

[ccutler]

Finally, not so sure it is related to wheelspur, but there is a big transload facility just east of Syms about 1/2 mile, with about 15 cars spotted in the area. Some are very hard to notice, behind weeds and buildings.

I did not see any stone train sets at the large transload area. Do they still transload stone at that spot between 49th street and Maspeth Avenue?

[DogBert]

I don't think SIMS has a siding, unless it's brand new.

The CDEX cars stored over there were put on that ramp maybe a month or two ago - this general area is blissville yard -I try to update the thread on it whenever something moves around over there (which is rare, but it'll be seeing a lot of MSW soon).

The old bogies are probably due to be scrapped soon. They sat there for years because apparently they weren't paid off yet... most never hauled a trailer.

The other spot 'd&m transload' over on grand ave - I'm pretty sure there's some posts about it in a thread about maspeth yard. They get plenty of stone over there but the empties seem to be hauled off on friday nights lately, so it looks like nothing is happening around there on weekends. I take it the empty rail train wasn't still there? (past by friday night and there was a rail train next to the stone customer )

[ccutler]

Thanks DogBert, I didn't know the names of the area. Yes the rail train was still there on Saturday. I wasn't happy with my angle for a photo so didn't take one.
There is a siding by Syms but there's no indication that it is for them. I saw the red critter parked around Blissville as well.

[AlKaLI]

Great pictures ccutler!

I like the last two as I worked in the area.

The first one with the yellow "D&M RAIL RELOAD" sign is on Grand Avenue next to Norampac (former Star Corrugated Box).
There are warehouses to the left where deliveries are made to Asian food distributors. The traffic used to be rice in boxcars and some produce.
The area directly in the rear foreground used to be where the gravel was stored that came out of the ground for the excavation of the water tunnel in the early 2000s.
Then I believe it was SAB trucking that used to load COFC containers there.

The second picture shows off the grade crossing at Rust St. the photo is looking east. From left to right there is the track where centerbeam flats and boxcars are unloaded for local lumber yards like Feldman and Ferrara. The track in the middle is the lead to Norampac and the track to far right is the lead to the Reload area. Look close. Since this was the track where 17-18 car cuts of heavy loaded "ore jennies" were dragged across to the yard directly opposite, this track was replaced with welded rail.

Great to see that the area still looks busy.

[freightguy]

cutler wrote,


Finally, not so sure it is related to wheelspur, but there is a big transload facility just east of Syms about 1/2 mile, with about 15 cars spotted in the area. Some are very hard to notice, behind weeds and buildings.

I did not see any stone train sets at the large transload area. Do they still transload stone at that spot between 49th street and Maspeth Avenue?


Good to see the plate F TBOX on the Maspeth lead where Yang Shing and Sab trucking(C&D) used to be. Probably not nearly the space they had near the LIC team yard, but at least the consignees shifted over there. In the early 2000's the RS 302 would head that way with like 15-20 cars a day sometimes at least 10 cars for LIC alone. Do you guys know if the lumber guy takes cars on the south(railroad west) end of the Navy lead in Maspeth still?

[rb]

Thanks for the info! I am looking forward to "covering" the area.

[DogBert]

cutler wrote,
Do you guys know if the lumber guy takes cars on the south(railroad west) end of the Navy lead in Maspeth still?

If that's the track that turns south and runs parallel to 49th street - no. But the spot just south of maspeth ave has one or two customers - there's usually at least one boxcar on the two tracks down there.

Arch was good for quite a few cars - wheelspur seems to have preserved that traffic. When WM comes online late this year, traffic will basically double.

I'm curious to see if the Kosciusko bridge replacement will yield cars. They are already putting up supports for it on the Brooklyn side. Rumor is they'll get steel loads, or ship scrap steel - loaded directly on the old southernmost track (no new siding).

The only real loss in recent times has been allied extruders, which is definitely never come back. Maybe someone else will take over the spot- it would be good for warehousing & truck reload. A food supplier could make good use of it, though you'd have to find one that would want to move in.

[DogBert]

Looks like wheelspur / LIC terminal might have a new transload customer - spotted 3 gons down there, none with reporting markings I've seen around here before. The food & oil customers are still going strong.

[ccutler]

I rode my bike around Wheelspur today and saw 4 tank cars, 6 box cars, and 2 lumber centerbeam cars in wheelspur. Further east appeared to be two gondola cars. I am guessing those cars might be for SIMS metal recycling but they could just as easily be for MOW.

Also east of wheelspur I saw this cut of 9 two-bay covered hoppers. Where do they come from? I've never seen them on the transfer run from Oak Point Yard.