THE ULTIMATE NYA INDUSTRIES MAP

[Teutobergerwald]

LIPA's Hicksville facility has a spur that branches off the siding that parallels the Main Line along the north side of the tracks between Old Country Rd. and New South Rd. The Hicksville Team Yard is always full of covered hoppers, along with tankcars, boxcars & sometimes, bulkhead flatcars. Contaminated soil used to be shipped from there in tarp-covered gondolas. In the Richmond Hill team yard on Tuesday, there were three centerbeam flatcars. Queens Village Yard is used to store LIRR MoW equipment. I recall, back in the '90's, the LIRR had one or two customers it served there....maybe someone could elaborate on the Q.V. Yard ??? Thanks.

[NYCS]

Con Edison makes no sense loading out in Hicksville - Nassau & Suffolk are LIPA/National Grid territory. Are you sure it was ConEd (the power company), and are you sure it was Hicksville? BTW, diesel fluid? Really? Never heard that term before.

Yeah, the ConEd thing made no sense to me either, but as I said, I got all of this "baseline" information from the NYA customer list on their website: http://www.anacostia.com/nya/nya-customers.html

Looks like it's under "Di-Electric Fluid". Consolidated Edison. Hicksvile. I dunno

[rb]

In the LIRR and early NYA days, the Con Ed deliveries went to LIC Team/Arch Street. Not sure if this is still true.

[talltim]

Just like to say thanks for the map. this is the sort of thing the internet was created for!

[Sir Ray]

Well, if the OP is still maintaining this map, he may need to make a few changes.

First, we have a confirmation in this thread that New Yung Wah Trading is in the Long Island City transload yard - This long metal shed - if you look at your Google Map, you'll even see a reefer spotted next to the shed. If you added it, fine, but I didn't see it listed.

Second, I'd recommend labeling Chesler Plywood as inactive, as I think New Hyde Park Oil is using the lead into Chesler for unloading - we need one of the NY&A guys (who used to populate this board to confirm, but Chesler hasn't gotten a spot in quite a while I think)

Third, what you have labeled Mid-Island Wholesale Produce in Hicksville is actually the former Ruco Polymer site, torn down a number of years ago and now a superfund site. I don't recall a produce warehouse around there, but across New South Highway (where Google maps has that weird cluster of lables like 'New South Diner', 'Men's World', 'Shulman Produce' over a lot w/ some trailers and dumpsters, the building north of the Fixture Factory label also used to get covered hoppers (I think only one at a time) into the 1990s at least.

Fourth, as you surmized, Quality Lineals was an inactive customer, but had a 'captive' (stationary) covered hopper for storage - apparently that has been moved, hopefully something more interesting will happen with that siding than more weeds growing along it...

[pringu]

in response to what you are saying about Chesler..

we would love to get the rail going again..we have not spotted cars in years. ( i cant remember how long).
as of now we are the only company along that spur that wants rail (at least we think), hence we are solely responsible for the cost of fixing the track. if you know another company interested that would be great. i have asked the railway for help in surveying local businesses but they do not seem to be interested. they have not lifted a finger in assisting us with anything regarding getting the rail going again including recommending a company to do the metal work.

[jayrmli]

"Third, what you have labeled Mid-Island Wholesale Produce in Hicksville is actually the former Ruco Polymer site, torn down a number of years ago and now a superfund site. I don't recall a produce warehouse around there, but across New South Highway (where Google maps has that weird cluster of lables like 'New South Diner', 'Men's World', 'Shulman Produce' over a lot w/ some trailers and dumpsters, the building north of the Fixture Factory label also used to get covered hoppers (I think only one at a time) into the 1990s at least."

Mid Island Produce was a switch west of New South Road. It was the former LIRR Customer Inland Plastics and they took reefer cars for a time. I don't believe they have been there for at least 6-7 years.

Jay

[Sir Ray]

" but across New South Highway (where Google maps has that weird cluster of lables like 'New South Diner', 'Men's World', 'Shulman Produce' over a lot w/ some trailers and dumpsters, the building north of the Fixture Factory label also used to get covered hoppers (I think only one at a time) into the 1990s at least."

Mid Island Produce was a switch west of New South Road. It was the former LIRR Customer Inland Plastics and they took reefer cars for a time. I don't believe they have been there for at least 6-7 years.

OK, sounds like the building I identified on Google Maps north of that empty 'but labeled' lot was Inland Plastics (I definitely remember covered hoppers into the 1990s, and some sort of silo adjacent to the building) - then I remember passing by awhile ago and the hoppers were gone and so was the silo, so I guess in the intervening time the Produce firm came and went (unless it was another building).

in response to what you are saying about Chesler..
we would love to get the rail going again..we have not spotted cars in years. ( i cant remember how long).
as of now we are the only company along that spur that wants rail (at least we think), hence we are solely responsible for the cost of fixing the track. if you know another company interested that would be great. i have asked the railway for help in surveying local businesses but they do not seem to be interested. they have not lifted a finger in assisting us with anything regarding getting the rail going again including recommending a company to do the metal work.

What timing, this thread is inactive for awhile, and then in a few minutes jayrmli and 'pringu, someone who claims (I apologize, but I have to be cynical and cautious here) to represent Chesler Plywood post here. Now, I am simply a Long Island railfan, with no influence on the NY & A. Jay, did you move over to the LIRR? I don't recall. Anyway, I was under the impression that the initial part of the lead of the Chesler siding off the main was used for storage by New Hyde Park oils - or is that the siding that the 3 old ConRail boxcars have been on since the 1980s at least? I do recall posts in the past to the effect that certain NY&A crews hated switching out Chesler because they tied up the main too long - but now that you have NYP oils there, with a refurbished switch, should this still be a problem?
Also, there clearly has been railroad construction/rehab over the past few years - surely NY&A or the LIRR could recommend someone.

Edit: Hmm, seems jaymli wasn't all that fond of switching Chesler in the past...

[jayrmli]

Sir Ray,

No...I didn't move over to LIRR. I'm currently out at BRT.

Operationally, Chesler was always a challenge. It was just one of those customers located at the end of a very long siding that wasn't used except for the occasional car for them. So, debris would be piled up on the tracks, weeds would be allowed to grow so high causing wheel slip (and hiding the debris), cars would park on the track where it curved away from the main line, there was a gate that had to be unlocked (and sometimes the lock would be changed and the crew wouldn't have the key for it), then you had an unprotected crossing to flag.

At the same time, LIRR did not want the freight to clear up there. Even though the switch was equipped with an electric lock, it was an old type of electric lock that did not show up properly on Nassau's board, and a train order would have to be issued to clear up. Thus, we were told NOT to clear up there. The New Hyde Park Road crossing also had to be protected during the move, and if the train sitting on the main was too long, it would foul Nassau Interlocking and trains could not be run around the freight.

So, when the attempt was made to service Chesler, it was always a 50/50 proposition.

[Sir Ray]

Fair enough Jay, I wonder if we will ever see Pringu in this thread again (heck, I wonder if we will ever see the OP in this thread again so he can update his map).
Sorry to go on about Chesler, but it was one of the first places I saw freight on Long Island besides Basily Lumber in Lynbrook, and whatever was in the Sevioli Garden City building during the early 1980s, and from a railfan perspective it's pretty cool - you have access between 2 curved buildings ('urban canyon') to a gate enclosed siding readily visible from public streets - of course, that's probably what causes operational problems for the real-world railroaders - a nice, narrow paved corridor inviting for vehicles to park on, and locked gates both at Chesler and I think at the Driveway at the south side of Terminal Rd. - for those who don't know the layout, a Bing View (slightly old - only some of the Bing rotations show the New Hyde Park Oil Terminal to the west) - hmm, in the 1966 Historic aerial, the siding seems to continue further north curving NW - the curved siding building North of Chesler was torn down and replaced by the Supermarket.

If there was such a concern about freight tying up the main, and timing out the locks, how is NY&A handling the Oil Terminal then, which uses the same switch location (if not the same signalling equipment)?

[NYCS]

The map has been updated. If anyone has any corrections, please let me know so I can update again. Thanks!

[rscott417]

I have a couple questions about some of the customers on the Bushwick Local/Branch. The Waste Management siding off Varick Ave. from the aerial view there's a very small locomotive on the siding, does anyone know what kind of locomotive it is/do they use it? Also theres some type of crane with a platform closest to Varick ave, does anyone know what that is used for? Bass Oil, is the motor oil in coming or out going and how do they load/unload it? Meserole Street Recycling/Vortex Inc. doesn't have any good aerial shots, is it bailed or lose scrap and how do they load it? Thanks

[deandremouse]

That small locomotive Im assuming looks like a trackmobile for switching the cars

[rscott417]

I thought so at first also but I think its more along the lines of a GE 25 ton like the one at Atlas Terminal. Anyone know for sure?

[Sir Ray]

I thought so at first also but I think its more along the lines of a GE 25 ton like the one at Atlas Terminal. Anyone know for sure?

It does look like a critter rather than a trackmobile - bing was no help, their view is worse.

Anyway, if NYCS is listening, there's a bit of a mystery (probably not really), follow the Google view up NW to Grand Ave and Page Place - the building on the NW corner has several (5) box cars on its siding (a blue one at the end of the siding). Now some Bing views agree with this, and show 4 boxcars (no blue boxcar) - however, most views have no boxcars. The building labeled Norampac is further north up Grand Avenue, so perhaps NYCS mislabeled it. The building labeled "New York Builders of Stairs" (Wow! Fancy!) on the Google view sort of has a Boxcar near it (actually it's the building right south of "Builders of Stairs", so maybe a different company altogether - some Bing views give as many as 4 boxcars on that firms sidings). The building labeled Norampac does have a siding going inside the 3 story biege section with the gable roof, and another siding crossed that on a diamond going East toward Grand Ave. (that siding is blocked by some white beams it looks like, though). So in that one block could have at least 3 businesses actively using rail freight (and building stairs too), which is almost a 1950s level of rail activity - of course, NY&A may have just be storing some OOS cars in that parts. Jay, could you help clear this up?

Also, guess I was a bit off about Metro and Eastern Fence in Calverton - does dull-pink Google Push pins mean inactive customers or something? If so, perhaps the 84 Lumber push-pin in Islip needs to be changed to dull-pink...