Railroad Forums 

Discussion relating to the past and present operations of the NYC Subway, PATH, and Staten Island Railway (SIRT).

Moderator: GirlOnTheTrain

 #532502  by tapper13
 
Hi everyone. Does anyone know anything about the Staten Island Railway? I was reading recently about the Brookville Locomotive delivery to Metro North and CDOT and the article mentioned that 4 engines will be going to the Staten Island Railway. Is this a passenger or freight carrier? Is it accessible for photography? What kind of schedule do they run on? I live in New York City and this seems like it would be an interesting operation to photograph. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 #532598  by Otto Vondrak
 
Spoken like a true New Yorker! Lives his whole life in New York City, never sets foot in Staten Island! :-) Never picked up a Subway map and noticed that blue line on that tiny island next to New Jersey? :-)

SIRT was once owned by the B&O railroad, sold to the MTA in 1970. The B&O operated electric rapid transit passenger service and regular freight service. B&O retained the freight service until 1985, when they sold to Deleware Otsego, operators of the NYS&W. I think the last freight run was 1988 or so. The Arthur Kill drawbridge has recently been reactivated and freight service has resumed to Staten Island. Read more about it here:

http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/simap.htm

http://www.nycsubway.org/nyc/sirt/

You can also ask your SIRT questions in the NYC Subway Forum:

http://railroad.net/forums/viewforum.php?f=68

-otto-
 #532711  by henry6
 
Do you know how Staten Island got its name? According to old vaudvillians when Henry Hudson sailed into the harbor, one of his crew pointed to the land and asked Henry, "Iss dat an island?" Henry said yes and wrote it down on his map.

 #532811  by railfaned
 
One more SIRT question. Who owns the trackage along the West Shore Expressway? I've seen CSX diesels pulling garbage trains there. I assume that it accesses the Arthur Kill Drawbridge. At one time didn't that spur feed the Power Plant there?

 #532853  by tapper13
 
Alright, alright, Otto, I know I sound like a typical New Yorker who doesn't venture off Manhattan island, but I actually go to Staten Island frequently for work and believe it or not have actually ridden the blue line:) It was several years ago when I very first moved to New York and before I had developed an interest in trains, so the only thing I remember about it was it seemed like the subway. Do you know if the new Brookville locomotives are for the freight operation? Are there any good photo locations for either the freight or transit side of the operation that you know about, and does the freight operation work in daylight? What type of equipment does the transit side use?

 #532863  by Kamen Rider
 
They use extreamly modiffed R44 cars, but the freight side on the west shore has squat to do with the passenger operations. they aren't even connected by active rails at the moment, and there is no freight service on the east shore.

The new locos will most likely see MOW service out of the shops in clifton as they locos on site are up for sale. They were listed in the surplus sales catalog a little while back.

the west shore serivce is operated through a agreement with the city (the line's actual owner) by the Morristown & Erie Railway and CSXT. It serves Howland Hook and Fresh Kills and does run during the day.

 #534359  by Otto Vondrak
 
tapper13 wrote: Do you know if the new Brookville locomotives are for the freight operation?
Welcome aboard, your questions are more than welcome here.

The Brookville units are for MTA Staten Island Railway, for use on transit work trains and any other non-revenue assignment. The rapid transit passenger and railroad freight operations have been separate since 1970. MTA SIR is for the rapid transit, Conrail Shared Assets operates the freight over the AK Drawbridge.

-otto-

 #534369  by TheKornGuy
 
Now that the The Arthur Kill drawbridge is up and running with freight, does this mean the SIR is officially connected to the national rail grid?
If not, is there trackage that is not in service that currently connects the SIR to the grid? How much restoration would it need to be put back in service? Is there anywhere I can grab some shots of this ROW? (lots of questions, I know)
It would be pretty cool to see Conrail deliver new SIR cars when they need them. This might be an option they may want to explore for the future.

 #534397  by Kamen Rider
 
TheKornGuy wrote: How much restoration would it need to be put back in service?
A lot.

 #534475  by VinLaz
 
There is no trackage that connects SIR to the CSX rail. Two totally separate systems. As of right now, the only way to possibly connect them would be the reactivation of the North Shore tracks, which runs from Arlington to St George along the Kill Van kull. But as previously stated, it would take an astronomical amount of work.
There has been recent talk about reopening that line for passenger service along the north shore to possibly connect to the NJCL., but that is most likely a fantasy.

 #534482  by M&Eman
 
How exactly were the SIRT R44s modified to comply with FRA specs?

 #534484  by TheKornGuy
 
thanks for the info! Are there any places where I can possibly get some photos of this trackage? Is it private property or can I walk them?

 #535021  by Kamen Rider
 
TheKornGuy wrote:thanks for the info! Are there any places where I can possibly get some photos of this trackage? Is it private property or can I walk them?
It's a 3rd rail electric system, why would you walk it.

 #535024  by Kamen Rider
 
M&Eman wrote:How exactly were the SIRT R44s modified to comply with FRA specs?
They are single units, two tone horns, grab handles on doors ( since removed) modifed control.

 #536619  by uhaul
 
I need to get to Staten Island sometime, the only burough I have yet to visit. Thanks for the links Otto Vondrak.