Mt. Vernon/Woodlawn Freight Customer - Map

[Jeff Smith]

Reposted from the New York Trolleys/Transpo group via Albert Brecken. What I find very interesting is the switchback siding off of Track 4, just above Woodlawn junction. How would they have served this? The NH used electric freight engines and switchers, but this spot is at the point where the switch from 3rd Rail to Catenary took place up until the 1990's. I'd have to assume this was a NH customer being past the junction; not sure where the division post would have been.

[Rockingham Racer]

IIRC, it was actually a New York Central job out of White Plains that came down and worked that place. I remember seeing it reverse in the plant at JO [now Woodlawn].

[Jeff Smith]

Could be. Not sure what industrial facility was there. Farrand Optical was north of Nereid/238 (my grandfather worked there and later I drilled there as an Army Reservist).

[Noel Weaver]

Back in my early days I worked NX-2, the job would shovw down from the Old Yard at New Rochelle on track one to SS-20, cross over to track four and work Woodlawn Lumber, sometimes if there was work in the old freight yard east of Mount Vernon station the move was done from there which was a much shorter shoving move. No way did the New York Central ever work any freight customers on New Haven track and New Haven track began at the east end of the interlocking limits of Woodlawn Tower. Woodlawn Lumber and Mount Vernon were always switched at night. Only after the NHRR passed on probably in Conrail days then Woodlawn Lumber was switched by a job out of Oak Point long after the old NHRR freight yard was history at Mount Vernon. Woodlawn Lumber was one of the last freight customers in this area.
Noel Weaver

[Statkowski]

For NX-2 to get to Woodlawn Lumber (and whatever else might have been there over the years), S.S. 20, Mount Vernon, would activate the Reverse Traffic lever in conjunction with Woodlawn tower for Track 4. This not only permitted NX-2 to run "wrong way" to the spur, but also prevented Woodlawn from accidentally sending anything up Track 4. While NX-2 was down there, everything came up on Track 2 and locals then crossed over to Track 4 at S.S. 20.

The Track 4 signal at Woodlawn interlocking marked the division between New Haven and New York & Harlem rights of way.

[Jeff Smith]

Noel and Statkowski, glad you saw this and thanks! Noel, when you ran this job, what was the power? One of the NH electric switchers? Or was diesel necessary do to the proximity to the changeover? Statkowski, where is SS20? I added CP's to the New Haven line wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven_Line" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; from something posted on the MNRR forum a while ago, but I don't remember that one. I'd assume it's the interlocking just north of Woodlawn junction on the NHL proper, before you get into the Mt. Vernon cut.

[Noel Weaver]

Generally NX-2 had a 640 class yard engine (SW-1200). In earlier years a 0600 class (Alco/GE S-2) was used
Noel Weaver
Noel Weaver

[Statkowski]

Statkowski, where is SS20? ... I'd assume it's the interlocking just north of Woodlawn junction on the NHL proper, before you get into the Mt. Vernon cut.

S.S. 20, Mount Vernon was located 1.03 miles east of JO Tower (a/k/a Woodlawn) on the New York Central's Harlem Division. A wooden structure, located 0.96 miles west of Mount Vernon station, it sat on the north side of the tracks and had a National mechanical interlocking machine. Based on an aerial view from the Internet, I'd say that CP 212 ("VERN") is where it was.

[Jeff Smith]

Thanks!

[Ridgefielder]

Have wondered for a while-- when did the junction at Woodlawn take on its current configuration? From the look of the structures-- the reinforced concrete in the flyover, the brickwork of the old substation building and the curved steel shapes in the Wakefield Ave. viaduct-- I'm guessing the layout was revised sometime around 1910 but I've never seen a picture of it looking different than it does today. I'm also assuming that the original junction between the New York & Harlem and the New York & New Haven was a simple switch or pair of switches.

[Statkowski]

I'd pop back to circa 1906 when Grand Central Terminal was electrified.